Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with iBook

Help me recover data from an old iBook HDD

saraswati — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:38:51 -0800

How can I recover data from an iBook (G4) HDD using my new Intel-based MacBook? A few years ago I had an iBook G4 that died of a logic board failure. The HDD, as far as I know, is still intact. I have a MacBook now and would really like to retrieve some things that I never backed up from that old drive. What's the easiest way for me to do this myself? Are there any external enclosures I could use that would just work with an iBook drive right out of the box? Thanks!

WiFi to router, but no further?

cameradv — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:55:47 -0800

My daughter has an iBook G4, running OSX 10.5 (Leopard). She's in Argentina, and having issues with the wireless connection. I need a little MetaFilter brain power: She can connect to the router in her apartment (she rents a room), and she can access 192.168.1.1, and gets router login prompt. But she can't get out to the Internet. She put OpenDNS IP addresses in the DNS entries for the wireless card.

She has limited control over the hardware in her apartment. It appears to be a Dlink DWL 800 AP plugged into a Tenda TEH800S switch, with a Zyxtel 645 Prestige ADSL modem connected too.

Other people in her apartment allegedly can get out via wireless. And there's no indication that there's any WEP or WPA protection. the AP is set to channel 6.

Rain rain go away, although this game is moderately fun to play

Your Time Machine Sucks — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:29:06 -0800

Awesome but slightly rambunctious 8th grade class going on a school trip to the country. Rain is possible. Possibility of ultra-rare recreational computer access is likely to be a highly compelling reward for good behavior. The kids speak German. With all of these givens, what non-crack-like game should I install on the beater iBook G3 12" running 10.4 that I'm sending the teacher off with? Disclaimers: there is already a no-tech primary rain strategy involving books, indoor sports, board games, the lost art of conversation, etc. For those folks who feel that every second of a trip out of the city should be technology-free, I think the goal here is that nearly all of the seconds should be technology-free, but only a newbie teacher wouldn't keep an ace in the hole on a weeklong trip. For those folks who feel that every second of kid technology exposure should be educational, I'm mostly setting up the computer so the kids can take and store photos and blog their trip if they get antsy, [see last clause of previous sentence]. Just write me privately if you're bothered by the underlying premise, that's totally fine and I won't bite.

So, Mac-compatible non-system-demanding games which don't specifically require English skills (a few words are fine or even possibly beneficial), ideally which don't have unusually addictive qualities, with bonus points for having a cooperative mode. If you can further suggest something with redeeming virtues, I'd be most indebted. Thanks!

Pimp Mom's clambook!

mdonley — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:08:23 -0800

What free/low-cost/simple kinds of things can be done to the clamshell G3 iBook my mom uses for really basic web stuff to make it function better? So mom got this thing from a friend of my teenage brother for, like, a hundred dollars or something. The friend wiped it, installed OS 10.2.8, and handed it over; she started using it. And she loves it! She's never had a computer of her own before. It runs pretty smoothly when she checks her e-mail or reads the news, considering its advanced age: Firefox can have multiple tabs open, starts up pretty quickly, no huge, glaring technical issues - day to day, it does what it says on the box, so to speak.

However (according to her):

- Things are slooooow...not achingly slow, but enough to be frustrating for her. It's got 128 MB of RAM, a 4 GB hard drive, and has a 366 MHz PowerPC processor. Are we doomed, or can we quicken things a bit?

- There's no word processor, so .doc attachments to e-mails aren't readable (as far as we know). Lightweight (but .doc-friendly) apps to solve this? Could the thing run a version of Microsoft Word that wouldn't paralyze it or be incompatible with what's around today?

- Lots of streaming web content doesn't work. She says that videos, audio, that kind of thing have caused problems or just been invisible. This isn't too surprising, but can anything be done? Are there plugins we can get to ameliorate this, or are we hosed?

Any other advice? We're happy to invest some money in this if it keeps it usable for a while. The primary uses of this machine are, again:

1) E-mailing (web-based only - not using Mail, etc.)
2) News reading
3) Pretty light web browsing: buying the odd plane ticket, reading a New Yorker article, looking at a Flickr album, that kind of thing.

Thanks!

Is it my iBook battery or something more sinister?

kmtiszen — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:51:17 -0800

iBook G4 battery is out of juice. Computer won't start up... even when AC adapter is plugged in. Is there something else going on? I'm going to be purchasing a MacBook soon, but I'd first want to unload my old G4. It's about four-years-old and the battery, to my best knowledge, is pretty much kaput. I can't even get the computer to start up when the AC power adapter is plugged in. Is this a symptom of the battery's age or do you think there's some deeper issue here? Could the adapter port be mangled beyond repair?

I'd like to replace the battery before selling... it's still a great machine when it's up and running. But if it's not the battery, I'd rather not go through the hassle and just sell the silly thing for parts.

Any advice is really appreciated!

Thanks!

Resell an ibook: fix it?

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:09:03 -0800

A question about reselling an ibook g4 with a broken screen. I'm in the market for a new laptop (probably looking at a macbook, yes I will wait until after WWDC), most notably because the screen on my ibook g4 is horribly broken. But here's the question: is it worth it to try and replace the screen before I resell it? I can probably manage this for around $130, but don't know if the resell value will be boosted enough to make it worth my while.

also, what is a fair price to ask for a 14'' ibook g4 running Tiger with a 60g HDD, 512 MB RAM and a 1.42ghz processor? (both with good screen and a bum screen, if possible). I'll most likely be selling on craigslist or ebay.

Thinking Of Getting A G4 iBook Or PowerBook

Brian Puccio — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:06:42 -0800

I've currently got a HP Mini-Note 2133 running Ubuntu. I was going to take a stab at installing OS X on it this coming weekend when I realized I could get a 12" iBook or PowerBook G4 for roughly the same price and it would still be small enough I wouldn't mind carrying it around with me all the time and it would run OS X with no hassle. I'd keep my MacPro as my primary workstation that I use for image editing and such, this would just be for email and for surfing the web on the go. If I get a G4 era laptop and install Leopard on it (want to use Back to My Mac after I roll my own dot mac) will I have any issues? I've only recently become a Mac user after years on Linux, so I never used a PPC-based system. Will application like Camino, Mail, Adium, etc all run with no problems? This is what the universal binary thing is all about, right? Anything else I should be aware of? Any tips or tricks for slimming down 10.5 to make it run better on the older hardware? Thanks!

Can I switch iBook power cords, white brick vs. yoyo style?

HuronBob — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:12:39 -0800

Can I use a powercord from an older ibook on a newer ibook if the output voltage and amps are the same? My daughter has an ibook with a broken cord (right at the plug, no room to solder it), it's the white brick style. I've got a spare power cord from an older iBook, the round yoyo style. Plug ends are identical, the plug fits fine, both are 24v, 1.875 a output.

Tell me, is this a no brainer that it will work just fine, or am I going to fry her iBook?

Preventative Maintenance on a 14" G4 iBook

rossination — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:32:29 -0800

Preventative care for potential video/screen issues on an aging iBook? I have a 3 year old G4 iBook that I'd like to get another 1 or 2 years out of, at least. Other than a very low battery, it's working just fine, except for some scary things that I'm getting with the screen sometimes.

When I close the laptop, about 30% of the time the screen will go mostly blue (I think it's blue -- I don't have it in front of me) for a second, then return to normal. It looks as if one of the colors (R/G/B) is temporarily giving out, and then fuzzing back into place. I am assuming that this has something to do with the connection from the computer to the screen, as it only happens when I'm moving the lid.

Is there anything I can do right now, other than be extra-careful with it, to try to keep this from breaking sooner than I'd like? Any advice from owners of older mac portables is appreciated.

Help! My Leopard is changing its spots!

annabellee — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:12:35 -0800

My iBook G4 is possessed! Please help perform an exorcism. Suddenly many things are wrong with my iBook G4 running Leopard. There is a white box over the right-hand side of my menubar, and Spotlight, Airport, clock, and all my startup items (Quicksilver, WeatherDock, MenuCalendarClock) are gone.

I can't open many applications that might help (including Disk Utility, Finder Help, System Preferences). I cannot open Mail, but I am indeed online as I can open Firefox and Fetch and use them. I tried inserting the Leopard Disk and reinstalling, but I can't run the install program. I repaired permissions in single user mode (startup with Command-S, run fsck) and my hard drive seems to be fine.

I plugged in my backup drive and tried to restore from Time Machine. I get the Time Machine interface, but I can't click on any past backup windows.

When I place the mouse cursor over the white rectangle on the menubar, I get the beach ball. I am unable to shut down or logout without doing a hard restart. I can't get to System Preferences to create a new user to see if it's particular to my login.

Please help. I know Leopard requires more memory than I have, but I have been running it since release with next to no problems.

What to do with an old iBook and iPod?

methylsalicylate — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:00:13 -0800

What to do with an old iBook and iPod? The iPod is an original 5GB model, FireWire only, and still has good battery life. iBook is one of those non-G4 white ones, has had a battery replacement, and the DVD drive doesn't work (I use an external LaCie drive but otherwise everything is hunky dory).

I bought a new MacBook to cope with work needs and a new iPod because the old one is too big to take running. I hate throwing things away. I think recycling is dangerous, inefficient and in terms of the people who handle doing it, only borderline ethical. I've seen this page and have no problems being hands-on with hardware. Unfortunately the only option there I would consider is making a new external hard drive, but couldn't I do something with the iPod to make it suitable for essential backups and do something better with the iBook instead? Keep in mind I'm in the north of England before suggesting places to donate it. I lead a reasonably stripped-down life and use no computer other than a laptop so have no desire for a second laptop running linux or working as a home server or whatever. Ditto a digital photo thingy. Any ideas?

what's a broken iBook worth?

anadem — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:34:38 -0800

A repair shop destroyed a non-working iBook. What would be a reasonable recompense? My hard-up student daughter took her mostly-dead iBook for repair (screen went fuzzy while booting, and the boot-up didn't complete). She paid $100 up front for diagnosis. The shop said they thought the cause was broken video cable connection, and quoted $275 to try to repair it (including the $100 diagnosis fee) but said they were not sure that would fix it.

My daughter declined, deciding to have me try to repair it (I'd recently replaced my Powerbook's power card), but left the iBook in the shop several weeks. When she collected the unrepaired machine she saw two or three keytops and the vent screen were missing; for that reason the shop later refunded the $100 diagnostic fee.

A couple of months later (last month), I opened up the iBook case to get some files off the hard disk, and to prep for repair. Inside it's a mess: parts missing and parts broken (details below.) It looks as though someone just threw some parts into the case then shut it, after cannibalizing it. The machine as returned by the shop is utterly beyond repair.

We sent two letters (the second by certified delivery) listing the damage details and asking the repair shop owner to propose a settlement, but had no response whatever. So we're thinking my daughter should send the shop a bill and then to go to small claims if necessary.

Ads for similar used (but working) iBooks ask $250 to $500. How much should we bill the repair shop? Is it reasonable to ask for extra beyond the value of the broken machine? Or to charge for my time (I'm a software engineer of 20+ years)? At a minimum they should surely pay for the parts they did not return. This is in California. Should we contact the BBB?

The machine:

12" iBook G3; 800 MHz, 40GB HD, 640 MB RAM; DVD/CD ROM; Airport card; OSX 10.4

The damage:

Missing: 512 MB add-in RAM; Airport card; modem; heatsink; hard drive connector & ribbon; optical drive ribbon; motherboard-to-power-card cable; all motherboard mounting screws; other small parts;

Broken: chassis has big pieces broken off and missing; optical drive is damaged several different ways.

Lap pad for iBook?

Brocktoon — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:08:26 -0800

Where can I find a laptop lap pad for a 14" iBook that has room for a wired mouse? Thanks!

Appleworks Dock Icon Annoyance

gerls — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:04:06 -0800

Why does the AppleWorks icon appear briefly (and then disappear) on my Dock when I start or wake up my iBook? This is making me ridiculously cranky. Help me minimise my raaaage!

iBook randomly goes gray

brevator — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:48:18 -0800

iBook randomly goes gray... I've got a 3 yr old Mac iBook G4 running OSX 10.4. After using it for anywhere from a few moments to an hour the screen goes gray and stays that way. It appears to be only the screen; if I'm listening to something it continues to play. At first this happened if I put too much pressure on the underside of the machine, but now it happens any time. Also, I used to just restart it and it would come right back, but now it usually restarts into the gray screen (again, I can hear start up sounds, but no visual). I should also mention that often, just as it happens, part of the screen goes negative (very quickly, just like a wipe). If I shut down or let it sit with the lid shut for a couple hours it usually comes back, but a little while later I'm back in the same boat.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Syncing a Razr? More like STINKING A RAZR

Sticherbeast — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:24:33 -0800

iSync question: I'm trying to use a USB cable to sync a Razr V3 with iSync 2.4 on an iBook G4 running Tiger, but something's not clicking. iSync recognizes the phone and it claims to Sync it, but nothing gets added to Address Book. What's the deal? The iBook doesn't have Bluetooth capability, so I can't use that. While I don't expect miracles, I'd also be very interested in learning how to get the photos off of this phone and onto the computer, without simply pix messaging an email address over and over again.

How to fix a malodorous laptop?

speek — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:23:36 -0800

How do you remove an odor from a laptop without killing the laptop (or yourself)? I recently bought a new-to-me iBook G3 from somebody in the middle of Massachusetts. I didn't notice it when I got it, but I realized that the computer smelled like barbecue sauce. It isn't that big of a deal, but it's sooooo annoying.

I did read about the burning glue issue on iBook G3s, but I don't think that's the issue as
a) the whole computer smells like bbq sauce and
b) the cords that came with it smell like bbq sauce.

Thanks!

iBook Battery Woes

rossination — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:10:07 -0800

Anyone have experience with 3rd party batteries for Apple portables? My 2.5-year-old iBook G4 (14 inch) battery is at 13% capacity, with 244 cycles to its name. Time to replace the battery!

I'm looking at my options here. It seems like I could get a battery from Apple for about $130, or I could get something like this, which claims to have better battery life and last longer. I plan on using this computer for at least another 2.5 years, if at all possible, so I'd just as soon get something that will work for a while.

My questions are -- do these really last longer and/or have better battery life? Will they cause my computer to overheat? Will they void my warranty in any way (I have another 6 months on AppleCare). I'm assuming that the answers to the last 2 are "no", but I'm not sure.

Voice over internal modem?

ooklala — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:29:16 -0800

Is it possible to use the modem in an iBook running Tiger to send and receive voice messages? Is there any way to send sound (i.e. a song playing in itunes) over the internal modem? I know it is possible to hear what is going on in the modem but is it possible to send voice (not just data) over my macs internal modem with only software? What about low cost hardware to do this?

I'm not very techy. Just wanna watch some crappy tv on my mac.

dawdle — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:42:51 -0800

How can I get files from my pc laptop to my ibook? I have a pc with files that I want to transfer to an ibook. They are mostly media files so some are quite large. My dvd burner does not work. But I do have an ethernet cable. Can I connect the 2 via ethernet and transfer the files that way ?

Sticky Buttons

SansPoint — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:47:27 -0800

AAAAH!! My iBook G4 trackpad button is stuck! Help! My iBook fell off my desk, on the back. Didn't sound like it would be a problem, but now my trackpad button's stuck. I've tried prying it up, but no avail. Sure I can click on the pad itself, but I prefer the big button. Any help? Suggestions? Do I really need to go out to Ardmore to the nearest Apple Store? I don't have AppleCare, but it *is* a refurb... that I bought over a year ago...

Help!

Another Mac Question

priested — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:01:23 -0800

Yes, another ibook question... Freezing/Crashing...(more inside) Okay, I know this has been asked before on Ask Mefi, but it just gets so specific from machine to machine I thought I'd ask again. Of note, I am not the most computer savvy person.

Here goes: I have a 14" 1.33 GHz Power PC G4, w/ 1.25GB RAM ibook bought in Feb, 2005 that runs 10.4.10, has 5 GB left on a 60 GB hard drive (lots o' music)... In the last 2 days (and for the first time), it has crashed/frozen twice... The first time, an odd warning with 4 different languages came up telling me to turn off the power. The second time, the screen flashed 4 different colors, ultimately forcing me to turn it off manually again.

Also of note: In the last year I had to get the video card replaced, (this is bad, but I can't quite remember if it was the video card. Basically, the monitor cut out on me. The sound still worked, nothing could be seen). Apple fixed whatever it was for $300 in lieu of me not having apple care. I also got the battery replaced. (went through 300 cycles).

Most recently I did 2 things...
1. I downloaded Safari 3.0.3, hated it, and have since got another version of 2.0.4 that oddly enough, has "2.0.4" on the icon in my dock.
2. Had to get a 65 Watt power adapter as my 45W frayed. Since then, these two things seem to be the catapult....

My question is this: What should I do at this point that doesn't involve spending a bunch of money on an older but for the most part up-to-date machine? Is it time to start thinking about getting a new one?

Thanks for hanging in there and reading this lenghty question...

Repairing a whining iBook?

Marquis — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:49:05 -0800

[Ohgodno!Filter] My iBook G4 has for months been making a weird sound when I move it, but today something in the vicinity of the hard-drive has started to make a sharp rhythmic whine/scrape when the laptop is tilted. Is there any hope other than bringing it into the shop? For several months now my computer's made a whirring sound in the lower left quadrant, usually when I'm hefting the thing around - lifting it in and out of its case, carrying it. Basically when it's swinging in the air and not flat on a desk/lap. It's a weirdly pendulum-like sound, like something's weighted not quite right and so the hardware's moving a bit.

Today -- panic. I picked up the computer to go and do some writing at a cafe and when I held it under my arm it began to make this severe, rhythmic (ie, every few seconds) bark/whine/scrape sound, amidst the usual whirr. And then it just abruptly shut off.

I was able to reboot the machine, and things are fine as it sits here on my lap, but when I lift or tilt the machine I hear that familiar, gravitationally-variable whirr/buzz, and eventually the sharp/fast "zzzzzirr!" that sounds really broken.

I ran Disk Utility and the disk turns up fine. I'm just assuming it's a problem with the drive hardware because it's coming from southwest of the keyboard.

Anyone have any ideas for fixes? I'll take it in if I have to but both the cost and lack-of-computer access would be particularly inopportune right now. Could it just be a matter of a loose screw or something? If so, any simple instructions exist for getting in there and tightening it?

I am relatively technically competent; certainly enough so to not be afraid of opening my iBook up (though I can't figure out how to get any deeper than the keyboard/airport card), but I am not a hardware geek and don't know what anything is or what it does unless a website tells me explicitly so.

Thank you!

Help my ailing iBook!

annabellee — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:35:26 -0800

MacTechFilter: Is this strange activity in my console log the reason my iBook is freezing up? I posted a few weeks ago about my iBook G4 freezing at seemingly random moments and not responding to anything but a hard restart.

Original question here: http://ask.metafilter.com/72204/How-to-get-iBook-G4-to-stop-freezing-up
(There's no option to hyperlink or format in this text field for some reason)

As advised in the responses, I checked my console.log and system.log files right after it froze this morning and found in my system log:

Oct 20 08:48:23 iBook-G4 kernel[0]: ** ASIC Hang Log Start **

followed by about 1000 lines that look like this:

Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: ** ASIC Hang Log Start **
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0x01005c63 4f000217 00000007 00000003
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0x02007c43 c0001c04 00000002 00000008
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0x00004443 01e1f8b7 00003b3b 80010140
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0x4000ffff 001e0000 51b3a220 72001005
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0x080a0f00 00000000 040100f8 80000003
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0x0008bbbb 00000002
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 0:0x0021e110
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 1:0x80000000
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 2:0x000101ce
Oct 20 08:48:23 iBookG4 kernel[0]: 3:0x10264600

The numbers before the colon go up to 1023 each time.

These are the final lines before the time at which I restart the computer:

Oct 20 08:48:33 iBook-G4 kernel[0]: 1023:0xffffffff
Oct 20 08:48:33 iBook-G4 kernel[0]: 0x5d56f250
Oct 20 08:48:33 iBook-G4 kernel[0]: ** ASIC Hang Log End **
Oct 20 08:48:33 iBook-G4 kernel[0]: ATIRadeon::submit_buffer: Overflowed block waiting for FIFO space. Have 5, need 6. RBBM_STATUS 0x80010140. VAP_CNTL_STATUS 0x00000002
Oct 20 08:49:26 localhost kernel[0]: standard timeslicing quantum is 10000 us

Entering ** ASIC Hang Log Start ** and ** ASIC Hang Log End ** in Google give me only people who had this problem with eMacs, mostly several years ago.

Can anyone help?

Other than an iSight, what would you buy?

Wild_Eep — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 07:29:25 -0800

What USB2/FireWire video camera would you get for an iBook whose owner wants to video chat? Now that Apple's iSight is out of production, and the units are selling for up to $200 at eBay, I'm looking for the 'next best thing' for a client of mine. Ideally it would perch at the top of her iBook G4 (14-inch screen, if that matters) and be completely compatible with iChat video conferencing. Their ideal budget is $50 or less, but could go higher for an especially strong contender. Connection must be USB2 or FireWire.