help...

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help...

i just got a ibook g4 from one from a previous owner. the problem is i don't know the password to log in. my brother got the computer from a friend nd i have no way to get in touch with the person to get the password. ive never used a mac before and i have no idea what im doing. there were no cds with the computer just the notebook itself and the charger. can someone please help???

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Time to buy a Mac OS installa

It's time to buy a Mac OS installation package.

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okay can i buy it at best buy

okay can i buy it at best buy or what?

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Best Buy? I doubt it. I don't

Best Buy? I doubt it. I don't remember seeing any Apple products there, but I could be wrong. CompUSA has it. Macmall.com, Clubmac.com. Your friendly neighborhood Apple Store, of course. There's lots of used copies to pick up on the auction sites. Someone here may have one to sell you. You may not need or want the latest OS. Does the iBook have a built-in DVD drive? Do you happen to know how much RAM it has?

Oh, and, welcome to the Mac world, and Applefritter. In the future try to make your thread titles more descriptive.

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honestly i have no idea. im n

honestly i have no idea. im not completly dumb when it comes to computers but ive only ever used HP and this is all new for me.

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You can try to identify your

You can try to identify your model here:
http://www.lowendmac.com/powerbooks.html

OS 10.3 (Panther) on CD would probably be a safe place to start, but I guess all G4 iBooks have DVD drives, but I don't know for sure. OS 10.4 (Tiger) comes on DVD.

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There's also another option t

There's also another option to consider at this point since you're not yet invested: the free world of Linux. I don't know about compatibility with iBooks. Others here probably do.

Jon
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On my old G3 iBook, Ubuntu Li

On my old G3 iBook, Ubuntu Linux runs fine. My AirPort card works great, as does accelerated video with the fully open source non-ATI provided drivers. I dunno about a G4, but it should work. There may be a bit of fiddling to get the APE of the G4 working in Linux, but it is possible. Over all Linux on Macs is pretty much OK. It's not nearly as nice as OS X, but it does work.

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Come on.. iBook is a nice alm

Come on.. iBook is a nice almost new Mac. It'll run Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3 or 10.4. No problem.

No need to install Linux... Linux is great for servers, but as regular computer Mac OS X is great!

The oldest iBook G4 has at least 800 MHz CPU and 256 MB RAM.

I've used a PowerBook G4 with the same specs for years enjoying it.

It'll run the latest Mac OS X. I would recommend you upgradring the RAM to 640 MB though, that'll make the OS better.

Upgrading RAM is often too expensive at Apple. You shouldn't just gues the RAM type, as there are simply too many possibilites. The metod I've used is: Go to http://store.apple.com/ and select memory upgrade, and the model you have. Then the Apple Store tell you exactly what type of RAM you need. You go buy that type somewhere cheaper.

Good luck.

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The only real operative reaso

The only real operative reason for suggesting Linux is the lovely word "free." Might be a way to find out if there's anything wrong with the computer before dumping money in it. It would also likely be more trouble than it's worth, so yes, if the computer's ok, and you've got the RAM, you might as well jump in with Tiger.

Actually, Linux is probably a moot point since you'd need a Mac to burn the install CD, and if you have access to a Mac, then you'd probably also have access to a Mac OS install disk. Not always the case, though.

Jon
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You don't need a Mac to burn

You don't need a Mac to burn an ISO file - any computer with a burner and ISO capable software will work. There isn't anything special about a Mac bootable ISO image over a PC image. The Ubuntu LiveCD will boot and run without installing on the iBook, so for troubleshooting purposes it's very useful.

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Find a Mac user or Mac User Group

The only real operative reason for suggesting Linux is the lovely word "free."

Ah... sorry... I didn't get that.

I'd recommend finding anyone with a Mac, and borrow their DVD to test out the computer. (Unfortunatly, only CD/DVDs bought in stores can be used with every model, often CD/DVDs accompanied Macs are tied to that model)

You might also find a Mac User Group near by. My experience here in Denmark is, that people in the Mac Users Groups are more than delighted to help.

If a member there has a similar model, they might even borrow you the Hardware Test CD that came with your particular model.

At http://www.apple.com/usergroups/ you can find a Mac User Group in your area.

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Re: Find a Mac user or Mac User Group

Ah... sorry... I didn't get that.

Ah...sorry...what don't you get about Linux being free?

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