Resetting imac G4

[Grunze]

Hi,

I have an imac g4 17" with NO original cd's
How can I reset this machine to its original state.. fresh install of os something.
I have original ox x install cd's. Can I install os X on an imac g4?

I tried restarting while holding 'C' while having my osx cd inside.. but that only gave be DOS looking text...

Any ideas?????

Thanks!

 

[brop52]

I thought you said you didn't have the original install CDs then you said you did? I would suggest buying Tiger and using that. It is the best for your computer as long as you have sufficient RAM on it. I have Tiger on my G3 iMac.

Anyway, hold down option during startup and select the CD. You'll need to erase the hard drive with disk utility then reformat it. Then install.

 

[Grunze]

Hi,

Sorry for being unclear..
I have the tiger cd's, but not whatever originally came with this imac..

I'll try your suggestion,
Thanks!

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

Yes, Tiger will install just fine. Boot with the Tiger CDs by holding C at boot. From there, do an erase and install (a.k.a. a "clean install"), and it's all easy from there.

I'm running Tiger on my 17" too. Just make sure you have enough RAM!