Starting my PowerMac G3(beige)

Hi I'm completely new to Apple Macs, have always used PCs. Someone has just given me a PowerMac G3, just the processor. The label on the back of the box reads 266MHz 512K cache. I've got my PC monitor plugged into the box and the display is working fine. I am trying to get the machine to work. The display shows a symbol for a floppy with a question mark slowly flashing on it. I assumed this meant that there was no operating system on the hard drive. So I've bought a Mac OS8 disk and tried to install However I get the following message
'This startup disk will not work on this Macintosh model Use the latest installer to update this disk for this model'
Is there someone who can advise what I should do to get an OS on the machine? I would be very grateful for any advice. Thanks
Message was edited by: piansona

Directly above the battery is the sound or sound & Video card. The backpanel is firmly attached on only one side, so this card gets wiggled whenever any pressure is exerted on the card cage, and if it has danced partway out of the slot, your Mac will not boot.
If the Mac has been stored for a while, it is possible that there is some corrosion on the connectors and cables. A good move for a new-to-you computer is to unplug and re-plug any removeable connectors.
The initial chime is generated in software after your Mac has executed millions of instructions and booting is likely. It may be that the previous owner erased the Hard drive and did not put anything back on it. That would certainly be unkind.
I hear you asking, "Is this Mac worth pursuing?". In my opinion, yes it is, to a point. This Mac can be coaxed to run Mac OS 8.5 or 9.any, and can run Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.4 if you want to badly enough. It does not have enough capability to play web movies without being jerky, but if you push it, you can run the latest Browsers and have a reasonable web experience otherwise.
Is it a Ferarri? No. More like a good solid old Pickup truck. Models two generations older are total dogs on the Internet, because they have no graphics acceleration. You can't give those older Macs away.
You may be able to find a used Mac OS 8 "Full Retail" disc of a later version, a disc specific to the G3, or a "Full Retail" disc of OS 9 (white with big gold "9". Do not bother with gray or orange discs from a different Mac, they will not have all the stuff you need to make yours go.

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