[ClaraT]

Ok, I know there's a lot of excitement and buzz about Leopard coming in the next few days and I'm sure most of you will say "Yes, go shopping!!" but I'd like to get your 2 cents on a few things first.

How long does an apple machine typically last? And should one expect the HD to crash at some point?

Here's the deal:
My trusty ibook (G4, 800 Mhz, 640mb) was purchased in Feb. 04. It's been great all this time, but in the past week it has gotten really slooooowww. Even with only one or two programs open it's taking forever for a document to open or some web pages to load. The spinning beachball just keeps spinning.

It also gets hotter faster, there's a lot, I mean a lot of grinding when it first comes on as well as during various times it's in use for a 3-4 hour stretch and the fan starts more often. Last week while working on a major project with a few windows open it just died. Went to black, no notice, no sound, as if the poor thing just collapsed.

My friend who owns a PC thinks a laptop should last a lot longer than three years. I'm very interested in getting a new MacBook, but is there anything that can be done to keep this one running strong and safe and is it worth it? I mainly use it for email, word, web-browsing, database and have recently stored more photos on it and that's about it. No games, no videos.

Also, I'm still using 10.3.9 and have not upgraded to Tiger, mainly because I haven't wanted to lose some of my stuff and I have this idea that it's a big ordeal to move up to Tiger. But with Leopard coming, I know I'm going to have to do this at some point-especially if I buy the a new MacBook since that's what will be on it.

Is there anything I can do to keep my current ibook running better and prevent any irreversible damage such as loss of all the goodies that's on here now?
I don't back up very often, but on occasion will move things to a CD or an extra
storage drive.

Mainly I need permission to go shopping--so what do you think?

Thanks.

[tycheung]

well - the slowness and grinding happened a lot just before my HD died - so it might be you just need to replace the HD. I would back up all the data now ASAP in case your drive might be about to go.


but....the intel macs including the macbooks are such light years ahead of the ibooks, esp the ibook G4, i'd say go for it.

[mduell]

Definitely sounds like a dying hard drive. Copy all your data off of it ASAP if you don't have good backups.
A dead laptop hard drive after 4 years isn't really atypical... laptops see a lot more shock and motion than desktops. Especially since your iBook is so old and low-end that it doesn't have the newer hard drive protection features (accelerometers that can park the heads).

[ghporter]

A noise associated with hard drive activity is a Very Bad Thing®, and as has been said above, indicates that it's time to do a full backup (even if you have done so recently) to capture as much data as you can.

An 800MHz G4 iBook that's three years old or so is on that edge of "have I babied the machine enough or not" decision making. My wife has the same machine, but it sits on her desk 99% of the time, and on her lap in her easy chair the other 1%. It hasn't done much traveling at all and almost no commuting. I expect it to last a while longer before we move her up to a MacBook or MBP. But as I said, that's a lot of babying.

On the other hand, now is a great time to get a new Mac. Take a look at all the features in the MacBook and you'll see that it's leaps and bounds ahead of the iBook line. Faster, bigger drive to start, higher max RAM, more rugged, more built in stuff like Bluetooth... That's a whole lotta stuff in a package that's actually somewhat less expensive than what I paid for my wife's iBook back in January '04. And if you buy AppleCare before the first year is up, you're better protected from "life's little surprises." I know this sounds like an ad, but in your position, I'd be whipping out the plastic and ordering a new MacBook.

[ClaraT]

So, I should wait til Leopard comes out later this week then, and as you say, "whip out the plastic"? Sounds fun to me.

Any suggestions on how I can have all my "stuff" on this one, set up to run smoothly on Leopard. Will I even be able to go from Panther to Leopard and skip Tiger?

Also, will I need to get upgrades or new software for programs that are on my ibook such as Microsoft 2004 for Mac. See, that's the part I resist--having to buy new software because the old programs won't run on the new OS--or am I wrong.

I've been intrigued with some discussions on other posts about a new Macbook coming out with Leopard, so perhaps the timing is just right.

Thanks.

[Cadaver]

Originally Posted by ClaraT 

So, I should wait til Leopard comes out later this week then, and as you say, "whip out the plastic"? Sounds fun to me.

Any suggestions on how I can have all my "stuff" on this one, set up to run smoothly on Leopard. Will I even be able to go from Panther to Leopard and skip Tiger?

Also, will I need to get upgrades or new software for programs that are on my ibook such as Microsoft 2004 for Mac. See, that's the part I resist--having to buy new software because the old programs won't run on the new OS--or am I wrong.

I've been intrigued with some discussions on other posts about a new Macbook coming out with Leopard, so perhaps the timing is just right.

Thanks.

Office 2004 will run just fine on the new machine, as will virtually all of your other applications.

You need not have used OS X 10.4 (Tiger) to move up to Leopard. But you might want to wait until next week to buy, as Leopard will come with the machine.

Apple includes a Migration Asssitant to help move all your stuff. It very easy.

[ClaraT]

Thanks. This is good to know. Sounds like a person can move from one OS to another without any interruption or loss of use.

I like how you said "Leopard comes with the machine." The demo on Apple is downright mouthwatering. It would be nice to know if there were new machines coming out soon-then I'd nurse this ibook along a bit longer. But then again,
the MacBooks that are out now have a proven track record.

Anyway, thanks again for the sound advice. It's been very helpful.

[besson3c]

Replacement drives are so cheap these days that if you can't afford to upgrade, don't. If your machine is out of warranty, obtaining an Apple service guide is easy enough - they detail how to open your case so you can install a new hard drive. Of course, any Apple certified tech can also do this for you.

It doesn't sound to me like you really need a new computer since your iBook will work just fine once you've replaced the drive. Getting a new computer is like getting a new car because it needs new brakes.

[ClaraT]

Can you recommend a replacement drive then and where to buy one? This might be a good idea for when I do pass this computer on.

ibook, 800, G4, 640mb

Thank you.

[tycheung]

i like Hitachi's current crop of travelstar drives over most of the other notebook offerings. You'll probably need the IDE or PATA version, not the SATA. Newegg.com is where I generally get my drives, although OWC (eshop.macsales.com) isn't bad either and is more Mac centric.

The catch is the iBook G4's hard drive is a total nightmare to replace on your own unless you like to fiddle around with disassembling electronics - you'd probably have to send it into a place like Tekserve or your local Apple store to do it.

Of note...on the other hand the Macbook's hard drive bay, however, is almost ridiculously simple to replace - I was really impressed. As long as you have a sized T8 Torx screwdriver lying around...

[HazMacFan]

Also remember with a new MacBook, you can transfer all your data with a Firewire cable between it and the iBook in Firewire mode. As long as your hard drive is still alive that is.

[ClaraT]

Ok, so now I was all set to get a new MacBook but I'm hearing it is possible to drop a new HD in this ibook which would clearly save a bundle, right? Hmmmm?

Will I be able to run Leopard on one of the HDs you recommend, tycheung? If no Leopard, then no deal. Roughly what would the total cost be if I buy a new HD, pay Apple tech to install and buy Leopard-providing I can use Leopard?

And then how would I transfer what's on the current HD to the new HD? Put the old one in an enclosure?

Tell me it's better to buy the MacBook, please. I've got to travel tomorrow with my ibook and I always baby it in my Waterfield case, but I am sweating bullets it'll stay alive for another week or so. There's an Apple store where I'm going, so I'm carrying plenty of plastic.

Thanks again.

[HazMacFan]

For my iBook when I ran out of disk space I sent it to MCETech and they installed a 5400 rpm hard drive for me. They installed Tiger back on it and sent back the old drive. You could choose to do that, I haven't checked their pricing lately on the installation. I do remember they shipped me a box to put the iBook in and the whole process took almost 10 days with the upgraded shipping. I now have 100 GB on my iBook and have extended the life of the iBook. The old drive is sitting in an external firewire case.

Of course I would like a MacBook but this was cheaper for now.

[ClaraT]

Unfortunately I'm working in such a way these days that I couldn't be without my computer for that length of time.

But, this is good info for keeping an old ibook going or passing it on.

[tycheung]

well, technically, you can in theory run leopard in your ibook after paying for a new drive and having someone install it but i'd bet it'd be kind of slow.

this is the min. requirement for leopard per the Apple Store:

Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor
• 512MB of physical RAM
• DVD drive for installation

In terms of pricing, the 250gb hitachi SATA drive I bought from newegg was $189 - I'd bet maybe another $100 or so labor to have someone install - not sure what Apple costs to do it as I always use Tekserve in NYC for my repairs.

Personally, I'd upgrade to the Macbook - you may want to either wait till the new models come out or see if there are any discounts coming up right before the new models come out. I'd also think about springing for extra RAM as well (don't use Apple Store RAM, buy Crucial brand RAM from newegg.com = much cheaper). I was using an iBook G3 800mHz and my macbook is such a huge upgrade in speed and usability it's not even funny (I ordered the stock white macbook configuration and purchased 2 gb RAM from newegg). Even compared with my sister's aluminum PBG4, there's a noticeable difference, and my macbook is only the May 2006 edition

Re: your current HD - I'd find - buy or borrow - an external firewire HD and copy anything of importance to it ASAP - or burn it all into CD's. An external firewire HD is also a convenient way to backup data - depending on how important it is, 1-2x a month is probably ok (some people do daily if they feel it's that important). If you, in theory, bought a macbook tomorrow and have a firewire cable lying around, you can connect the iBook G4 to the Macbook's firewire port. Boot the ibook G4 while holding down the T key and the iBook basically loads itself as a firewire drive which your Macbook can read.

[tycheung]

oops - reread your post - if you are going into an apple store for this, the tech genius guy or whatever he is called can prob help you transfer your data too.

rereading the original post....wonder if this isn't also the old iBook G4 motherboard stress crack issue flaring up...