[redandwhites]

Hi - suggestions to this problem appreciated! I am stuck for options on how to upgrade to OSX.

Hardware: Powerbook G3 500 (Pismo model)

Issue: Internal DVD/CD drive has gone kaput, replacements will continue to fail when hardware just out of warranty, 265 complaints on Apples website at: http://discusssearch.info.apple.com/[email protected] and it is not considered economical to replace the drive

First Considered Fix: Buy an external USB CD drive

Problem: If I want to upgrade to OSX, I believe extensions get turned off, bye-bye USB functionality, so can't boot from external USB to install OSX.

Second Considered Fix: Buy an external Firewire CD drive (!)

Question: Is this an ideal fix? External firewire CD drives are not cheap - Can I boot from an external firewire CD drive and install OSX onto the HD that way? Any other ideas?

Thanks anyone!

[Big Mac]

You could buy an external Firewire CD drive, but I don't know if you could boot of that drive. (I guess I should try that.) Here are two solutions, ordered from most desirable to least:

1) I agree with you that your best option would probably be to get an external Firewire hard drive. Install OS 9 on that drive, and then make a clone of the OS X Install CD with Disk Copy; save that to your external hard drive. (You would have to be using another Mac to do this, of course) Boot off the external, mount the image CD and install on to your internal drive.

2) Connect your Mac with a firewire cable to another Mac. Restart your Mac holding down T to put your Mac's internal drive into Firewire target disk mode. Put your OS X Install CD into the other Mac and run it. Install it on your Mac's internal drive. Note: These options have you installing OS X from a different drive rather than booting from the CD. The problem is, the OS X Install CD asks you to Restart (and consquently boot from it) before it installs. I don't know if there's a way to bypass this; you should probably post such a question to OS X: General. Perhaps, with this second option, you could reboot the second Mac with the OS X Install CD and then choose your internal drive. I'm not sure that would work, though.

Such a problem really does make one wish OS X could be installed on a drive simply through drag and drop, as the Classic Mac OS allowed. We gain a lot through privileges, but we do lose this substantial flexibility as well.

[hadocon]

Originally posted by redandwhites:
Hi - suggestions to this problem appreciated! I am stuck for options on how to upgrade to OSX.

Hardware: Powerbook G3 500 (Pismo model)

Issue: Internal DVD/CD drive has gone kaput, replacements will continue to fail when hardware just out of warranty, 265 complaints on Apples website at: http://discusssearch.info.apple.com/[email protected] and it is not considered economical to replace the drive

First Considered Fix: Buy an external USB CD drive

Problem: If I want to upgrade to OSX, I believe extensions get turned off, bye-bye USB functionality, so can't boot from external USB to install OSX.

Second Considered Fix: Buy an external Firewire CD drive (!)

Question: Is this an ideal fix? External firewire CD drives are not cheap - Can I boot from an external firewire CD drive and install OSX onto the HD that way? Any other ideas?

Thanks anyone!

Perhaps you could try installing to the Powerbook if you use it in Target Disk Mode.

To do this you must hook your Powerbook up to another Mac via FireWire and boot your Powerbook while holding the T button. Your Powerbooks HD will mount on the other Mac as if it were an external FireWire HD. Put the install CD in the other Mac and choose your Powerbook's HD as the disk to install onto. Et voila!

Let us know if this works

[Eriamjh]

I had a powerbook G3 500 with a failed DVD drive. AppleCare sent me a new one. I know that option is not good for you (cost-wise).

If you buy an external FW CD-ROM, you should be able to boot from it. I had an external FW HD and I was able to install OSX on it AND boot from it. That was how I tested OSX for about a month before I installed it on the built-in HD.

OSX should be able to install over/on the same partition as OS9 without messing it up. I would optimize the OS9 drive before installing OSX to remove any gaps in HD space.

I wouldn't bother with a USB CD-ROM drive. Too slow. Get a FW version and a CD-RW/DVD Combo drive that works with iTunes/Finder. Then you can burn CDs and backup before you install OSX. A 16x FW CD-RW shouldn't cost you too much.

Otherwise, sell it an upgrade to a Ti or Al PB.

[hadocon]

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
I had a powerbook G3 500 with a failed DVD drive. AppleCare sent me a new one. I know that option is not good for you (cost-wise).

If you buy an external FW CD-ROM, you should be able to boot from it. I had an external FW HD and I was able to install OSX on it AND boot from it. That was how I tested OSX for about a month before I installed it on the built-in HD.

OSX should be able to install over/on the same partition as OS9 without messing it up. I would optimize the OS9 drive before installing OSX to remove any gaps in HD space.

I wouldn't bother with a USB CD-ROM drive. Too slow. Get a FW version and a CD-RW/DVD Combo drive that works with iTunes/Finder. Then you can burn CDs and backup before you install OSX. A 16x FW CD-RW shouldn't cost you too much.

Otherwise, sell it an upgrade to a Ti or Al PB.

I still like my solution. Booting into Target Disk mode will cost this guy nothing an dwill work. end of story.

[bstone]

All I can say is fight the future.....

get your Pismo an internal CD-RW/DVD-ROM

http://reviews.macnn.com/review.php?id=33

[Fallout]

I used my FireWire CD-RW to install OSX and OS9 several times.

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by Fallout:
I used my FireWire CD-RW to install OSX and OS9 several times.

What kind is it? I can't boot from my LaCie FireWire CD-RW.