upgrade internet browser for Mac OS 9.1

a) all iMacs are supported up to OS X 10.3 (Panther). Slot loaders with firewire are supported up to 10.4 (Tiger). you have to buy the OS to upgrade to it.

As for web browsers, you have lots of choices really, even on OS 9. IE tops out at version 5, which works fine for me. There are also versions of netscape, and alternative browsers like iCab and opera which work well with lower ram requirements. Check out versiontracker.com and it should be able to help you find different browsers.

You can't download an upgrade to OS X. You have to buy it. The updates you see for download are for existing OS X users. 10.0, 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4 all had to be bought in order to upgrade to them. So you can do it without buying a new machine, but you can't do it for free.

If you do get 10.4 (assuming you have a slot loading iMac) make sure if your iMAc has a CD or DVD drive. 10.4 came in a DVD version that could be exchanged for Cd's if needed.

Hi TXMike,

I run 10.3.9 beautifully on my iMac G3 350MHz slot load machine.

I definitely want to warn though to make sure you update the firmware to the appropriate firmware before upgrading to OSX. This is VERY important!

Also, depending upon the memory (RAM) installed in the machine you have inherited it would be wise to increase that as much as you can afford. Make sure if you purchase a resale copy of Panther OS 10.3 that it is a full retail install as the disks that some sell are machine specific disks and may not work on your machine.

If when you are ready to purchase OSX and make the plunge there are alot of folks here that would be glad to help if you have any problems/questions.

In retrospect, now, I think of OS9 as being a fantastic "workhorse" and OSX as that and alot of fun!

good luck,

littleshoulders [:-)

PS. If you upgrade to Mac OSX you will have Apple's fantastic browser Safari and many more choices of "modern" browsers to choose from...

Hi there,

I am safely driving an iMac 350 with Panther. It is running with 256 MB Ram which is enough to enjoy it but the more the better...

The best you can do is grab yourself an eBay Account, find some SDRam (100 or 133MHz) and a copy of 10.3. 10.3 is surely working and no longer sold by Apple and 10.4 is not suitable due to the 350 slot loader has no FireWire. It is a modern OS that works great. Get a full copy, no reinstall disc from eMac etc.

But there are some things to do before you upgrade to OSX.
First you have to bring your iMac from OS9.1 to OS 9.21 or OS 9.22 by installing this update: http://download.info.apple.com/AppleSupport_Area/Apple_SoftwareUpdates/ (browse for your the language of your installed OS).

Then install the new Firmware. This is very important. The Firmware updater is only running on OS9.2 and you have to update if it is not already on Version 4.1.9. Look into System Profiler in the Apple menu for that information. If you can catch a copy of OSX 10.2 (Jaguar) the Firmware updater is on the discs (not on later versions!). Or ask a friend if you know one having that 10.2 CDs for help.
The Firmware can also be downloaded from Apples download site.

If you don't update and install OSX your iMac can decease when restarting due to a bug in certain FW versions. I was on the lucky side, it was working without because noone told me to do it before installing. I did it afterwards and the IMac is still working.

all good advice, though I'd personally prefer to avoid ebay for ram. there are good, cheap retailers out there that offer lifetime warranties and cheaper or free shipping. ebay is a crap shoot. you don't know what you're getting with ram, whether its compatible or not, or there's no recourse if its not going to work in your machine. Buy from reputable dealers like crucial.com

For my couriousity...which iMac is it?

Processor speed? Slot loading or Tray loading?

The tray loaders have some certain barriers to run OSX (the boot partition must be less than 8.0 GB, i.e. 7.8 GB) and use this funny SO DIMM...but it is running perfectly.

Do you know the pages: http://www.everymac.com
http://www.apple-history.com ?

There you can determine the full specs.