Rescued iBook. Need Advice.

Hello to all,
I am the new owner of a donated iBook. I currently have no experience with Mac's at all really. I am a multiple year IT Tech, but my realm of skills only extends through the Windows environment and some Linux. I was recently given an iBook. I know it's an older machine, but I figured I could use it to browse the web and use as a learning experience for the Mac OS's. Being new, I also have a few questions and I am looking for suggestions.
This iBook is currently running OS 8.6. I want to upgrade it, but I am unsure of what OS I should run. I want to find a balance between performance and functionality. I will mainly be using it to browse the internet, check email, occasional YouTube and possibly some music. I will not be using any heavy programs on it. I want an OS that will give some features and functionality, but not be to extreme to bog the system down. I've heard that most run 10.3 and some run 10.4.
I am not sure of the current system specs, but I think it has a very small HD and only 128MB of RAM. I plan on upgrading this today because I do have another HD sitting around and plenty of extra memory.
I am also having issues getting it connected to the internet with the AirPort card. It will see a lot of networks so it is working. However, when I try to connect to my wireless network, it says the password is incorrect. I know these don't like WPA2 so I changed the router settings to WPA/TKIP and it set for b and g. I still have the same issue. I also tried the $ in front of the password and this did not help either.
I know this things needs a lot of work and updates, but I wanted to use it as a learning experience for Mac OS's.
If this were yours, and all you knew was it was running 8.6, where would you start?
Thanks in advance for any advice provided!
-Sam

Oh I don’t know about that. Your mileage may vary, as every person’s definition of ‘slow’ is different. And perhaps most importantly there are things you can do with Tiger to speed it up on older hardware, like turning off Spotlight as well as minimizing Tiger’s installation to conserve hard drive space if necessary.
I’d say give Tiger a go, because you have nothing to lose. Apparently throwing as much ram as you can at OSX (especially a 256 or 512Mb stick) will make it a happy bunny and give the greatest performance benefit.
I have no idea what would happen with a 1Gb stick. I imagine people like Duane would know. He’s a guy on this forum whose helped me out a lot over the years (as have many others). If I remember rightly, his Clamshell has a 512Mb stick in it, so I’d imagine there’s a good reason for that.
One thing about OS8.6 through to OS9.2.2 though, is that you can get it running on-line if you connect to your broadband hub via an ethernet cable. If you were to do that AND install a copy of ‘Classilla’ then you’d really be flying. ‘Classilla’ is special version of Mozilla written especially for pre-OSX operating systems giving you as up-to-date a browsing experience as is possible.
Most people (myself included), upgraded to OSX because so many internet pages I frequent were becoming broken in my trusty old Internet Explorer 5.1, iCab and whatever else it was I used. Classilla redresses that (not that I’ve used it yet), so you’re supposed to get a much better experience viewing Youtube, eBay and god knows what else.
To be quite honest, if I could go wireless with OS9 and have Classilla, I wouldn’t bother with OSX. But then... my needs are pretty basic. I’m not one for all that social networking and whatnot!
[Edit] although as you've said, if your goal is wanting to expand your knowledge of the Mac side of things, then perhaps its best to go ahead with OSX. Its quite nice. I don't care that much about operating systems, I just want to be able to use my programs without fuss.
Message was edited by: One Brain Cell

Similar Messages

Rescued iBook--need some advice!

Hi everyone.
Started my internship today, and one of my duties was to move "dead" hardware to the pallets for recycling. Amongst these dead items, I saw a Blueberry iBook (no Firewire). After making sure it actually turns on, I decided to ask permission to take it home--and was given the okay!
So, fabulous. I've always thought these machines were fun.
The catch with this iBook:
It's been turned into a tablet PC (or so it seems). The display got flipped around, keyboard is gone, and the computer does not accept input from a mouse. It will accept input from a keyboard, however.
I'm going to try contacting the company that made the changes to this computer and see if they have any help to offer. Considering this baby's age, I may not get far!
In the mean time, I'd like to be able to access the menus using just the keyboard, and would love to learn any other keyboard commands that anyone has to offer.
Also, if anyone has suggestions for potential uses for this machine, I'm all ears! We may even have a copy of OS X 10.2 lying around that I might install at some point.
Thanks in advance!
~Lyssa

Hello there!
A great place to buy parts for your iBook is http://www.macsales.com/ they have all kinds of parts for your machine. I've personally bought RAM, a new battery, and HD from them. The ram really helped speed up my install of OS 10.4.11 on my iBook
An easy way to install these new parts in your iBook is to check out the guides over at iFixIt: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Device/iBookG3Clamshell
I would recommend that you have Torx screwdrivers and regular screwdrivers available when installing.
Also for your question regarding getting 10.4 (Tiger) on your iBook you can use a program called XpostFacto: http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/XPostFacto/ that is if you have a CD version of OS X 10.4 if you have a DVD version you would have to upgrade the CD drive to DVD. A good time to do this would be when installing the larger hard drive since the iBook will already be apart.
Don't give up on the Clamshell, they're great old computers

Switching Ti Powerbook Airport card to iBook G3 , need advice

Hello,
I have a Ti Powerbook G4 1GHz running OS 10.4.5 and recently got my husband a G3 ibook 600 MHz running 10.2.8. I want to get him up and running wirelessly so I thought I would install my Airport card in his book and look for something else or my Powerbook. Do all the 3rd party cards hang out of the laptop and/or have antennas that extend? He surfs about three times a week, I am online 2 or more times a day. I would rarther not have somthing that hangs out or can get caught. However I thought it would be a plus to have my system on 802.11g.....
Is there a better solution for his system? I am just looking into it and would appreciate anyone's advice on options for our systems.
Thanks for your help.
Ti Powerbook 1GHZ G4 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Zyvette,Welcome to Apple Discussions.
This sounds like a good plan.
The iBook needs an original Airport card that the Ti has.
Check out this site which has the manuals for all Macs - choose your models and the Airport card instructions are in there.
You certainly can put a 802.11g card in your Ti - it will stick out a little, but it's that or spending $100+ or so on a 2nd hand original Airport card on ebay.
Alternatively I have seen one of these cards crammed inside an Airport slot with some modifications - see this post.
regards
mrtotes

Need advice about certification: do J2SE 1.4 or wait for 1.5 to go out?

I need advice here! I am studing for Java Programmer certification (310-035) and I know now that the certification does not have any expiration date, instead it's version based. So, if I get now a J2SE 1.4 certification, soon it will be outdated... I guess!
Does anyone know or have any ideia of WHEN java 1.5 sdk will be avaliable, and anyone can tell me how long it will take for a new 1.5 programmer certification be avaliable for general public?

Do both. 1.5 is far enough away that you do not want to wait for it.
And besides, 1.5 has enough new stuff in it that you'll want to recertify anyway.

Need advice on on a Mac Pro 1,1 Media Center

I currently have a 2009 Mac Mini running as my home media center, but I recently came by a FREE Mac Pro 1,1 and have decided to repurpose it as my media center so I can migrate my Mac Mini to my bedroom TV where it will live an easy life doing nothing but run Plex Home Theater, Netflix, and EyeTV. This machine falling into my lap was also quite timely because my 4-bay Drobo is running low on available expansion and another Drobo isn't in the budget at the moment.
This vintage mac pro is running Lion 10.7.5, has 1 old and crusty 500GB hardrive, dual x5160 processors, 4GB RAM (one stick i'm pretty sure is toast judging by the red light and the kernel panics), and the standard NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB graphics card. It will be used primarily for the following: network storage for iphoto and itunes libraries, streaming video, Plex Media Server & Plex Home Theater, and Handbrake encoding. I also have a goal of safety of data for my movies, photos and music as this machine will supplement my current Drobo storage.
My plans are for a 128GB SSD boot drive installed in one of the PCIe slots and then to load up all 4 of the 3.5" drive bays with WD Green hard drives. I have also ordered 4GB of replacement RAM, so upon removal of the faulty unit I will have 7GB.
Here is where I need advice because I am not very familiar with RAID and the differences between hardware or software raid. Am I better off getting four drives of the same size and setting them up as RAID 5 (I think) using Apple's RAID utility or should I throw in three 1TB drives and then install a fourth 3TB or 4TB drive as a Time Machine backup for the other three?
Should I upgrade the OSX to the technically unsupported latest version? Or is it not worth the trouble for this application?
Also, is there any benefit to upgrading the graphics card to the ATI Radeon 5770? Would this yield an improved image quality? I am outputting to a Denon AV Reciever and subsequently to a 100" projection screen, if that makes a difference. I also noticed the 5770 has an HDMI port, wich would be nice, but not necessary since I can use a DVI converter and woud still need to use the optical audio out anyway.
Much obliged for any input

My plans are for a 128GB SSD boot drive installed in one of the PCIe slots and then to load up all 4 of the 3.5" drive bays with WD Green hard drives. I have also ordered 4GB of replacement RAM, so upon removal of the faulty unit I will have 7GB.
PCIe cards that use or support SSD are not bootable until you get to 2008 (and that is limited too).
Green are not suited for any form of array unless say NAS and WD RED. Better option would be 3 x 2TB WD Blacks in a mirror, and too many people only use two drives, well 3 is much easier safer and works better. Might want to invest in www.SoftRAID.com product even.
Best price and quality, got my 1,1 with 8 x 2GB (ideal is 4 or 8 DIMMs)
2x2GB FBDIMM DDR2 667MHz @ $25
http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-PC2-5300-FB-DIMM-APPLE-Memory/dp/B002ORUUAC/
With price of 250GB SSD $155 I'd go with that or stick with $89 for 128GB .

Need advice on video software.

Need advice on video software.
I currently use adobe elements 3 and have done so for a few years now with no problems. my os is XP and my system is a couple of years old, but we do have a brand new win7 machine in the house.
I am currently look at Cyberlink PowerDirector 8 Ultra OR Adobe Premiere Elements 8. Reviews for both softwares seem very good BUT, when I dig deeper into user reviews instead of editor reviews do I find problems.
Major problems with program crashing all over the place, at start up etc, and it is still not getting along with any win7 machine? Major problems with drivers. Honestly, I do not want to have to jump through dozens of hoops to get any software to run. After I pay for it, it should run, period.
Has anyone else here used both softwares and can you give an honest opinion of each?
I am also asking these same questions on the cyberlink site.
I would like to upgrade my video software to take advantage of the new features that are coming out but I really don't want a big headache trying to run one or the other. To be fair, when I bought adobe elements 3 I had also bought pinnacle, which has gathered dust since my first week with it, which is why elements was purchased. That was money wasted and I do not wish to repeat this. I would like to go with Premiere Elements 8 but remain very unsure.

If your newer machine is Win7 64-bit, it might be worth waiting for SP-1 to be issued, and then hope that 64-bit drivers are fully included. The 64-bit drivers now seem t be an issue at this point, and that will affect any NLE program.
Also, and regardless of which particular program you choose, optimizing your computer, the OS, the hardware, and the resources management, will go a very long way to insuring success. Few programs can tax a computer, as an NLE can - any NLE. Video and Audio editing will stress your system, like almost nothing else can, except for heavy-duty CAD, or 3D work, though those are usually done only on specialized, optimized computers, designed just for those applications.
Not the specific advice that you seek, but it's the best that I can do.
Good luck,
Hunt

I need advice: I love my apple TV. But my laptop at home, only has a 750gig hard drive. Is there a possibility of having all my media on an external hardrive to still connect to the Apple TV?

I need advice: I love my apple TV. But my laptop at home, only has a 750gig hard drive. Is there a possibility of having all my media on an external hardrive to still connect to the Apple TV?
Is there like in a hard drive of which iTunes can read the media, which will not require me to add and delete media onto iTunes, because of a lack of space on my laptop?

just get an ext HD, and point your itunes library to that drive so now you'll just keep all your media on this ext

JMS to Synchronous Web Service Scenario (Need Advice to use BPM or Not)

Hi Experts,
We have a scenario where we fetch data from JMS Sender and Send it to MDM Webservices.
We want to have the files processed in such a way that until we get a response from webservice back that it was sucessful ,then only we need to process the next file.
We would need advice as can we use BPM for this.
We are thinking of having BPM like this:
RecieveStep(Asyn)-SynchronousSend Step(with wait)-Stop
The problem with this is when processing huge files the processing time of the Queue is taking very long and sometimes we are getting SYSFAIL.
Please would anyone advice as how can we approach this scenario either using BPM or without.
Also Can we use multiple queues or multpile instances concept for this scenario.
Please Advice.
Thanks in Advance
Regards
J

Hi Prateek,
Thank you very much for your quick reply.
The response from Webservice does not need to be sent anywhere.
We just want that after recieving the response back from webservice(SOAP) then only we need to process the next file.
Can we control something from Sender JMS adapter side as well as it is picking up all the files and all files wait at BPE until each one gets processed.
Is this possible without BPM or with BPM.
Please advice as what wud be possible steps inorder to achive it through BPM or Without BPM.
Thanks and Regards,
J

Major Issues with installing 4tb internal. Really need advice please

In the process of a long needed upgrade to my 2010 Mac Pro Quad core 2.8 and have run into a serious headache that I really need advice on so I can get back to work. I've already spent 2 days dealing with all of this...
Just did a new SSD install and Migration which went fine but I'm also updating the rest of the internal drives. My main (non boot) drive was being upgraded from a Seagate Barracuda 3tb to a 4th Deskstar NAS (it was showing as compatible with my desktop, see links below). My 3tb ran fine for years but now due to it being heavily used I want to switch to a new drive and I can also use a bit more space.
The issue I'm running into is that initially on boot, my system was telling me it couldn't recognize the disk and it wasn't even showing up in Disk Utility. I had to purchase a SATA USB 3 kit to attach it as an external to get it to show which worked without problem. With the USB kit I was then able to partition it (GUID, Mac OS extended journaled) and format it properly. After reinserting the drive into my tower as an internal it failed to show again. After a few attempts of restarts and trying various bays it popped up but showed as a non formatted drive and I was told again that the system didn't recognise it. I was then given the option to initialise and was then actually able to then format and partition it though Disk Utility while it was installed as an internal.
Figured that was problem solved but when I went to check the drive and getting ready to transfer files over I noticed that Disk Utility was only allowing the First Aid and Partition options but not Erase, RAID, Restore which I'd never seen before. I then also noticed that none of the drive connection info was in the same format nor will it even provide drive bay info, connection info or read/write status (See screen shots). This is what I can't figure out and really need to clarify before I put full trust into using this drive.
Any info would be greatly appreciated...
Deskstar 4tb internal info which is installed in Bay 2
3tb Seagate which I trying to retire and transfer from.
Here are the weblinks to the Deskstar 4tb drive and the compatibility list but I support isn't allowing me to add direct links so add the www. before hand.
(Drive - eshop.macsales.com/item/HGST/0S03664/) (compatibility list - eshop.macsales.com/Descriptions/specs/Framework.cfm?page=macpromid2010.html).

What OSX version?
Disk Utility in later versions of ML and I think Mavericks have problems formatting with 4 TB internal drives.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1661024
http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/112266/why-doesnt-my-mac-pro-see-my-new -4tb-sata-drive

I'm desperately needing advice to a common question. I use Quicken and love it. But the Mac version is not as great as the PC.   Has anyone installed it by segmenting their Mac with Parallels or Fusion or Boot camp. If so, which one do you recommend.

I'm desperately needing advice. New Mac.   Used Quicken on my PC. Researched all software for Financial programs and Quicken is still the most recommended.   I want to use Quicken on my Mac. The Mac version is not highly rated so I would need to partition my Mac.   Has anyone done this for their quicken program and if so, which partitioning program did you use - Parallels, Fusion ware or Boot camp?
Thx

Lisa Ellies-Laye wrote:
Thanks. Hadn't heard of it. ? Is there any concern installing this free program on my Mac.    Have you used it? Apart from being free is there any other advantage of Parallels and VMfusion. ?
Virtual Box is safe and well developed, it offers similar or identical features to the paid competition, it may be a little less polished but that's all.
Download and try it out, nothing to lose (except time).

TV monitor display project, need advice.

So I will be starting a project soon for my job. It will require some content for a store lobby TV display screen. Basically I will be making some content, whether it be scrolling images, animations, or maybe a video clip playing automatically. I will have maybe all of these things to be played throughout the day in the lobby of my work for customers to be viewing. This is the first time I have taken on a project such as this and I'm not sure where to start. I need advice on what type of information I need in order to begin this such as what size to start my project as, format, etc. Thanks!

Hi,
You have two options:
1. Create the Edge Animation on the Computer, and play the animation and use some screen capture software that will give you a video. This video you can play on your lobby TV in loop.
2. If the lobby TV is a smart tv (i.e. it has browser to navigate the webpage), then you can host the Edge animation content files on some server, and navigate to the server url, which will play the animation on the browser in the TV.
hth,
Vivekuma

Simple Question, need advice. BOBJ vs. BI

I didn't know where to post this, but I need advice.
I have been working as a SAP BI Developer for past 2 years. I have an opportunity to transition into BOBJ (means I will not be in BI team).
Wanted to know if this is a good career move, but have few questions.
1) Which is easier BOBJ or BI?
2) Which is more in demand and will be for next 10 years?
3) I've heard that there's a very high chance to work from home as a BOBJ Developer compared to BI Developer? True/False?
4) Is pay for either the same?
Thanks in advance.

"Having extra cores will be a distinct advantage..." ?
Better optimized to take advantage or to handle the scheduling of threads?
Right now, it is a mixed bag and give applications a year to be recompiled and optimized - or longer. The transition to Leopard also has taken more than a year to get where it is.
I would not discount last year's 2.8GHz 8-core as a better buy and value.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro
Why 10.5.7 now runs better
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2009/05/15/did-mac-os-x-10-5-7-modify-management-of- multithreaded-tasks

Doc Project with format confusion- need advice

I have a documentary project with a plethora of footage formats because the doc spans a long length of time and different project collaborators. We just shot more footage and I don't want to move forward converting the new footage until I know the best path to take form here on out. please advise.
Here is the info.
Below i'm listing the descritption of footage, the format, and the % I'm predicting it will be used in the final edit of the documentary I'm working on.
Archival Footage: DV NTSC 720x480 (10%)
Original footage shot: DV NTSC 720x480 anamorphic (40%)
Additional Footage shot in Summer 2010 with Panasonic HVX200: DVCPRO HD 720p60 29.97 (35% shared with canon 7D footage listed below)
Additional Footage shot in Summer 2010 with Canon 7D: shot 1920x1080 23.98 Apple Pro Res 422, pixel aspect square. I converted this footage to 720p60 29.97 to match the Panasonic footage but I still have the original files saved. (35% shared with hvx200 footage listed above)
New Footage shot with Canon 7D: 1920x1080 23.98 Apple Pro Res 422, pixel aspect square (15%)
Timelines:
- I edit the SD footage in timelines with SD sequence settings matching the format of the footage
- I edit the HD footage in timelines with DVCPRO HD sequence settings matching the format of the footage
- when footage of both formats ends up in one 'scene' the timeline is DV NTSC 720x480
- when I output a rough cut, I nested sequences and output DV NTSC 720x480
I have not converted the new footage yet and before I do convert it and then transform continue editing, I feel I need to re-evauluate how I'm approaching the multi-format situation. I need advice about the best path to take from here on out. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Should I upconvert the SD footage and do everything HD from now on? The final cut will probably be 50% SD and 50% HD with possibly more HD than SD.
If I do upconvert and go HD, is 720p60 29.97 the best format for me to use considering my footage sources? If you have any ideas, please also explain how you might go about carrying them out.
Thank you!

krgarty wrote:
Exactly, whic is why I'm seeking advice. the final delivery will be film festival screenings and hopefully broadcast, and considering the channels today that = HD.
That's not a final decision at all, that's a series of delivery options. You must produce your project in the highest resolution for which you have space, codecs and techniucal competency.You will save that as the "final" but I'd not call it that since nothing is ever finalized. Jsut keep naming the versions. Then you will open the full rez version and use any of several conversion or compresiona apps to satisfy all other distribution needs.
The omst flexible will be a 1080/60 format but that decision will cost you tons of conversion time, lots of space, and will require many stylistic decisions along the way.
That's what I would do but I'm not you and I'm not your client.

Scanning Pictures for HD Project I Need Advice

I am about to *Scan Pictures for HD Project* I Need Advice. The scanner is a HP Scanjet G4050 my questions are:
1: At what resolution do I scan these pictures _+(300 or highest dpi available)+_
2: What color choice is necessary *(RGB vs CMYK)*
3: Can you please suggest points for creating a backdrop for the pictures (various sizes) in the Timeline
Thanks in advance

Scan the picture like you normally would. If the vertical resolution is 1080, you are fine. Don't worry about the 1280 width as black will be in that area not taken up with the photo. That part won't matter if it isn't 1280 if it is a vertical picture. If you don't have at least 1080 high, you might want to re-scan at a higher resolution. If you have it say, 2000 pixels high really no big deal except you don't need it that high and all that extra size slows down your system. If you want it at a lower resolution after you scan go into Photoshop->Image->Image size. Be sure and check "Constrain Proportions" before you change the dimensions in the top box for the height (where you are best using the units as pixels) That way the picture will stay in proportion. Don't use this second method to 'add' more pixels as the quality suffers when you go up this way. Rescan if you want MORE pixels.
All the above is talking about vertical pictures. If you have a really wide photo that is not very tall, use the same principle but keep the width constant. For example let's say you have a 2x6 inch photo. Make sure the width is at least 1280 pixels. Don't worry that the height will be less than 1080 because black will take up that space.
If you are going to do any zoom in and/or panning across a picture, you'll need to make sure it has more than the minimum pixels. For me a little goes a long way, so I zoom in slowly maybe 10-15%.
Sharon

Need advice: v5 versus v5.5

Newbie with less than a month's experience using a free trial of v5.5 for the specific purpose of creating the interior layout and wraparound cover for a trade paperback needs advice on the following;
It didn't take long to realize that my objectives barely scratch the surface of ID's capabilities. My guess is that everything I've done so far or will need to do in the future for other books, novels in black and white, simple chapter by chapter layouts with no images or columns, can be accomplished perfectly well with v5. To spend the extra money for features I'll never use seems unnecessary, and I'd appreciate feedback on whether I'm correct in my assumption.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

I know there are legitimatecopies of CS5 availble, but they aren't that easy to find (Amazon is one source, though, I think), and they will get harder every day.
For simple printed publications you are correct and the version doesn't matter much, but the world is heading more towards electronic distribution channels, and novels are ideal formats for e-book readers. CS5.5 is head and shoulders above CS5 in its capabilities for that market.
Presumably CS6 and beyond will be even more user-friendly for electronic publication (nobody can tell you what will or will not be in future versions, but the handwriting is on the wall), so if you think you will have money for an upgrade in another year or so after the succesful print run of your book (and if the current trend on upgrade pricing is an indicator, it will be expensive), it might make sense to buy CS5 now, but my instinct is that you'd be better off with CS5.5 and the ability to get your book onto iPad or Kindle now (with some more study) without jumping through quite as many hoops.
And just for reference, I only do print, myself, but I'm old.

Syncing iPod to new user account-need advice

Hey All! I set up a new user account for my friend on my imac, so he will want to sync his iPod Touch to iTunes, iPhoto, iCal, etc. in his new user account. I know there are plenty of freeware and shareware apps to get his music from the iPod into iTunes, but need advice concerning everything else oh his iPod.
I know I'll first get that pop up window that says his iPod is synced to another computer, and that I use "cancel" rather than "sync and erase". After doing that, I guess I use one of the shareware apps to get the music transferred over.
Now, after that, if I do a regular sync, will iTunes transfer his apps that are on the iPod?
Do I need to open iPhoto and download the photos on his iPod into iPhotot before doing a sync?
What about text messages? Will they remain in tact?
I don't think he uses the calendar on his iPod so no worries there....
What about Playlists that he has on the iPod? Will just the music transfer with the shareware apps or playlists also?
Will Notes be saved?
Thanks for your help. Don't wanna screw up his iPod by setting up this user account for him.

Apps are tied to the ID I assume the new account is just on the iMac and not a new iTunes account?
Yes, you can import photos into iPhoto the same as you would off any camera.
You would need to transfer purchased content (like apps). You can't do that via sync as it's a new computer and all content will be erased as you are aware.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1848
What happened to your friends computer? Was there no backup?

Rescued iBook. Need Advice.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for