G3 iMac Restoration Without System Discs
Hi all,
I'm just about to get a new Mac (my first in 4 years--yay!). Since it will be a desktop, this means that my trusty old 500MHz iMac G3 DV SE (Summer 2000) will no longer be needed by me. In an effort to ensure that my roommate's next computer is a Mac, I want to give this iMac an overhaul and have it become her new desktop.
Unfortunately, I bought this Mac second-hand and as such, do not have the original system discs that would have come when the computer was first brought home from Apple. It has 640MB of RAM and a 30 GB HD so I'm thinking that the machine should be able to handle Tiger. Unfortunately, right now the computer is surprisingly slow and buggy (lots of unexpected app quitting), so in order to ensure my roomie has a positive experience I want to completely wipe the HD clean and re-install the OS from the ground up.
Now I know that this is usually quite a task with these machines but fortunately I'm a man with a big heart for Macs and a pretty good amount of patience. If someone could possibly give me a detailed account of how to properly go about doing this restoration, it would be hugely appreciated
!
I'm just about to get a new Mac (my first in 4 years--yay!). Since it will be a desktop, this means that my trusty old 500MHz iMac G3 DV SE (Summer 2000) will no longer be needed by me. In an effort to ensure that my roommate's next computer is a Mac, I want to give this iMac an overhaul and have it become her new desktop.
Unfortunately, I bought this Mac second-hand and as such, do not have the original system discs that would have come when the computer was first brought home from Apple. It has 640MB of RAM and a 30 GB HD so I'm thinking that the machine should be able to handle Tiger. Unfortunately, right now the computer is surprisingly slow and buggy (lots of unexpected app quitting), so in order to ensure my roomie has a positive experience I want to completely wipe the HD clean and re-install the OS from the ground up.
Now I know that this is usually quite a task with these machines but fortunately I'm a man with a big heart for Macs and a pretty good amount of patience. If someone could possibly give me a detailed account of how to properly go about doing this restoration, it would be hugely appreciated
!
Comments
I think you will probably just have to buy an old set of discs from ebay like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Mac-10-3-4...#ht_500wt_1182
You can still get the cable in order to transfer your stuff to your new computer directly or use an external hard drive. Here is an example cable:
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-F01...8465166&sr=8-1
Then just boot the iMac holding the t-key and it should mount on the new computer as an external drive. You can zero the iMac drive from there if you want - this will erase all the data and cut out any bad sectors the drive might have had.
Then reinstall from the disc.