OS X on iMac G3

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I was given three iMac G3s. I have never used a mac in my lifetime until now. I would like to upgrade to OS X on one of these. I have read on the net that this is possible for iMac 3Gs. You, however need to upgrade the firmware. My problem is:

1) I cannot locate the firmware for my specific model number or serial number on apple.

2)I have tried to reinstall OS 9.2, but when I insert the cd and hold C, It boots from the hard drive.

3)I plug in an Ethernet cable, but internet explorer refuses to work. I looked into control panel and it correctly detected its ip address, but internet still didn't work.

4)One of the iMacs refuses to power on.

Any Ideas?
Oh I also posted pics

The pics are available here on my original post that I put in the wrong section
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-rumors-reports/140979-os-x-imac-g3.html#post802833
 
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Oh I also want to overclock. The only way this can be accomplished is by soldering the processor. ANy1 have diagrams for this? Anyone know the max speed that this processor will clock to stable?
 
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Yes, it is possible, but depending on what iMac you have, it will be very slow. Tray loading iMacs are better off sticking with OS 9, while some of the later slot loaders can run OS X passably. These are old computers, and no amount of upgrading or tweaking will ever make them fast by todays standards.

1) What is your model number? The original tray loaders take Firmware Update 1.2, while slot loaders take Firmware Update 4.1.9.

2) You may have a bad CD drive, but if it happens on all three iMacs that seems unlikely. More likely is that the CD itself is damaged and refuses to boot.

3) Does anything at all come up or does it give you an error. OS 9 is very old and Internet Explorer for Mac, even the latest version, is obsolete. It may just not be able to load a modern web site.

4) It could be any number of problems. Does it make any noise at all or just does nothing? It could be a power supply, logic board, etc..

As far as overclocking, I have no idea.
 
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1)This is a slot loader, you should be able to see the model number in the pics I uploaded.(M5521)
2)The cd drive is not bad because I am able to look at the CD when OS 9 is loaded. In fact I upgraded from 9.1 to 9.2 from the OS.
3)AS for the internet, It just says something like page could not be displayed.
4)For the broken mac, when I push the power button, I hear no noise at all. I have read that If I take the battery out and push the reset button this may help. I'm not goning to bother trying to fix this, actually. I took it up to the attic, and not bringing it back down it's HEAVY!!!
5)What intel/amd processor would this processor be equivalent to?

PS:sorry for me being a noob, im learning atleast. I cant believe this actually cost $1200 when it was new!!!

Oh I am also using a windows keyboard. Whould the windows start menu button be the same as the command button in mac os?

As for the overclocking, I found this online: overclock a purple imac g3 - Mac Forums
but I dont know if it would work for my computer because this site says its for tray loading iMacs.

IMG_5453.jpg

IMG_5454.jpg

IMG_5456.jpg
 
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Your pics weren't working so I wasn't able to see what type of iMac it was.

I don't know what the deal is with your drive, like I said it might be a bad disk. Even if you are able to mount it, it might not be able to boot. This is true with the Leopard DVD that came with my iMac. It is scratched, mounts fine in OS X, but will not boot.

I haven't used OS 9 in years and I can't remember all the different settings necessary to get the internet to work.

The PowerPC processor is not really comparable to any AMD or Intel processor. It is true that they were faster in their day then an Intel processor at the same clock speed. I would say they are roughly equivalent to a Pentium III, but they work differently and aren't really comparable side by side.

The procedure for overclocking a tray loader is different. I'm not sure if it is possible to overclock a slot loader, but I do know for a fact that they are not the same inside, so that guide probably won't work.

I think the windows key will do the same thing.

I just realized that I offered just about no useful information in this post.
 
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I'm not going to bother with these paperweights anymore. Whats the approximate value on them?
256 MB RAM
500Mhz Processor
CD Burner
20GB Hard Drive
OS 9.2
17" Screen (I think?)
 
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Your Mac's Specs
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Not much, maybe 25 bucks.
 

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