Where to buy original discs for my PPC iMac G5 20" 1.8 GHz

Grunthaner said:

Other than eBay & Craigslist where can I buy the original discs for my iMac G5 20" 1.8 GHz?

The previous owner lost them when I bought the computer 4 years ago. This is the 2005 model PPC.

Thanks for your time.
Linda

Click to expand...

Your best bet is to look on a site like amazon, sites that are dedicated to selling old Mac stuff usually cater to older machines or charge too much.

By the way, you don't want to buy the original OS disks. You want the more recent OS installers, they'll be cheaper anyway. Either Tiger or Leopard will work, and feel free to buy a used copy. (Must be RETAIL, another system-specific disk won't work)

I'd recommend Tiger. It's MUCH cheaper - and faster on these older systems, and paired with a good browser (tenfourfox is a good one) will run really quickly.

Right off the bat - this is what you need.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Mac-Tig...TF8&qid=1362667873&sr=1-1&keywords=os+x+tiger

Grunthaner said:

Other than eBay & Craigslist where can I buy the original discs for my iMac G5 20" 1.8 GHz?

The previous owner lost them when I bought the computer 4 years ago. This is the 2005 model PPC.

Thanks for your time.
Linda

Click to expand...

I think this is the 2004 or earlier version of the iMac. You could always call Apple and see if they might send them to you. Aslo I have the Tiger upgrade disc and Tiger cds if you need them.

California said:

I think this is the 2004 or earlier version of the iMac. You could always call Apple and see if they might send them to you. Aslo I have the Tiger upgrade disc and Tiger cds if you need them.

Click to expand...

Apple will not still be keeping older install disks for such a ****** product as a imac g5

on another note Linda I recommend you sell this imac while its still working "while" being the key word here. And buy a used core 2 duo imac it will be much faster and more reliable and can be had for about $50+how much you sell that imac for.

Lil Chillbil said:

Apple will not still be keeping older install disks for such a ****** product as a imac g5

on another note Linda I recommend you sell this imac while its still working "while" being the key word here. And buy a used core 2 duo imac it will be much faster and more reliable and can be had for about $50+how much you sell that imac for.

Click to expand...

Considering the source, ie. the originator of this thread about staying with PPC until doomsday, I'd heed this advice about dumping this machine while you still can. I've had a lot of Macs over the years and this model is the only one I've had catastrophically fail on me.

The highest version of OS X would be Leopard, OS X 10.5.8. If you need to run applications in Classic mode, you'd need to stick with Tiger, OS X 10.4.11.

It looks like there was only one version of a 20" 1.8 G5, so yours would have shipped with Panther OS X 10.3.something on it.

Are you asking for the original install discs because you want to restore some of the bundled software that would have shipped with the iMac, or just want to do a clean install? I have a few old boxes of Panther sitting around, I can check to see if I have any of the software restore discs from this iMac, as my business had two or three of them back in the day.

Linda, there's really no reason to install Panther and then "upgrade" your way through Tiger to Leopard. You can get the Leopard (10.5) retail install DVD and do a clean install without any intermediate steps.

Just be aware that if you're running any Classic apps they won't work at all in Leopard but still will in Tiger.

Grunthaner said:

Also is there a classifieds area here that I can located the original install discs from here?

Click to expand...

Yes, there is. However, only members with 6 months of membership and 250 posts can access it.

spyguy10709 said:

Your best bet is to look on a site like amazon, sites that are dedicated to selling old Mac stuff usually cater to older machines or charge too much.

By the way, you don't want to buy the original OS disks. You want the more recent OS installers, they'll be cheaper anyway. Either Tiger or Leopard will work, and feel free to buy a used copy. (Must be RETAIL, another system-specific disk won't work)

I'd recommend Tiger. It's MUCH cheaper - and faster on these older systems, and paired with a good browser (tenfourfox is a good one) will run really quickly.

Right off the bat - this is what you need.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Mac-Tig...TF8&qid=1362667873&sr=1-1&keywords=os+x+tiger

Click to expand...

I believe someone (skateny?) posted a page with a fair amount of original install disks.

Did you get my email?

smokeyrabbit said:

Considering the source, ie. the originator of this thread about staying with PPC until doomsday, I'd heed this advice about dumping this machine while you still can. I've had a lot of Macs over the years and this model is the only one I've had catastrophically fail on me.

Click to expand...

what the **** does that have to do with the imac g5s sucking !

Lil Chillbil said:

what the **** does that have to do with the imac g5s sucking !

Click to expand...

They are unreliable, but you exaggerate it a great deal. Every time someone mentions them, you bring it up. I have an iMac G5, and it's a fine machine. Yes, they did have failure issues, but so did the PMG5s, iBook G3s, etc.

MisterKeeks said:

I believe someone (skateny?) posted a page with a fair amount of original install disks.

Click to expand...

I did in fact post a link to Craig's List in New York, but people seemed to think that purchasing these disks would be illegal, or that they didn't "count" because they're the gray disks.

The ad has been up for at least six months, and the seller posts his address and phone number. I called the seller to get some information about the disks, but he had a heavy Russian/Eastern European accent, and I soon lost my patience in trying to understand him. What I did get is that he claims to have the disks for each of the Macs listed in his ad.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/sys/3655552750.html

Lil Chillbil said:

what the **** does that have to do with the imac g5s sucking !

Click to expand...

Actually I was just trying to say that your advice to replace the G5 with a C2D iMac was not anti-PPC bias because you obviously enjoy your PPC's as referenced by the thread. I think she should drop that thing like a newborn giraffe too.

smokeyrabbit said:

Actually I was just trying to say that your advice to replace the G5 with a C2D iMac was not anti-PPC bias because you obviously enjoy your PPC's as referenced by the thread. I think she should drop that thing like a newborn giraffe too.

Click to expand...

It's more reliable than your iBook G3.

MisterKeeks said:

It's more reliable than your iBook G3.

Click to expand...

Probably. I sold that stinky (literally - what was up with that smell?) about 10 years ago.

smokeyrabbit said:

Probably. I sold that stinky (literally - what was up with that smell?) about 10 years ago.

Click to expand...

it was the adhesive used on a label beneath the keyboard.

smokeyrabbit said:

Actually I was just trying to say that your advice to replace the G5 with a C2D iMac was not anti-PPC bias because you obviously enjoy your PPC's as referenced by the thread. I think she should drop that thing like a newborn giraffe too.

Click to expand...

Sorry, about the confusion

MisterKeeks said:

Yes, they did have failure issues, but so did the PMG5s, iBook G3s, etc.

Click to expand...

What kind of failure issues do they have? I just got my hands on one today but haven't tried to turn it on yet. I got it from one of the girls at work who recently got it from the GoodWill. They sold it for $15 because they didn't realize it was a computer!

She told me it will at time randomly power off and then not power back on for a while. I took it in with the intent of putting in a new power supply and rebuilding it.

SandboxGeneral said:

What kind of failure issues do they have? I just got my hands on one today but haven't tried to turn it on yet. I got it from one of the girls at work who recently got it from the GoodWill. They sold it for $15 because they didn't realize it was a computer!

She told me it will at time randomly power off and then not power back on for a while. I took it in with the intent of putting in a new power supply and rebuilding it.

Click to expand...

They had issues with the capacitors bulging and failing, both on the Motherboard and on the power supply. They usually can be visually identified, and I believe they can be resoldered. Your issue seems like what's typical for them. Also had issues with lines running down the screen. The white Intels had the same issues, and many computers and manufacturers had the capacitor issues as well.

Have fun with it- maybe you'll be popping up more in the PowerPC Macs forum?

Grunthaner said:

I just checked my email and no I did not receive an email from you. I also send myself an email through this site and I received my email.
Linda

Click to expand...

I didn't email you, I was referring to the person I had quoted (spyguy10709).

MisterKeeks said:

They had issues with the capacitors bulging and failing, both on the Motherboard and on the power supply. They usually can be visually identified, and I believe they can be resoldered. Your issue seems like what's typical for them. Also had issues with lines running down the screen. The white Intels had the same issues, and many computers and manufacturers had the capacitor issues as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. I sure hope the motherboard is not the issue. I really don't want to do a total rebuild of it if I can help it. She didn't mention any lines on the screen so I hope that's good too.

It's just sitting on my desk at the office right now. When I get back to work Monday, if I have time, I'll probably start dismantling it to check the capacitors and anything else that may be wrong with it.

About the only thing I want this for is to tinker with it a bit, rebuild it, maybe put an SSD in it (if it's possible; haven't looked at the feasibility yet) and to play SimCity 4 on it.

I bought it [SimCity] a while ago but it runs terribly on my Intel-based Mac's. I knew that was a major issue before I bought the game, but it was inexpensive and I wanted to see if I could tolerate the choppy play - I couldn't.

Have fun with it- maybe you'll be popping up more in the PowerPC Macs forum?

Click to expand...

You can count on it.