Upgrading PowerBook G3 to Mac OS 9.2.2 and Mac OS X 10.2.8

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Level 1

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Upgrading PowerBook G3 to Mac OS 9.2.2 and Mac OS X 10.2.8

I have a PDQ PowerBook G3 300 MHz, original 8 GB HDD, 512 MB of RAM, running Mac OS 8.6. It also has a Lucent Technologies ORiNOCO Silver PCMCIA Wi-Fi card. I would like to upgrade the OS to Mac OS 9.2.2 and OSX 10.2.8, but I have a few concerns. When I upgrade to OS 9, will I lose applications and data? I have Microsoft Office 2001 and I would like not to lose it. Also whst OS 9 disc should I use? I have a burned copy of the reatail Mac OS 9.0 disc thst I kept as a backup from my iMac G3. I also do have access to 9.1 and 9.2 discs that a friend has. Also what drivers and updates do I need? Any help will be appreciated

PowerBook, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier, G3 @ 300 MHz, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB HDD

Posted on Oct 12, 2015 1:38 PM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

Oct 15, 2015 5:39 PM in response to Chris of AZ

>When I upgrade to OS 9, will I lose applications and data?

There is a risk when you install anything that might happen. There is even that risk if you drop, or bump into the notebook that might happen. Getting an old SCSI hard drive that connects to it might help, if you can get a copy of Retrospect from those days. EMC bought out Retrospect. It makes very good clones of Mac OS 9 and 8.

>Also whst OS 9 disc should I use?

All 9 discs that will work with your machine look like the one above. They do not say Update, Dropin, or OEM on them, or another Mac model.

That burnt copy, if it is indeed of the same retail disc, and was burnt correctly should work.

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Answer 2

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

Oct 15, 2015 5:43 PM in response to Chris of AZ

The Orinoco Silver Card is pretty much useless unless you are doing WiFi in a neighborhood with nobody around for at least 1500 feet (500 meters). You are better off getting an ethernet/WiFi bridge with at least 802.11g if not 802.11n on it. You may need a crossover ethernet cable if it is a hub, and not a router. See my FAQ*:

http://www.macmaps.com/network9X.html

For more details on that.

The Silver Card only supports 802.11b, and WEP encryption. Finding the right Mac OS X drivers for that card is going to be very hard.

There may be printer drivers you'll need, though those are hard to find. Some http://www.apple.com/usergroups/ might be able to help you find older equipment that work with it.

* Links to my pages may give me compensation.

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Answer 3

Chris of AZ Author

Level 1

41 points

Oct 16, 2015 1:40 PM in response to a brody

I did find a driver for the wireless card. My plan was to first order a 60GB HDD from OWC then do the installations. Another question I have from doing research is what is this 8 GB partition websites talk about for this Mac? Does it mean install OS X to the first 8 GB of the hard drive then use the other partition for storage? Also what is a good 802.11g card that is compatible with both Mac OS 9.2.2 and OS X 10.2.8? Thanks

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Answer 4

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

Oct 18, 2015 5:14 PM in response to Chris of AZ

There are no good 802.11g cards, as even Apple's airport didn't support WPA2, the bigger advantage of 802.11g until Mac OS X 10.4. Your best bet is to get an ethernet WiFi bridge, as I mentioned before.

As for the 8GB limitation, that's covered by this article:

Mac OS X: Disk Appears Dimmed (or "Grayed Out") in the Installer

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Answer 5

Chris of AZ Author

Level 1

41 points

Oct 18, 2015 5:23 PM in response to a brody

I just have couple of last questions. Does the Zip Drive module work under Mac OS X? Also does Mac OS 9 have the removable drive bay control strip included in the installation disc? Thank you.

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Answer 6

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

Oct 18, 2015 8:22 PM in response to Chris of AZ

Neither question do I know the answer of. There was a USB Iomega Zip drive that was powered through an AC adapter you could plug into the PCMCIA USB adapter. That would work under Mac OS X.

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