[ChrisDepew]

My iBook G3 has, you guessed it, display problems. Now my first question is this. If I run this up to a monitor, will it still work fine?

Second question is since I know I will have to get a new one. Can the hard drive be taken out of this one, put in a case and used with my new one? Meaning can I use the programs that are on it with a new macbook? That might be a stupid question, I don't know.

[imitchellg5]

1) It depends on what exactly is wrong with it. Maybe, maybe not.

2) You theoretically could run the apps from a new MacBook, but your iBook will have PowerPC apps, MacBook is Intel powered which means they'll run under Rosetta, which is inefficient. And yes, you can put the HD in a case.

[ChrisDepew]

Thanks. Anyone else had luck with hooking it up to monitor?

[Doc HM]

You'll need an adapter to connect your iBook to an external screen. One should have come with your iBook. If the problem is with the display or the cable then the external monitor will work fine. If the problem is with the graphics chip then you'll have the same problems.

Your drive will work just fine in an external enclosure, but it's probably not worth the effort. Just connect the iBook to your new Macbook via firewire (or usb if it's a really early clamshell) and use migration assistant to pull all the data onto your new Mac.

[EndlessMac]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Your drive will work just fine in an external enclosure, but it's probably not worth the effort. Just connect the iBook to your new Macbook via firewire (or usb if it's a really early clamshell) and use migration assistant to pull all the data onto your new Mac.

I agree. It wouldn't be worth the effort to transfer your old hard drive into your new one. As Doc HM said it's better to use Migration Assistance to transfer all your files over to your new computer instead of swapping hard drives. Migration Assistance is Apple's solution to the situation you are having and basically everyone else who upgrades to a new computer. You can also do it manually yourself with Target Disk Mode using Firewire if you prefer.

You do have to keep in mind that the new Macbooks have Snow Leopard installed so maybe not all of your applications will work. I actually was in a similar situation as you because I went from PPC to Intel Macs recently also but I only went from Leopard to Snow Leopard so almost all of my applications worked in Snow Leopard. The ones that didn't work usually had updates to make them work in Snow Leopard. It's really not that hard to bring your data over from your old computer. It just takes time if you have a lot of data.