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Powerbook G4 / Internet Connection issue

#1). My laptop won't connect to my new Spectrum Internet service. I have separate Modem & Router. Airport on laptop is on. What do I gotta do to connect to Internet? I am a beginner, so break it down please.

#2) when I click on something, often times the cursor arrow turns to a rainbow colored circle & keeps spinning, won't stop, & won't let me click on anything else. I shut laptop off, turn it back on to start over & I keep having same problem?!

Posted on Apr 1, 2024 10:10 PM

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1 reply

Apr 2, 2024 8:29 AM in response to EightyoneRedWhite

Welcome!


Are you connecting by wifi or ethernet cable? The wifi protocols in even the newest PowerBooks are now so old that they may not connect to any modern modem/router with default settings.


Powerbooks support only up to wireless 802.11g. Most newer models routers default to no slower than 802.11n.


Contact Spectrum support or your router's manufacturer to see if you can change its settings to include wireless "g" computers


Wired internet should not be an issue. That's is how I ran my last PowerBook G4 well past its expiration date.


#2) when I click on something, often times the cursor arrow turns to a rainbow colored circle


There are virtually no browsers or web sites that support PowerPC Macs any more, nor macOS versions older than about 10.15. Every year it gets harder to use old hardware on the internet.


The only possibility—and it is slow and no longer being updated—is TenFourFox. It cannot do video so struggles with with today's web pages.


https://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/

Powerbook G4 / Internet Connection issue

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