need help formatting

Unless your friend has an identical iMac the disks won't work as they are machine-specific install disks.

You are correct. You need to check out the firmware level before installing os x 10.3.

Open Firmware, boot into Open Firmware.

Power on your iMac while holding down command+option+o+f

The first output line contains the firmware level. Mine reads:

Apple PowerMac4,1 4.1.9f1 BootRom built on 09/14/01 at 13.18.04

Copyright 1994-2001 Apple Computer Inc.

On my machine, I have 4.1.9f1.

What firmware do you need?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1395

You can download the firmware from this page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1283

filename: N-iMac_FWUpdate_4.1.9.smi.bin

avoid expanding the file on the download computer.

For a slot loading iMac, this article indicates that you need to be running 9.1 or later version of Mac OS Classic.

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1283

"The iMac Firmware Update 4.1.9 will only run on iMac computers with slot-loading CD or DVD drives running Mac OS 9.1 or later from a local drive. If you are using Mac OS X you must boot from a local Mac OS 9.1 or later writeable partition (not a CD, or network disk) prior to following the update instructions."

You can download the Mac OS 9 updates from the Apple site.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1387?viewlocale=en_US

For tiger, you need 256meg of memory. A slot loader will take 1gig of memory.

You may need to get more memory.

get the 512meg card(s)

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/iMac/G3_450MHz_500MHz_600MHz_700MHz

Mac OS X 10.4: System requirements

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1514

PPC 10.4.11 combo update.

http://support.apple.com/kb/dl170

You have firmware 3.0f3. You need to update your firmware before loading 10.2, 10.3, or 10.4.

This is a slotloader 400 from your ealier picture. PowerMac 2.2 sees to be iMac g3 400.

Your machine will run 10.4. You can surf the web with the latest version of TenFourFox ... slow.

Restore Tiger 10.4 & Leopard 10.5 DVDs are available from Appple by calling 1(800) 275-2273. Have your serial number ready. Have your credit card ready too. There may be a small fee.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4720126?tstart=0 -- January 20,2013

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5772721?answerId=24588313022#24588313022 -- January 22,2014

Ebay. It should be the full install version of the OS. Do not get the grey cd/dvds. These are machine/model specific.

Robert

I gather -39 means end of file. Probably, means the download didn't go well. Where did you decompress the file. Do the decompression on the imac.

See:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4969812

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-1161630.html

i have another question, i have 2 ram modules. they are both 512mb, but the computer only sees 576mb...

why is that?

This seems downright odd to me. Perhaps you should wait to you install X and see what it claims.

Perhaps you do not whant to mess with it. 576 is OK for 10.3. Might me a slot going bad which might be best to leave alone.

If you want to mess around. Swap around memory to see if it is the slot or memory giving the bad results.

Take out one module & see what it claims. Place module in other slot and see what it claims. etc.