Does THIS erase my hard drive?

M

mickeyboicky

Registered
When I open my ibook and the flashing finder icon along with a gray screen comes up, is that deleting my HD? Sorry I had to make a new thread but I think the other one was dying..
 
No it wasn't....I just posted on there.

It might be that the computer you have doesn't have an operating system installed.

How did you acquire this computer....what computer is it
 
OK....what computer is it? You need to provide us with any details that you can....otherwise, we can't help you properly.

Check out the FAQ about posting on the forums.
 
Is it a G3 iBook, G4 iBook, early clamshell iBook?

If it only says iBook on the front, then it's the G3. The G4 model will say "iBook G4" on the front.
 
OK, that means it's a G3 white iBook.

I recommend that you get the CDs that came with that computer from whoever gave it to you as a gift. If they don't have it, then you'll be forced to buy a version of OS X for that computer. I don't recommend getting it illegally as no one would continue to help you here if they were to deduce that.

If you can't afford Tiger, you can always get the previous version (Panther, 10.3.x). It's still quite usable and as far as I know, the only difference between 10.3 and 10.4 is Spotlight and Dashboard. Other than that, there's not much difference in usage. Previous versions of OS X (I recommend 10.2, aka Jaguar, as the minimum OS to purchase) are much cheaper than Tiger at the moment.

Or, you could download a Linux distribution which is completely free, but lacks the ease-of-use that the Macintosh OS is known for. I recommend Ubuntu Linux (http://ubuntulinux.org) for a desktop user. It tries to mimic the desktop user experience found on the Mac as best as possible, but compared to OS X it's still not quite there. However, if you're willing to, download the ISO image to another computer and burn the image to a blank CD. Make sure that you get the PPC version, as the x86/i386 version of for PCs. You can install this free of charge and legally.

You can also buy a copy of Mac OS 9 which would be significantly cheaper, but support for that has been waning more and more as the years pass.
 
As I said, you need to do it on another computer tha does work (check that paragraph again). :)
 
No, you just go to the site, head to the downloads section, and download the appropriate ISO image.

I'm gathering that you are quite new to computers. Am I correct?
 
Ah ok. Then you'd probvably be better served by just purchasing a Mac OS version. If you are new to computers, Ubuntu Linux is going to make you hate them. ::ha::

See about getting a version of OS X. There's also a book that's quite recommended for new Mac OS X users, but the name fails to come to mind.

If you give this thread some time, others will be able to post and help out. Trust me, this community is one of the finest of come across. :D
 
You might also want to talk to the person that got you that iBook and see if they have the CDs that came with that iBook. All of Apple's Macs come with OS restore and software restore CDs for their respective machines.
 
If you need any more help, you can PM (private message) me so we can continue the correspondence. Although keep your eyes on this thread as others might be willing to post with helpful answers. :)
 
It might, but since the license requires only to be used on one computer, installing it on another without removing the initial install would be illegal, and you might not get any more help from anyone here (check the FAQ on illegal installs and downloads). Just giving you a heads-up.

Most of the time the CDs that come with the Apples now are only specific for those models that they came with, unless it's the official install CD of Mac OS / Mac OS X.

I recommend getting the original CDs that came with the iBook. That way you can at least have an operating system to install.
 
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