[janny6]

Ok, I will start out by saying that I am not in the least techie. Have always relied on son or husband to fix my computer when I had trouble. I have an iBook G4, OSX. It can run really slow. Is there a way (pardon my ignorance) to reformat? It is a couple years old, and I play lots of games on it. I appreciate your help.

janny6

[yaroldb]

janny6,

Lets start with the specs. What is the processor speed? How much memory? What version of OS X? This information can be found when you when you click on the apple icon on the top left of your screen and click on about this Mac. Also, what games do you play?

[janny6]

1.42 GHz PowerPCG4, memory 512 MB


Machine Name: iBook G4
Machine Model: PowerBook6,7
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.5)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.42 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 512 MB
Bus Speed: 142 MHz

Mostly play puzzle games, and sample free games online. Not into interactive games, (Except ocassionally Sims)
Boot ROM Version: 4.9.3f0

Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
Version: 1.0

Does this help?

[JonoMarshall]

Your 512mb of RAM/Memory could do with upgrading as it's most likely the cause of your bottlenecked system.

I'm not sure what size iBook you have, but here's the link for you to select it for yourself and see your RAM options/pricing. (Shop around though)

Link to OWC iBook RAM Upgrades

You'll need to check the memory under "About this mac" to see if you already have a spare slot free, or whether you'll have to swap out an old stick and replace it (you may have 2x 256mb currently installed).

[JonoMarshall]

Silly me, it's a 1.42, so it's a 14inch iBook!

BTW, installing the RAM yourself is fairly easy... you undo a couple of screws on the keyboard, turn the keyboard over, gently life the existing RAM stick out and replace it with the new one.

Find a guide below (although it's not for your specific model, a RAM upgrade should be no different on the slower/older iBook):

Link to iBook Guide

[peeb]

How much free space do you have on your hard drive? This should be a relatively fast machine for the tasks you describe - I agree with the posters above that your RAM is insufficient.