Q: How do I restore my iBook?

256MB of RAM is the bare minimum requirement to run Mac OS X 10.4. I think that upgrading to more should solve this. A good source to purchase RAM is OWC: http://eshop.macsales.com/search/ibook.

The last iBooks were produced in 2005. They are now obsolete. I have no idea what you plan or expect to do with it. You cannot restore  it to default state without the installed discs that came with it. Those discs may be purchased from Apple if they still have any in stock. Otherwise, you will have to find suitable retail discs at eBay or Amazon.com.

Depending on what specific model you have it may be possible to install any retail version of Lion - 10.5.x. It would have to be a G4 model for that.

Assuming that's an iBook G4, you're probably going to want to start by wiping it out and reinstalling the OS using an original set of system disks for it.

You may just want to cut your losses and move on. Though Macs tend to have a much longer usable life than PCs do, that machine was discontinued over 10 years ago and is obsolete.

No. All you could do on your new computer is clone the DVDs required by the iBook, but you still need the original DVDs or a retail version of OS X that is later than what originally came on the iBook. I'm sort of thinking that would be a retail copy of Leopard. But you would need to look for these on eBay or Amazon since you cannot get them from Apple.

Then you will need to find a retail disc set for Tiger.

If you can't find one on ebay, or someplace similar, you're going to have a hard time. Maybe check with your local Mac users groups or computer enthusiasts clubs if there are still such things in existence. 10 years is a long long time in computer years...

A year or two ago, some users of older gear were able to get a white-label "replacement DVD for Tiger OS X 10.4"

direct from Apple sales support; they had to ask for an Operating Systems Specialist and after some time discussing

the matter with that person at Apple, only if the Apple person looked into their database and happened to Find it,

there was a generic installer with white label, for a reasonable fee, you could buy from Apple, but not listed in a store.

If you try this, be sure to have serial number of iBook handy, as well as method of payment, a cc; and optimism.

Same was said for the Leopard version of white label "replacement DVD" for the 10.5 system. And I have not heard

of anyone able to get (or not get) these white label replacement 10.4 or 10.5 DVDs lately. But they did exist.

Of course, the 800MHz processor series could not run Leopard 10.5, since the lower limit for processor speed to

run Leopard OS X 10.5 is 867MHz, the ceiling is higher than your vintage product. To be able to include a system

DVD with the hardware you have, the Tiger 10.4 version on DVD would be quite good. There also was a version

of iLife from that era which would give the user an actual system like a newer Mac had. The original included

install restore disc set, earlier than Tiger 10.4, usually included a fairly good set of (then) current software + OSX.

The original set, not available, would be in gray label; the 800MHz PPC-based Macs of certain vintage could

dual-boot. I had an iMac G4 800MHz that could start up & run OS 9.2.2 native. A pile of great software exists.

Most accessible only from correct original media & the matching series of OS9 or OS X. Or from Classic in 10.4.

In any event...

Good luck & happy computing!

PS:

If you do try & see if you could get 'replacement Tiger 10.4 / Leopard 10.5 system DVDs

the phone numbers previously associated with asking were these two, posted in ASC

in the past year and a half: 1(800) 275-2273 (have serial number & credit card available)

if they locate these White Label replacement restore non-machine specific DVDs... the

other number circulating that had positive results at least in the US at the time, was this:

call Apple Customer support (ask for OS system specialist) 1(800)767-2775; provide

serial number, and specification of the Mac, and if available (for a fee) they may supply

you with the system disc. These are out there. Some of the ASC discussions had actual

images of them taken by those who'd ordered & received them.

But the trail could be cold... Someone may have those discs, but they weren't for retail

sale, and were not grey label. They'd work on any (esp PPC) supported Mac. And if not,

look into a clean repaired MacBook or early era Intel-based Mac, OS X 10.6.8 is good.

So if you go there...

Good luck & happy computing!

First of all, there are four different models of an 800 MHz iBook G3. Which one do you have?

#1

iBook G3/800 (32 VRAM - Tr)800 MHz PowerPC 750fx (G3)

 

 

Intro. Date:	November 6, 2002	Disc. Date:	April 22, 2003
Order No:	M8861LL/A	Model No:	A1005 (EMC N/A)
Subfamily:	32 VRAM	Model ID:	PowerBook4,3
Std. RAM:	128 MB	Std. VRAM:	32 MB
Std. HD:	30.0 GB	Std. Optical:	16X "Combo Drive"

#2
iBook G3/800 14-Inch (32 VRAM - Tr)800 MHz PowerPC 750fx (G3)

 

 

Intro. Date:	November 6, 2002	Disc. Date:	April 22, 2003
Order No:	M8862LL/A	Model No:	A1007 (EMC N/A)
Subfamily:	14.1 LCD 32 VRAM	Model ID:	PowerBook4,3
Std. RAM:	256 MB	Std. VRAM:	32 MB
Std. HD:	30.0 GB	Std. Optical:	16X "Combo Drive"
Complete iBook G3/800 14-Inch (32 VRAM - Tr) Specs

#3

iBook G3/800 (Early 2003 - Op)800 MHz PowerPC 750fx (G3)

 

 

Intro. Date:	April 22, 2003	Disc. Date:	October 22, 2003
Order No:	M8758LL/A	Model No:	A1005 (EMC N/A)
Subfamily:	800 MHz 32 VRAM	Model ID:	PowerBook4,3
Std. RAM:	128 MB	Std. VRAM:	32 MB
Std. HD:	30.0 GB	Std. Optical:	24X CD-ROM

iBook G4/800 12-Inch (Original - Op)800 MHz PowerPC 7457 (G4)

 

 

Intro. Date:	October 22, 2003	Disc. Date:	April 19, 2004
Order No:	M9164LL/A	Model No:	A1054 (EMC N/A)
Subfamily:	iBook G4	Model ID:	PowerBook6,3
Std. RAM:	256 MB	Std. VRAM:	32 MB
Std. HD:	30.0 GB	Std. Optical:	8X "Combo Drive"

If you determine exactly which 800 MHz iBook it is, you may be able to find the original gray system discs that go with that specific model.

I recently obtained white replacement Snow Leopard discs from apple support and asked if Leopard discs were available for my iMac Early 2006, they said since the OS is around 5 years old and out of support, they couldn't get Leopard white replacement discs.