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#1 2007-07-14 12:25 am
- agedgruel
- insert clever phrase here
- From: Great Plains, U.S.A.
- Registered: 2004-06-05
- Posts: 775
Wallstreet
My wife's niece is giving me her Wallstreet Powerbook G3/250. It still has OS 9 on it. I thought I would find a larger hard drive and a RAM module or two and put X on it. Any words of wisdom from those who are in the know?
It will be a labor of love, as right now it's sitting in the basement gathering dust. She got a Dell 
, although I would argue that's mainly due to OS 9.
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#2 2007-07-14 7:07 am
- loafer
- Member
- Registered: 2000-11-10
- Posts: 271
Re: Wallstreet
Try 10.2.8 - if you are not networking with more modern X systems. Panther with xpostfacto is the other option.
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#3 2007-07-14 11:23 am
- Mr. T
- Uses STOS implicitly
- From: omnipresent
- Registered: 2002-04-02
- Posts: 3599
Re: Wallstreet
I vote Panther - It's gonna be a dog though, especially w/o accelerated graphics (in OS X), so you'd better keep OS 9 around.
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#4 2007-07-14 3:38 pm
- dvpierce
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator
- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 16875
Re: Wallstreet
Mr. T wrote:
I vote Panther - It's gonna be a dog though, especially w/o accelerated graphics (in OS X), so you'd better keep OS 9 around.
Agreed. You may also have to remove a default .kext from the system to make it not freak out and use the wrong graphics card driver.
Also, make sure you have at least 256 MBs of ram - preferably max it to 512. 144-pin SO-DIMM, PC100 or PC133 SDRAM.
Finally, a bigger/faster HD will help a lot.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#5 2007-07-14 5:44 pm
Re: Wallstreet
I'm running OS X 10.3.9 on a 2000 Powerbook G3 "Pismo". Upgraded the RAM to 512 MB and the HD to 60 GB. Added an Airport card. Works well enough, though it's no speed demon @ 400 MHZ. I know that it's possible to get a Pismo's CPU upgraded to a 550 G4, don't know about the Wallstreet. I've never tried OS X on a machine under 400 MHZ such as yours though.
Last edited by adamjg (2007-07-14 8:32 pm)
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#6 2007-07-14 6:37 pm
- KrowMagnum
- Member
- From: In your face
- Registered: 2003-04-02
- Posts: 397
Re: Wallstreet
OS 10.2 will run fine on your Wallstreet and is supported so no need for Xpostfacto. It will not be a speed demon but still better than using OS 9 in my opinion, especially if you want a usable internet browser.
OS 10.3 will run with Xpostfacto and may actually feel a little faster than 10.2 because the OS is a little better on older Macs than 10.2. I've never tried 10.3 Panther on a Wallstreet but it is faster than 10.2 Jaguar on other G3's like iMacs and B&W's.
You definitely want at least 256MB of RAM, but careful when buying RAM for a Wallstreet.
Not just any PC66/100/133 SO-DIMMs will work in a Wallstreet G3. Make sure the RAM is for a Wallstreet. OWC is a good place to get RAM and has some specifically for the Wallstreet. Pismo and Lombard G3 RAM will not always work in a Wallstreet.
If you install a hard drive larger than 8GB you will have to partition it into at least two partitions. OS X on a Wallstreet MUST be installed within the first 8GB of the hard drive. Just make the first partition a little less than 8GB for your OS X install and use the rest for whatever.
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#7 2007-07-15 11:49 pm
- agedgruel
- insert clever phrase here
- From: Great Plains, U.S.A.
- Registered: 2004-06-05
- Posts: 775
Re: Wallstreet
I put 10.3 on my heavily upgraded 9600/300, so I am familiar with the process. It seems that a lot of the same rules apply. More RAM and larger hard drive = better experience. My 9600 was much happier when I replaced the stock graphics card with ATI's last PCI card (I think it was the 7000). It's too bad the graphics in the Wallstreets are not upgradeable.
Does anyone know anything about upgrading the processor on the Wallstreets?
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#8 2007-07-16 9:31 am
- dvpierce
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator
- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 16875
Re: Wallstreet
agedgruel wrote:
I put 10.3 on my heavily upgraded 9600/300, so I am familiar with the process. It seems that a lot of the same rules apply. More RAM and larger hard drive = better experience. My 9600 was much happier when I replaced the stock graphics card with ATI's last PCI card (I think it was the 7000). It's too bad the graphics in the Wallstreets are not upgradeable.
Does anyone know anything about upgrading the processor on the Wallstreets?
It's got a daughtercard just like the riginal Bondi iMac - CPU, ROM and ram slots integrated.
Sonnet, Powerlogix, and aa few other companies made 400/500 MHz G3 and G4 upgrades for them. Taking my 300MHz WS to 500MHz was pretty much night and day - and I didn't think the computer was slow before.
The upgrades work one of two ways. Newer would buy your card back and use the ROM to make a new card. Other companies give you a software program that images your rom, then transfers it to the new card the first time you boot with it installed. Once you've got the ROM image put in, you're golden, and can swap back and forth willy-nilly.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#9 2007-07-16 7:47 pm
- KrowMagnum
- Member
- From: In your face
- Registered: 2003-04-02
- Posts: 397
Re: Wallstreet
agedgruel wrote:
Does anyone know anything about upgrading the processor on the Wallstreets?
If you have a 233MHz Wallstreet you can swap the CPU with a 266MHz or 300MHz CPU out of a another Wallstreet model and it's about a 5 minute job.
If you have an earlier Wallstreet like the 250 and 292MHz model I think you are stuck with an aftermarket CPU upgrade.
Some of the 233MHz models had no L2 cache and was a dog of a CPU, so any of the later CPUs will make your Mac run faster. Even a 233MHz with the cache would be an improvement.
Last edited by KrowMagnum (2007-07-16 7:51 pm)
When lip service to some mysterious deity permits bestiality on Wednesday and absolution on Sunday, cash me out.
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#11 2007-08-07 12:13 am
- SchmoBurger
- Contrascending?
- From: Nowra? NSW? Australia? Earth?
- Registered: 2005-01-27
- Posts: 1150
Re: Wallstreet
WIth regards to RAM, From memory Wallstreets have been known to do funny smurf when the lower slot is filled with a 256Mb module... meaning the effective RAM ceiling may or may not be 384Mb. I can't remember if this was only an issue with OSX... 
That said, you'll only know if you try it. 
B+W G3, 450mhz, 512mb, 2x 40Gb, DVD+/-RW, X.3.6.
Powerbook G3, 400mhz, 384mb, 40Gb, DVD-ROM, Firewire, X.3.6.
Franken-iMac G3 Blueberry, 400mhz, 64mb, 10Gb, CD-ROM, 9.2.2... SOON TO BE SOUPED UP AND RUNNING TIGER!
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#12 2007-08-07 2:00 am
- KrowMagnum
- Member
- From: In your face
- Registered: 2003-04-02
- Posts: 397
Re: Wallstreet
adamjg wrote:
Does anyone know of a good source for used Powerbook parts? I'm looking for processor ugrades for my Pismo G3?
eBay.....
Or LEM Swaplist.
When lip service to some mysterious deity permits bestiality on Wednesday and absolution on Sunday, cash me out.
Frank Sinatra
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