[mcslimg]

my buddy got a mac for his little girl to learn and play little kid games on so its not going to be heavily used, it just needs to work.

i want to make this as good as possible with what i have to work with. the best Operating System for this computer, best internet browser etc.

these are the system specs:
Version: Mac OS 9.2.2
Built in memory: 128
Virtual Memory: 129
Model Name: iMac
Processor: PowerPC G3
Machine Speed: 500mhz

The problem i have is that i know nothing about macs or mac Operating Systems so i need to start there. which OS should i choose for this setup? then internet browser and any other misc updating i need to do before i get started installing games and programs.

Thanks in advance.

[lawson_jl]

I'd still with OS 9 since it's on there already. Certainly run the update manager and get all the updates. Firefox is a nice browser for the Mac but so is Safari. I've used MACs and even fixed a few simple issues thanks to Google but what I know is pretty limited too.

[mcslimg]

ALRIGHT. but just so you know, installing a new os shouldnt be that hard for me, so if i SHOULD upgrade, just let me know.

how do i get to the update manager? the only update manager that i know of is the "software update" not only that, everytime i run it, it tells me that it cant connect to the internet WHILE im connected to the internet... either im a complete retard or this system is screwy.

and firefox tells me i need at least mac os 9 to run it.... but i have 9.2 and it still wont install... and everytime i go to the apple site to download safari, it doesnt even try to download and the webpage becomes all distorted.

[lawson_jl]

Like I said I'm not great with MACs but the system only has a 500Mhz CPU so I don't think I'd update to OS 10. Any MAC people help?!?!?

[mcslimg]

yah, i figured that wasnt strong enough for even the slightest upgrade. but i didnt know how much power macs demanded =/ for a pc i dont even think it would start lol.

but yah, any mac people out therE???

[joeten]

In all seriousness you might be better leaving any sort of upgrade. To upgrade an old iMac requires tipping it onto its glass front, unscrewing the back and getting your hands in fairly close to the CRT, not advisable.
If you do decide to take the plunge I'd say that about 512mb RAM is your maximum and you may be able, at a push, to reach OSX but it will drag on and on doing simple tasks.

Keep your current os. The system comes preinstalled with safari browser and you should be able to find the updater for everything in system settings, if not try a google search. The same applys for software, google for the type of software you want but make sure you specify your system version.

[mcslimg]

oh no man, im not going to put any money into hardware. its just a waste of time and i could find a better P4 for less than id pay to upgrade that piece of crap. but, i just wanted to get it to the point where they can use it for the most simple of tasks. word processing, and learning games for an 8 yr old, and email checking.

so ill keep the os, i was afraid id have to but whatever. and im tellin you, safari does not exist on that computer. i tried putting FF on there, but no go. i honestly think im stuck at windows explorer (for mac) 5.1. i tried downloading several browsers to a my flash drive from MY computer and install it that way, but it wont even OPEN the freakin installer. it said something along the lines of it not recognizing or some apple crap like that.

could you just tell me what the BEST browser i could install on that would be? and i dont want to stress the computer, but i want the best browser i can get with the best performance. the browser it has now doesnt even load yahoo.com properly.

The new macs are sooooooo much better, but to tell you the truth I wouldnt even use that computer because of how old it is and crappy it sounds, I really dont think you can do much about it