Software Restore CD

Hmm... that's good to know. But do they charge you for the phone call? Meaning since you called tech support, they'll charge you for the support service provided (not the actual phone call as a charge).

Too bad Apple doesn't widely publicize that. (Or do they?). I know that they let people know you can find your manuals online in PDF format that can be downloaded.

Thanks for the advice. That helps a lot, but doesn't answer my question in terms of the eBay thing and finding out which is the correct version and if any version would work, for that matter.

Since it might be cheaper to get it on eBay if you're lucky.

Wow, thanks Cornelius! I have been searching FAR AND WIDE for someone who has that exact info.

I have seen so many but never buy them because I don't know if the particular CD/DVD disc(s) are the exact ones. The only info I have is just that-- the early OS that shipped with this computer was 10.3.7.

There have been ones sold that say 12-inch PowerBook on the CD and I've seen it from the pictures the seller provides. Others say only "PowerBook G4" on it and I assume are for the aluminum line since the font is Apple's current font used for marketing, not the old "Garamand" font.

Anyway, thanks so much everyone, especially you. Now I have the exact info to go on. I will still try eBay in the meantime. If not, then I'll call Apple. (I haven't had the best experience with their customer service lately, online).

Oh, how funny. I just noticed that you are a Pismo user yourself. TWO in fact. I've been a Pismo user for 5-6 years before I finally upgraded to this G4 PowerBook. Believe me, it was a hard decision, but at the price I got it at CompUSA, it was a no-brainer/steal.

So how are your Pismos holding up? I see you upgraded to a G4 processor. I thought about that, but by that time, it was like throwing money into something that would eventually become--sorry--obsolete. I upgraded mine to the PowerLogix 900 MHz G3 card and that's why I loved it so much. (I got it used from a friend's friend for $500 cash. The Pismo that is, and it was only 1.5 years old when handed over to me. So I guess I've had it for 5 years... I still have it, except now it's in a closet. I had planned on selling it on eBay to get back the money I spent for the G4 PowerBook, but then thought, why? It's a classic!).

Do you have any newer computers or are you still using only those that are in your profile? If so, and you're interested, I'd like to do an article on you as a user of "old" hardware in this day in age of Intel Macs, specifically around the angle of the Pismo.

If you're interested, do a Google search for my username on this Apple forum and you'll find a link to a site related to PowerBooks. From there, you can contact me and then e-mail me, using your username as the subject line (or put it in the text of your e-mail) and then we can communicate there instead of here.

P.S. Is Fitchburg College in your state? A good friend of mine went to that college, and this is only the second time I've seen anywhere the name "Fitchburg." Not counting him mentioning it. Once I saw a sticker on someone's bumper that said "Fitchburg College" and it wasn't his car. Now second, your profile, though it doesn't say "college" after it.

Sorry. My Apple ID is "PismoPB900" and I realized that I wasn't able to update my Apple Discussions page profile to match. Try that one this time in Google and you should find the right page. (I'm just trying to keep it subtle without having you and I divulge exacting details on this forum).

No joke, but I also have a Beige G3, though the "All-in-One" model that was only available to educators. I can't bear to part with that too since that was the first computer I ever bought. Though I'm more ready to part with that one as opposed to the Pismo. I bought the G3 about the time the iMacs debuted and I was so angry. But over the years, my anger subsided when I was able to keep the G3 up to date with upgrades via the PCI slots-- Firewire, USB 2.0 --and even upgrade the processor to a 450 MHz G4.

Unfortunately, I was never able to upgrade to Mac OS X on it.

Cornelius,

Are you still here? I need some more help. I think I finally found the right disc on eBay. And since they're so hard to find--plus, the one I'm going to bid on expires soon--I hope you're online sooner or later.

This is the info I've acquired. Someone who has the discs in their possession and says they used it with a PowerBook 12-inch in May of 2006 gave me this info:

AHT version 2.5
Disc version 1.0
2Z691-5609-A

I've corroborated that info with yet another seller who says they have a set of restore discs for the 12-inch PowerBook. The software on this set is Mac OS X v10.4.2, but we can't find the code for the build anywhere. The 8E90A.

There is also a direct disc for sale specifically for the 12-inch PowerBook and is labeled as such and contains 10.3.7 so I know that one is correct and could bid on it since that's the original system that came with this PowerBook model of mine.

But I thought it would be better to have the most recent version that shipped with the computer later on, the 10.4.2.

What's your advice? I have my own copy of Tiger anyway so I guess it wouldn't matter right? Or would it?

P.S. Did you find my info yet, or not interested in being interviewed about your Pismos (which is fine! =] ) Did you hear about the new Blu-ray drive upgrade for PowerBooks? MacBook and MacBook Pros are incompatible because of the thin space for the current drive enclosures. The Pismo is on the compatible models list. Hooray!

Mmm. Yummy. I thought about that too (breakfast for Easter) but changed it for dinner time.

So, yes, the 10.3.7 disc is clearly labeled "PowerBook G4 12-inch."

It was the 10.4.2 disc I was more interested in, which only says "PowerBook G4." Makes sense for Apple to have streamlined everything and made one disc for the entire line.

But that's the question, if that is indeed correct and does that info in the previous post match anything you know/have?

The 10.4.2 disc is a BUY IT NOW auction for $32. The 10.3.7 disc is still two days from closing and it's currently at $26 (and could go as high as $50 to $75 as I've seen for those things lately).

Thanks again. =)

P.S. How was the feast?

What are the odds? I'm located in the S.F. Bay Area. Weird, huh?

Well, thanks for that piece of advice. I may walk in to the Apple Store and see what they can find out for me, first. I know some people over there at my local store.

I'm afraid of calling Apple and them charging for the call.

Last (hopefully) question is what do you recommend? Both discs apparently shipped with this PowerBook. The 10.3.7 and the 10.4.2. I heard that ALL machines were pre-installed with 10.3.7 and the ones that came with the 10.4.2 disc had to be "upgraded." Am I wrong on that one?

So the real question is, should I go for the 10.3.7 disc, since that's the real original system that shipped and was "meant" for the 12-inch PowerBook (my model), or should I get the one that had the latest offerings, the 10.4.2 disc?

For me personally, it wouldn't matter which way as far as OS X is concerned since like I said before, I have my own Tiger discs already.

What I don't have is the bundled software that came with the computer (I do have iLife '05 also), the Apple Hardware Test, and anything else that may be specific to this computer.

(Remember the days when the discs came with specific offerings native to the machine? Like a PowerBook G3 disc had special extensions, etc. only for that machine while a disc for a PowerMac G4 and/or iMac had special things as well? I know--I think--for a fact that all those are thrown into the whole package these days, and OS X is "smart" enough to know whether or not to install those components on your system).

I really appreciate your time and effort in helping me. Thanks so much again.

P.S. What would have been funny is if we somehow bumped into each other yesterday somewhere and not even knew it. (You can confirm my "GPS location" from the bio on the website).