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gooser · Aug 4, 2009, 08:25 AM

g4 imac. 800mhz 15" superdrive. what should i do to store this computer for possible use several years down the road? the only reason i would consider this is for the next 10 years i need to have a reliable computer running itunes 6.

Simon · Aug 4, 2009, 08:53 AM

Put it in its original packaging. Store in a dry, cool, and dust-free place.

That said, there is absolutely no guarantee the iMac will actually boot in ten years from now. Even under perfect storage conditions a component can simply fail due to old age. Macs are known to live long. But there are no guarantees and 10 years is a long time for a computer.

Out of curiosity, what is it you would want to have iTunes 6 around for in ten years from now?

gooser · Aug 4, 2009, 08:59 AM

simon, i just prefer the interface, it has everything i'll ever need but mostly people can't hook their newer ipods to it. this is a public computer.

turtle777 · Aug 4, 2009, 10:10 AM

Wow, I could not think about anything more useless today than reverting back to my Macs from the 90ies.

I just don't think this computer will be of any real use down the road.

-t

gooser · Aug 4, 2009, 10:40 AM

it's used primarily as a jukebox. it's to my benefit for it not to be too useful for anything else.

anthology123 · Aug 4, 2009, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Wow, I could not think about anything more useless today than reverting back to my Macs from the 90ies.

I just don't think this computer will be of any real use down the road.

-t

A G4 iMac is not from the 90's. According to MacTracker, it was released in 2003.

turtle777 · Aug 4, 2009, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by anthology123

A G4 iMac is not from the 90's. According to MacTracker, it was released in 2003.

Dude, I'm just saying if I had to use one of my 10 year old Macs (one from the 90ies) TODAY, I wouldn't have much use for it.

Using this iMac in 10 years will be as useful / useless as me reviving my Performa 5400.

-t

Laminar · Aug 4, 2009, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Using this iMac in 10 years will be as useful / useless as me reviving my Performa 5400.

-t

Unless you wanted to do nothing more than run ClarisWorks, in which case your 5400 would be perfect to revive.

JKT · Aug 5, 2009, 03:27 AM

Wasn't the Performa [sic] 5400 pretty useless when it was first released, never mind now? It was one of the notorious road apples was it not ... or was that the 5200? Sheesh, I can't remember what my first Mac was anymore - it was one of those two and it was a dog.

Simon · Aug 5, 2009, 03:41 AM

IMHO the entire 5x00 series was junk.

You get what you pay for.
In those days the Performa 5x00 series was the cheap Mac. And when people bought one, they got just that: a cheap Mac.

JKT · Aug 5, 2009, 04:55 AM

"Cheap" being a relative thing. From what I recall it was actually damned expensive, just not as damnably expensive as most other Macs!

Actually, despite its deficiencies hardware- and speed- wise, it was a nice computer design and (in a sense) a forerunner of the iMac.

Simon · Aug 5, 2009, 06:39 AM

The iMac was more like the Performa 5x00 series done right. Well apart from the lack of FW maybe.

The Power Mac 7600 sold around the same time as the Performa 5400. That PM was absolutely awesome. In comparison, the Performa was a disgrace. You did get what you paid for.