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Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Desktop Hardware
Found an iMac lying around, but does it do anything?
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<blockquote data-quote="cb3rob" data-source="post: 1225943" data-attributes="member: 199756"><p>the screws taped to the back are probably to hold the harddisk in place</p><p>any normal sata-II pc disk will do on the g5 (there could be a maximum size, not sure on that one)</p><p></p><p>the gray screen coming on and turning off again indicates that it's doing something at least (powersupply and screen work <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> ... probably no ram</p><p></p><p>the G5 imac (which is what it sounds like) opens with 3 screws at the bottom (there are also a few holes which are not screws, look for the screws)... turn the screws in the usual direction for un-screwing until they go no further, and pull the "screen" part by the bottom towards you. it will seperate from the back and the foot.</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEWAhej6TX0&feature=related" target="_blank">YouTube - iMac G5 Repair - Front Case Removal</a></p><p></p><p></p><p>the harddisk if it's missing needs to be formatted with "apple file system" (not FAT or GPT) if it's a G5 and with GPT if it's an intel based mac (on the macos installer dvd click the "utilities" thing in the gray bar above and then the disk utility, then the tab for file systems etc and change it (not the main screen/erase) or macos installer will act like there are no hard drives at all.</p><p></p><p>ram: unregistered unbuffered DDR PC3200 dimms without ECC (pc2700 works too, although it will beep a few times a couple of times if you mix them up and then "learn"), max 1gb per dimm, probably bigger ones than 1GB each work too.</p><p></p><p>who wants intel cpus anyway, they're just cheaper to buy and more widely available, and i guess ibm didn't wanna sell their cpu factory to apple, or stop making their power7 systems just so apple could buy -all- the cpus they make <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /> (there is ofcourse REAL hardware, and consumer hardware, although i have to admit that we're filling our datacenters with macminis too nowadays <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> and a 100 euro discount per CPU really doesn't matter much (or enough) to choose intel rather than powerpc (plus, the intel cpu has been available as a plugin board for the G5 macs during the development of macosx for the current intel based products, so if you WANT to run intel-only stuff and not emulate the cpu, you can still just try to find one of those)</p><p></p><p>i've seen the gray screen flashing up and then turning off without beeping on mine, which works fine, while replacing the harddisk and checking if it would run with other types or ram (no, it doesn't work with ECC dimms from our IBM servers <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />, so your screen and powersupply seem to work anyway.. probably just missing ram....</p><p></p><p>if after fixing that issue a harddisk icon shows up on your screen and you've checked that there is a harddisk in it, you just need to create the proper partition table on it and install macos (after creating the partition table and a reboot the macos installer will suddenly "find" the disk, as with disks pulled from pcs and completely empty/randomized/new ones it blatantly claims there are no disks to install to <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>as to using the imacs as a monitor for other computers, i've never seen such "cables", although if your mac works you can ofcourse use VNC or remote desktop or or other software, whatever and do it over the network (use either computer as a monitor for the other one).</p><p></p><p>can't find any "video in"... just "mini vga" which is an output port (to another monitor, haven't checked yet if it like the macminis can drive 2 monitors with different output or 2 monitors wht the same output, as when i plugged in the composite video converter it changed the resolution of the build-in screen, which, kinda indicates that it also displays the same on both (although i haven't checked it any further than plugging in the converter) anyway, all of those solutions require your mac to work and run some sort of software first...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cb3rob, post: 1225943, member: 199756"] the screws taped to the back are probably to hold the harddisk in place any normal sata-II pc disk will do on the g5 (there could be a maximum size, not sure on that one) the gray screen coming on and turning off again indicates that it's doing something at least (powersupply and screen work ;) ... probably no ram the G5 imac (which is what it sounds like) opens with 3 screws at the bottom (there are also a few holes which are not screws, look for the screws)... turn the screws in the usual direction for un-screwing until they go no further, and pull the "screen" part by the bottom towards you. it will seperate from the back and the foot. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEWAhej6TX0&feature=related]YouTube - iMac G5 Repair - Front Case Removal[/url] the harddisk if it's missing needs to be formatted with "apple file system" (not FAT or GPT) if it's a G5 and with GPT if it's an intel based mac (on the macos installer dvd click the "utilities" thing in the gray bar above and then the disk utility, then the tab for file systems etc and change it (not the main screen/erase) or macos installer will act like there are no hard drives at all. ram: unregistered unbuffered DDR PC3200 dimms without ECC (pc2700 works too, although it will beep a few times a couple of times if you mix them up and then "learn"), max 1gb per dimm, probably bigger ones than 1GB each work too. who wants intel cpus anyway, they're just cheaper to buy and more widely available, and i guess ibm didn't wanna sell their cpu factory to apple, or stop making their power7 systems just so apple could buy -all- the cpus they make :P (there is ofcourse REAL hardware, and consumer hardware, although i have to admit that we're filling our datacenters with macminis too nowadays ;) and a 100 euro discount per CPU really doesn't matter much (or enough) to choose intel rather than powerpc (plus, the intel cpu has been available as a plugin board for the G5 macs during the development of macosx for the current intel based products, so if you WANT to run intel-only stuff and not emulate the cpu, you can still just try to find one of those) i've seen the gray screen flashing up and then turning off without beeping on mine, which works fine, while replacing the harddisk and checking if it would run with other types or ram (no, it doesn't work with ECC dimms from our IBM servers ;), so your screen and powersupply seem to work anyway.. probably just missing ram.... if after fixing that issue a harddisk icon shows up on your screen and you've checked that there is a harddisk in it, you just need to create the proper partition table on it and install macos (after creating the partition table and a reboot the macos installer will suddenly "find" the disk, as with disks pulled from pcs and completely empty/randomized/new ones it blatantly claims there are no disks to install to ;) as to using the imacs as a monitor for other computers, i've never seen such "cables", although if your mac works you can ofcourse use VNC or remote desktop or or other software, whatever and do it over the network (use either computer as a monitor for the other one). can't find any "video in"... just "mini vga" which is an output port (to another monitor, haven't checked yet if it like the macminis can drive 2 monitors with different output or 2 monitors wht the same output, as when i plugged in the composite video converter it changed the resolution of the build-in screen, which, kinda indicates that it also displays the same on both (although i haven't checked it any further than plugging in the converter) anyway, all of those solutions require your mac to work and run some sort of software first... [/QUOTE]
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Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Desktop Hardware
Found an iMac lying around, but does it do anything?
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