software, peripherals and internet for OS9.1

[redcastle60187]

hi, my 70year old dads 11year old performa6400 (ouch!) finally packed in last week so i picked up a bargain £20 imac from ebay with a clean install of OS9.1

spec:

G3 350mhz
192 pc100 memory
7.5gb HD
ati 8mb 128 rage pro - (although i couldnt find it in the control panels)
24x CDrom
2xUSB
OS9.1

This spec is good enough because all he uses it for is word and excel and a little bit of graphics.

1.Basically can i get a combi scanner printer for it anywhere or do i have to have OSX - cant find any on ebay. (form what ive read on here OSx will be too slugish for this system and he prefers the classic mac anyway)

2. Is internet access possibe on os9 or is it too risky (virus risk) any free firewall/antivirus software? - just for emails - who's the best to go with in the UK - cheapest - will broadband work on this spec? is dial-up too dangerous (dialers).

3. does anyone have office 98 for mac (or a copy) or know where i can torrent one (am i allowed to ask that on this forum?) - my dad hates the automated stuff in newer version of office and still prefers word and excel in black and white from his LCII (1990).

finally

ive got the OS9.2.1 and 9.2.2 updates but will only put them on his machine if he need them - (if its not broken - dont fix it)

thanks for any advice in advance

Mark (grimsby)

ps/ im a pc user (but was raised on all the above macs) with broadband access for aquiring any software or updates he may need.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Go

Great deal for ?20! Will be just fine for Word/Excel, basic graphics, and Internet use.

1. You might run into a few issues with some of the current combi printer/scanners...simply from a driver standpoint. Some do have OS 9 drivers however. Let us know what you're looking at and we'd be glad to help.

2. Yes, Internet is more than possible with OS 9. No major need for antivirus software. There are some software firewalls available out there for OS 9. Also, you can get a combo DSL modem/router that will have one built-in, although I am not familiar with the configs avilable in the UK.

3. Technically, no. It's actually illegal to download most software from torrent sites. There are lots of places that sell old versions of Office at a reasonable price...legally.

4. If you stay with OS 9, I would recommend going to 9.2.2. It's much more stable that 9.1.

Your particular iMac will run up to Mac OS X 10.3.9 (Panther). I would recommend a little more RAM if you intend to make the move to OS X. In addition, the standard install will consume almost half of your HD, unless you do a custom install. You can then get it down under 2GB. Mac OS X is a RAM and HD free space hog...it likes as much of them as it can get. it will run fine though.

Hope that helps a little...

C