Macworld Forums: iMac G3 and Windows - Macworld Forums

I am not really very familiar with Mac, the last time I used one was four years ago or more, so I need some help to get them running well. I got several G3's with OS X 10.1. The RAM is only 64 MB and the HD is 16 Gb for each one of them.

1.- Is it possible to install any Windows on them?

I got Virtual PC 7 for OS X, but it does not work at all (Mac's can not read the files)

2.- Is it necessary to install something before using VPC 7?

I'm guessing that the iMacs that you have are at least seven years old, because that's roughly how long ago it was when Apple was still shipping systems with the specs you described. (See Apple-History.com for reference.) Unfortunately, Virtual PC on a G3 of that vintage really isn't going to be a good experience at all. That said... even just based upon what you stated, your systems do not presently meet the minimum requirements for Virtual PC 7. You would need to upgrade to either 10.2.8 or 10.3 -- but not 10.4 or later, as Tiger and Leopard are apparently not supported, probably because Virtual PC was discontinued before Tiger was released -- and you would also need to increase the RAM on those systems from 64MB to at least 512MB. (See this page on Apple.com for reference.)

Frankly, if you really need to run Windows on a shoestring budget, then rather then spend all that money upgrading those old G3's, you'd actually be much better off spending it on the absolute cheapest PC that you can buy; after all, a little bit of Google-ing, and you can easily find refurbished PCs with better specs then that iMac for less then fifty dollars -- and your new PC would even perform significantly better then Virtual PC ever did. (Here's one random refurb retailer* for reference.) I know it's not a Mac, but it'll do in a pinch if ya just gotta run Windows...

On the other hand... if you're not on a shoestring budget, then I can highly recommend the current crop of Intel-based iMacs... I love mine, and I have it configured to triple-boot into MacOS X, Windows XP and Windows Vista. Just a thought...

(Edit: I did another Google search and swapped out the refurb retailer above because the one I had linked to previously appears to be up-and-down like a yo-yo, which may or may not mean anything... but seemed very questionable to me when I saw the site go down. But then, when you're buying used, it's always a "buyer beware" situation...)

To keep sane, don't do it. It may run, but "run" probably isn't the right word. "Inch along" or "crawl like a crippled slug" are probably better words for it.