[bobannikolic]

I've a fairly savvy computer user but I haven't done an hard drive install on OS X (my stuff is just on PC's) and I have some questions pertaining to this model in particular. I'm looking to buy a Western Digital 200GB drive which can operate on ata 100 (which I believe my mac is). My questions are as follows:

- Is there any gigabyte limits like what happens to some g4 power mac users?

- Do I need the panther install disc to install the os onto the new hard drive?
I'm asking this for two reasons
a) my install disc is in another country
b) I was wondering if it was possible somehow to back the stuff over multiple dvds (my current system config) and then upon the booting of the new hard drive the mac asking for the dvds.

System Specs:
Imac g4
800 Mhz
768 MB Ram
Pioneer Superdrive 2x
OS X Panther

[megasad]

- Is there any gigabyte limits like what happens to some g4 power mac users?

Unfortunately, I think that all the 800MHz G4 iMacs came with ATA/66 busses, not ATA/100, so you'll be limited to 137GB of that 200GB drive.

- Do I need the panther install disc to install the os onto the new hard drive?... I was wondering if it was possible somehow to back the stuff over multiple dvds (my current system config) and then upon the booting of the new hard drive the mac asking for the dvds.

Yup, you need the install disk to install Panther afresh. So, unless you can get it posted to you, do you have an external hard drive / another Mac with enough space to store all the stuff on the current hard drive? Carbon Copy Cloning the entire contenets of the old drive on to another drive / Mac as a disk image, and then copying it back onto the new one, would be the way I'd do things. Failing that, I know not of how to do the multiple DVD thing, sorry.

[spookykids]

Im also thinking about getting a new hard drive for an exact same imac, however all that crap sounds a little bit too complicated for me.

So I guess what im asking is, is it easier/better to get a external firewire hard drive or just change my imacs hard drive?

[megasad]

Originally posted by spookykids:
...So I guess what im asking is, is it easier/better to get a external firewire hard drive or just change my imacs hard drive?

Definately easier, and so long as you don't want everything in your home folder, better (ie - you don't have to take apart your iMac) too.

[Detrius]

One thing to note for anyone who decides they want to do this: opening your iMac past the user installable area requires replacing the heat sink grease. Put the screen face down and turn the base so the optical drive points to the right.