Got a ten year old iMac sittin' here , my d-i-l wants me to wipe it and reset to as-new for my grandson . Problem is that I know nothing about Apple comps and can't find much info online about one this old . Any Apple users out there care to help ? This unit was apparently part of a school network , wants to connect to a termunal server - but will function independently , if slowly . Part of that will be cure by adding more RAM , 512 Mb ain't near enough . Not planning on putting money into it until I know if it can be reset though .
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ten year old I-Mac isn't worth putting any time into. Likely won't run any current OS, and if it will ir WILL be SLOW. Then comes the issue of getting appropriate applications that will run on whatever OS you can put on it. Just my opinion, mind you - I'm not a "fruit computer" expert - much more familliar with the Win/Dos boxes - but I've had enough exposure to them to want to keep it that way - - - -
There are two mac newsgroups, comp.sys.mac.system , comp.sys.mac.apps, and comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc. Hardware is very quiet and one of the ot her two is better than the other, but they were very helpful to me when my friend died and I had to get some of his data off his computer.
Thanks to all who responded . The kid was given this comp for helping out a neighbor , probably because they couldn't figure it out either . Y'all are right , it's slow - I was hoping adding some RAM would help that ... But if none of the software now available will run on it , I see no point . I have a "new" box here I built for him , has a new Asrock mobo , quad core cpu , 8 Gb RAM and runs Win7 Pro 64 . But until he gets his room cleaned (ongoing battle , and his room looks just like the rest of the house) there's nowhere to put it .
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It also depends on what you intend to use it for. You don't need to be able to run all new software, you just need to be able to run what you want and need to run. I have an old Dell Notebook that's similar age, I use it as a spare, occasionally when traveling, etc. All I use it for is internet and to run BMW diagnostic software for the car. It's definitely a bit slow to boot, the browser isn't as snappy, etc, but it's still useful. You could find out what browser runs on that iMac, if none is available that could be a go/nogo decision right there.
If you don't know your system's specs, use this. Download and use our scanner tool, which will analyze your system's hardware and provide a list of compatible upgrades that will work best with your system's specs and capabilities.
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I upgraded MY Apple iMac with RAM from Crucial years ago.
10 years ago is around the time Apple switched from PowerPC to Intel processors. If the one you have is not an Intel machine, I'd definitely scrap it out. Even if it is Intel, I wouldn't put any money into it- too clunky, too slow, too many key components approaching arthritis and senility onset.
If the lad does need a Mac, consider a refurb directly from one of the authorized refurb companies or one of their resellers. Apple sells refurbs directly too- tho much newer models and a more expensive too.
If a Windows machine will do, name brand new entry level laptops are in the $200-$300 range. Very capable 2-3 year old refurbs of corporate laptops are in the $150-$250 price range. I just picked up a 3rd gen Dell Latitude Core i5 in A+ condition for $159 delivered from NewEgg.
As others said it is not worth it to fool with the Apple unless done for historic purposes. It might sell on ebay as a collectors item.
As you already have another windows type box for him, it would not help what I was going to say. You can get a refurbished used Dell for about $ 60 shipped to you that will run most programs not counting high end games. That is not much more than what more memory would cost for the Apple if it will even take more.
It has directions on the bottom of the stand , and takes DDR2 , which I have on hand . I'd have to check stock , but I believe I have 2 sticks of 2Gb left over from my recent round of upgrades/rebuilds .
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It's not a case of need , it's a case of "Hey I got this thing for free and I can't make it do what I want it to . Grandpa ... " . Oh , and it's an Intel dual core 1.8Ghz CPU , with a measly 512 Mb of memory .
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If you don't know your system's specs, use this. Download and use our scanner tool, which will analyze your system's hardware and provide a list of compatible upgrades that will work best with your system's specs and capabilities.
Unless it's one of the last PowerPC iMacs (called the g5), it should have an Intel processor in it.
Is it a "white colored" iMac or one of the first "aluminum" ones?
You can find out what version of the OS is on it by going to "About this Mac" directly under the Apple menu.
We need to know just which iMac before recommending an OS. Again, go to "About this Mac", and see if it offers you "more info" (or go to the Utilities folder in the Applications folder, and look for Apple System Profiler). Open the System Profiler. Look at the "hardware overview". Look at "Model identifier". It should say something like "iMac6,x" What is that number? It identifies exactly what you have.
If it's a 2007 (white) model, you can use up to OS 10.7 "Lion". If it's a 2008 (aluminum) or later, you could use OS 10.8 "Mountain Lion". Either would do well to revive it. On the 2008, it might even run OS 10.11 "El Capitan". But Mountain Lion will run better.
Did the place you got it from give you any System DVD's? If not, sometimes you can get the OS software from Apple, but for an older Mac, this might not be possible. In that case, I can think of two ways to get a copy of the OS installer you need:
- ebay. Some folks will sell you a USB flashdrive with the OS installer pre-installed. Just boot and install
- the torrents. When one can't find what one needs anywhere else, one does what one has to do.
More recent Macs can do something called "internet recovery", but yours is too old. Forget that, won't work.
It's not really all that hard to erase the internal drive, then put a clean copy of the OS and basic applications onto it -- IF one knows what to do. The Mac is different from the Windows world in that respect.
What I would do if you put it into my hands (I've been a Mac user for 30 years, don't touch Windows):
Download the OS installer I needed. THIS HAS TO BE DONE ON THE MAC, you can't do it on a PC
Get a USB flash drive (should be 16gb) and create a bootable flash drive installer
Boot from the flash drive (reboot and hold down the option key immediately, and keep holding it down until the startup manager appears -- then click on the USB drive to select it and hit return)
Use Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and run "repair disk" on it a few times for good measure
Use the installer to install the OS
When the installer is finished, you should be presented with the setup screen. At this point, create a user account and password.
6a. If it's "for kids", you should create an administrative account for yourself, and then create "standard" (NON-administrative) accounts for each of the kids.
Cool, then go for it. I've worked on a few "grandpa projects" like that with my grandson too!
The suggestion to use the Crucial Memory Scanner to see exactly what kind of memory you need is a good place to start. You can buy what you need from Crucial. You also might be able to find some used memory sticks with the right specs pretty cheap on Ebay.
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