New/used mac

hello
I have recently purchase a new/used mac from a estate sale and it currently runs on 3.9 however the mac did not come with a os disk also i have found that the mac says it updated but the last update was in 2007 can this be possible? how can i obtain a copy of os 3.9 or should i just upgrade to os 4.x or higher? the mac is a g4 flat panle 256 sd ram

Hello foxhoundsfg,
First of all, Welcome to the  Discussion forums!
"Mac OS X 10.3 Panther System Requirements"
"Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger System Requirements"
"Leopard 10.5 System Requirements"
You cannot upgrade to Leopard 10.5 due to it needing at least an 867Mhz processor and above.
Tiger, which would be your best bet would have to be purchase via a reseller such as on ebay or similar. Just be sure to purchase Full Retail Install Disks which tend to sell for a premium these days from resellers. Make sure to not purchase machine specific or grey upgrade disks.
10.3.9 is the last point version of Panther 10.3.x. If you decide to stay with Panther 10.3.9 you might want to use a browser such as Camino 1.6.11 which is the last supported version of Camino for Panther 10.3.9. (make sure to scroll down and download the correct version of 1.6.11 for Panther 10.3.9) It works ok if you just wish to surf the web and email and light application use.
If you upgrade to Tiger 10.4.11 you will be able to use later versions of browsers including Safari.
I would suggest upgrading the RAM (memory) in the computer to at least 1GB if you are going to upgrade to Tiger 10.4. Even Panther 10.3.x's performance will benefit from upgrading the RAM.
The link "Software update, upgrade--what's the difference?" will help to explain the differences between updates and upgrades if you need clarification.
hope this helps some,
littleshoulders

Similar Messages

Why are the files I migrated over from a backup hard drive locked and inaccessible on my new used Mac Book pro? I used the migration assistant. Running Snow Leopard on a core duo.

My laptop got pinched and I bought a used Mac Book Pro, put a larger hard drive in it and performed a clean install of Snow Leopard on the new drive, after which I used the Migration Assistant to bring over my applications, settings, documents, etc., from my backup hard drive. This hard drivekis not a Ti e Machine drive, it's one I use to clone my computer to regularly with Carbon Copy Cloner. When the migration was complete all my documents, the desktop,and other folders are locked and won't allow me to access them. What to do? Thanks for the help.

Graham Giles wrote:
Have you seen this type of problem before? I think it could be a serious issue for anyone in a similar position.
No; but then, I've not had occasion to use TDM. I've been using firerwire drives for over 10 years, both FW400 and FW800, with no issues except a bit of instability using a B&W G3 machine.
TDM should be safe. Using cautious, manual copying of files from the Target machine to the Host machine should not result in unexpected loss of files or damage to the Target drive's directories. It should behave exactly the same as if it were an external (to the Host) firewire drive.
• I don't suppose there is anything I can do to 'put back' lost items from a separate Time Machine drive which has an up to date backup on it.
There is probably a way to do that - seems to me that's one of the reasons for a Time Machine volume.
On the other hand, if the Time Machine volume is rigidly linked to the now-absent OS on the original drive, there may be no way to effectively access the files in the TM archive.
I know that using a cloned drive would work well in this instance.
I have no experience with Time Machine, so perhaps someone who has will chime in with suggestions.
With the machine in TDM with the other machine, have you tried running Disk Utility to see if you can effect repairs to the drive?

How do I register a new used Mac?

I just bought a used MacBook Pro for my sister. How do I re-register and set this Mac up for her?

Use a compatible Mac OS X install DVD(or Lion's recovery partition if that was preloaded) to erase the drive and install a new OS.
(67052)

Need Recommendations on Best Used Mac for Logic Pro

Hi --
I am running Logic 8 on a mirrored door G4 (dual 1.25 GHz PowerPC), and am starting to run into some limitations on number of tracks and plug-ins. There is a used Mac outlet near me, and I am considering doing a trade-in, but wanted to know folks opinions on what might be the best bang for my buck on a newer used Mac.
I typically run about 10-15 audio tracks, and a typical/reasonable number of plug-ins (eq, compression, reverb). I was also thinking about using a tower versus a notebook, as I am set up that way now, with my G4 isolated in a closet and cabled out to my mixing station. Fan noise from the computer is a factor, though. (Though I have put up with the noisy G4 for quite awhile!)
Current used market includes"
- Power Mac G5/2.0 GHz dual processor (around $1500)
- Mac Pro 2.66 GHz Quad Core (around $2200)
- Mac Pro 2.66 GHz Dual Core (refurb for $2000)
Assuming same RAM, any experience-based opinions on what might be a good price-performance choice? Thanks in advance.

blayzay wrote:
To my knowledge G4 1.25 is far superior than a G5 2.0 any day except for the noise of the fan, which is way better on that G5.
Fr.BlayZay.
As an owner of both a MDD 1.25x2 and a G5 2x2.0 I have to disagree with blayzay and say that the G5 will give you far far more DSP power than your current G4. The G4 is a good machine but the G5 is in a different league.
You might also want to be aware that the G5 2x2.0 PCI will work happily with your Powercore PCI...you will need to purchase a new Powercore card if you plan to use this with one of the Intel machines.
One other thing you should consider is that you will also have to update all of your apps & plugins if you go for one of the Intel machines. This can be a real pain if you rely on plugs such as Spectrasonics or some of the more esoteric music apps...
Chris

How know if used Mac is good & safe to buy? Some test? Advice appreciated.

I need to buy a used Mac on a desperate budget. Is there some test I can run? How can I test to maximize my assurance that it will have some life left and is safe from problems?
How can I ensure that there's no bad stuff hidden nn it that may infect it, or perhaps enable the seller to somehow spy on my future use of his former computer?
I see a lot of ads on Craigs from users selling their used Mac's. I'll ask to see that's it running and appears to be Ok, but I'll only have a few minutes.
I have an old iBoook G4 Panther 10.3.9 . I am on a very limmited budget and would like to upgrade to a much better, newer used Mac. I can only spend about $400-500 max. I'm thinking of laptop or a mini, Intel, PC compatible, Leopard.
I'm not asking for advice on how to discern a more credible ad.
Thanks very much..

You're prompt help was much appreciated:
I've never 'booted from a DVD or CD" since I've had this iBook for several years. So I must ask someone a few more Qs about that:
1) How long would this booting take (since I may be on some stranger's hospitality and would feel uncomfortable taking a long time).
2) Would that be messing up, ie: erasing, all the seller's stuff he might still have on his Mac? Wouldn't want to do that until I buy it.
3) If seller doesn't have the Original CD or DVDs: a) where might I obtain one, and/or b) if I can't readily get the original CD is there some other test, online or not, that one could do?
I did find my old mac's "Quick Reference Guide" which said "Perform DIAGNOSTICS: Use the Apple Hardware TEST DISC that comes with many Apple products to diagnose whether an issue is hardware related." I've searched all over but I can't find or remember myself ever getting original CD when I store bot my iBook, so I can't familiarize myself with it. And I'll be testing it on a far newer Mac anyways.
Your previous prompt response was most helpful and appreciated.

I am a new mac user and I switch to mac due to the graphics that it brings. I do website in pc and I heard iweb is the best.NOW i heard that iweb will be discontinue. so what is the best application there for website using MAC OSX lion?

I am a new mac user and I switch to mac due to the graphics that it brings. I do website in pc and I heard iweb is the best.NOW i heard that iweb will be discontinue. so what is the best application there for website using MAC OSX lion?

It is now confirmed that iWeb, and iDVD, has been discontinued by Apple. This is evidenced by the fact that new Macs are shipping with iLife 11 installed but without iWeb and iDVD.
On June 30, 2012 MobileMe will be shutdown. However, iWeb will still continue to work but without the following:
Features No Longer Available Once MobileMe is Discontinued:
◼ Password protection
◼ Blog and photo comments
◼ Blog search
◼ Hit counter
◼ MobileMe Gallery
All of these features can be replaced with 3rd party options.
I found that if I published my site to a folder on my hard drive and then uploaded with a 3rd party FTP client subscriptions to slideshows and the RSS feed were broken. If I published directly from iWeb to the FPT server those two features continued to work correctly.
There's another problem and that's with iWeb's popup slideshows. Once the MMe servers are no longer online the popup slideshow buttons will not display their images.
Click to view full size
However, Roddy McKay and I have figured out a way to modify existing sites with those slideshows and iWeb itself so that those images will display as expected once MobileMe servers are gone. How to is described in this tutorial: #26 - How to Modify iWeb So Popup Slideshows Will Work After MobileMe is Discontinued.
It now appears that the iLife suite of applications offered on disc is now a discontinued product and the remaining supported iApps will only be available thru the App Store from now on. However, the iLife 11 boxed version that is still available at the online Apple Store (Store button at the top of the page) and those still on the shelves of retailers will include iWeb and iDVD. Those two apps were listed in small, gray text on the iLife 11 box that I bought.
Personally, if I didn't already have a copy I would purchase one to have it for reinstallation purposes if ever needed.
This might be of some interest to you at this time: Life After MobileMe.
OT

I,m new to Mac book. Have used Pages and written 49 chapters of a novel. How can I get them into one doc. and have Pages number them?

I'm new to Mac book. Using Pages I have written 49 chapters of a novel. Can anyone tell me in simple terms how to put them into one document and have Pages number them? I am lost.

Hello, Lost! Yes you are a bit; try the Pages forum here; https://discussions.apple.com/community/iwork/pages
While I do use Pages, I don't know the answer to that one, but I'm sure you'll soon get help in the right forum.

HT1338 Purchased a used macbook pro with Mountain Lion. My old Mac runs Snow Leopard is backed up to Time machine. How do I register the operating system to me and how do I use Time Machine to move my files to the new used computer?

Purchased a used macbook pro with Mountain Lion. My old Mac runs Snow Leopard is backed up to Time machine. How do I register the operating system to me and how do I use Time Machine to move my files to the new used computer?

If you look at the User Tips tab, you will find a write up on just this subject:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4053
The subject of buying/selling a Mac is quite complicated. Here is a guide to the steps involved. It is from the Seller's point of view, but easily read the other way too:
SELLING A MAC A
Internet Recovery, and Transferability of OS & iLife Apps
Selling an Old Mac:
• When selling an old Mac, the only OS that is legally transferable is the one that came preinstalled when the Mac was new. Selling a Mac with an upgraded OS isn't doing the new owner any favors. Attempting to do so will only result in headaches since the upgraded OS can't be registered by the new owner. If a clean install becomes necessary, they won't be able to do so and will be forced to install the original OS via Internet Recovery. Best to simply erase the drive and revert back to the original OS prior to selling any Mac.
• Additionally, upgrading the OS on a Mac you intend to sell means that you are leaving personally identifiable information on the Mac since the only way to upgrade the OS involves using your own AppleID to download the upgrade from the App Store. So there will be traces of your info and user account left behind. Again, best to erase the drive and revert to the original OS via Internet Recovery.
Internet Recovery:
• In the event that the OS has been upgraded to a newer version (i.e. Lion to Mountain Lion), Internet Recovery will offer the version of the OS that originally came with the Mac. So while booting to the Recovery Disk will show Mountain Lion as available for reinstall since that is the current version running, Internet Recovery, on the other hand, will only show Lion available since that was the OS shipped with that particular Mac.
• Though the Mac came with a particular version of Mac OS X, it appears that, when Internet Recovery is invoked, the most recent update of that version may be applied. (i.e. if the Mac originally came with 10.7.3, Internet Recovery may install a more recent update like 10.7.5)
iLife Apps:
• When the App Store is launched for the first time it will report that the iLife apps are available for the user to Accept under the Purchases section. The user will be required to enter their AppleID during the Acceptance process. From that point on the iLife apps will be tied to the AppleID used to Accept them. The user will be allowed to download the apps to other Macs they own if they wish using the same AppleID used to Accept them.
• Once Accepted on the new Mac, the iLife apps can not be transferred to any future owner when the Mac is sold. Attempting to use an AppleID after the apps have already been accepted using a different AppleID will result in the App Store reporting "These apps were already assigned to another Apple ID".
• It appears, however, that the iLife Apps do not automatically go to the first owner of the Mac. It's quite possible that the original owner, either by choice or neglect, never Accepted the iLife apps in the App Store. As a result, a future owner of the Mac may be able to successfully Accept the apps and retain them for themselves using their own AppleID. Bottom Line: Whoever Accepts the iLife apps first gets to keep them.
SELLING A MAC B
Follow these instructions step by step to prepare a Mac for sale:
Step One - Back up your data:
A. If you have any Virtual PCs shut them down. They cannot be in their "fast saved" state. They must be shut down from inside Windows.
B. Clone to an external drive using using Carbon Copy Cloner.
1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
2. Select the Source volume from the Select a source drop down menu on the left side.
3. Select the Destination volume from the Select a destination drop down menu on the right
side.
4. Click on the Clone button. If you are prompted about creating a clone of the Recovery HD be
sure to opt for that.
Destination means a freshly erased external backup drive. Source means the internal
startup drive.
Step Two - Prepare the machine for the new buyer:
1. De-authorize the computer in iTunes! De-authorize both iTunes and Audible accounts.
2, Remove any Open Firmware passwords or Firmware passwords.
3. Turn the brightness full up and volume nearly so.
4. Turn off File Vault, if enabled.
5. Disable iCloud, if enabled: See.What to do with iCloud before selling your computer
Step Three - Install a fresh OS:
A. Snow Leopard and earlier versions of OS X
1. Insert the original OS X install CD/DVD that came with your computer.
2. Restart the computer while holding down the C key to boot from the CD/DVD.
3. Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu; repartition and reformat the internal hard drive.
Optionally, click on the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
4. Install OS X.
5. Upon completion DO NOT restart the computer.
6. Shutdown the computer.
B. Lion and Mountain Lion (if pre-installed on the computer at purchase*)
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because
it is three times faster than wireless.
1. Restart the computer while holding down the COMMAND and R keys until the Mac OS X
Utilities window appears.
2. Select Disk Utility from the Mac OS X Utilities window and click on the Continue button.
3. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the left side list. Click
on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
4. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on the Security button
and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
5. Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
6. Quit DU and return to the Mac OS X Utilities window.
7. Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
8. Upon completion shutdown the computer.
*If your computer came with Lion or Mountain Lion pre-installed then you are entitled to transfer your license once. If you purchased Lion or Mountain Lion from the App Store then you cannot transfer your license to another party. In the case of the latter you should install the original version of OS X that came with your computer. You need to repartition the hard drive as well as reformat it; this will assure that the Recovery HD partition is removed. See Step Three above. You may verify these requirements by reviewing your OS X Software License.

Using External Boot Drive with New Intel Mac Mini

I have a 1st Gen MacMini and use an external 7200 RPM Lacie drive as the system boot drive along with all the applications.
If I were to purchase a new Intel Mac Mini, is it possible to use the current external drive as the system drive or is there some conversion steps that would be necessary ?
Thank you.

You can use the hardware, but will have to repartition and reinstall the OS from the disk shipped with the new Mac Mini.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303220
If you create a disk image of the Lacie on your Mini, you can later use setup assistant to restore users and applications from that image.

New to Mac and I am looking for a good app to process labels for envelopes. Used to use the Printmaster program on the PC side. Wondering if "Pages" Iis the correct program to buy of is there another option. Thank you.

New to Mac and used to use a program called print master for making all kinds of labels etc. I am looking for a good app to do the same. I was wondering if the Pages app was the right choice to do the labels etc. I understand that pages I'd a word processing app but I was unable to tell if it could do what I was looking for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

The Contacts application will print envelopes and is already on your iMac. See this Apple article for information on how to do it.
Best of luck.

I am fairly new to using Mac computers, I would like to know how to uninstall drivers, software and other things I might install on my computer. With a PC it's really easy, you just go to the control panel.

I am fairly new to using Mac computers, I would like to know how to uninstall drivers, software and anything else I may install on my computer. With PC it's very easy, you go the control panel, locate what you want to uninstall and with a few clicks it's done. Can someone please help me? Thank you.

See these:
Switching from Windows to Mac OS X,
Mac Basics—Tutorials on using a Mac,
Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts,
Apple How-To Guides for Mac OS X,
Anatomy of a Mac,
MacTips,
Switching to Mac Superguide, and
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition.
Additionally, *Texas Mac Man* recommends:
Quick Assist,
Welcome to the Switch To A Mac Guides,
Take Control E-books, and
A guide for switching to a Mac.

I am new in using Mac operating system, kindly suggest ebooks , videos or audio books to me so that i can learn more about it?

i am new in using Mac operating system, kindly suggest ebooks, videos or audio books to me so that i can learn more about it.
any kind of help would be appriciated. i am very eager to learn.how to make ios application? and how to effectively use terminal? where does the basic programming start in Mac? what are the different tools that can help me make an Mac application and ios application.
-Thank you
Shailendra (India)

Apple has got some great guides to start developing in Objective-C, used for programming OS X and iOS apps > http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#referencelibrary/GettingStarted/RoadMapO SX/chapters/01_Introduction.html

I just bought a new macair laptop and it doens't have idvd and I want to make a DVD slideshow with music. I have an external CD drive. Is there an applicaation that apple has to do this? IF I buy a used mac, which ones have idvd?

I have a new macair laptop and it does not have idvd. It has a flashdirve instead, so no internal CD drive though I bought an external one. I'm wanted to make a DVD slide show with music and I was told I can't do that in order to play it on a dvd player. Does Mac have an appication to buy that can do the same thing? I thought I saw one for $39.95 but not sure if it will do this. The apple store did not know for sure. Also, if I bought a used mac laptop, which ones will have the idvd installed on it?
Thanks,
Phyllis

It is now apparent that iWeb, and iDVD, will no longer be supported by Apple. This is evidenced by the fact that new Macs are shipping with iLife 11 installed but without iWeb and iDVD.
Other users have complained to Apple via Apple via http://www.apple.com/feedback/idvd.html and/or http://www.apple.com/contact/ and have received a boxed copy of iLIfe 11. Give it a try. In the meantime the following maybe of interest:
iWeb will still continue to work but without the following:
Features No Longer Available Once MobileMe is Discontinued:
◼ Password protection
◼ Blog and photo comments
◼ Blog search
◼ Hit counter
All of these issues can be replaced with 3rd party options.
I found that if I published my site to a folder on my hard drive and then uploaded with a 3rd party FTP client subscriptions to slideshows and the RSS feed were broken. If I published directly from iWeb to the FPT server those two features continued to work correctly.
There's another problem and that's with iWeb's popup slideshows. Once the MMe servers are no longer online the popup slideshow buttons will not display their images.
Click to view full size
However, Roddy McKay and I have figured out a way to modify existing sites with those slideshows and iWeb itself so that those images will display as expected once MobileMe servers are gone. How to is described in this tutorial: #26 - How to Modify iWeb So Popup Slideshows Will Work After MobileMe is Discontinued.
Apple has announced that iLife is now an unsupported product and those iApps will only be available thru the App Store from now on. However, the boxed iLife 11 at the online Apple Store (Store button at the top of the page) and those still on the shelves of retailers will include iWeb and iDVD. Those two apps were listed in small, gray text on the iLife 11 box that I bought. Personally, if I already didn't have a copy I would purchase one to have it for reinstallation purposes if ever needed.
OT

I have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

i have a new mini mac and i want to use my existing external hard drive but it needs to be reformated how do i do this without loosing all my old photos?

Formatting will erase the drive.
You need to copy the photo's to either your old computer, the Mac Mini or to a new external drive and then decide what to do with your existing external drive.
For example: You could use one External drive for Photo's and one external drive for Time Machine to backup both your Mac Mini and the Photo drive.

If I backed up my files on external portable drive using time machine - I bought a new I-Mac - can I upload my music and photos .

Can I install mympictures and music that were back up using time machine from my McBook into my new i-Mac - the back up is on a portable drive.

Hello:
There should be no problem - although I have never done what you describe. Attach the drive to your new computer. open Time Machine, and retrive what you wish.
Barry

New/used mac

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