T-Bone86421
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Updating iBook os

How do you upgrade your iBook G3 from Mac OS 9.1 to Mac OS 10.3? Also can I use someone else's used install disk for that or do I need to get a new one?

iBook, Mac OS 9.1.x

Posted on Sep 8, 2012 2:39 PM

by Ronda Wilson,Solvedanswer
Ronda Wilson Ronda Wilson
Level 8 (41,537 points)
A:

That model needs no firmware update, and should have come with a rudimentary version of Mac OS X (10.0.3) installed. (Go to Apple Menu > Control Panels > Startup Disk and see if a Mac OS X 10.0.3 volume shows up.)

 

The iBook takes the original AirPort Card. They are available on the secondary market. I can probably find one for you if you're interested. That 10 GB hard drive (which is now 11 years old) is a major concern. Expect it to fail soon. Five years is a good run for a hard drive, and that one is more than double that. Also, it is so small that it will call most versions of OS X to lag. I haven't run OS X regularly on anything less than a 30 GB hard drive. I left my 500 MHz iBook in Mac OS 9 with the option to startup in Mac OS X 10.1.5, but I haven't started it up in a couple of years.

 

Theoretically, that iBook could be upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4,

 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

 

but it would require maximizing the RAM with a 512 MB module. Also, Mac OS X 10.4 normally came on a DVD, and the iBook in question has just a CD-ROM drive. It cannot read DVDs. All in all, upgrading the iBook to a useable version of Mac OS X is probably not worth the time, money, and effort.

 

Good luck with it.

Posted on Sep 8, 2012 6:52 PM

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T-Bone86421

Q: Updating iBook os

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Ronda Wilson,

    Ronda Wilson Ronda Wilson Sep 8, 2012 6:17 PM in response to T-Bone86421
    Level 8 (41,537 points)
    Sep 8, 2012 6:17 PM in response to T-Bone86421

    Which exact iBook model is it?

     

    You can choose from this list:

     

    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/ibook/index-ibook.html

     

    If it is one of the older colored "clamshell" iBooks, it requires a firmware update while booted in Mac OS 9.1 before upgrading to Mac OS X. Read about that here:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1284

  • by T-Bone86421,Helpful

    T-Bone86421 T-Bone86421 Sep 8, 2012 6:33 PM in response to Ronda Wilson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2012 6:33 PM in response to Ronda Wilson

    It is model m6497. It is from 2001.  500 MHz/256 l2 cache/192 SDRAM 10 GB hard drive HD/cd rom/56k modem.  That should be everything it also doesn't have an airport card so I don't know if you know what kind to get.  Thank You for helping.

  • by T-Bone86421,Helpful

    T-Bone86421 T-Bone86421 Sep 8, 2012 6:45 PM in response to T-Bone86421
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2012 6:45 PM in response to T-Bone86421

    I found it can run up to 10.4.11 so that is what I would want to upgrade it to.

  • by Ronda Wilson,Solvedanswer

    Ronda Wilson Ronda Wilson Sep 8, 2012 6:52 PM in response to T-Bone86421
    Level 8 (41,537 points)
    Sep 8, 2012 6:52 PM in response to T-Bone86421

    That model needs no firmware update, and should have come with a rudimentary version of Mac OS X (10.0.3) installed. (Go to Apple Menu > Control Panels > Startup Disk and see if a Mac OS X 10.0.3 volume shows up.)

     

    The iBook takes the original AirPort Card. They are available on the secondary market. I can probably find one for you if you're interested. That 10 GB hard drive (which is now 11 years old) is a major concern. Expect it to fail soon. Five years is a good run for a hard drive, and that one is more than double that. Also, it is so small that it will call most versions of OS X to lag. I haven't run OS X regularly on anything less than a 30 GB hard drive. I left my 500 MHz iBook in Mac OS 9 with the option to startup in Mac OS X 10.1.5, but I haven't started it up in a couple of years.

     

    Theoretically, that iBook could be upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4,

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

     

    but it would require maximizing the RAM with a 512 MB module. Also, Mac OS X 10.4 normally came on a DVD, and the iBook in question has just a CD-ROM drive. It cannot read DVDs. All in all, upgrading the iBook to a useable version of Mac OS X is probably not worth the time, money, and effort.

     

    Good luck with it.

  • by T-Bone86421,

    T-Bone86421 T-Bone86421 Sep 8, 2012 7:04 PM in response to Ronda Wilson
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2012 7:04 PM in response to Ronda Wilson

    Thanks for the advice. I would probably be spending $200 just for it to have Internet and Mac os x so I'll probably save up for a MacBook pro or air.

  • by Ronda Wilson,

    Ronda Wilson Ronda Wilson Sep 9, 2012 8:39 AM in response to T-Bone86421
    Level 8 (41,537 points)
    Sep 9, 2012 8:39 AM in response to T-Bone86421

    You're welcome.

     

    In my mind, the best use for the iBook you have is for playing old Mac OS 9 games or creating documents with AppleWorks (although finding a printer that will print from OS 9 is a challenge these days). AppleWorks documents can be saved as PDFs, though. PDFs can be transferred to any computer and printed or e-mailed from there. If it is a Draw or Paint application in AppleWorks, it can be saved as a .jpg which can be transferred the same way.

     

    My most recent choice of Macs was an early 2011 MacBook Pro. Mac OS X 10.6 still allows me to use AppleWorks. Mac OS X 10.7 leaves behind all PowerPC applications, so I am stuck for awhile. I much prefer the Pro over the Air because I want a FireWire port and more storage space than a flash drive offers.

     

    http://www.apple.com/why-mac/compare/notebooks.html