[G4] Re: G4 Digest, Vol 23, Issue 18

[John Baltutis]

On 07/14/06, Richard Klein <rich at richardklein.org> wrote:
>
> I'm planning to give my Gigabit Ethernet to my little sister.  I'm
> running it at 1600x1200 on an LCD monitor.  I have no idea what kind of
> monitor she'll be using it with.  What should I do to make sure she gets
> video when she starts it up?  Also, what should I do to add another user
> (her) and make that user the administrator?  Is there anything else I
> should do?

This is the way I prepare old machines, which allows them to act just like one
from the factory. First, boot with the Apple Hardware Test disk that came with
the machine, run the extended tests, and make sure everything passes. Then,
boot with the restore disk that came with the machine, erase and zero the HD.
When that's finished, reformat it Mac OS Extended, install the OS 9 drivers,
and then restore the software.

Since this machine, the same one I have, came only with OS 9 installers
(probably 9.0.4, IIRC). You'll have to manually update it to OS 9.2.2. You
might want to consider partitioning the HD into two pieces. Oneabout 6 GB for
OS 9 and the second for OS X.

Next, you'll need to install OS X onto the second partition. Just boot with the
OS X install disks, install a complete version. Two partitions guarantees no
conflicts between the OSs.

When finished, click on the restart button, holding down the CMD+S keys. This
puts the machine into single-user mode and gives you an Unix command line
terminal screen. When the text stops scrolling, type in this command and click
the return key:

shutdown -h now

This shuts down the computer; the next time it is turned on, the Setup
Assistant will appear and the new user will get to personalize it. This also
alleviates the necessity of presetting any display parameters, internet and
e-mail settings, etc. As long as the monitor can hook up to the machine, the OS
will select a usable resolution and the user can use the Display prefpane to
suit their needs. They'll also have to run Software Update and bring everything
up to the latest version.