Mac help for a Windows guy?

[theblue1]

Okay. As payment for any help I get, I'm going to turn a deaf ear and bite my tongue when you all slag my chosen OS -- in this thread, anyhow.

 

A Mac-owner friend bought a cute little G4 867 mHz Powerbook, used, for his wife. This is a guy who says email confuses him (he also wants me to show him how to run his 4 track cassette recorder -- but, honest, he's a well-read, smart guy and a fine musician, you know, just in case he stumbles on this thread), so it fell to me to clean out any old files and get the thing ready to give her.

 

Anyhow, I'm a complete and utter newbie to actually using a Mac, though I've been using generic computers (DOS and Win machines, mostly) for 20 years and have built a few, too.

 

My primary goal is to clean out old docs, email, weird apps, hidden porn, etc, that may be on the machine.

 

And I'd also like to make sure it's properly optimized.

 

As the machine is now it takes around 2 minutes (or a little more) to boot up and it also takes quite a while to shut down.

 

Any help any experienced Mac folks can be to this babe in the woods would be greatly appreciated.

 

PS... I'd also like to get it to recognize my 802.11g wireless LAN and allow me to enter the 128 bit encryption key.

[offramp]

Were the original discs included?

[theblue1]

Yes, there's a 10.1 disk and activation key.

 

I'm trying not to do a clean install, here, as this is free work (my pal is also a client so I'm walking that nasty ol' thin line... )

[deanmass]

Reload the OS.....If you have the OS X CD's, hold down the 'c' key on startup from CDROM 1 and it will walk you through the re-install.

[theblue1]

Can I do that without wiping out installed apps? I'm not sure what all's on here, but I know the old owner (who's passed on) poured a lot of money into this little baby. I'm not sure his mom found all the disks (as there aren't many in the backpack it came in, which is otherwise loaded with service plans, paperwork, etc.)

[theblue1]

Hmmm... maybe a complete nuking is in order. It just went into screen saver and it's now showing a slide show of the previous owner's family. Not at all cool. (The lucky recipient of the machine knows its history, but I'm thinking a ghostly slide show might be just a bit too much if it suddenly popped up out of nowhere.)

[theblue1]

Originally posted by deanmass:

Reload the OS.....If you have the OS X CD's, hold down the 'c' key on startup from CDROM 1 and it will walk you through the re-install.

CD's, plural? I'm only finding one. It doesn't say anything about 1 of 2 or anything.

 

Any issues you all know of in registering or activating it as a second owner?

[theblue1]

Rats.

 

Turned out what I thought was the OS was a ".Mac" disk (the edge of the paper envelope window obscured the "." and it said Mac OS 10.1 so I thought... well, never mind. Dumb mistake.)

 

Anyhow, I called up one of my 3DW Mac pals and he's going to hook me up with a system disk.

 

It's funny, 'cause there's every other kind of disk in this thing.

 

Normally, I wouldn't use a boot, but I figure the original owner paid Apple $2800 bucks for this thing not even a year and a half ago (just what is a $100 "Mac Retail Package" charge, anyhow? And $200 for an extra 256 MB of RAM and $350 for a 3 year service pakcage? Damn!), his poor mom had to pay off the $1300 he still owed, but she could only get $750 or so for it (the high going rate on Ebay) so I'm thinking the dues are certainly paid.

 

BTW... how long should it take the battery to charge? It's been charging for about 3 hours now. I know it's a long life battery, but dang...

 

[Addendum: the charge light just went out, so I guess we're cool, now.]

[offramp]

You can erase accounts on OSX...this function is available in several manners, but try simply going into the system folder and getting rid of all user accounts except the Admin. The pictures you're seeing are likely in the (ta-DAAA!) "Pictures" folder; the system preferences are set to play a slideshow of those pictures when the computer goes to standby.

 

You can do a reinstall and save the apps...there's a function on the install disc for "Archive and install"...you get the previous system folder saved on the hard drive; you can get apps and such off of there and put them into the new OS, but you can't boot from it.

 

Yes, there are multiple install discs. here's why: The 2nd (and/or 3rd) discs contain a whole bunch of shit you're not ever likely to use...BSD subsystem, Developer tools, printer drivers dating all the way back to Franklin's original press, and an unnatural number of foreign languages. When you do a clean install, you have the option of selecting what you want installed; most people just choose 'easy install' and be done with it, but an attentive person can save a ton of hard drive space by being selective about what gets installed.

Is she ever gonna run the damned thing in Finnish? Skip it. Ever gonna print on an HP printer? Lose it. get the idea? Makes for a tidy install.

DO install the BSD subsystem. While it's meant primarily for assisting in Developer Tools, it's a key component for anyone who needs to do maintenance work.

[offramp]

Ah, shit...you said an OS X.1 disc. Screw that. Talk about 'beta'.

Have your bud cough up the dough for Panther, and do a clean wipe and reinstall.

How big is the hard drive?

[theblue1]

Thanks a million, Offramp! I'll do the 'advanced' install. I'll give heavy consideration to the BSD install, too, although, as I said above, the new owner (or her husband, more properly) is a real technophobe. But either me or his graphic artist (a Mac guy and don't ask me why this job fell to me and off the clock, no less!) may have to service the thing in the future.

 

I'll be able to get hold of 'new' system disk(s) tomorrow.

 

It's kind of sad poking around the computer of someone a year younger than me who's already shuffled off this mortal coil.

 

It looks like a real nice little machine, though. (And I'd given some brief thought to buying it, myself, before my pal did.)

 

Cheers!

[theblue1]

Originally posted by offramp:

Ah, shit...you said an OS X.1 disc. Screw that. Talk about 'beta'.

Have your bud cough up the dough for Panther, and do a clean wipe and reinstall.

How big is the hard drive?

Offramp

 

It's a 40.

 

I suspect my friend who's going to supply me a 'replacement' disk will make it Jag or Panther. (He's using Panther.)

 

BTW, if anyone's familiar with this form factor, is it typical for the screen/'lid' to not close all the way? When latched, there's something around a 1/32" gap where you can see the sides of the keys, etc. No big deal, I didn't even notice it at first. But, knowing my pal/client, this is something he will be asking me eventually. It certainly doesn't feel sprung or loose.

[offramp]

That's actually kind of a good thing, as many people complained about the keyboards scratching the screen. As long as it's latched, she should be okay. Better still, go to the local auto parts store and get a piece os chamois cloth, and cut it to cover the keyboard. Works great, costs maybe $7.

 

When you do a clean install of the OS, you'll get the opportunity to partition. Do so, as 10 and 30. Put the OS on the 10 portion.

[theblue1]

Cool! I know he'll ask. The chamois is a good idea. There's just enough play that you could press the lid down. I'll take your advice on the OS partition, too.

 

Only other thing wrong with it that I can see is that the rubber feet on the bottom have clearly been replaced (unless Apple's in the habit of smearing glue all around and putting the feet on crooked) and there's one missing.

 

I know I'll be hearing about that, too. All this, because I was sitting next to him in the coffee shop when he first looked at it and I told him I thought it was a good deal.

 

Ah well, he's a pal.

[offramp]

I missed, somehow, the part about the previous owner having moved on.

 

Do someone--we don't know who, yet, but trust me, they will come--a favor and burn all the pictures you can find onto a cd. Maybe make an extra copy.

 

Someone will track you down. You will make them happy.

Please do this.

*******

 

What's the current OS? (Go to the upper left corner, to the apple logo, click for the dropdown, and select 'About this computer')

[offramp]

Put the BSD subsystem on there. Your bud may not need it, his wife may not need it, but the Mac tech who works on their computer next WILL.

[theblue1]

Well, the previous owner knew he was sick (cancer) so I'm positive he had the picture thing covered. But I'll double check with my friend who was the link between the former owner's mom and the the new owner. I know she looked around the computer looking for important things that might have been on it for the mother, who's one of her oldest friends.

 

Your suggestion is really thoughtful and I thank and commend you for it. It hadn't actually occurred to me. (But then I knew the whole story and so I wasn't really thinking along those lines. But in another situation it could have preserved precious family photos. I'll try to always remember it. I often think about what would happen if I died and someone tried to make sense of my computer. Eeyow. In fact, I used to have a 'verbal' will with one of my old recording partners that he would become the archivist of my multitrack and mix masters. Of course, that was back when I imagined anyone card. )

[offramp]

never assume the family has all the photos of a life lived.