Recently I was blessed with 2 iMac G3's. The iMac came out in the late 1990's after Steve Jobs came back to Apple. Most of the desktop computers then were big, square, and beige.
The iMac was a revolutionary design in the computer industry. It was offered in many different colors and the case is transparent so you see all its parts.
The two I were given are the later "slot-loading" models (no CD tray). The first one is a 2001 Indigo model.
It features the following:
It features the following:
- 500MHz Power PC G3
- 256MB of ram
- ATI Video Card - 16mb video ram
- 20gb hard drive
- 2 USB ports
- 2 FireWire ports
- 56k modem
- Ethernet
- Dual headphone jacks
- Speaker jack
- Microphone jack
- CD-Rom
This machine was running OS 9.2.2 but some of the system files and extensions were missing. I had to transfer some files from the other iMac to get the CD-ROM working. I decided on upgrading to OS X Panther (10.3). OS X Tiger (10.4) will run on the G3 but is harder to install, more expensive, and might be a little slower.
Parts for this era of iMac are cheap on eBay and I ordered 1gb of ram, a new PRAM battery (keeps the system time & settings), an airport adapter and card so it will have wi-fi, and also OS X Panther. The upgrades cost me about $55 including shipping. I had a little bit of Christmas money left over for the project. Later on I may upgrade the hard drive. 20gb isn't a lot but I don't plan on storing very much on it.
It started up fine. I set the date and time and went to the Apple System Profiler in OS 9 and the upgrades were recognized. I also had previously checked the firmware. It must be 4.1.9 or you will have installation problems. http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1283?viewlocale=en_US If you have problems this is a very helpful link: http://www.gileskennedy.com/panthereatsimac/problemsolver/
Since firmware was up to date I proceded with the installation. I did an "erase and install" so that the previous OS and it's applications would be wiped out. I customized the install deselecting most of the foreign language support to save space. However, once completed the airport could not connect to our network. I connected the imac via Ethernet to the router and updated from 10.3 to 10.3.9. Panther is no longer supported via the software update option in the system. You have to manually install the updates. I haven't installed all of them yet but plan to.
Parts for this era of iMac are cheap on eBay and I ordered 1gb of ram, a new PRAM battery (keeps the system time & settings), an airport adapter and card so it will have wi-fi, and also OS X Panther. The upgrades cost me about $55 including shipping. I had a little bit of Christmas money left over for the project. Later on I may upgrade the hard drive. 20gb isn't a lot but I don't plan on storing very much on it.
I replaced the PRAM battery first. My fingers were barely able to reach it through the access door. With the aid of a screw driver I carefully got it loose. The Airport Adapter and Card were next in line. I connected them together then attached the WiFi antenna to the card. The RAM is located directly below the Airport Card. Only one slot was being used, 256mb! I inserted (2) 512mb chips.
It started up fine. I set the date and time and went to the Apple System Profiler in OS 9 and the upgrades were recognized. I also had previously checked the firmware. It must be 4.1.9 or you will have installation problems. http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1283?viewlocale=en_US If you have problems this is a very helpful link: http://www.gileskennedy.com/panthereatsimac/problemsolver/Since firmware was up to date I proceded with the installation. I did an "erase and install" so that the previous OS and it's applications would be wiped out. I customized the install deselecting most of the foreign language support to save space. However, once completed the airport could not connect to our network. I connected the imac via Ethernet to the router and updated from 10.3 to 10.3.9. Panther is no longer supported via the software update option in the system. You have to manually install the updates. I haven't installed all of them yet but plan to.
For all the updates you can still go to www.apple.com and search for "os x 10.3 update"
Here are two important ones:
10.3.9 Update - http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_Update_10_3_9
Airport - http://support.apple.com/kb/DL455
OS X is running great and is so much better than 9! I have around 16gb left and put the computer in our kitchen to use it for recipes, music, etc.
The second iMac is from about 2000 in blueberry I think.
Specifications:- 350MHz Power PC G3
- 128mb of ram
- ATI Video Card - 8mb of video ram
- 6.33gb hard drive (that is very noisy)
- All similar i/o's as above minus FireWire.
It's currently running OS 9.1 and my wife and I are thinking about turning it into an aquarium. We're not sure though. The value of these could go up and a hard drive isn't too expensive. It may have some life in it. Jake Harms has created a really cool aquarium DIY kit for the iMac G3. He also has some other cool projects. See http://www.jakeharms.com/ for more info.
If you can get an iMac G3 for free or very cheap it might be worth holding on too. They make a great conversation piece too.
That was a Geekiful blog post! You put a lot into it. There's a message here about resisting modern society's throw-away culture and you can transfer the concept to restoring a life less-valued by humanity and what God can do when His masterful hands make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight! Your right, there is a powerful message here. I really appreciate you bringing that out.
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