Bringing Back an iMac G4

Depending on what really is wrong with the unit, to take apart the bottom

& replace the battery with a fresh new one, would be a first consideration.

There are a few good resources that show and tell some of the major steps

w/ pitfalls to try & avoid. You may save money only if you don't mess it up.

Links below have images with some instructions. Helps to know what to

expect. The need for thermal paste to re-assemble CPU cooling conduit

and the rest. Just to replace the 3.6V 1/2AA Lithium clock battery. Or any

other items that may or should be replaced after a decade of use. Figure

the original hard disk drive was on its way out, if used for three years, too.

Original optical drives may partially be defective or selectively dusty;

the stock PATA 7200-RPM (in later USB2.0) HDDs should be replaced.

These could use a ATA/IDE 'mercury legacy SSD' from owc as option.

Two memory chip locations (with different type chip) use up to 1GB each.

Bottom location under hubcap next to wi-fi card location uses a laptop

type RAM, internal factory-installed uses standard RAM.

Models that run higher than 800MHz CPU can run 10.5.8 Leopard; 800

or less CPU speed, without restriction, can run up to 10.4.11 Tiger.

• iMac G4 - by Mr Totes

• iMac G4 take apart for drive, RAM - XLR8yourmac

That said...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Well the first question involves your comfort level with opening areas of a computer that Apple never wanted users to access. There is a little internal backup battery inside that, after ten years in a closet is surely dead and may have leaked. To even check for leaks and resulting damage you need to do a serious teardown compared to other contemporary computers.

Also, do you have the gray install/restore CDs or DVDs that came with the computer? With a dead internal battery you can ofter get a boot by starting from one of teh install disks. Without the disks the diagnostics needed for troubleshooting will be harder to do.

The fact that you get no reaction at all to the power button is not good news.

..For another location in ASC where links to additional info on this matter, see:

Re: iMac g4 screen doesn’t work

Additionally:

The original install restore DVD media kit for this model may be hard/impossible

to find IF you really wanted it. Usually when you're not looking, but have a good

of what you're looking at, is when you may be very lucky. The 'grey label' mac

machine series specific original install media has a part & model number affixed.

And shipped older OS X 10.3(.9) usually; included all original applications. Later

upgrade (newer systems) do not include all mac software 'original extras'. Those

were available in kit, or sold separately; such as iLife, AppleWorks, and others.

Retail Tiger 10.4 on DVD would work OK, and would've included a non-boot OS9

system for Classic to work. OS X can be directed (when present) to look for older

9 and use it to run older pre-X applications. Early iMac G4s did dual boot 9/OSX.

[And Leopard does not support Classic. Most of these Macs also can't dual boot.

Leopard 10.5(.8) is the better bet only because it was the last supported version

PowerPC hardware. It's more hungry for system resources; RAM and HDD space.]

iTunes for Leopard:

iTunes 10.6.3

There is an iTunes for Tiger:

iTunes 9.2.1

In the absence of hardware to feed the beast, the HDD will be selected to use

its capacity for 'Virtual Memory' in addition to other storage duties. And temp swap

files would also be routed there. This tends to slow down useful time, to a crawl.

With a full 2GB RAM (in USB2.0 models, both slots to max support in 1.25GHz)

and 7200-RPM HDD of 100GB or more, at 50% full storage capacity, it would be

working read-writes but may keep up OK with 10.5.8 in basic single app uses.

Mine did well with Tiger, and its associated upgrade (after available, I reinstalled

so the last Combo 10.4.11 and last security update were the only upgrades; then

it ran correctly. Other older patches were problematic; & made full system clones.)

But Tiger is harder to get, by the odds in used or new-old-stock market availability.

I found a few Leopard 10.5 retail install DVDs in moving sales, and once I followed

up in a craiglist ad that listed 'mac stuff, incl keyboard' for $50. and I wanted spare

original Apple white keyboard; so because it was local and I knew where it was, I

arranged to meet the owners and for that $50 got a new pro keyboard in box, and

had to take a sack full of Apple software in their boxes. This included Leopard 10.5.

So I have three Leopard install discs; & also have three installations of this running.

{Avoid early grey label installers for Intel-based Macs for Tiger; they won't work.}

Some of the amazon resellers may occasion to offer Leopard, Tiger, and the vintage

iLife and iWorks, upgrade package or separate software from retail. There are various

versions in the retail package, too. Some may be preferred, by certain Mac users.

My collection includes three iMac G4 17-inch 1.25GHz models, two need restoring

and one has logic board issue; has good parts. If I get the time, a need, & ambition.

In any event...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂