Mac Help Please!

[Mamadadude]

Anyone a whizz with a Mac?

My iBook G4 isn't behaving well lately. Safari crashes frequently and since some websites have upgraded their software I can no longer use them (Hotmail and Photobox being the main ones which is really annoying!)

Can't afford a new Mac so hope it's something that can be fixed. Have updated software as much as I can for my operating system (OS X 10.3.9).

Any advice hugely appreciated as DH has no clue and I'm on mat leave so can't ask the geeks at work!

[Teddimac]

Do you have Firefox installed? It's an alternative web browser to Safari, and often I find that sites which don't work with Safari are OK with Firefox. It is really annoying though, I much prefer Safari, and have all my Bookmarks stored there, so it really bugs me when something doesn't work.

It's also worth emailing the companies whose websites aren't working - my bank upgraded their site and it was weeks before I could use it on Safari, but enough people complained for them to do something about it!

I'm no whizz by the way, so if that doesn't work, I'm stumped...

[Fimbo]

I can't get onto my local freecycle because Safari doesn't like it.

Is Firefox free?

[Hobnobfanatic]

I'm in the same situation. The hotmail thing is irritating the life out of me! I should bite the bullet and update my OS (I'm 10.3.9 too), but it scares me - I'm worried that I'll lose all my documents!

[Teddimac]

I'm not sure Fimbo - I think our Mac came with it installed as the default browser, but as DH probably specified what programs he wanted on it, we may have paid for it as part of the package.

[Teddimac]

Hmm, hadn't been on Hotmail for ages, it is a bit weird - managed to sign on using Safari though (just checked and am on OS X 10.5.5 and Safari 3.1.2.).

I've also just looked at the Apple downloads site and I think it's free to download Firefox - have a look here for more info, or here. You do need 10.4 or above though.

[Mamadadude]

Thanks for all the advice. I have looked at Firefox but will have to upgrade the OS before I download the latest version. Littlelapin - how do I do that and how do I increase the RAM? You're talking to a bit of a novice here.
Must get this sorted out - can't even open emails on hotmail now and my usual gift of calendars of the kids for the grandparents is unlikely to happen!

[Mamadadude]

Am I right in thinking that I have been using Panther?
Have just found a copy of Tiger in the drawer with all the Mac stuff. Would it help if I installed that? Think installing Leopard may be a serious job as not enough memory.

Don't know why Tiger wasn't installed in first place - neighbour did it for us, he has now moved!

[llareggub]

I use wyzo as my default web browser of choice. It seems to work everywhere. Try that maybe?

[tissy]

if you go to Crucial the website will scan your computer, tell you if you can upgrade the RAM, and how much it will cost! Upgrading is a simple job- you unscrew a cover, and click in a new chip. If I can do it, you can.

[retiredgoth1]

...to get Hotmail, Messenger and Firefox that will work on 10.3.9 try this site

A lot of newer apps won't function on Panther (newer Safari, Yahoo Messenger and Firefox versions for instance), but there are older, but functional, versions here.

[MrVibrating]

I can't think of any reason why wyzo would be a good choice for anyone (unless they want a support forum full of porno spam), or (since it is just a ripped-off Firefox) how it could help in this case.

[llareggub]

Bad mood, Mr Vibrating?

[MrVibrating]

No, I just don't think much of organizations that seek to monetize open source software resources by brand marketing.

But what really did it for me was that these guys can't even be bothered to prune the spam off their 'support' forum.

I really don't think that this is a good recommendation, so I said so.