page 1 | page 2 Once you've turned your computer in to whoever's fixing it (including yourself), be patient. Other people have massive system failures at the same time you do. If you plan on doing it yourself, be sure to have a method of discharging static before you open the casing. Static electricity can fry important bits of your computer's insides that you might not even notice. Also, be SURE to keep good track of your screws. There are at least 22 screws on the Powerbook G4 casing. 2 require an iddy-bitty hex-wrench (the ones on the top, located closer to your screen above the speakers). Some of them are located INSIDE panels. For instance, two of the screws are inside the flash ram panel, and two are under the battery. The screws come in various lengths, and you need very small screw drivers to remove them. Once you get the case off, which will require a flat head to pop the top piece off, be careful lifting the top piece, as the mouse-touchpad area is attached with a flat ribbon cable to the motherboard. There's more screws on the inside, and you have to lift the mother board to detach the drive and replace it. Keep in mind, also, when ordering your hard drive, that different laptops and models use different connectors. My Powerbook G4 uses an ATA connector hard drive, 2.5". Granted, that means very little to the layman. But trust me, when it comes to putting it into your computer, it's something you really want to be assured of. Try to be savvy about what brand of drive you're getting. I did some product comparisons based on user reviews, and I went with a Seagate. The alternative on the website I went to was a Fujitsu, and frankly I don't want someone who makes cameras to make the hard drive in my laptop. There's tons of user reviews on each different brand of hard drive, you just have to pick which one you want to believe. My mac CAME with a Toshiba drive to begin with. On the discussion forum at the Apple Support Website (link below), I checked to see what other people had bought. I went with a Seagate. One of the up-sides to having to replace parts on a computer that is still serviceable is that you can upgrade them and usually there is little to no extra charge. I upgraded from an 80gb drive to a 100gb drive, and from 5400 to 7200 rpm. This may end up meaning nothing in the long run, but as I tend to do quite a bit of power-multitasking, a faster, larger drive seemed like a good idea. I got my new drive from Other World Computing, which I've found to be and had recommended as a reliable company to order computer parts from. It took them 3-5 business days to get the computer back, but the installation was handled and the computer functions now. With luck, you'll get your computer faster than I got mine. More luck to you than me, hopefully this helped! STICKY - NOTES Here's a SUPER helpful tip. If your hard drive starts to make funny noises, if your computer starts stalling more often than you're used to... if you think the standby light is cycling funny, or if your background just looks like it's sassing you -- BACK UP YOUR FILES. It's possible, sometimes, to recover information from a faulty disk, but it can be expensive and frustrating. It's better to think ahead and purchase an external drive. You can save yourself a lot of stress and anger by doing that. Keep in mind that external hard drives can go bad as well. Periodically turn off your music and listen to the drive. Most run virtually silent. You should be able to tell if something's going wrong with it. "Powerbook G4 Hard Drive Upgrade Guide" Mac's Support Website, specifically for G4 Powerbooks: Even MORE helpful than that, the Apple Support Website's Discussion board, which may ACTUALLY answer your questions. page 1 | page 2 |
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