Old iMac Startup disk

Irwin,
So if that computer is only 10 years old it would be a slot loader and it will be one of the following (released in 2001):
"# iMac (Early 2001)

* 400 MHz CD
* 500 MHz CD-RW, North American
* 500 MHz CD-RW, international
* 600 MHz CD-RW"
From:
http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/index.shtml

If it's not the earliest 350 MHz it will have 2 FireWire spigots. If the firmware is later than 2.4 then you can use Target Mode:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1661
To do that you'd need a FireWire 400 cable.

If the firmware is not at 4.1.9 then you'll probably want to upgrade it. If someone attempts to install 10.2 or later the iMac will fall into the "firmware trap":
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3036
Since you're running 9.1 you could do that right now. Then anyone you donate it to could run OS X (Up to 10.4.11, which would be the best OS X to run in that machine. It's still viable on the Web.)
We're using 2 of these now at the school I'm working at and we had 12 of the 500 MHz and above working in the music lab in a Chicago where I was was formerly. They were running Music Ace and early versions of GarageBand.
The two here in the kindergarten are running OS 9.2.2 and I've loaded a ton of kids apps on them like: Kids Pix 4, Living Books, Zoombinis, Reader Rabbit, Alphabet Express, etc.
Whoever you donate it to can email me and I can walk them through upgraded.
Richard

Unless the Habitat for Humanity has computer geeks with access to older Mac OS installer disks to make the computer functional (after you've wiped the hard drive), you may wish to consider looking online for that iMac's Restore disk. Otherwise, you can use a universal/retail version of a Mac OS installer disk to boot the computer and reformat/erase the hard drive with Drive Setup (pre-OS X) or Disk Utility (OS X). Be sure to choose the "write zeros" option for a more thorough wipe. If you don't care about reinstalling the OS, there's always the older "Norton SystemWorks version 1.0," that I've use without any problems on older, pre-OS X Macs. You can boot the iMac from the CD and use the "Wipe Info" utility to clean the hard drive of all data.

Delete all the files you do not want. Empty the trash. Write zeroes over all the free space.

I wrote up a quick little applescript to create a file of nothing.

Modify the script to write out the number of meg you need to zero. Run script. Delete file.

I haven't tested it in classic.

Robert

(*
Run in the Script Editor.
Click on the Event Log tab to see the output from the log statement
Click on Run

*)

on run

(* Use the log statement to debug *)
-- Write a message into the event log.
log " --- Starting on " & ((current date) as string) & " --- "


(* Use the path to clause to create a generalized path statements *)
--set theApplescriptPath to (path to startup disk as string)


set theApplescriptPath to (path to desktop as string)
log "theApplescriptPath = " & theApplescriptPath

tell application "Finder"
make file at desktop with properties {name:"zero data.txt"}
end tell

set theFullPath to theApplescriptPath & "zero data.txt"
log "theFullPath = " & theFullPath


try
set fileReference to (open for access file theFullPath with write permission)

on error mes
try
log " We got an error when writing to " & mes

end try
end try

set realZero to ASCII character 0


set theHeader to " --- Starting on " & ((current date) as string) & " --- " & return


set moreZero to realZero & realZero & realZero & realZero
set oneK to ""
set size256k to ""

-- get 1 k
repeat 256 times
set oneK to oneK & moreZero
end repeat

-- get 256 k
repeat 256 times
set size256k to size256k & oneK
end repeat

try
set fileReference to (open for access file theApplescriptPath with write permission)

on error mes
try
log " We got an error when opening to " & mes

end try
end try

-- The number of meg you wish to write.
repeat 2 times
try
-- write 1 meg
appendToFile(fileReference, size256k)
appendToFile(fileReference, size256k)
appendToFile(fileReference, size256k)
appendToFile(fileReference, size256k)


on error mes
try
log " We got an error when writing to " & mes
close access fileReference
exit repeat
end try
end try

end repeat

try
close access fileReference
on error mes
try
log " We got an error when closing " & mes
end try
end try




end run

-- ----------------------------------------------------------

on appendToFile(fileId, theData)

local theSize, writeWhere

set theSize to (get eof fileId)
set writeWhere to theSize + 1 as integer
write theData to fileId starting at writeWhere

end appendToFile