Upgrading a Neglected iMac G4

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Today we're upgrading a very neglected iMac G4 to fix some of its issues, install an SSD, and get it ready for some big adventures I have planned for it!
Plus, Sorbet Leopard!
Thanks @BranchusCreations for the cameo from down under!
VIDEO LINKS:
🍎 MOOT iMac Teardown Video: • Repairing a Dead iMac G4
🍎 Sorbet Leopard on Macintosh Garden: macintoshgarden.org/apps/sorb...
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💾 For more vintage Apple stuff, please subscribe: kzbin.info?s...
💾 Support these retro computing shenanigans on Patreon! / actionretro
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Check out my Amazon page with links to my tools, adapters, soldering equipment, camera gear and more: www.amazon.com/shop/actionretro
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💬 Come talk about old computers on the Action Retro Discord! / discord
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#iMac #PowerPC #G4

[@pafawag5b6b5b]

i'm not a mac kind of guy but boy is the imac g4 beautiful as hell, i've seen one in person once and it was literally the best looking computer i've ever seen

[@id0ts]

knew i should have seen u here lmao - @id0ts

[@xanthrax6179]

Weird my school had a bunch of these

[@tttdssdff2267]

Those are lovely!!! I wish that apple brings this design back

[@Techlevel1534.]

@@xanthrax6179they still have them ?

[@matthewbond5028]

I remember when I was a kid walking through CompUSA with my dad and seeing one of these. I was bummed it wasnt like the commercial when the screen didnt follow me and when I stuck my tongue out the dvd drive didnt eject.

[@msthalamus2172]

I love it when people reuse old, beautiful cases to house modern components! I was thinking just a moment ago of the feasibility of taking a broken iMac G3 with an intact monitor and housing a modern Mac Mini within it. You'd need an adapter for the video, you would (perhaps) want to use an adapter for the optical drive, plus extension cables for rear I/O, some way to synchronize power delivery, (and probably some other bits I haven't thought of yet), but it seems doable, if adequate cooling can be provided.

[@MaxOakland]

Please do that and write an article or make a video

[@drewzero1]

Early tray loading iMacs use an internal video connector that (iirc) can be adapted to VGA. Later versions (especially the slot loaders) have the monitor circuitry more closely integrated with the logic board, so might be more difficult to adapt to new hardware.

[@msthalamus2172]

@@MaxOakland I would like to do that, but my only G3 iMac has a CRT problem.... :(

[@MaxOakland]

@@msthalamus2172 Aw man! Just the thing you don’t want

[@fsfs555]

Tragically many iLamps met their end in shipping: it's really difficult to pack those things securely so many show up to their final destination with busted necks. These early models can still run OS 9 natively so that (and 10.4) is usually what I load onto them. Also if you notice there's a pad for an L3 cache module. Sadly Apple decided not to populate it but some enterprising modders may have done so. Unless you plan to use it regularly to where replacement is worthwhile, substituting an external FW optical drive works a treat in machines with questionable internal drives (especially the slot loaders which are somewhat dysfunctional more often than not).

[@lepidotos]

The other half of them die to people gutting them and putting Mac Minis in them.

[@dabnisbrickey6527]

I had one shipped to me some years back but luckily it arrived in it's original box. However my abusive ex boyfriend broke it's screen with a hammer a few years later.

[@JaredConnell]

I thought only the 4:3 square screen models could boot into os 9?

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@dabnisbrickey6527 oh no :(

[@Ll3maFN]

@@JaredConnell anything with a g3/g4 and earlier can boot into os9

[@bigdude101ohyeah]

The former Roads and Traffic Authority in New South Wales (equivalent to the DMV) had iMac G4s for customer facing staff all the way until 2013. It was a pleasant surprise seeing them in operation.

[@MaxOakland]

That’s so cool

[@willm5032]

Never been sure about the round base but from an ergonomic standpoint Apple have never beaten the way the G4s screen can be moved about. Every iMac since has suffered with a frustrating lack of screen movement.

[@brokenelectronics3665]

had actually never heard of these referred to as the "Lampshade". We always used to call them the "Flowerpot" iMacs. have two of them, a 2002 and a 2003.

[@RikerJoe]

Loved the Bruce cameo!

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

Fun fact I'm not even a Mac/Apple user but I really enjoy this channel, so yeah maybe we can all get along like a DOS compatible Power pc Macintosh...

[@makroenli2906]

same xD

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@@makroenli2906 Yea I'm not the only one lol

[@matthewjbauer1990]

I am anti Apple and go out of my way to not use anything Apple but I enjoy this channel.

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@@matthewjbauer1990 Same lol

[@lepidotos]

Then something like a Power Macintosh 6100 is your thing, since you can plug a Pentium directly into it and use DOS directly on the hardware, no emulation required.

[@AndreGarzia]

That was my favourite mac as well. When it became “obsolete” I started running OpenBSD on it. It worked pretty well IIRC.

[@mojoblues66]

I have one of those sitting prominently in my office. I enjoy looking at it every time I enter the room. A real beauty!

[@belfastroadster]

You need a pair of Apple Pro speakers to complete that masterpiece! Nothing compares to hearing the startup bong through them 😎

[@garypatterson2857]

Maybe the Harmon Kardon soundsticks? With the subwoofer, they're almost as iconic as the iMac itself.

[@MegaManNeo]

The G4 was very long on store shelfs from what I can remember. Then again, maybe this is too just because it happened during my early teenage and that is usually a time when people remember the most.

[@MrCed122]

The G4 was sold for barely over a year, it was released in early 2002 and was replaced by the iMac G5 in mid 2004 and during that time, they released like 3 revisions, it really wasn't sold for long. I remember the iPod Nano 3G being sold for ages when in reality, it was sold for barely a year, memories of our teenage years are really unreliable when it comes to time.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@MrCed122 that third-gen nano really did feel like it was sold for 3 years 😭

[@lewisfilby2394]

its my lucky day - new Action Retro!

[@thegroove2000]

One of my fav macs ever. They should revisit this style with updated components.

[@joshholroyd7643]

i just picked up my iMac G4 today through my workplace - someone who was a friend of the owner was about to trash it - safe to say its now in a good home - all it needs now is a new hard drive

[@daspec]

Ah, yet another great retro video from the talking hand

[@czLochy]

Damn, what timing. Just opened KZbin, and what do I see on my reccomended.. :D

[@TheBasementChannel]

I agree with what Bruce said

[@scottharris7222]

Agree these are my favourite Apple designs. I have a soft spot for the SE30s but my favorite G4 Imac is my 20 inch model. It still connects to Itunes and I stream audio to my stereo with blue tooth and turn on the visualizers. I really enjoy that mac and agree a new reissue with this design would be a must have for me and many others.

[@pyrotempestwing]

0:16 By the way, happy almost summer to all you Australians and other Southern Hemisphere dwellers.

[@fragsie]

I love my iMac g4 lamp too - followed your video and put sorbet leopard on mine as well. Runs great !!

[@alisonsmith4436]

Thank you so much for the great memories and video

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

Got one of those, I seem to remember it is 800MHz. It is one of my favorite designs, ever. It's in service as a pdf reader and SoundJam music station in my workshop. Edit: HolyCrapThatCurvediMacHackintoshIsGorgeous! Edit 2: Nope. Not 800MHz. 1.25GHz. WIN!

[@andrewstones2921]

In Feb 2003 I’d been using PCs and Windows since 1996 after 2 new Mac Performa models were DOA and I just needed stuff that worked. This G4 was like something from the future I knew it was time to get back-to-Mac. I bought the 15” model and I was in heaven for a few days till I went to clean the screen with a damp cloth, I simply wiped the screen as I normally would and the colours went all crazy and that was the last time the screen worked.. so I plugged in a 17” Sony LCD Monitor and a week later the Hard drive started clicking and giving read errors. I put it back in the box and went bad to windows until the first Intel MacBook arrived in about 2006 and I have been a Mac user ever since. I can’t even remember what happened to the G4 but oddly I’d lov3 to play with one today.

[@nostalgicsoul76]

Are you just looking at things in the office and saying you love them?

[@AngeloTelesforo]

Living in Rio de Janeiro I totally relate to Branchus!!!

[@DurpMustard]

0:21 As a Georgia man this is way too relatable for me

[@andresbravo2003]

Looks amazing for that G4 iMac!

[@VK2FVAX]

Ha! Spotto Bruce. Yeah.. it's started getting hot here in Sydney

[@lanerj]

Woohoo! G4 iMac, my favorite. I love mine

[@Bogomil76]

8:00 last year i bought 3 used on ebay, everyone was „shockingly“ clean inside. I dont think that everyone must have cleaned it, i rather think its by design, this model doesnt get dirty on purpose!

[@aa-au]

I opened up one of my customer's iMac G4 17" to repair, and it was filthy inside ie: lots of balls of dust and lint. I took some photos and showed my customer after the repair was done and she blamed her cleaner not doing their job properly!

[@absolutely1337]

Tried so many times to get an ssd to work on these. Have ordered a ide to micro sd card Adapter and will try that. Speeds will be awful. But like solid state than the failing 20 year old hdd. Be carful with the pins when reinstalling the base. Soooo easy to bend them in the connector and short out the owner supply!

[@CyrusHusky04]

my friend’s family had one of these in the mid-late 2000s, then they got a 2006 imac for a couple years into the early 2010s. this is still my dream computer

[@DavidStahlOLDHAPPyMACs]

Great Video Sean Love The iMac G4 Sorbet is A winner in my book

[@DucMike1]

Thank you thank you thank you for doing this video. Was great to see another alternative out there vs. the PATA/IDE to SATA adapter I’d previously tried. Way too snug inside for such a large piece. This version worked out perfectly. Now I get to really see what can be done with this lil gem. Next up: my Bondi Blue G3 rev. A. All hail, LEM’s everywhere.

[@aa-au]

The SuperDrive you initially placed in there - DVR105 - were notorious for failures. Actually, the DVR104, DVR105, and DVR106 were the worst. The later DVR108s that came from a PowerMac G5 were more reliable, but even better the DVR111 and DVR112 were the best. Actually, all drives were prone to failure...

[@DoNotEvenAsk]

This comment helped me out big time finding a replacement for my 15" 800MHz iMac's dead SuperDrive. Got an ASUS rebadge of the DVR111 for cheap and it works like a charm. Thanks for the helpful info!

[@aa-au]

@@DoNotEvenAsk You're welcome! Any Pioneer DVR-1xx should work, pending the version of Mac OS.

[@pheflin526]

I love all the lamp shade iMac stuff! I’m messing around with mine too. I’m keeping my 15” in peak yet original shape (minus putting an ssd in it), and gutting my 17” one and putting in a Mac mini or Nuc or something.

[@Epictronics1]

That has to be one of the nicest looking machines ever made. And a matching backdrop in the studio! is it software or real?

[@ActionRetro]

It's real!

[@Epictronics1]

@@ActionRetro Awesome, where did you get it?

[@zoomzabba452]

Touching one of these was my first time using a LCD. I was 14 and my friends just didn't understand the hype.

[@lepidotos]

I still don't; the Studio Display LCD was supposed to be twice as good as a CRT, but my iMac G5, which is supposed to look even better than that, looks like total garbage compared to my cheapo Dell CRT.

[@WalterMan]

Ever since your last video I was waiting for someone to try this on the iMac G4!

[@RWBHere]

The iLamp is my favourite Apple design too. Mine is maxed out and still in regular use, only lacking USB2. I wish that they would revisit it with a modern CPU.

[@steveg5122]

This spring I am going to try and find one of these for myself

[@MrLukealbanese]

Wonderful!!

[@edgarestrada9519]

Amazing video

[@nwmusic2010]

Lol the thumbnail. “I love Lamp!”

[@estusflask982]

Fond memories of this Mac, my art class had them back in middle school

[@RonLaws]

Totally agree, remember using these in College back in the day and finding them to be one of the cooler designs. Would totally retrofit this case with a modern board too if i got one with a dead board

[@mixielot]

i have one and am looking into doing this with it :)

[@DJTydalOfficial]

Honestly, if Apple were to refresh the iMac with this design, it would kinda look like the Microsoft Surface Studio.

[@skyguy1988]

these were the most futuristic and best imacs they EVER made. this was when apple truly innovated

[@P2PC]

I myself aren't too much of an apple mac guy, I'm only really interest in old macs for the PowerPC architecture, mainly the powermac G5. But man, I can agree with everyone that this G4 Imac is beautiful.

[@babyboomertwerkteam5662]

The Bruce cameo had me in tearssssss!!

[@eDoc2020]

I think this is the first iMac G4 I've seen outside of still photos, and I need to agree it looks great. However I think the High Sierra theme doesn't look right. Maybe that's because the only time I've used a Mac for real it was Snow Leopard. Actually we got Mavericks later on but that still looks fairly similar.

[@minty_Joe]

Ah, the LSR (Lump Stick Rectangle).

[@LaCr34tura]

*tapes drive together* just like the apple service center

[@JapanPop]

Best cameo ever.

[@LohTec]

About to do the same thing! Reminded me to order a 3.6v battery :D

[@JK-zn7hl]

What a beauty~~

[@HunterSkiff]

You had me at Linux!

[@mccrh7737]

Dope vid :)

[@asfrflagcommunity966]

I love rescuing old Mac’s and PC’s for OS testing

[@anthonybattle5209]

I use windows way more than Mac but I like the agelessness of the Mac products. I have a G4 that i got from a recycler and never did anything inside. I just like the way it looks. Sort of the art deco of the pc world. Now I think I will upgrade it. Thank you for your inspiration.

[@squiddobutboy]

If I can learn how, I may be able to create the first-ever Beige G3-compatible G5 upgrade WITH a Noctua fan on top of it with a custom fan pipe for exhaust! Once it's finished, you can make your beige beast a G5 for the ULTIMATE beige G3.

[@lepidotos]

Alright, but the 66MHz bus speed though.

[@squiddobutboy]

@@lepidotos i know, but the compromise is WORTH IT for the extra power that the G5 gives

[@thecluff]

the iMac G4 is my favorite Apple computer of all time, in terms of design

[@MarkHyde]

Shot out to fellow Aussie Branchus Creations :) Sitting here watching this awesome Mac video in front of a fan lol

[@yosukerechain2000]

iMac G4 best design to me. 😁

[@porpoise830]

Would you please be so kind as to include info on the SATA drive, adaptors, and bracket too? I want to do this to mine as well. Thanks.

[@Antipilor]

I think this imac is my spirit animal.

[@guts2048]

The only relevant channel for powerpc

[@JaredConnell]

I want one of these so bad, but the square screen one that can dual boot OS 9 and X. One of my favorite looking computers ever and I've never had one.

[@bootlegmew6022]

I think that Apple should make a modern iMac that is just like the G4 iMac

[@berosi]

I guess (and hope) you know that these DVD players can easily be brought back to life...

[@polocatfan]

mine is absolutely slow. hopefully I can fix mine up and get it up and running well in the future.

[@seangibbz]

I'd love to see just how low-spec Adélie (LxQT) can function. I'm curious to try it on my iBook G3 I have laying around somewhere.

[@gengpan]

which brand of harddrive adaptor is reliable? I found few at amazon but their review are not good.

[@thedopplereffect00]

So glad you used a 2.5 to 3.5 bracket instead of double sided tape

[@tony714keene]

thank you for doing the sd card hard drive

[@garypatterson2857]

I really need to open my 17" iMac up and pop in an SSD. That plus Marathon Infinity would be peak pre-OS X Mac for me.

[@paullee107]

I smell an Amiga!!

[@methanoid]

Long time sub - love the vids. This one had me thinking about multi booting PPC Macs. I also have a guess what your mystery OS is, MorphOS ;-) I would love to see some sort of guide how to multiboot as I want to have Linux/Sorbet/Leopard/Tiger/OS9/MorphOS on my G4 1.5 Mini (which also is able to boot Amiga OS4!!)

[@DavideNastri]

This is wow, specially the sorbet leopard! Do you think is it worthwhile installing it on my modest emac 1.25? Thansk!

[@billermanthegreat]

Print shops love making money with old tech. Windows XP is a favorite flavor among printers.

[@MrLurchsThings]

Heh. Nice cameo from Bruce. #Aussie

[@bioglassmusic]

I would love one of these for playing warcraft 2.

[@Astravall]

Watching this on a Linux machine, so i'm excited for the modern Linux part :).

[@Rooftopaccessorizer]

i feel like theres so much mod potential to these. im positive with some tinkering you could fit one of those portable monitor panels inside of the casing of the displat and run the cable through the inside of the gooseneck. then just put an intel mac mini in there, dual boot it, and you could even probably run an Egpu thats like fastened under your desk and youve have basically the ultimate mac desktop in a very cute package.

[@alanharkleroad4376]

I will have to agree with you on the design of the G4 iMac and the fact Apple could use it for today's iMac. I have a G5 and I wish Apple would have keep the lampshade design for it.

[@marygauffin7290]

A friend found a 'partial' lamp imac and wanted to put a raspberry pi in it. I have no details about its condition, but couldn't resist commenting that the most powerful ARM-based SBC within consumer price range would probably be the motherboard of an M2 mac mini. :)

[@therealjpster]

I picked one up this year for £30. The local museum got rid as it had the school it belonged to permanent markered on it. I don't care! It looked great and iTunes works brilliantly. I use it for music when I'm in my home office.

[@arthurswart4436]

Nice one. Not interested in the Sonnet Encore dual 1.8GHz upgrade card and the two somewhat unofficial 2.2GHz G4 cpu's I offered?

[@m.wiesner4747]

@Action Retro: Have you ever tried to fire one of the old G4 or G5 Macs with FreeBSD, OpenBSD or NetBSD instead of Linux? Could be an nice experience... I ran all 3 on an old Sun Ultra Workstation with an single Sparc III CPU with 8GB RAM and was very suprised how snappy it felt on this old machine.

[@kloakovalimonada]

I want one now

[@johnmiic]

If I have a working G3 Tower using OS9 can I clone that HD to this iMac G4 after replacing HD?

[@carltonleboss]

You should call the channel Maction Retro now...

[@ulfspringer8639]

Just wondering, why did you not replace the thermal compound under the CPU heatsink while you had the machine open?

[@WillThat]

You could use a light Linux distro as a client os and remote into a proxmox box serving modern MacOS VMs. 🤪

[@oldestgamer]

Just picked one up, but is missing the HD. What were the parts you used for the SSD you installed? It looks like a really clean install, thanks!

[@Wol333]

I thought these were straight up magic when I was in elementary school

[@allycat7699]

I have to watch these things die almost everyday its so painful .......... I want to save them all but then my 1 bedroom apartment would just be a bunch of lamps.

[@jamesfatula5824]

how did you install sorbet os? i tried it wont boot sorbet os from an ide drive when i chose that disk from holding option key and when it tries to boot that disk i get a circle slash symbol on screen i did flash the sorbet image to ide disk from my macbook using usb to ide