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Mac Forum / Country Specific / UK Mac Group / July 2007Help on IMac, please
Hello All. I am a Linux user but a friend has asked me about her Mac - if it can be upgraded. It is a Model M5521. I know nothing about Macs so I am asking for help! She wants to know if it can run a later OS, but I cannot find the exact spec. for it. It seems that 256MB is needed and a DVD drive but I think this one has 129Mb and a DC drive. Am I right? Thanks in advance Trevor > Hello All. > > I am a Linux user but a friend has asked me about her Mac - if it can be > upgraded. It is a Model M5521. It is one of these: <http://lowendmac.com/imacs/500.shtml> > I know nothing about Macs so I am asking for > help! She wants to know if it can run a later OS, but I cannot find the > exact spec. for it. It seems that 256MB is needed and a DVD drive but I > think this one has 129Mb and a DC drive. Am I right? There's a program on it called System Profiler, which will tell you the exact spec. The current version of OS X (10.4, aka Tiger) only comes on DVD, although IIRC you can write off to Apple and get CDs for a small fee. Cheers, Chris On 26/07/2007, Chris Ridd wrote in message <5gscu5F3hoeiaU1@mid.individual.net>: > <trevor.chapman@metronet.co.uk> said: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > The current version of OS X (10.4, aka Tiger) only comes on DVD, > although IIRC you can write off to Apple and get CDs for a small fee. You can run MacOS 9.2.2 on it without too much problem. That's something like Windows 95: it's the latest version just before a huge rewrite in the OS from the ground up. OS X will run terribly on that computer. And the computer is too far behind the times to make it worth updating with hard disk, memory, etc.: you would have to gut a better Mac to find the parts and it would be better just to switch to that Mac instead. The firmware update you will /need/ is free, but even the copy of OS X will cost you money. Sorry, but if you want a recent OS it will be cheaper and simpler just to buy your acquaintance one of the cheap current Macs, either the cheapest iMac or the cheapest MacBook. Simon.  Signaturehttp://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk >Hello All. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >exact spec. for it. It seems that 256MB is needed and a DVD drive but I >think this one has 129Mb and a DC drive. Am I right? http://lowendmac.com/imacs/2001-500.html There are pointers to follow from there, but you'll want as much memory as you can cram in, a retail copy of Tiger, and an external DVD drive (although you can get it installed without if you've got access to another Mac with a DVD). Depending on how much that stuff costs, it may work out better to eBay a G4 iMac or higher instead. Cheers - Jaimie Signature"You know how dumb the average person is? Well, by definition, half of 'em are dumber than THAT." - J.R. "Bob" Dobbs > Hello All. > > I am a Linux user but a friend has asked me about her Mac - if it can be > upgraded. It is a Model M5521. That makes it a 500MHz iMac G3. > I know nothing about Macs so I am asking for > help! She wants to know if it can run a later OS, but I cannot find the > exact spec. for it. <http://lowendmac.com/imacs/2001-500.html> Out of the factory it should be 500MHz G3, 64Mb 20G ATA (max size 128G), CD-RW >It seems that 256MB is needed and a DVD drive but I > think this one has 129Mb and a DC drive. Am I right? Assuming you meant 192Mb and CD, then probably yes, it must have a 128M PC100 SDRAM. If you boost that up a bit (and I would be tempted to go as high as you can, which is 1Gb - 2 x 512 sticks), and use an external firewire DVD, it can run the latest system fine. SignatureWoody Alienrat Design Ltd > That makes it a 500MHz iMac G3. Thanks for the info. (Thanks to all others who replied, too) >>It seems that 256MB is needed and a DVD drive but I >> think this one has 129Mb and a DC drive. Am I right? This should have read 128Mb of course! > Assuming you meant 192Mb and CD, then probably yes, it must have a 128M > PC100 SDRAM. > > If you boost that up a bit (and I would be tempted to go as high as you > can, which is 1Gb - 2 x 512 sticks), and use an external firewire DVD, > it can run the latest system fine. Any recommendations for a drive? Thanks, Trevor > > That makes it a 500MHz iMac G3. > Thanks for the info. (Thanks to all others who replied, too) [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Any recommendations for a drive? Any DVD that has a firewire connection (or a bare drive in a firewire box). The machine doesn't have USB 2, so it might take a while on USB! SignatureWoody Alienrat Design Ltd [snip] > > Assuming you meant 192Mb and CD, then probably yes, it must have a 128M > > PC100 SDRAM. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Any recommendations for a drive? What exactly the current models are, I couldn't say, but I bought a Pioneer DVR-111 almost exactly a year ago from the invoice in front of me (and an external FW case) and it's worked very nicely indeed. I'm rarely impressed. Make sure you get a FireWire case, not USB, mind. The price was very nice for the drive at least. Note: if you want to *burn* a disc with a non-Apple optical drive and MacOS X 10-10.3, you'll need PatchBurn. MacOS X 10.4 lets you burn discs with such drives without the patch. Rowland. SignatureRemove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell@dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking > Note: if you want to *burn* a disc with a non-Apple optical drive and > MacOS X 10-10.3, you'll need PatchBurn. Or Toast. SignaturePd > What exactly the current models are, I couldn't say, but I bought a > Pioneer DVR-111 almost exactly a year ago from the invoice in front of > me (and an external FW case) and it's worked very nicely indeed. I'm > rarely impressed. Make sure you get a FireWire case, not USB, mind. > The price was very nice for the drive at least. Is the reason for Firewire over USB here because old Macs couldn't boot from USB? > Note: if you want to *burn* a disc with a non-Apple optical drive and > MacOS X 10-10.3, you'll need PatchBurn. > > MacOS X 10.4 lets you burn discs with such drives without the patch. I thought that restriction was just in iDVD. If you want to burn a data DVD, then you could always do that. The iDVD restriction was removed in iLife 06. iLife 06 needs OS X 10.3.9 or later. Cheers, Chris > > What exactly the current models are, I couldn't say, but I bought a > > Pioneer DVR-111 almost exactly a year ago from the invoice in front of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Is the reason for Firewire over USB here because old Macs couldn't boot > from USB? I don't know but trying to install from a USB 1 DVD would be painfully slow SignatureWoody www.alienrat.com >>> What exactly the current models are, I couldn't say, but I bought a >>> Pioneer DVR-111 almost exactly a year ago from the invoice in front of [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I don't know but trying to install from a USB 1 DVD would be painfully > slow You'd definitely need to have a strong masochistic streak to USB 1 with a DVD. Cheers, Chris > (Rowland McDonnell) said: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Is the reason for Firewire over USB here because old Macs couldn't boot > from USB? Nope, just for the sake of speed. So much data needs to be transferred that it'd take forever without FireWire (or a full speed USB 2 interface - many USB 2 devices don't exceed USB 1.1 speeds. The iMac in question doesn't have USB 2, so it's not an option in this case). > > Note: if you want to *burn* a disc with a non-Apple optical drive and > > MacOS X 10-10.3, you'll need PatchBurn. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > The iDVD restriction was removed in iLife 06. iLife 06 needs OS X > 10.3.9 or later. From what I recall (the Mac I used it on is now dead, and our current crop are all running 10.4), burning couldn't be done at all without PatchBurn under 10.3. Rowland. SignatureRemove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell@dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking > [snip] > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > rarely impressed. Make sure you get a FireWire case, not USB, mind. > The price was very nice for the drive at least. A USB2 case is usable for burning. Burning a DVD doesn't need much of a data rate, Jan >> [snip] >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > A USB2 case is usable for burning. The Mac (an iMac DV SE) this is intended for only has USB 1.1 ports, and no way to add USB 2 ports. Cheers, Chris >> [snip] >> [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > A USB2 case is usable for burning. > Burning a DVD doesn't need much of a data rate, USB2 is worth having as well, but as the OP has a machine that only has USB1, you would want one with firewire SignatureWoody [snip] > > What exactly the current models are, I couldn't say, but I bought a > > Pioneer DVR-111 almost exactly a year ago from the invoice in front of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > A USB2 case is usable for burning. > Burning a DVD doesn't need much of a data rate, USB 2 isn't an option in this case - as you'd know if you'd read the thread. Rowland. Rowland. SignatureRemove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell@dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking > Hello All. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Trevor Is there a possibility of getting laid if you're successful? > Hello All. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > exact spec. for it. It seems that 256MB is needed and a DVD drive but I > think this one has 129Mb and a DC drive. Am I right? If it's really got 129 MB of RAM and a DC drive you should urge her to donate it to a Mac museum, Jan >> I am a Linux user but a friend has asked me about her Mac - if it can be >> upgraded. It is a Model M5521. I know nothing about Macs so I am asking [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > If it's really got 129 MB of RAM and a DC drive > you should urge her to donate it to a Mac museum, Ah! Sorry about the finger trouble. Fingers go faster that brain at my age! Thanks, Trevor |
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