2000 iMac

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Level 1

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2000 iMac

i have an older iMac and im trying to give it to a friend and when i was cleaning the hardrive i deleted all of the unwanted stuff that didnt transfer to our new ibook. and when i went to restart it iMac it asked me which operating system i wanted to restart with and i clicked OS9 instead of OS X. now my computer restarts and the screen is gray with a tiny little computer in the middle of the screen.....can anyone help me?

2000 imac, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Nov 17, 2005 4:08 PM

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Answer 1

dreed2

Level 7

25,730 points

Nov 17, 2005 4:31 PM in response to will read

If you are giving it away, you might want to use the original Restore CD to erase and restore it to factory defaults. This way the new owner can start with a clean slate and all your personal files will be deleted. (Make sure you give your friend the original CDs, along with the iMac.)

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Answer 2

Nov 17, 2005 4:35 PM in response to will read

The poor little thing is trying to find an OS to boot from. Let it sit for a few minutes. 'See if it can find something. If the little computer in the center has a flashing "?" in the center, and if the "?" persists for several minutes that usually means it can't find a workable system.

If you are transfering the computer to another owner, it might be a good idea to boot from the OS 9 CD or the "Restore" CD, initialize the drive using "Drive Setup", then install a new/clean system. Be sure to give your friend the OS CDs. Nothing is more useless than a Mac without a bootable CD.

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Answer 3

will read Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 17, 2005 4:59 PM in response to will read

but i still cant get away from the gray screen with the little comp. i have to the install disc inserted?

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Answer 4

dreed2

Level 7

25,730 points

Nov 17, 2005 5:32 PM in response to will read

Because this happened after you deleted a lot of things, I'd say, yes. Put the install disc in there and restart holding down the C key.

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