[dosequis]

has anyone had any experience with either of these two places? Which would you recomend?
http://techrestore.com/xcart/product...309&page=1
http://www.powerbookresq.com/detail.php?prodID=P010350

[dosequis]

has anyone had any expirience?

[mduell]

I've heard good things about PowerBookResq, but is your time really worth that much?
They're charging $280-300 to install a $140-150 HDD...

[dosequis]

since i am a college student i dont have the time or tools to do it myself so i hope it is worth it

[galarneau]

I just installed a 100GB Seagate Momentus in my 12" iBook 1.33GHz

All it took was a T8 Torx screwdriver, small philips head screwdriver, and an old expired credit card to help with prying the case apart without leaving marks.

Took about an hour, and was pretty straightforward if you keep everything organized.

I used the guide at pbfixit.com

If you take your time, I don't see why any reasonably coordinated person couldn't do it themselves.

[gametime10]

Man, I'm strongly tempted to make the same upgrade. Where did you buy the hard drive? And how big is the performance difference? Is it noticeable?

[galarneau]

I bought it second hand from someone who ordered it by mistake. It's a nice drive. A little louder than the old drive, but pretty quiet overall.

The performance increase is definitely noticeable. My iBook feels more like I'm using a desktop Mac now.

[gametime10]

Very tempting. I'm going to wait to see if there are new powerbooks, and make a decision then. I looked at the HD replacement guide from pbfixit, and it looked really intimidating. But I suppose if you go one step at a time, it's doable.

[gametime10]

Does changing the HDD affect the Sudden Motion Sensor feature? Also any effect on battery life or heat (do the fans come on more than before)?

[galarneau]

Actually, my new drive draws less power than the old slower drive.

[dosequis]

how do I transfer my data from my old drive to my new one if i were to do it my self?

[wataru]

As someone who has replaced the hard drive in an iBook G4 before, I can assure you that it is not easy, and it will void your warranty.

That said, as soon as Travelstar 7K100s are more widely available I will probably upgrade my iBook even though it is still covered by AppleCare.

To transfer the data, just get an external FireWire case and copy the data over before you swap.

[dosequis]

The whole voiding of the warranty and the fact that I have never done anything like this before makes me very nervous. I would rather pay one of the two online retailers to do it but is the price that they are asking too expensive for the process?

[galarneau]

I backed up my data to my home server over the network. You could buy an external hard drive enclosure and put the old drive into that to access the data.

[wataru]

Originally Posted by dosequis

The whole voiding of the warranty and the fact that I have never done anything like this before makes me very nervous. I would rather pay one of the two online retailers to do it but is the price that they are asking too expensive for the process?

They charge enough that I personally think it wouldn't be worth it. Put that money towards a new iBook.

[galarneau]

I was at my local CompUSA this evening. They have a list of their prices for doing upgrades. It's $30 to put in a hard drive.

I asked the guy if that includes laptops. He said "Yes". I asked if that included Apple laptops, and he said that it did. He added that they even have an Apple certified tech and that they are an Apple authorized repair center so that it won't void your warranty.

So if there is a CompUSA in your area, give them a shot. Just make sure they give you your old drive back afterwards.

[nJm]

I've been quoted AU$100 (US$75) to have a new HD installed in an iBook at an Apple Centre.