what should I do with this iMac?

[pinto32]

I just bought a blueberry iMac off of ebay.
It has:
333 mhz G3
64MB RAM
6GB HDD (I have a 15 GB sitting around in case I need it)

It came with a copy of OS 9.2.1, which is burned onto a CD-R. It refuses to load and gives an error message that says it will not load because the media has been copied from its original drive. My question is: is there any way around this? If there isnt, what do you think would be a better thing to spend my money on: a copy of OS9 (used of course), or some extra memory for OS X? (is it possible for me to install the copy of Panther that will be coming with my iBook on more than one computer at the same time?)

This is just a toy that is gonna be used for internet apps and a little bit of music, so I'm not expecting it to be a speed demon....its just something to introduce my parents to the Mac/eventually resell on eBay (hopefully for a little profit )

Thanks for any help you can give!
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Toeknee]

I do believe Panther needs at least 128mb to run, and yes you can install it off the same discs multiple times although apple doesnt like this. Just dont register after you get your iBook. RAM is dirt cheap for that computer maybe a stick of 128 or something should do it.

 

[Horrortaxi]

Panther will run well on that computer if you give it enough RAM. Buy a 256 MB stick and you're good to go. It'll be a great internet/word processing computer.

You probably cannot install on this computer using your iBook CDs. They are system specific and know when they're in the wrong computer.

 

[MoparShaha]

Originally posted by Horrortaxi
You probably cannot install on this computer using your iBook CDs. They are system specific and know when they're in the wrong computer.

Not true, any copy of OS X that comes with any computer will install on any Mac. I've installed Jaguar from my PowerMac onto my iMac, and Panther from my PowerBook onto my PowerMac and iMac. All worked well. There are no specific Mac OS X installers. All copies are identical to the retail version.

 

[stoid]

Originally posted by MoparShaha
Not true, any copy of OS X that comes with any computer will install on any Mac. I've installed Jaguar from my PowerMac onto my iMac, and Panther from my PowerBook onto my PowerMac and iMac. All worked well. There are no specific Mac OS X installers. All copies are identical to the retail version.

Yes, the OS is identical, but I believe that certain systems may have different supporting apps. Doubt it though, either way you should be perfectly fine although you may have to upgrade your firmware.