iBook G4 maxed out and running slow.

A machine of that age would certainly benefit from an erase and install.

If you are using more up to date software, that would be part of the reason it is slow.

 

^^^^^^ What he said plus make sure you're not running Leopard. Tiger only.

 

^^^^^^^^What he said.

 

you can put 1 gb in that ibook and to erase and install, insert the install dvd and click "install mac osx" then follow the onscreen instructions

 

Make sure you have all your data backed up. Erase and Install will wipe the hard drive, restoring it to the way it was when you bought it.

 

Pretty sure that you can't put 1GB of memory in that machine as another poster said. I had a 1Ghz iBook g4 and that maxed out at 640Mb (128 intenal and 512 in the slot)

might a faster HD help with general speed?

 

*Apple reports that the maximum memory capacity of this system is 640 MB with 128 MB onboard and a 512 MB SO-DIMM. However, third-parties have been able to upgrade the system to 1152 MB with the 128 MB onboard and a single 1.0 GB memory module.

 

Any of the G4 iBooks will hold a 1Gb stick. The original G4 will support 1.12GB of RAM just like the 12" Powerbook G4's. I would HIGHLY recommend erasing the drive and doing a fresh install of 10.4 for the best speed.