ok i am having so much trouble i bought 2 ibook g3s
one is 500/128/10
the other was the same and then i put a 512 ram in it i try to install os 9 and i get a bus error i tried to hold down option key and get the disk icon and arrow click on arrow and the same bus error and the it tells me to press shift key so i do and it does the same all over again. i bought an 10.0.3 os disk and it will be here in the morning its a whit disk with a blue x will this work because the os 9 is a copy someone sent me? help please

Hi, and welcome to the MacFixIt Forums.

(Wow! That's one hell of a nonetheless understandable sentence.)

I'd prefer to know the word-for-word language of your "bus error," but I'll try to work around it.

First, try uninstalling and reinstalling that new RAM chip; be certain that you hear the satisfying click that indicates that it's properly seated.

If no joy, chances, if not odds, are that your "os 9 is a copy someone sent me" is the problem.

That 10.0.3 (or 10.3.0?) disc you bought sounds like it is not machine specific, so it ought to work, providing your iBook is up to specs (which can't be determined without knowing precisely which iBook and OS you're talking about).

Before you try to install OS X, though, ensure that your iBook does not need a firmware update by looking here.

It would also be a good idea for you to boot from your new disc and use Disk Utility to erase your iBook's HD before trying to install OS X; if you see an option to write all zeros, opt for one-pass.

Please post back and let us know how you make out; your post lacks specifics that would make an on-the-mark answer easier to deliver.

Good luck.

ok i will let you know in the afternoon when the disks come.
ps both the ibooks hd have been wiped clean. i hope that does not pose a problem

> both the ibooks hd have been wiped clean. i hope that does not pose a problem

No problem...that's the preferred way to leave an HD when turning over a computer.

well i have the mac 10.0.3 osx and it worked but im just having a bit of trouble getting things like myspace and you tube

> well i have the mac 10.0.3 osx and it worked but im just having a bit of trouble getting things like myspace and you tube

If you've really installed OS X 10.0.3, not 10.3.0 it seems likely to me that your problem is that you're running a waaay outdated version of Internet Explorer.

Neither MySpace nor YouTube existed concurrently with OS X 10.0.3, and both probably require browser (and, possibly, graphics) capabilities that you simply have not got.

You're going to have to find out which version of IE is the most up-to-date version you can run and see if it works; otherwise, you're going to have to upgrade your OS to a(n I think) much later version.

(I don't think there's any version of Apple's Safari that will work with 10.0.3.)

Please keep us posted.

OK... I just took a look on eBay, and you do, indeed, have OS X 10.0.3; my worst fears expressed in my earlier post are a reality.

You bought a many years out-of-date version of OS X, pretty damned near the earliest version, and if it will not work for you, as is quite possible, you're going to have to buy a newer version.

If you'd like some help determining which version of OS X will serve you best, please post back; I'm not at all equipped to deal with either MySpace or YouTube issues.

well i found out that too 10.0.3 is very outdated the myspace probs is im running explorer 5.1 lol so i am looking into buying 10.2 or 10.3 i think 10.3 well work with my system requirements. (fingers crossed) what do you think? what one would be better? i heard jaguar was not to bad of a os x

10.3 is a huge leap over 10.2. Your iBooks can handle any version of OS X up to 10.4.11. In both cases, you'll want a minimum of 512 MB RAM (which, evidently, you already have). The hard drive capacity of 10 GB, however, is woefully inadequate in either case. If you want to install OS X, you would be best served by either replacing the hard drive with a larger one (20 GB minimum but more is better) or running it from an external firewire drive.

If I were you, I would go for 10.4. Apple will gradually stop supporting 10.3 but support for 10.4 will hang around awhile longer. Don't bother with 10.2; it's already outdated and the later versions are far superior.

its over =( i tried to turn one of the macs on today and it was dead. i turned it on and nothing but a gray screen. and i have a disk in it and it wont come out so i called the people who i bought the laptops from and they gave me 1/2 of my money back and i am sending the dead one back. they also stated if the other one dies just to send that back too and i will get a full refund. so sad. =(
thanks guys i will update you on the 10.3 i get for the alive mac (that one i bought for my mommy) thanx for all the help