[aberdeenwriter]

Short & Sweet Request:

I need a password workaround for my iMac "Blue Dalmation" G-3 500mhz, 20 Gb HD, (only 64 Mb of memory) running OSX 10.1.5

The Details:

May 2002

I bought my "Blue Dalmation" iMac G-3 500mhz, 20 Gb HD, (only 64 Mb of memory) running OS 9.1at Circuit City when I was living on the East Coast.

Last Apple they were ever going to sell. Open box demo special.
Good price.

A few weeks later I was prompted for a password. Called store. They didn't know. I managed a workaround with help from a knowledgeable friend.

July 2004

Moved to the West Coast. Signed up for DSL, but it required OSX.
Got it. But almost EVERYTHING I try to download requires Administrator's clearance, i.e. a password.

Called Circuit City REPEATEDLY for a remedy or satisfaction.

Their best solution?

Copy all my files onto CD's & reinstall the system disks.

Problem. They're all in storage in another city. Hundreds of dollars to retrieve them. Can't afford it.

Friend offered to send me their system disks. My sense of ethics gets in the way. Can't go that route.

Question: Anyone know a workaround for the password thing?

I want to write Circuit City a complaint letter on my new (refurbished -- $15! On eBay) Lexmark Z-605 printer but I can't install the software on OSX without the password.

My OS 9 won't work with my DSL.

Am I S.O.L.???

Thanks!

P.S. Needless to say, in addition to being broke, I'm also computer phobic when it comes to doing much more than turning it on and typing on the keyboard.

[King Bob On The Cob]

Take friend's disks.
Put in computer.
Shut down.
Turn on holding C down on the keyboard.
When the installer starts, go check the menus. There should be one called "reset password" or something of the like. I think it's under the Installer or File menu. Maybe it's the Apple menu though, can never be too sure.
quit the installer.
give friend disks back and go on your merry way.

[macaddict0001]

Originally posted by King Bob On The Cob:
Take friend's disks.
Put in computer.
Shut down.
Turn on holding C down on the keyboard.
When the installer starts, go check the menus. There should be one called "reset password" or something of the like. I think it's under the Installer or File menu. Maybe it's the Apple menu though, can never be too sure.
quit the installer.
give friend disks back and go on your merry way.

Ditto.
There is no ethics problems if you don't reinstall and you can reset the password without reinstalling no problem.

[aberdeenwriter]

Thanks to both of you! Now, my friend says she doesn't have the 10.1.5 disk(s) but 10.2. Would THAT also work with my 10.1.5?

[tooki]

It should.

Or you could do yourself a huge favor and buy 10.3, which adds a slew of useful features (*cough* Exposé *cough*) which are well worth the money.

tooki

[macaddict0001]

Like tooki said it should.

[aberdeenwriter]

THANK YOU ALL!

Much Appreciated!

BTW, I think she's pissed at me now. When I first told her of my dilemna she offered to send me the disk but I refused on the basis of ethics. So, tonite I emailed her the solution you all suggested and she responded with a link for some disks on ebay and told me, "Good Luck!"

I still love her, but she's got quite the temper!

lololol

[storer]

If you are going to go to 10.3 in future, add at least 100MB ram... your machine will function much better!

[aberdeenwriter]

Originally posted by storer:
If you are going to go to 10.3 in future, add at least 100MB ram... your machine will function much better!

Yeah, it's now at the point where performance is REALLY disappointing.

That's something I've been putting off, once again due to fund$.

Where (aside from ebay) would you suggest I go to get the memory which has the best price, service and customer care?

Would I be able to simply add a 100MB chip to my present 64MB, or would I have get a 100MB chip and then jettison the current 64MB?

[Luca Rescigno]

You have a 64 MB chip already in there, with room for one extra (no need to ditch the 64 MB). I don't know why storer said to add 100 MB of RAM, as there's no such thing as a 100 MB RAM chip. I think you should go to www.crucial.com and buy a 256 MB RAM chip from them. Crucial has a really easy system selector on their site - pick your system from a list and it will automatically show you all available RAM upgrades for it.

You can always get a 128 MB RAM chip instead. 256 MB would be better, but a 128 MB would still be a huge improvement.

[macaddict0001]

100 mb chips don't exist, I think that the guy just meant buy a fair bit of memory. Mac osx require's 128meg's of ram but I wouldn't recommend running it with less than 320(256+64)

[Luca Rescigno]

256 + 128 = 384
256 + 64 = 320

[macaddict0001]

Whoops sorry.

[Lancer409]

Originally posted by tooki:
It should.

Or you could do yourself a huge favor and buy 10.3, which adds a slew of useful features (*cough* Exposé *cough*) which are well worth the money.

tooki

[aberdeenwriter]

Thanks for the info!

Btw, I've heard that it only takes about 18 months before a computer becomes obsolete because of technology developments.

I wonder what's the LEAST expensive thing Icould I could do now to forestall having to add or change ANYTHING on this machine for the longest time possible?

I know if I wanted the latest, fastest computer, ALL it would take (lol) is a bit of study and a bit more money.

I want to keep this thing reasonably functional without having to add memory or increase HD capacity or change operating systems for as long as possible...without spending any more than necessary.

It just seems the industry keeps moving along at breakneck speed and we are supposed to shell out $$ just to stay afloat.

To use an analogy (which might be like comparing Apples & Aardvarks), a 1964 Mustang can travel any road in America as quickly as any 2004 Mustang.

I understand it's really not the same equation, but I wish it were.

The 256MB chip at crucial.com was about $100. If I upgraded to OSX 10.3, that would be about $130.

And that's approaching half of what I paid for the machine in the first place!

It's not that I'm (necessarily lol) a cheap bastard, but I'm on a fixed income. So this isn't about my being a penny pincher by choice.

The other thing is that I kind of resent HAVING to dance to the music played by the manufacturers.

Ok, go ahead and flame me.


But seriously, If I was going to spend $250 or so, in an effort to forestall ANY other improvements, upgrades, serious performance degradation, compatibility problems or dissatisfaction with my computer for as long as possible, what would you all suggest I do?

And how long would you estimate this would last until (like now) I'd HAVE to spend again?

I use my computer for word processing & printing homework writing assignments, LOTS of web surfing -- MLB.COM streaming videos -- some iMovie video editing, and Live365 online radio listening.

Thanks for the helpful tips and info so far!

OH, <Columbo imitation> one more thing, at what point would I be better to buy a new computer???

[Luca Rescigno]

Adding RAM is, by FAR, the most effective upgrade anyone can do for their computer. It always has been (ever since personal computers got their start in the 70's) and it always will be. 64 MB of RAM will make OS X extremely slow. Hell, Apple even says that you need a minimum of 128 MB. If you add an extra 256 MB, I promise it will be insanely faster. Like... 3x faster, minimum. The CPU, video card, hard drive, all that stuff - it's somewhat important, but nothing compared to RAM.

At some point, you can get into RAM overkill, where additional RAM does not help you any more. It depends on what you use it for, really. If you're just doing email, iChat, web surfing, word processing, watching movies, and simple image manipulation, then 512 MB is about the most that will help. Some graphics pros can have 2 GB and still need more.

Upgrading to Panther will help a lot, but if you want to save money you can always buy a used set of Jaguar CDs. They are much cheaper, and Jaguar, while not quite as good as Panther, is a ton faster than 10.1. Jaguar to Panther is a much less significant upgrade, in my opinion.

Long story short, BUY MORE RAM. There is NOTHING you can do that will help you more than that! I repeat, NOTHING. Spending $100 on RAM and then $30 or so for a set of Jaguar CDs will help a ton.

[Eriamjh]

Call your local ChumpUSA (or go to the Apple store), ask if they have a knowledgeable Apple guy with some system CDs in house (or talk to the Apple rep in the store and explain your situation), bring in your iMac, boot it up there with the ChumpUSA CDs, reset the PW, thank the man, pay him for his troubles (or the minimum fee), then go on your merry way!

[aberdeenwriter]

And to think, I was afraid to venture here to ask my dumb questions!

You guys are the BEST!

Thank you!

When I follow your advice, I'll give you an update!