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Cottonsworth · Oct 28, 2006, 12:13 AM

I just recently acquired a Titanium PowerBook G4 400mhz. Currently, it has 384mb of ram, an airport card, 10gig hard drive, and Jaguar.

I'm weighing in on thinking whether or not I should keep it as a backup notebook, in case my MacBook develops RSS. If that were to happen, I would use the Titanium PowerBook to run MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, and web browsing to get me by with school stuff.

If I were to keep the Titanium, does anyone have an opinion on what OS I should run on it to obtain its optimal speed? Since it was designed for Jaguar, would that run the fastest? Or maybe Panther or Tiger? Or would those slow it down?

Also, since this machine is rather old, would I be able to reap any benefits by dropping a 100gig 7200rpm hard drive in there as opposed to using a 5400rpm (I don't know if the machine can regulate how fast the hard drive can run and can even make use of 7200rpm.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to run a Titanium. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated! Thank you.

SierraDragon · Oct 28, 2006, 12:35 AM

A similar TiBook is in my quiver, and it runs simple apps like Office, Safari and Filemaker fine with OS 10.4.6. I would not bother with any fast hard drive though; think cheap, saving your money for MacIntel. Nice refurb pricing came out today: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...9Gn6coltnfJVkg

-Allen Wicks

gooser · Oct 28, 2006, 01:31 AM

for a backup computer and your needs, no need to pimp it up. everything you mentioned will run fine in jaguar. maybe panther if you already have a copy. no more memory is needed. you didn't mention anything about storing data, why more hard drive space? you could spend a fortune upgrading this machine and for what? you have a macbook. the less money you have in this machine the less you will feel the need to baby it. they're delicate enough as they are.

p.s. have some fun and horse around with os9. your macbook can't do that.

amazing · Oct 28, 2006, 08:50 AM

My former Ti-400 runs 10.4.8 just fine. Since slipping a larger HD into the Ti is so easy, you should find a good deal on a larger HD. For example, I got a Seagate 120 GB for $100 on sale, which is very easy to slip into a 2.5" case. Like this one, $50:

macally PHR-250CE Data Encrypt External Enclosure - Retail at Newegg.com

You can keep the 10 GB HD in that, to use as backup of your critical docs. Later on, when you pass the Ti-400 on to someone else, you pop the 10 GB back into the Ti, and use the 100 GB in the fw-400 case with your new laptop.

The Ti-400 would be great for a high school student, or anyone needing to write papers. It does fairly well on the internet, not a speed demon, but adequate. With the larger HD, you could also use it as an entertainment center, by loading all your music onto it and connecting it to your stereo. Setup your playlists and you're good to go.

The internal card is totally inadequate. Mine had a range of no more than 25 feet. However, I found a Buffalo wireless pc-card for $25 that gave it the same range as an iBook--awesome! You can probably get $80 for the internal card. Or, you can leave it in, just popping in the wireless pc-card when you need it.

rjt1000 · Oct 28, 2006, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Cottonsworth

I'm trying to figure out the best way to run a Titanium. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated! Thank you.

I've found my slightly older Pismo G3 500 with 768mb RAM runs Panther and Tiger just fine. With less memory, you would probably do better with Panther.

I keep my Pismo around, not only as a backup, but also for running apps like iTunes or Skype that I want to keep running for long periods, at the same time I am doing the "real work" on my 12 inch PB G4 1.33. That gives me the full processor power on the G4 PB for the main apps.

If you need wifi, I agree that you should sell off the airport card and use the procedes to buy a PCMCIA card like this one

The 10gb drive is puny by today's standards, and it is probably worth picking up an inexpensive 20-40 gb drive on eBay and dropping it in to your Ti-book. Here's how.

Enjoy the Ti, but don't put too much money in it. It's life is, of course, limited.

Enjoy

Madison · Oct 28, 2006, 10:06 AM

I too have a 400mhz TiBook. I have a Dell TrueMobile 1300 wireless card that plugs into the PC card slot, and it works fantastic, I use it all over my house with hardly any loss of signal. Best of all, they're available on eBay for about $17.00 using buy it now.

Have fun,
Tom

romeosc · Oct 28, 2006, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by rjt1000

I've found my slightly older Pismo G3 500 with 768mb RAM runs Panther and Tiger just fine. With less memory, you would probably do better with Panther.

I keep my Pismo around, not only as a backup, but also for running apps like iTunes or Skype that I want to keep running for long periods, at the same time I am doing the "real work" on my 12 inch PB G4 1.33. That gives me the full processor power on the G4 PB for the main apps.

If you need wifi, I agree that you should sell off the airport card and use the procedes to buy a PCMCIA card like this one

The 10gb drive is puny by today's standards, and it is probably worth picking up an inexpensive 20-40 gb drive on eBay and dropping it in to your Ti-book. Here's how.

Enjoy the Ti, but don't put too much money in it. It's life is, of course, limited.

Enjoy

With a cheap 40 - 60 GB drive in it, clone as a backup and it will be available for disasters, theft or damage to your main system. I also keep a Ti500 around for guests to use to access internet wirelessly and not use my computers with critical data for prying eyes!

Cottonsworth · Oct 28, 2006, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by amazing

The internal card is totally inadequate. Mine had a range of no more than 25 feet. However, I found a Buffalo wireless pc-card for $25 that gave it the same range as an iBook--awesome! You can probably get $80 for the internal card. Or, you can leave it in, just popping in the wireless pc-card when you need it.

Wow, why can I still get $80 for the internal card if one can get a Buffalo card for a much cheaper price? (I really do appreciate the advice, sounds like a good idea since the internal airport does have a very limited range).

I actually have a 7200rpm 100gig hard drive laying around that I took out of my Powerbook 17" before I sold it. Since I can't use that hard drive in the new MacBook and MBPs, I was weighing in if I should resell it, use some of the proceeds towards a cheaper 5400rpm and keep the rest of the change in my pocket.

It sounds like the consensus is to go with Panther.

Looks like I will need a backup, I may have spoke to soon when I originally made this post, but I dropped off my MacBook at the Apple Store today to fix a hinge issue, now it will be out for 7-10 days. :/

BadApple · Oct 29, 2006, 06:02 AM

I have a 550 MHz Ti PB which I use for mostly iTune radio and copying DVDs to external HDs via MacTheRipper now as I already have a 15" 1.25 MHz PB, 12" 1.5 MHz PB, and 12" 1.33 MHz iBook already. I put in a 100 GB HD in Ti because of the original 20GB is too small (it is very easy to upgrade the HD with Ti as you only take off the bottom part of the Ti and you have the full access to the HD right away).
My Ti is running the most recent Tiger (10.4.8) without any problem. It does not show the eye candy "ripple effect" thingy. But, other than that, everything works well.

amazing · Oct 29, 2006, 07:00 AM

The internal airport card is a good card, it's the antenna design in the Ti that's at fault. All that metal casing, with inadequate antenna windows...The same card is in the iBook, where it gets most excellent reception.

Since the orginal 11-b internal card is no longer made, you can get a good price for it. People still need it to go into a G3 iBook, for example, or an iMac. Used to be they were selling for $125.

Yep, keep that fast 100 GB HD, you can always put it in an external case later on, it'll be very handy with the MB. Meanwhile, you'll see a decent speed increase by popping it into the Ti-400.

What's with the hinge deal? Is yours a black MB with the terribly squeaky hinge? Didn't you just get it--and if so, you've got a problem with the hinge so quickly?

Cottonsworth · Oct 29, 2006, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by amazing

What's with the hinge deal? Is yours a black MB with the terribly squeaky hinge? Didn't you just get it--and if so, you've got a problem with the hinge so quickly?

I got my Black MB from another forum member. He got it in August and when I got it, it seemed to be in the like-new condition that he described it when he sold it to me. No scratches, no dead pixels, etc. After using it for a day, I noticed that the hinge was very squeaky. That is not a big deal but then I noticed that the LCD part of the MB was rubbing against the body part on one corner causing the corner to bend in and show discoloration. I don't blame the person that sold me the Black MB since it wasn't doing that when I got it as the corner showed no signs of wear. It didn't happen until I started using it for a day, so I think the timing was purely coincidental.

I wish I would have gotten that Buffalo card when I had my Powerbook 17" since I always wondered why other people in the classroom was getting internet reception and I wasn't. Oh well. :/

romeosc · Oct 29, 2006, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Cottonsworth

I got my Black MB from another forum member. He got it in August and when I got it, it seemed to be in the like-new condition that he described it when he sold it to me. No scratches, no dead pixels, etc. After using it for a day, I noticed that the hinge was very squeaky. That is not a big deal but then I noticed that the LCD part of the MB was rubbing against the body part on one corner causing the corner to bend in and show discoloration. I don't blame the person that sold me the Black MB since it wasn't doing that when I got it as the corner showed no signs of wear. It didn't happen until I started using it for a day, so I think the timing was purely coincidental.

I wish I would have gotten that Buffalo card when I had my Powerbook 17" since I always wondered why other people in the classroom was getting internet reception and I wasn't. Oh well. :/

Cheaper than the buffalo card is to buy an old dead apple base station for $15 and take the card out! It works great!

rjt1000 · Oct 29, 2006, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by romeosc

With a cheap 40 - 60 GB drive in it, clone as a backup and it will be available for disasters, theft or damage to your main system.

Good advice, in general. One consideration, though, the original poster has a Macbook and a clone of an intel mac system won't run on a G4 system or vice versa.

ChasingApple · Nov 1, 2006, 02:19 AM

I am using Tiger on my 366Mhz Clamshell right now (testing it out) and over the last 3 days I have found it to run quite well. Normally I run Panther on this machine but I think I'm going to keep Tiger on it. Mostly this is my couch surfing machine, nothing CPU intensive. Also it makes a very good home stereo! Hook it up to some good speakers and use iTunes all day for music. Battery life is so dang good I can go 6-7 hours (high capacity battery) before I need to plug it in.

Install that 100GB HD in there, get yourself one of those cheaper yet better wifi cards, and toss Tiger on there if you have it. You will be amazed at how well it works, and how much you use it

On a side note if you find yourself using it more then you thought you would (which I predict) go ahead and put 1GB of memory in that sucker, you won't be sorry and it won't cost you a lot.

Cottonsworth · Nov 2, 2006, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by ChasingApple

I am using Tiger on my 366Mhz Clamshell right now (testing it out) and over the last 3 days I have found it to run quite well. Normally I run Panther on this machine but I think I'm going to keep Tiger on it. Mostly this is my couch surfing machine, nothing CPU intensive. Also it makes a very good home stereo! Hook it up to some good speakers and use iTunes all day for music. Battery life is so dang good I can go 6-7 hours (high capacity battery) before I need to plug it in.

Install that 100GB HD in there, get yourself one of those cheaper yet better wifi cards, and toss Tiger on there if you have it. You will be amazed at how well it works, and how much you use it

On a side note if you find yourself using it more then you thought you would (which I predict) go ahead and put 1GB of memory in that sucker, you won't be sorry and it won't cost you a lot.

Ha, I already picked up a 512mb stick, so I'll be pushing 768mb now. The part they need for my Black MacBook is on backorder.....

Cottonsworth · Nov 15, 2006, 05:42 PM

Here is an update to my situation. I practically got a 30gb drive for free and dropped it into my Ti 400 Mhz and also added a 512mb stick. I'm running Tiger and I'm fairly impressed with how smoothly the computer runs. I thought it was going to be a dinosaur but things still flow well. After using Firefox, MS Office, MSN Messenger, and iTunes, the only time I notice the computer boggling down is when there are a lot of flash on webpages. For those that have a couple of bucks laying around, I would highly recommend it for people to get a Ti as a backup laptop in case something happens to your current machine. In the case of my BlackBook, the first repair took one week, but then it came back with a different problem and had to go back to the repair facility. My second wait had a faster turnaround of 3 days but came back with yet another problem.

amazing · Nov 15, 2006, 11:58 PM

With adequate RAM and a large HD, plus a wireless pc-card instead of the internal airport, a Ti-400 is still awesome. I go by and visit my old one sometimes--even though it makes me miss that great screen (compared to the not-so-great screen in my 12" PB.)

And what's up with all the problems with your MB? You sent it back again? Any indication from Apple when they're gonna just replace it for you? Three strikes and Apple's out, no?

SSharon · Nov 16, 2006, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by Cottonsworth

Here is an update to my situation. I practically got a 30gb drive for free and dropped it into my Ti 400 Mhz and also added a 512mb stick. I'm running Tiger and I'm fairly impressed with how smoothly the computer runs. I thought it was going to be a dinosaur but things still flow well. After using Firefox, MS Office, MSN Messenger, and iTunes, the only time I notice the computer boggling down is when there are a lot of flash on webpages. For those that have a couple of bucks laying around, I would highly recommend it for people to get a Ti as a backup laptop in case something happens to your current machine. In the case of my BlackBook, the first repair took one week, but then it came back with a different problem and had to go back to the repair facility. My second wait had a faster turnaround of 3 days but came back with yet another problem.

Just use adblock to block all the flash animations. I do it on my ibook for the same reason.

Cottonsworth · Nov 18, 2006, 01:10 AM

SSharon: Thanks for the tip.

Amazing: I keep on getting my computer back with botched repairs. Apple finally gave me a brand new C2D BlackBook but now I'm considering selling it to upgrade to a MacBook Pro since my whole repair experience has somewhat soured my feelings for the non-Pro Book.

romeosc · Nov 18, 2006, 07:34 AM

...... Also makes a cheap digitial picture frame to display family photos during holiday!

amazing · Nov 18, 2006, 09:16 AM

Cottonsworth: At this point, I'd hold onto it until Leopard comes out, then decide whether to sell and upgrade. You'll certainly know by then whether you're happy with the C2D, whether you want to hold onto it and upgrade it to Leopard, or sell and buy something with Leopard already on it.

Who knows, maybe in 6-8 months time, the MBP will maybe have the newest and greatest Intel chip in it, maybe it will even have a design change to allow easy access to switching out the HD? That would be a design change worth seeing!