Connect IDE DVD-ROM to iMac G3

[cringemaster]

Well for the last few hours I've been trying to rejuvenate my brothers iMac G3. I tried getting Ubuntu 5.04, 5.10, and 6.06, but have had no luck. I also tried Xubuntu 6.06 and got an OpenFirmware error of "Can't allocate initial device-tree chunk".

 

So out of all of my Mac OS install media, the only one that appears to still work is 10.4 Server, but its on a DVD. I had 10.3 on CD but it wouldnt boot and kept making these weird bleeps from the cd drive. So i have a nice lite-on dvd/cd-rw that I had in my parents G3, and I cant figure out how to connect it to the iMac, even if only temporarily.

 

It appears the iMac uses some weird prprietary ATA-PI connector that is an ATA/IDE connector with power bult into the extra pins. The internal drive uses IDE and i have an IDE cable that has extra connectors, kibnda like a scsi chain, but I dont wanna risk some sort of short.

 

Any ideas?

 

EDIT: Typed that while I was tired, mispellings and bad punctuation galore...