Using a functioning iMac G4 flat panel as a monitor

My precious computer is almost 5 years old.
I seem to be fortunate, in that she still works beautifully (monitor and all).
I am graduating soon, and am trying to find out if I can just try to raise the funds for a Mac mini, and use the display on my current machine as a monitor (thus saving me money).
I've seen a few other postings about this sort of issue, but they all fall into one of three categories: 1) the motherboard on the G4 is dead and the poster would like to use the machine as a monitor, 2) someone wants to add a second monitor to the G4 and use both, or 3) the monitor on the G4 is dead and the poster wants to use another monitor with the working computer.
My issue does not fall into any of these categories, as both my motherboard and monitor work, and I don't wish to have a second monitor. Is anyone familiar with this issue, or is this just a variation on type 1 above?

SanfordR, Welcome to the discussion area!
You might want to take a look at ScreenRecycler.

Similar Messages

Urgent - iMac G4 Flat Panel - Is Adding Monitor or Flat Screen TV Possible?

Hello,
As a present to my husband (mac guru) I would like to know if with his iMac Flat Panel G4, is it better to buy a 28 inch samsung computer monitor (flat panel) that he can also hook up his mac to or a kind of flat screen/panel LCD TV. The guys at futureshop and bestbuy seem to be "confused" when talking about macs and not pcs. With the computer monitor, there seems to be questions on if we'll be able to hook up our satellite tv... and with the tvs, there seems to be confusion on if we can hook up the computer. One of the reasons I want to hook the computer directly is my husband has had problems converting (burning to DVD) some videos with music background from iPhoto without doing a software update which requires us to change the timing with the audio and video in our already created slideshows. Please help quickly as some sales finish tomorrow. I need to know what to tell the store... i.e. what kind of jack or cables or capability I am looking for. Do I ask for USB port, coaxil input or what? Thanks in advance,
Karen

Yes you can connect a display or monitor but exactly which ones depends on which iMac G4 you have.
All iMac G4s have a Mini VGA port this will allow you to connect any standard PC Monitor (with a VGA connector) and mirror the iMac's internal display only. The later iMac G4's also allow the connection of S-Video and Composite Video devices (most TV's have this type of input) which allows you to mirror the display on to the TV.
The MiniVGA to VGA and Mini VGA to S-Video/Composite adaptors are for sale online in the Apple Store ($19US/£15) or here.
If you wanted to extend the screen size again it is possible on some iMacs but requires a firmware hack that will invalidate your warranty.
I can't understand how having an external display will solve the burning to DVD issues though.....
Post back with your Screen size and processor speed for exact info - or read this recent post
regards
mrtotes

Mac will no longer turn on - iMac G4 (Flat Panel)

I have an iMac G4 (Flat Panel) that will not turn on. I've tried to obvious things such as changing the power lead/fuse etc., but this hasn't solved it. If you hold the power button in you can hear a faint 'ticking' sound coming from inside the Mac, but it doesn't power up. I'm guessing something more serious has 'blown' inside, but I have no idea whether it's a lost cause, or something that could be easily fixed. Any ideas?

Hello Matt,
I have the same problem you describe. You may want to try what I did to bring the iMac back on. I just leave it alone for a day, with the power cord disconnected. Then I try my luck by connecting the power cord back and start up again. Some patience is needed here as I am successful only after half a dozen of retries. I also hold the power button until I see the lights on the mouse comes on.
Once ON everything works fine..software restart is not an issue either..just dont shut down..then u may have to to wait another day to try again..I was lucky four times and did this in the past week. ..can be frustrating but lucky i still have the G5 to use.
I dont have the proper solution to the problem and still trying to figure out what is the cause..I have reset the PMU (see apple support website on resetting the PMU) but the problem still remains. Another forum participant suggested to change the internal battery (an inexpensive exercise) but Apple website advice us not to do it and let them do it..but I will likely try to do it myself later.
For the time being, hope you can start up the machine like i did.
Seong Tatt

Imac 15" flat panel

Question, is there any web sites that show "How to put a larger display on 15 older Imac G4 Flat Panel Imac?" The type that look like a half ball, with the display on a pole. I would like to put a larger 19" analog LCD display on this Imac, one you can purchase at Best Buy or whatever?
ibook g3 800, G5 imac, FTP imac, Pbook 15" Mac OS X (10.3.9)

You'll generally get quicker and more accurate responses if you ask in the iMac area. This forum is intended for older, pre-PowerMac G3, hardware.
Anyway, Your Mac officially only supports screen mirroring, not "extended desktop" mode. So all you'd get is a larger copy of the same image you'd see on the iMac's internal screen. If that's what you want, all you need is the Apple VGA Display Adapter and a VGA monitor (most will work).
If what you were hoping for is to run the external monitor separately from the iMac's screen, there is a utility here that claims to enable extended desktop on some iMacs and iBooks. I do not endorse such usage since some people have reported that the hack completely messed up their systems, though, so use the hack at your own risk. Note as well that if you have problems with the system due to this hack, Apple may well not honor the warranty (since the hack constitutes an unauthorized modification, prohibited in the Apple warranty). But it has reportedly worked well for a number of people.
Regards.

Upgrading the HD in a 700MHz iMac G4 Flat Panel

I want to upgrade my iMac to a bigger HD. I was told these older iMacs
can only read up to 160GB hard drive and it needs to be an IDE drive? Is this true?
What's the largest capacity I can go on an older iMac such as mine? Thanks.

Hey S'berry,
Unfortunately your 700 will only take up to a 128GB drive but according to:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/imac-g4-flat-panel-faq/imac-g4-how-to -upgrade-hard-drive-use-big-drives.html
"Officially, Apple says that Macs running MacOS X 10.2 or higher released after June 2002 can use "big drives" -- those larger than 128 GB -- which would exclude the original iMac G4/700 (Flat Panel) and G4/800 (Flat Panel) models. However, third-parties have discovered that all iMac G4 models will support big drives running MacOS X 10.2 or later. For earlier versions of the MacOS -- including MacOS 9 -- a third-party driver, such as those from Intech or GenThree are required to use hard drives larger than 128 GB."
You could talk to OWC about this:
http://www.macsales.com/
I remember not bothering w/ this and using a 128 GB boot drive and then using larger FireWire externals which were not subject to the restrictions.
This might have changed w/ improvements in that software solution so talk to OWC.
Also in answer to you question about wireless look at my last post here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2365560&tstart=0
Your machine will take the original Airport card. Here's one on eBay:
http://tinyurl.com/yf6qm4y
or pick one nearer to your location or on Craig's.
Richard

Wireless connectivity with iMac G4 flat panel

Hey everybody,
We are thinking about buying an airport card for our imac G4 flat panel. We live in Ireland and are in the process of switching from a satellite dish-based Internet provider (connected via ethernet cable from the roof through the wall to the iMac) to our cable TV providers for a less expensive connection. The cable modem will be up in the TV room (the only cable CATV point that works), where we will attach a wireless router that will allow Internet access to the iMac downstairs and the iBook anywhere else in the house. Our cable providers offer 1, 2, 3 and 6 MB download speed packages. Here are the questions:
1) Is the "Apple Part No. M7600LL/E" available on macwireless.com the right one for our flat panel iMac G4 from 2003?
2) Is there any advantage to the airport card versus using a bridge? If so, which bridge is appropriate and easy to configure?
3) Which wireless router is recommendable to link with the cable modem upstairs?
4) Will the connection be strong enough between the router and the airport card or bridge to provide full speed and, possibly, VoIP (saving dough to one day be able to upgrade to a 20-inch iMac! LOL)? The distance is about 8 meters.
5) If we later upgrade to a new iMac and give our son the flat panel will everything still plug and play?
6) Which download speed package do we need to make everything run smoothly?
7) Is it really feasible for a "layperson" to install the card themselves?
Thanks again for your help!

Forgot to say in my other post. There's no need to buy at that price ($199) and pay for shipping - there are plenty of UK/IE options for buying.
There are also alternatives like Ethernet over Mains electricity (14 or 85Mbps) which may be a better option than original Airport.
mrtotes

IMac G4 flat panel with slow mouse and ever-whirring fan

hi there -
my lovely iMac has treated me well for some time now, but gradually over the course of many months, it decided that it will not stop running it's fan, even when it seems cool it the touch and the room is cool. The noise is loud enough to drown out quiet music, and usually kicks in if the computer has been off overnight within about 15-20 minutes of startup, never to stop. i ave tried giving her space, moving the routers etc away, but alas...
also, my mac has become prone to freezing the mouse quite often, but unplugging the mouse and replugging it seems to always fix it for a bit, but only temporarily - like 3 minutes or so sometimes, sometimes it's fine for longer after unplugging but just slow to react. and while it never used to freeze up altogether, it now quite often does.
we have a good amount of programs and music, but i don't know enough about computers to know how much is too much. we always try to keep as little running as possible - i.e. just netscape, or netscape and itunes, or just itunes. here are my computer's stats:
iMac G4 flat panel, 700MHZ Power PC G4 768 MB SD RAM
i don't know if this is helpful, but:
capacity on hard drive:38.15 GB available: 2.87
any thoughts from you experts out there would be so very greatly appreciated. i love my little mac dearly, and don't want to see her bite the dust if all it would take is a little preemptive work! please help.
iMac g4 flatscreen Mac OS X (10.4.8)

My interpretation of the information you noted about the capacity of the
hard disk drive and the remaining free-space, is indicative of too-full a
hard disk drive so that could be the main problem. Instead of less than
10% capacity remaining unused, you need to have more like 20% free.
There also is a chance there could be bad sectors or some low-level
corruption on the hard disk drive, in part due to it being too full and
the drive is also using alot of space normally used as virtual memory
by the system, so these small remaining places not filled all the time
are being re-used and that could force the machine to cannabalize
other data stored on the hard disk drive while the OS is looking for
VM (virtual memory is automatically allotted and maintained by the
system, by using hard drive free space; all applications and utilities
on the computer use, need, and look for it.)
Other causes of kernel panics could be related to hardware or software.
Since the hard disk drive is extremely suspect, that is a place to start.
The use of an external FireWire hard disk drive to save some files to,
may be helpful; setting up a new external FW HDD may be hard since
your computer maybe too full to get and use a cloning utility (superdooper
or carbon copy cloner) but you may be able to save some items to CD
or DVD-R media; and then start moving the originals of your saved work
from the computer to the trash. A utility such as What Size can be handy
to see what files are huge, where they are (and note system files are not
the ones you need to toss; user generated ones are) and delete some.
If the hard drive has sufficient damage from over-writing data, it may
need to be replaced. If not, it may need to be totally erased and the
Disk Utility used to zero old data and reformat. This is where a working
copy (clone) on an external drive could be re-cloned back into a Mac
from an earlier capture of the healthy system, and save alot of time in
the restoration process; since a clone does not require all the installer
discs to get a full system back. It does require forethought and action
before a problem; and making backups of your system off the computer.
I make complete computer hard drive copies with a clone utility; but these
are not automatic. It is possible to set up a computer with an automatic
backup system to make ongoing clones of the complete internal drive.
The slowness of your system and peripherials is most likely the full
hard disk drive; and/or issues resulting from that. I suspect this area
is one requiring action and may be just a starting point to fix damages.

IMac G4 (Flat Panel) Hard Drive Replacement Cost

I have an 800 mHz iMac G4 (Flat Panel) that was originally purchased in approximately 2002 or 2003. The hard drive has died. I have three questions:
What is an approximate cost for a new hard drive?
Where can a hard drive for this computer be purchased?
What do I need for an OS installation disk? I no longer have the install disk that came with the computer. I believe it came with Panther, but had since been upgraded to Tiger.
Many thanks.

Finding the drive is the easy part. Any of the hard drives on this page:
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/3.5InternalIDE/ATA
will work. Your iMac uses IDE/ATA or PATA drives, not the later SATA drives. PATA drives are getting harder to find and the vendor I linked is one of the few who still carries them. Older iMac G4s may or may not recognize disks larger than 128GB. If yours doesn't, you'll have to partition any new drive so there is a Mac Extended HFS+ partition that's about 125GB and leave the rest unformatted. It's a hardware limitation common 8 years ago.
The next problem is that the iMAc is one of the most challenging Macs to take apart and service, and you have to go deep inside to get to the hard drive. You literally enter at your own risk. There is a significant chance of the computer not working afterward unless you can find someone who knows how. Apple does not work on these any more so you'll have to find a person or firm with Apple experience.
You are about to find out how expensive misplacing the system disks (CD or DVD) can be. To reinstall the OS, you need either the original gray disks that came with your computer or a full retail install disk set. The later for Tiger is no longer available from Apple and those copies on the market are going for up to US$250. That greatly exceeds the value of a G4 iMac on the used market. There is such demand for Tiger that the criminal element has sneaked in; I've seen blatantly illegal version of Tiger offered on auction sites. They are as expensive as the real deal and may not work.
It's remotely possible that you can call Apple and give your serial number and they can find a gray disk set that matches. However, the are out of those sets for computers made in 2004 so it's a long shot.
Your best bet may be to connect with a Mac User Group. They often have people who do pro bono service and may have system software as a reduced price compared to the price-gouging going on in the open market. This page can help you find a group near you:
http://www.apple.com/usergroups/find/

IMac G4 Flat Panel Will NOT Mount Leopard Install DVD

I'm trying to install Leopard (MacOS X 10.5) onto a 1 GB 1.25 GHz iMac G4 (flat panel) from an install DVD.
Any ideas why it doesn't mount? After a minute or so and several spins and arm accesses the iMac ejects the DVD. Maybe this is a dual-layer DVD and the old iMac can't read dual layer DVDs?
More important, how can I install Leopard on this old hardware? Can I access the DVD from another Mac set up as a firewire target disk? Can I copy the DVD to a USB/FireWire external hard drive?
Any other ideas?
Thanks.
- nello

From what source is the Leopard DVD? Retail discs should work fine in your model.
You can install from another Mac that is able to boot a Leopard installer by way of Target Disk Mode. See the following: Installing Tiger without a DVD drive and How To - Installing Tiger Using FireWire Target Disk Mode.
You cannot copy the disc to an external FireWire drive, but you can use the Restore option of Disk Utility to "restore" the DVD to a freshly formatted external FireWire drive. Cannot use a USB drive as they are not bootable on most PPC Macs.

IMac G4 Flat Panel 1Ghz - 1 beep when turning it on.

I have an iMac G4 Flat Panel 1Ghz that beeps once when you turn it on. After doing some research, I learned the 1 beep could be no RAM or RAM problem. I replaced both the internal RAM and the easily accessible RAM with RAM from a reputable dealer that markets this RAM just for iMac G4s. I still get one beep after startup. I tried taking one stick out and all variations of using the old and new RAM with no difference. I did more research that maybe it was the power supply. By the way, originally this iMac was shocked through its Ethernet port with lightning. I since bought a new motherboard, new RAM as stated, and now also the power supply. After putting it all together, I still get one beep at startup. I have reset the PMU also. Also added a new battery. Looking forward to your suggestions.

There may be some indication of the beep's cause after some thorough
testing of the computer with some utility software; perhaps even the basic
Apple Hardware Test which would have accompanied the computer when
new could be helpful to some degree, if the machine were run in that, in a
long continuous loop to see if at some point, it may generate some codes.
However, the startup sequence itself is where such a hopeful bit of information
would more likely be generated; and this is the kicker, in that some of the info
at start-up is too early in the beginning of the run-cycle to be recorded or read.
But, you may find evidence of the issue in the Console error message reports
in that utility; and there are a few different sub-titles of places in Console to look.
Also, you may be able to find some error or crash messages, or other runtime
messages and glitches, in the System Profiler> Software> progression path.
There may be another source of the single-beep on startup tone. Not sure of
any other, though; since the Power-on self-test is generally what checks out
those computers on start-up. And the 'single beep' suggests there is a RAM
issue, as this Beep would replace the normal startup chime.
So, that early in the startup, and without a booted system, the error logs or
crash and failure reports would not be generated to be read later.
Is the computer you have really a 20" LCD and does it truly have a 1GHz
CPU? Or, does it have a 1.25GHz PPC processor, as it should? Did the
company you obtained the replacement logic board from, have anything
to say about the kinds of issues you've noted the computer displaying?
There may have been a limited duration warranty on the rebuilt board.
There have been a few of the old iMac G4 17" & 20" 1.25GHz models
generating an odd, single 'buzz' sound after the normal startup tone.
Is your's making a 'single beep' or a 'buzz' sometime after booting?
Do you have any other RAM chips of correct supported version to
replace one or both RAM slots, of reliable quality product? How was
the OS installed into the computer, or have you been unable to do so?
Once in a great while, new correct RAM could be bad on arrival. Rare.
{This is a lot like chasing gremlins or setting a trapline for gnomes.}
Maybe someone, such as the contributor alias 'spudnutty' may know of
some other factor in this matter that he has found, that may cause that.
Good luck & happy computing!

Can not burn or read dvd/cd's on imac g4 flat panel

Hello
Just recently I am having a great deal of trouble burning dvd's or cd's. If I manage to get a dvd or cd to burn(which is very rare that I do manage to get them to burn) they will no longer mount on my computer after I have ejected them from the computer. I get the same result wether using toast or the Disk Utility. My local Apple reseller sugested the drive was ok but had a coruption in the software. So I did a full and complete wipe of the system and freshly re-installed teh whole system. I am still getting the same problem.
The error messages I'm getting are "medium error xxxxx" or can not calibrate lazer level.
I have cleaned the dvd drive and I have made sure all disks are clean before using.
So any help would be appreciated.

check out the screen I get when I hold command at startup, what does this mean? none of the keyboard buttons respond to this or the mouse, except the return key which brings me back to the grey screen hanging forever.
iMac g4 flat panel Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Changing speakers on IMAC G4 Flat panel

I want to change the speakers thqat came with the IMAC G4 Flat panel to a pair of Klipsch that have an RCA plug...The plug in for the original speakers
seems to be some kind of special miniplug...Can someone help me find an
adapter for Klipsch RCA plug so that it will work with my IMAC.
Thank you,
[email protected]

You need more than an adapter. The iFire will allow you to use those speakers with any computer that has Firewire.
The iFire is no longer on Griffin Technology's web site so it must have been discontinued.

ITunes on imac G4 flat Panel-Remote Control?

I have a iMac G4 flat panel which I love. I have 10.4.6 OS and I want to use a remote control to use iTunes while I am in the same room using a treadmill I have.
Does anyone know if there is a usb or firewire Remote Control for the imac that will work with itunes on my imac so I can change songs and turn sound up/down without getting off the treadmill?
thanks.
Imac G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) bluetooth, wifi

Try using a remote control such as this one; on the iMac, look through these scripts for something you like, and then save it as an application if necessary and set it to be opened by a button on the remote.
(12527)

What's the right memory module for an iMac G4 Flat panel 15-inch?

Hello!
A new program I've recently bought requires me to expand my iMac's memory, which is currently 256 MB.
After searching the Apple Store web site, I think I've come to the conclusion that what I need is an Apple memory module called "512MB DDR266 SO-DIMM (PC2100), 200-pin". As I don't know any expert who can give me some advice, and as I'm no expert myself, could anyone please tell me if that's right?
Thank you!
iMac G4 Flat panel 15-inch Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Ciao e benvenuto alle discussioni di Apple.
There are actually 3 different types of user slot installable RAM for the iMac G4 models so you'll have to check what your processor speed is (Go to  Apple Menu > About this Mac > ):
iMac G4 15" and 17" 700 or 800MHz, PC133 144pin SODIMM.
iMac G4 17" 1GHz, PC2100 200pin SODIMM
iMac G4 1GHz 15" or 1.25GHz 17"/20", PC2700 200pin SODIMM.
So although I can't tell you exactly what RAM you need I can tell you that if you have a 15" screen the PC2100 is wrong.
I'd advise using Crucial memory in Europe as the prices are amongst the best and they are Mac friendly. I wouldn't recommend Apple memory; it's overpriced. I also wouldn't advise buying a cheap brand as it could cause trouble.
Here are the fitting instructions.
mrtotes

Hard Disk Upgrade - iMac 17" Flat Panel G4 1.0 GHz with USB 1.2

I’m considering upgrading the internal hard disk with the following:
[Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKB 500GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM|http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136111]
I read that others have successfully installed 500GB IDE disks. I have a two related questions:
1. Do these larger disks cause any heat or power supply issues?
2. I've seen several take-apart instructions. It seems like there are subtle differences with the various Flat Panel models. Does anyone know which instructions apply specifically to my model (iMac 17" Flat Panel G4 1.0 GHz with USB 1.2)?
Any insight and/or experience on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

I have exactly the same question.
Thing is, having did a bit of research I read that USB 1.1 machines can't support anything more than 120GB?
http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/machine.php?name=imac-g4#int-hdd
"Compatible with the 1.25GHz model, and 1GHz iMacs with USB 2.0. It is not compatible with 1GHz iMacs without USB 2.0, or any slower models. Professional installation recommended."
http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/productinfo.php?productsid=71
"Be aware that many G4 PowerMacs have a 120GB capacity limit on the drives they can use, if you want to use a larger drive on these Macs we recommend adding a SATA controller card such as the Sonnet Tempo SATA PCI Card, and then using a SATA hard drive rather than an IDE one."
It wouldn't have to be this IBM model, in fact I like the sound of the Western Digital machines mentioned here, but I just wondered if anyone knew if the mac CAN support more than 120BG. I notice this company also state that it can't take more than 1GB RAM, but that's been proved wrong in other threads.
Thanks!

Using a functioning iMac G4 flat panel as a monitor

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