I am a mac newbie, please help!

Hi there. A friend just gave us an iMac. The OS is 9.1, I have never worked on a Mac before but I have figured out how to move around in it. I am trying to get on the internet but I need to go wireless because it is in a separate room from my router for my desktop with WinXP and Laptop with Win7. So how do I get this computer to use WiFi? I was doing some research and I saw something about an "Airport" card. Is that what I need? I found "Airport" in the Mac and if says, literally, the thing is talking!, that the program is either disabled or there is no card. How do I know which it is and where does the card go, if that is even what I need?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

BeehndBlueEyes

We need to know the exact model of the iMac you have. If it's running OS 9.1 then it's going to be a vintage model. If you can give us the model number, someone who knows about older models can advise you with regard to obtaining an airport card for it.

Thanks for answering chscag, I knew it was old. It's big and blue and the size of an old TV that someone might have had in their kitchen in my mothers time.
I copied everything I could off the bottom of it. Here goes...

M5521 DHHS Code CH
IMAC400/IN/128/10/CD/128P/56K/FW/VGA

When I saw 56K I knew how old it really is. I also have the Serial # and Ethernet ID #

IF I can make this think wireless, that would be great because it does have the "Airport" program in it and the guy said he was using it wirelessly, he just decided it was time for a new one.
Also, if someone can tell me if this can be upgraded to a newer version it would be helpful. This is just a computer for me to learn mac on. I already have 2 PCs but I would like to get it working if possible

Thanks for your help
BeehndBlueEyes

BeehndBlueEyes said:

IMAC400/IN/128/10/CD/128P/56K/FW/VGA

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This computer is approximately 12 years old. No I'm not kidding. It came out in Summer of 2000. I think Clinton was still President then ...

I can make this think wireless, that would be great because it does have the "Airport" program in it and the guy said he was using it wirelessly, he just decided it was time for a new one.

Click to expand...

Holy cow, I'm not sure who is in for a bigger shock ... him or you!

It is POSSIBLE to upgrade this machine to the point where you could use it to very basically surf the net ... but it is WAAAAAAAAY to old to be good for much more than email and word processing at this point. Absolutely not worth spending so much as a single dime on IMO.

This is just a computer for me to learn mac on.

Click to expand...

Not really. OS 9 is very ancient history and even if you were to somehow find a retail copy of Panther or Tiger to put on, buy more RAM and get a bigger HD put in to support it, (etc etc) it really would not prepare you for modern Macs.

I'm not saying you have to buy something brand new, nor do I want to discourage you from exploring OS X, but if that's your motivation you're going to have to get something much newer, I'd suggest something from 2007 or later. Something from any earlier than that can maybe work if it's already maxed out on upgrades, but you'll outgrow it too fast to be really useful.

Luckily, getting something newer isn't not too terribly expensive (but more so that what you got that iMac for of course).

Thanks for the good laugh, chas_m, I needed that. I had a feeling it was pretty old. My roommate wants to hook the darn thing up. He just wants to get the feel of using the internet. I have a new Dell Inspiron and I'd rather not let him play on this one. Besides, he spends most of his time in his room and doesn't want to bother coming out to the LR where I am always on the computer anyway. So I have to ask, can I get this dinosaur to become wireless, the router is in my living room and his bedroom is on the other side of the apartment. I know I'm going to be running back and forth as he screams questions across the apt. but if he's going to screw something up, let it be that old thing. I'll worry about learning a mac another time. He is really wants to play with a computer to learn something. These things confuse him and it's time he learned how to surf the net. I doubt he will be doing much if any word processing on it. I would love to just get this thing wireless if possible.

Thanks for you help

BeehindBlueEyes

I would play around with OS 9 because panther and tiger would definitely need upgraded in order to get a true Mac experience. I also agree with the 2007 or newer Mac if you want something that is going to be really fast.

If the iMac does not have an Airport card you will find it pretty expensive to install an 802.11b card, and also an adapter in order to fit it:-

Apple Airport Card - 802.11b - Original (661-2219 / 661-2549)

http://www.teksale.com/laptops/lapt...airport-carrier-card-installation-adapter.htm

Also if youb have or purchase these items, you will probably be only able to connect to a router/modem operating WEP encryption which is extremely weak.

I don't care about upgrading this thing, it is for my roommate who barely knows how to surf the net and wants to learn, but he wants to learn in his own room which is where he spends most of his time, unless he's in the kitchen. I have a non working old desktop with WinXP in the living room that I am hoping to get up and running this weekend, just as a back up. I also have a Dell Inspiron laptop that has Win 7. I offered to teach him on the old desktop but he wants it in his room so he can do it when he wants since I pretty much live on my Dell which is stationed on my desk in the LR. He just has this thing with hanging out in his room, you would think he was a teenager and not a man in his 50's but that is just the way he is.
SO, the question still stands, can I make this dinosaur wireless. There looks like there is a spot for the Airport card in the back after I opened it up. And the computer says, literally,the thing is talking, that Airport has been disabled or has no card. So I am guessing that I can hopefully just find the right card and slip it in there or I can go the ethernet way but then I need another router and my cable company will then get to charge me twice for internet. Which I am not willing to pay.
The model of this dinosaur is M5521 but I can't seem to find an Airport card for this one.
Any help would be appreciated. Otherwise, I will just tell him that it is too old and thats it! And if he really wants to learn, he will have to leave the man cave and come into the light of the Living Room to use the desktop if I can get it up and running again. It too is a dinosaur. It's a Compaq Presario that is also 12 years old but last time I had it connected, it still worked with office and the net, and that is good enough.

Thanks for all your suggestions and help

BeehndBlueEyes