Airport Networking a HD-Dead 700mHz iMac via BootCD

Question

Airport Networking a HD-Dead 700mHz iMac via BootCD

Greetings:

My penniless home school would like to get Airport working on a donated 700mHz iMac with a dead hard drive by using BootCD. BootCD works perfectly, but I can't get it to Airport network. When I use Go - Connect to Server it always states "Connection Failed/No response from the Server." In Network pane I have a Amber light for "Airport is on but is not connected the a network" and the "Configure" button doesn't pop up the diagnosis panes as usually opens on regular machines. I'm wondering whether I'm missing crucial Network software that wasn't installed on the BootCD and how I can include it on a new BootCD disk, along with copying there the OpenOffice perferences on our Panther eMac (we store and run OpenOffice and its documents on flash drives, but the perfs don't work). Getting Airport working with this machine is very helpful because we just can't afford anymore ethernet cables at this stage. Any suggestions will be most appreciated!

JimG

1.25 gig eMac, 700mHz iMac, 900mHz G3 iBook, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Apr 2, 2011 6:28 AM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

82,941 points

Apr 4, 2011 12:49 PM in response to James Greenidge

Ethernet cables are cheaper than Airport.
The fastest Airport you can get on an 700 Mhz iMac is 11 Mbps at 802.11b. 802.11g isn't even supported, and the airport card that fits in that Mac is Apple's original card, not the Extreme.

Go to Best Buy. You can find a variety of ethernet cables for under $20.

An Airport card for the iMac will set you back at least $60, if not $100.

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Answer 2

Apr 4, 2011 1:53 PM in response to a brody

All our machines came with Airport. But thanks for your rapid response as we seek a solution.

JWG

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Answer 3

a brody

Level 10

82,941 points

Apr 4, 2011 4:35 PM in response to James Greenidge

Even so, you'll only have 15Mbps data transfer via airport. For the type of work you are doing you definitely would want at least 100 Mbps of ethernet, if not 400 Mbps of Firewire. http://www.macsales.com/ may have cheaper solutions that you expect. Yes, I know that iMac only supports USB 1.1 which also is limited to 11 Mbps.

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Answer 4

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,978 points

Apr 5, 2011 11:44 AM in response to James Greenidge

If only the internal hard disk drive has failed due to wear and age, that could
be replaced with only a moderate amount of tedium, attention to detail, and
some degree of technical skill. The details are very important, though; so as
to not damage otherwise original wires, heat conduits, and other parts inside.

The iMac G4 700MHz built model is different than the later and similar PPC
based G4 iMac computers in specification and internal details; that said, a
few online sources and perhaps if you can locate one, a donated use of the
original Technical repair manual in PDF for the computer model could help.

Online, there are a few sources to read for instructions; sometimes, lacking in
detail when a process or appearance, or internal parts vary between versions.

• mr tote's iMac G4 take-apart (appears to be a 1.25GHz model)
http://www.mrtotes.co.uk/page1/page1.html

• iMac G4 Take-apart for Drive and RAM upgrades: (this site was down last week)
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/imacg4/imacg4takeapart.html

• OWC: search results for 3.5" Internal IDE/ATA (PATA) replacement HDDs:
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/3.5InternalIDE/ATA

A general reference for parts, by number & model/series - is why this link is here:
http://www.mac-pro.com/Mac-Pro-Online-Store/G4-iMac-Parts-and-Accessories

You may be able to find someone who has access to and can share the original
Apple technical Service manual for this early G4 iMac LCD computer, as that is
a good source of additional information on the Display and for troubleshooting.

The ability to repair these when only parts-swap is involved, would also translate
to an ability to replace a clock battery and upgrade internal RAM, and so on.
While some are easier to learn how to repair, others are entirely different...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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