Apple imac G3 on broadband ?

[tigler]

Recently I've been looking for a freebie computer for a friend who is stuggling with life ATM and unable to afford to buy one.

I was offered an Apple imac G3 blueberry for free, which I accepted. It's fully working but I don't know how or even if it's capable of connecting to broadband, all I know is it only has a 56K dial up modem as standard.

Could any of the IT types get me upto speed on it please ?

 

[Windy Miller]

Well I'm no MAC expert, but I would have thought that if it is fitted with a network card, then the BB access should be a breeze.

I can ask the MAC guys here at work if you like...

 

[Philly]

Hi, they come with ethernet port as standard, so broadband is possible.

 

[rikrobson]

don't update the operating system to a later version.

this will probably have 10.2 or 10.3 or may even have vers 9
i've got an old powerbook G4 and upgraded to 10.4 and it struggles a wee bit.
just plug the ethernet into the router and mac. It should just connect, but you may need to run the networking wizard.

 

[tigler]

Excellent, thankyou guys ! I've never even touched a Mac before so this will be a new experience for me ! Will it be chronically slow compared to Pentium 4's or Dual cores ? Now, to find a router !

 

[Philly]

I do believe they were 333mhz, so about a third of most modern mobile phones, but they are more than up to the task of browsing, word processing etc.

 

[Chickenjohn]

Well I'm no MAC expert, but I would have thought that if it is fitted with a network card, then the BB access should be a breeze.

I can ask the MAC guys here at work if you like...

The Mac should have a network socket, just plug it into the router and away you go! No need to set anything up at all, and your friend will discover one of the delights on Mac- no viruses!!!

I would imagine you can also use a USB wireless stick if your friend wants to go wireless. If you can, get hold of a Mac OS-X disc- version 10.2 or above as the Mac OS-X system is MUCH nicer to use than the old OS-9. Like going from windows 98 to an OS that Microsoft can only dream of matching.

 

[Chickenjohn]

don't update the operating system to a later version.

this will probably have 10.2 or 10.3 or may even have vers 9
i've got an old powerbook G4 and upgraded to 10.4 and it struggles a wee bit.
just plug the ethernet into the router and mac. It should just connect, but you may need to run the networking wizard.

You need to max out the memory. My G4 powerbook sped up when I upped the memory from 256meg to 1 gig.

 

[Windy Miller]

You need to max out the memory. My G4 powerbook sped up when I upped the memory from 256meg to 1 gig.

I may be able to help you out with some memory - let me know the specs of your current RAM and I'll see if I can 'find' you some more. It wont be the latest stuff, but I can usually lay my hands on a few chips!

 

[tigler]

Many thanks for that, the previous owner mentioned he had increased the RAM but couldn't remember to what ! When I power it up I'll check the system.
One thing is immediately noticeable, it is very heavy !

 

[Chickenjohn]

Many thanks for that, the previous owner mentioned he had increased the RAM but couldn't remember to what ! When I power it up I'll check the system.
One thing is immediately noticeable, it is very heavy !

Solid build quality!