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Replacing the harddrive in iBook g4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
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i mistakingly bought the lowest model iBook, because it was the only one that the local reseller had, the day they came out.. so with just a 30GB hard drive, i'm not too happy.
after a little research, im guessing that the only model hard drive that will fit will be the Fujitsu MHT2030AT which is what the ibook has already, but i found higher capacities in the same model.
i found an article displaying how to open up the ibook and get to the guts.. i just want to know if this is recommended, if anyone has done this before? and if the 80GB model will fit inside..
also i want to know if there are cheaper hard drives availible that will fit as well..
i eventually plan on replacing the optical drive with a superdrive, that mod looks pretty neat as well. .
anyways thanks.
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2000
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Originally posted by shockme17:
also i want to know if there are cheaper hard drives availible that will fit as well..
shockme17: Any 9.5mm high 2.5" HDD will fit in the iBooks, including the G4. But if you had to ask about that, I'm skeptical that it is a smart idea for you to open up your iBook. You can get good prices at ZipZoomFly (formerly GoogleGear). Just do a search for "Travelstar" to find a variety of IBM-Hitachi 2.5" notebook drives. The 5400rpm 60GB Travelstar at $151 looks like a great choice. IBM Hitachi is the brand I prefer, other brand (e.g. Fujitsu or Toshiba) 2.5" drives will work too.
Escher
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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Until we get a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook, the 12-inch PowerBook will do.
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
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yes im a bit of a novice. but i think it will be a neat little project for me. thanks for the link to that site..
now is there any heat/or battery problems if i go with a higher rpm?
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2000
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Originally posted by shockme17:
yes im a bit of a novice. but i think it will be a neat little project for me. thanks for the link to that site..
now is there any heat/or battery problems if i go with a higher rpm?
I've heard mixed reports about battery life, but if there is a reduction, it should be minimal (10-20 minutes maybe). As for the "neat little project," it's obviously up to you. If you decide to go for it, make sure to have a large clean work surface and keep track of every single screw (e.g. people have taped them to paper and numbered them in order). Search the iBook forum for reports and a useful PDF with instructions that you can print for reference while your iBook is cracked open.
Escher
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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Until we get a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook, the 12-inch PowerBook will do.
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Admin Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
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Disassembling an iBook is not something the weekend gadgeteer should attempt. We're talking about 40+ screws, most of which are smaller than a peppercorn. The problem is keeping track of which screw goes in which hole, especially when there are 4 holes next to each other, not all of which are suppost to accept a screw at that stage of reassembly.
I highly advise you to not mess with the innards of an iBook: it is a task requiring advanced experience.
tooki
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
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thanks for the advice guys.. but even before i think about making the attempt myself, im searching for a cheap hard drive/superdrive.
are there any good sites that have used parts? ive checked on ebay to no avail. ive been hoping to find some damaged ibooks or powerbooks that i could possible demo taking it apart and or possibly ripping out the drives from one and putting them into the other..
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Old Country
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tooki is right, those have around 30-40+ Screws to take out. Most of those are of different length/size, not all are need to be taken out, and even for a skilled tech it take about an hour and a half or so to install a HD in them. Aside from the difficulty this will also void one's warranty, I suggest taking it into a service center and have them work on it.
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
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i know i know, id just rather do it myself to avoid extra costs, and to install a superdrive, i doubt any service center would do that. eh we'll see how it goes..
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Richmond,Va
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Originally posted by shockme17:
i know i know, id just rather do it myself to avoid extra costs, and to install a superdrive, i doubt any service center would do that. eh we'll see how it goes..
http://www.mcetech.com/dvdrwibkg4.html
It will cost some money though. I think you would be better off selling your iBook and putting the money toward another one. The cost of a hard drive and Superdrive would be the difference between your iBook and a new one.
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: London, UK
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I wouldn't recomend opening her up - couldn't you live with an external firewaire hard drive.
If you are going to some work a cooker / oven top is a great place to work on computers because it is grounded. Static is a killer - if you don't work on the cooker at least do it in a room with no carpet - something like a hard wood floor.
As for the superdrive be careful what model you source if you wantto be able to boot from CD
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Parker, Colorado
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Originally posted by ixus_123:
I wouldn't recomend opening her up - couldn't you live with an external firewaire hard drive.
<snip>
This is what I've been considering. I bought a spanking new 12" G4 iBook at the panther premere, and I love it. Just wish I had BTO'd it so I could get bluetooth and a bigger drive... but then wouldn't've gotten the 10% off the purchase. The stock 30 gig is fine for me until I dump and hour of DV on for editing... then things get strapped. Think I've only got 4gigs available on it right now. Sounds like a good excuse for an iPod, eh?
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Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
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