Clamshell iBook Limbo

I have a Tangeriene Clamshell iBook stuck in limbo. When it boots, it plays the tiger intro video, then when it should start the setup (Getting Started), it just displays the wallpaper and a cursor. Resetting the password doesn't work using any install discs (Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, Puma, or even Cheetah) and I can't get in using single user mode. I tried the ⌘+S at startup and attempted:
[mount -uw / > launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist > Is /Users > dscl . -passwd /Users/*username *password > reboot]
with no luck. I also tried:
[mount -uw / > rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone > shutdown -h now]
and it did initialize the "new" computer simulation. I popped in the original disc (Mac OS9) and used disk first aid to repair the HDD. Now I'm stuck at the video as said above. It has a 40 gb hard drive with a 300 or 366 mhz PPC 750 G3 processor (not sure which one) and an 256 mb or ram. Suggestions? Thanks!

Unfortunatly, I don't have any "normal" install discs. I only have 10.0 and os 9. The rest are update CDs or CDs that came with computers such as the eMac, iBook g3 and g4, and iMac (tray and slot). So if I were to zero the disc, I would be without a decent operating system (only having mac os 9 and 10.0 install discs, I can't upgrade without the install discs for 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 or 10.4.) The hard drive is not apple certified, do there's no garuntee zeroing would even work. any other options?

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Clamshell iBook Won't Boot from Jaguar CD (v10.2.3)

Branching off from a prior thread (https://discussions.apple.com/message/13222609#13222609) in which booting from an OS X CD was a potential solution to a problem, the problem encountered with the potential solution warrants its own thread.
My machine is a Clamshell iBook (G3), Revision B (with 64MB base RAM and no FireWire). It was purchased new eleven years ago and later ugpraded to 192MB RAM.
The OS on the hard drive was 9.0.2 until yesterday, when I updated it to 9.1 so I could bring the firmware up to date. I did this before attempting to use the Jaguar CD.
The CD in question is an original Jaguar install CD, version 10.2.3. This is a two-disc set (the discs are labeled 1 and 2) and is a retail version; my iBook was manufactured prior to the release of OS X (non-server) and does not have an OEM OS X disc.
When the iBook attempts to boot from the CD, either by pressing "C" at startup or by running the Installer from OS 9.1, it seems to be loading fine until the following appears:
At this point, the iBook won't load any further and a restart is required.
The iBook does boot an OS X Cheetah (10.0) CD as well as its own restore disc (9.0.2) and the 9.1 disc that came with Cheetah. Unfortunately, Cheetah doesn't seem to have any effect on the battery (this is why I'm booting with an OS X CD; see the posts in the other thread for details). I don't have any other retail CD versions of OS X to try (aside from a Snow Leopard DVD).
Aside from this boot problem and the battery issue (the computer won't recognize the battery and displays an "X" through it even after having charged it with an external charger) the iBook is working perfectly fine.

No. I get the "X" through the battery in the menu bar and no bars, just a plug icon, in the control strip under OS 9.
The battery is a year old and has never been recognized by this computer. I don't have another Clamshell to test it in but did verify that it can charge in a VST charger.
The last time the computer recognized a battery was about 6 years ago when the initial batteries were still in use. Both were completely depleted after my charger shorted out; they didn't charge again after I got a new charger. The batteries were healthy at the time and were able to hold 3-4 hours, which was pretty typical mileage for me on this laptop.

Clamshell ibook keyboard problem

I just added some RAM to a 300 mhz blueberry clamshell iBook and upgraded to OS X. Everything went smoothly until it came time to type in the registration info, when I discovered that one diagonal row of keys on the keyboard -- the 9 O L and . keys, to be specific -- no longer worked.
Any idea what might have happened? Did I tweak something while removing the keyboard to get at the RAM? Do I need to get a new keyboard, or is this a problem with the connection ribbon?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Peter...
I can't see how the Ram could be the problem from what you describe. I suggest removing and then connecting the keyboard ribbon just to make sure all the pins are well attached. The pbfixit site has good instructions if you need them...
http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/49.4.0.html
Failing this perhaps the ribbon itself may be kinked or damaged slightly?
Good luck

Help with clamshell ibook OS 9.2 upgrade to OS 10.6

I have a clamshell ibook OS 9.2 and I want to upgrade it to OS 10.6 so my mom can see her pictures from her new Canon Power Shot. I do have Leopard or 0S 5.6 but I cannot open the cd door to the clamshell it is broken. The exterior piece fell off.
Can I download from the internet what I need? Also is the clamshell able to support Canon Powershot software?

The iBook G3 clamshell FireWire model could upgrade to Tiger 10.4(.11)
+ the earlier, Panther 10.3.9. Some earlier Macs were able to use the Tiger
4 CD disc set (rare version) to install when the computer had no Combo
drive, only the early CD drive. And then, the RAM would need to be at the
max in either one to run their latest supported OS X operating system.
So the upgrade to Leopard 10.5(.8) version is out.
The idea of a USB card reader may allow
access to any jpg images from the camera.
This would avoid need to have camera software
in the computer. OS9.2 could access images.
I attach a few of my digital cameras direct to the
computer even though I do not use iPhoto or
have software download the images, because
there are times when the camera works better
as a card reader than some third-party reader.
The camera's memory card is seen as a disc
or drive on the desktop, so it should open if
double-clicked. Images could be dragged out.
Just don't mess up the card's file system.
A fairly good MacBook 13" could be bought
for about $300. with limited guaranty, from
reputable companies who rebuild them...
see wegenermedia online for an idea.
Good luck & happy computing!

Safari 4 Clamshell iBook Problems

I have a clamshell iBook (466 graphite) and was using Safari 4 beta and it was working fine. Downloaded the 4.0 release tonight (6/8/09) and all **** broke loose. I no longer have a visible google home page, no scroll bars (800x600 is the max setting for this computer) and my bookmarks bar shows up briefly when Safari opens (in black letters on a white background) then disappears. If I use the google search in the upper right corner I get results (in a higher screen resolution setting) but no way to scroll down or over. I was able to download Firefox, just barely, as the download dialog box was just visible on the right hand side of my screen. Seems strange that Apple would cue me to do this Safari download without checking how it would work on this old but still viable iBook.

Just a little update, I went and worked with a Genius today to try and resolve the Safari 4.0 problem. The gentleman thought that the problem we are having might have to do with our graphics card. He thought that there might be a way to try and let Safari work with our underpowered graphics card (and low resolution) but that it would (might) slow down a number of things. Since we are underpowered CPU wise, we did not try it.
The problem is that if we try and deinstall Safari 4.0, we need to insure that the Web Kit (Java?) is also removed otherwise we may have problems with Safari 3.0.
There is no easy way to go back. I am limited on HD space and need to get an external HD in order to do a reinstall and archive to get Safari 3.0 back which i believe has already been described here in the forum.
I went through this with Safari 3.0 initially when after downloading I and others had problems with Iwork and Mail, again another web kit or Java incompatibility.
Has anyone performed the Archive and reinstall back to Safari 3.0 with no problems?
Thanx again.

Is there a proper Clamshell iBook problem forum?

As usual, I have no idea what forum to post in, for none seem a good fit. Is there a proper forum for finding help for what may be a serious problem with a Clamshell iBook? I believe it's the computer and not a program. Am I at the right website, or should I be looking elsewhere for help?
This is my home computer (I'm at lunch break at work now) I don't have Internet at home, and don't know the the tech information right now. I'm just looking for the right place to ask advice before I get all the needed info and tell my long sad story.
Thanks for any help you can give on where I should be asking for help.

Apple.com > Support > Discussions > iBook > iBook (colors) : This Discussion forum is for Blueberry, Tangerine, Indigo, Key Lime, and Graphite \[iBook].

Used clamshell ibook version 9.2 from school system

I recently bought a used clamshell ibook version 9.2 from a school system for my daughter to mess around on. Is there anywhere I can purchase software? Games? Can I update from 9.2 to OS x version 10.5.8?

Clamshell iBooks can only go up to 10.4.11 if they have Firewire. If they don't have Firewire, they can only go up to 10.3.9. Unfortunately if they don't have firewire, there is no way to easily or speedily recover data backed up to an external hard drive on those Macs, and I'd recommend sticking with 9.2. Some used and refurbished Mac shops may have the software you desire*:
http://www.macmaps.com/usedrefurbished.html

Unresponsive 366Mhz Clamshell iBook

Hello All! Hoping someone can help me here, I am stumped. I have a 366Mhz Clamshell iBook with a new battery, and a working power adpator. The problem is the iBook will not turn on. When I install the Battery with the power adaptor unplugged the Caps Lock Key lights up as well as the top screw which holds the keyboard down and the sleep light(all Green) on the back of the Book. I then plug in the Power adptor and all of the lights remain lit, but I have no light on the power adptor plug, showing that it charging. I then try to start the mac up but to no avail. I hav reset the pmu by holding in the reset button for 20 seconds and then tried to power on again. But still Nothing. Please Help. What gives here?
Thanks,Russ

Hi Russ -
Remove the battery and plug the machine in via the power cord. Then press and hold the power button down (5-10 sec) until the machine re-boots. Hopefull it will start up ...then shut it down normally and re-install the battery.

Trying to connect our old clamshell iBook G3/300 OS X 10.4.10

We have the old, the original, "clamshell" iBook G3/300MHz, in lovely tangerine, which I'd like to get on the internet here at home.
It has Mac OS X 10.4.10
The AirPort Card Information is as follows:
     Wireless Card Type: AirPort
     Wireless Card Locale: USA
     Wireless Card Firmware Version: 9.52
     Current Wireless Network: wireless network not available
So, our home network uses a wpa2 personal password.
In the Network preferences, I can set up a preferred network and specify wpa2 personal for the password type.
Setting things to Automatic does nothing. Invoking a network connection via the wifi icon in the menu bar brings up a dialogue for me to specify the network, which is found, but the choices for password type are only: WEP Password, WEP 40/128-bit hex, WEP 40/128-bit ASCII, and LEAP.
Am I not seeing a choice for wpa2 personal as a password because of a hardware limitation?
We just want to get this old thing online ASAP, and then eventually sell it to someone who is into retro Mac stuff.
Thanks to all on these terrific forums who can be of help.

Thank you for your reply BDAqua. I suspect that I must have one of the original AirPort cards in this thing?
I will give up on putting this thing online at home and focus on finding it a new home.
Thank you again for your help!

Does high-profile RAM fit in a clamshell iBook?

I was wondering if a 2-inch high-profile memory module would fit in the clamshell iBook. I've got one left over from my Powerbook Pismo. It's a 512-MB PC133 module.
Also, how can I find out which Macs support high-profile RAM? Is there a knowledgebase document or something similar?
Thanks in advance.
/Marcus

No, you need low-profile RAM.

My clamshell ibook running on ios 9 will not connect to the internet

my clamshell ibook running on ios 9 will not connect to the internet with airport i typed in the right passwords and it says an error occured and even if i type the right password it says it is wrong i need help.

Most likely your router uses a wireless standard that is too new for the AirPort card in your iBook to communicate with.

Clamshell iBook (indigo) can't find base station (Netgear router)

My first post on this forum. Now the proud owner of an indigo Clamshell iBook (OS 9.2.2)
I am using a Netgear router DG834G, a G3 snow iMac (OS10.3.9) as the base station, and a Dell PC is connected wirelessly to that. No problems at all.
I now want to connect an indigo Clamshell G3 iBook to the base station. (in fact, I have two of them)
The iBook is using Airport and running OS 9.2.2, and shows a strong router signal. The iBook TCP/IP has automatically updated all the values using DHCP, and the Router data page shows the iBook as "Connected", as well as its IP number (192.168.0.4) which was automatically assigned by the router. There is no encryption set up yet.
If you run OS 9 you will know this part...the iBook has a pull down window called "Base stations", to add new ones, but the Netgear router is NOT shown in it, and I can't add it. The box is empty, so I guess that's why I can't connect! All I get is an error message saying "check TCP/IP setttings or password". The default base station IP address (which I keep changing to the new one) is 10.0.1.1 (why?) My Netgear router is 192.168.0.1. The previous base station IP address still comes up, and I can't change it permanently. I don't have any password when prompted, (I tried the default one "public" ) so is that the main problem or is it something else? Is there a problem with Airport and non-Apple routers. I haven't seen this problem mentioned.
It seems as if I am 99% ready for internet conection
Thanks for your help. I've spent two days at it.

cranky5
See: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=530153&tstart=0
Rick

Getting clamshell iBook to connect to the internet with BaseStation

Hey all!
I'm trying to get my iBook Clamshell to connect to the internet. I have FiOS and have connected the BaseStation via Ethernet to the LAN port. I have tried to configure the BaseStation both wireless and wired, but the AirPort Utility couldn't find it either time. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Sarah
P.S. Its the Snow (dual Ethernet port) BaseStation.

"Finding" a Base Station for the first time with wireless is difficult.
Make it less difficult by connecting via Ethernet cable (in the second port) to configure, then switch to wireless.
OS9 Internet setup:
Ideally, you would be hooking up by plugging the Ethernet cable into one port on a multi-port Wireless+Wired Router. If there are no cabling issues, the "connected" light should come on at the Router.
The next step is to get a valid IP Address from the Router. When the Mac "wakes up" it self-assigns an Address like 169.254.xxx.yyy and stops there. To force it to Broadcast a request for a Router to assign it an Address in the same range as all the other active IP Addresses, you need to force some Internet Activity.   Assuming that since you posted on the OS 9 forum, you are indeed using OS 9, this whole scenario can be monitored using the OS 9 TCP/IP Control Panel.  Open the TCP/IP Control Panel and check to make sure that the built-in Ethernet port is selected and that it is configured to get an Address using DHCP. All other fields can be left blank. You MUST close the Control Panel and save changes before anything will take effect.  
Then force some Internet Activity, by opening a browser window and entering a URL, or setting the Network Time, or checking Software Update.   Then re-open the TCP/IP Control Panel and see what IP Address has been assigned.
  case1) you have an IP Address in the range of all other IP Addresses on your local Network, differing only in the last digits. You are good to go.  
case2) you have a "self-assigned" Ethernet Address in the range 169.254.xxx.yyy. You have not been able to talk to the Router, so you should suspect cabling problems or port problems.  
case3) you have Address 0.0.0.0. You have not caused any Internet activity or your software is messed up.  Remember that you must close the Control Panel for any changes to take effect.

Clamshell iBook running 9.2

My niece just got an iBook with OS 9.2 installed. It's a clamshell G3 with 64 MB of RAM and no airport card installed. It was a freebie and they brought it over to see what I thought. My first thought was that the Key Lime color was a bit much Would it take much to get it running OS X? How much RAM would be needed to run Panther and would it be worth the effort? I guess I could find an old Airport card on eBay to get it on the internet. Any advice you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. I have no experience with OS 9, I became a Mac convert in 2003 after OS X was out. Thanks again!
Jim

You'll need more RAM & possibly a larger hard drive.
*OS X 10.3 Panther Requirements*
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106163
Look at Which Mac OS X Version is Best for Me
You need to check if your Mac requires a firmware (Boot ROM version in System Profiler) update. Mac OS X: Available firmware updates
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117 If an update is required, the update must be installed (using OS 9) BEFORE you install OS X.
 Cheers, Tom

Clamshell iBook SE 466 MHz DVD

So, I just ordered a 466 MHz iBook SE from Beta Macs. I wanted something faster, but just couldn't get past all the logic board issues with the white G3 iBooks. The clamshells seem to have a better reputation, so I went with it. I do have a few questions, though.
The iBook I ordered has 320 MB of RAM, which I'm sure is fine for running OS X and surfing with Safari or Firefox. But, does this model recognize more? If I drop in a 512 chip, will I get 576 MB?
I keep reading about the video out cable that shipped with this model. I'm sure mine won't come with one. Why can't I use a standard yellow video cable, and where could I get the Apple one, if needed?
Will OS X 10.4 install ok, since it does have a DVD drive? Should I stick with 10.3.9?
Where's a good place to buy a battery for this beast?
Thanks to everyone in advance!
Josh

If I drop in a 512 chip, will I get 576 MB?
Yes
Why can't I use a standard yellow video cable, and where could I get the Apple one, if needed?
Because the others are usually not compatible. You would need to look for vendors on the web or eBay.
Will OS X 10.4 install ok, since it does have a DVD drive? Should I stick with 10.3.9?
I think OS 10.4 is the best OS I used on my iBook 466 MHz graphite.
Where's a good place to buy a battery for this beast?
Other World Computing is one place.

Clamshell iBook Limbo

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