I'm needing a bit of assistance. I bought an iBook G3 14" system, and I'm trying to find a few different parts for repair.
One major one is the hard drive, what type of drive goes in it. I'm thinking most likely PATA but what's the maximum size?
Secondly, the bottom plastic panel, the battery locking clip is broken. Is it an easy replacement?
Third, as for batteries, where can I get a new one (unsure of how good the charge is on this one).
Any help would be greatly appreciated. :mac:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9338G/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY
The battery seems to be holding a good charge, surprisingly since it was drained completely (0%). I'm using it on the "Normal" setting and been going for about a half hour and it's only down to 75% capacity.
As for the hard drive, I've been getting the flashing question-mark on boot up, so I'm guessing a possible hard drive issue is on the list of small issues.
You can also get a battery here:
http://www.blueraven.com/us/service-parts/Item/ItemDetails.aspx?poePartNo=16116
As far as the flashing question mark, try installing an operating system on the existing HD before springing for a new one. The previous owner may have simply wiped the drive. It's a genuine pain in the neck to replace a HD in an iBook, particularly if it isn't necessary.
It you do need a new HD, previous poster is correct that the iBook G3s will only *see* 128GB. You can put in a larger drive (160GB, 250GB, 320GB, etc.) but everything over 128GB will be wasted space (and money).
Beyond that, any IDE/PATA laptop drive (9mm or thinner) will work just fine. Doesn't need to be Apple branded or Mac formatted: Disk Utility will take care of that when you install the OS.
Good luck! :coolmac:
I'm going to try and wipe down the system and re-install from the beginning. Like you mentioned it may just need that.
Also, how much RAM can go in this system. I'm currently sitting at 384MB. Is there any way to boost this?
Another question, is there any Airport cards available for this system that can support 802.11G? I can only connect to 802.11B and it sorta keeps it limited on accessing networks.
Maximum RAM is 640MB. You'll need to remove the 256MB stick (under the Airport card slot) and replace it with a 512MB PC-133 SODIMM. The remaining 128MB is soldered to the logic board and is not replaceable (at least not for the impatient or the faint of heart).
There are *some* third-party wireless USB adapters that will allow you to use G and even N networks. But most off-the-shelf units have the Mac OS specifically written out of the firmware. You can waste a lot of money trying USB dongles that *don't* work, or spend a little up front and get one that *will* work:
Here's one at Fastmac.com
Here's another at MacWireless.com
I am starting to think the hard drive is getting weak, considering any amount of data being written or read makes the hard drive sound like a box of marbles against a piece of metal only a tiny bit quieter.