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QEII Student IT
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Could my Powerbook run Mac OS X?
I have a disused Powerbook G3 Wallstreet sitting in a cupboard running Mac OS 8 and I was wondering if I could get it to run Mac OS X or even 10.6. I understand it is implausible but if I could change the logic board, processor, RAM, I/O etc, could it be done? If it could I could get more use out of it rather than it being a collectors item I would appreciate suggestions
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Accepted Answer
The Wallstreet PowerBook G3 is officially supported by Mac OS X v 10.2
10.3 or 10.4 can be used with the help of Xpostfacto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XPostFacto
but personally unless you've got a specific software requirements, or just fancy pushing it to it's limit, I'd stick to 10.2, it's easily & cheaply available of the lot. If it's only been running os8 though I suspect it'll be low on ram, so find some low density PC100 ram, it'll support 2x256mb which should at least get it plodding along.
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eric18
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shurai
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Lane
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Even if it was technically possible to swap some components to make that notebook somewhat faster, it would be much more expensive overall to take that approach. Invest in a newer albeit still used Macbook and you'll be much happier.
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mister790
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For what it's worth, I had a Lombard, which was the next generation after the Wallstreet, and I had a huge amount of difficulty installing OS 10.2 back in the day. If I remember correctly, in the end I only got it working by installing OS 10.2 on a Pismo (the next generation Powerbook after the Lombard) and then swapping the hard drive into the Lombard.
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rab777hp
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Remember, that if you install mac os x, there can be problems with the hardware, the wallstreet was not designed for mac os x (which is why its running os 8), so you may have hardware issues, as well as many compatibility problems, not to mention video and third party applications.
And 10.6 is a definitely not, 10.6 only supports computers with an intel architecture.
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glenhandy
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Get yourself a copy of OS 9.0 and see if you can get a desktop, and find out how large a HD you have on that machine. You will need at least a 20 gig HD and then try to install OS X, the first version. Tiger and Leopard are video disk versions and the G3 does not have a Disc burner
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Noel
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Looks intriguing but I have to say, the least they could do was use a legal copy or a 30 day trial of the software. Now for a couple of critical questions. Can it handle dual monitors and still use the functions of Ultramon? I think I would give it a try on a non-critical machine until I felt comfortable with stability.
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My 292 Mhz PowerBook G3 Wallstreet runs on OS 10.2.8
I installed a 75 GB HD and partitioned it so the smaller part, 8 GB is where the OS X is located and the larger partition, the 67 GB part is where the classic OS 9 is located.
I do have original OS 9 and OS 10 CD's which I have used in the past on my Power Mac G4 desktop model.
Love the keyboard on this Wallstreet, so much more comfortable to use than even my brand new Macbook Pro.
Wish I could get a higher OS X into the Wallstreet and have ability to view newer versions of QuickTime, but am generally satisfied with the limited uses on OS 10.2
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The processor speed will determine the version of O.S. You might be able to put Tiger on it using a disk image. But generally it will stop or freeze as the Ram is not capable, too slow and too little. These newer system work best with higher Ram 1 Gig and above. Processor speeds over 800 Mhz.
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Honam1021
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Reboot
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I wouldn't bother unless you're really attached to it!
Copy the files off that you need (including confg settings that you use for other applications) and then transport to a newer MacBook. Or, use the hard drive as an external and port to a new MacBook. Safer in the long-run. Agreed it might be more expensive to try and get it to work with the new OS, but clearly it's not designed to run OSX of the version you want to run.
You can get a new/newish one from eBay or visit the Apple website and look at the refurbished section. There you'll find loads of them (depending on stock and availability).
Hope this helps.