Just want to make sure of something.

[eva01]

Ok i normally don't have to ask questions on Mac topics but this one i have to.

I have my 12" powerbook and i believe the HD is slowly failing, making a louder noise at times than it ever has. Also takes a very very long time to load up. I don't have the time to send it to apple during the school year because i am always using my computer. So I want to buy one of those Lacie mobile HDs that don't have to connect via AC adapter. I just want to make sure that i can install OS X onto that drive and bring it with me to school and run off of that via firewire, in case my HD does indeed crash during the end of the year. Just don't want to spend the $120 on a 40GB HD if i don't need to.


thank-you

[munkle]

You can do that no probs. Use CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper (http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html) (both free) to make a bootable clone of your hard drive and you're set!

[mcadam]

Yes, you can do that. Use for instance carbon copy cloner (http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html) to clone your entire hardisk onto the external drive. Then you can start up from that when you've connected it to a desktop mac at your school... and it should be just like at home.

A

ps: just remember to partition the external HD before you start using it

[yellow]

(both free)

Ehh.. Not free..

To be specific:

CCC is DonationWare. If you use it, please donate, Mike B built a really nice util before anyone else (including Apple).

SuperDuper! is a pay-for-functionality app. It functions in basic mode, but any bells and whistles, you gotta pay for.

[Mord]

boot of a mac os x install cd and run disk utility, if it comes up with errors have your internal HD replaced by apple, i use my book about 8 hours a day (yikes, it's allot but i do all school work and use it for allot of other things), hauling an external HD is not worth saving a week of downtime.

[eva01]

boot of a mac os x install cd and run disk utility, if it comes up with errors have your internal HD replaced by apple, i use my book about 8 hours a day (yikes, it's allot but i do all school work and use it for allot of other things), hauling an external HD is not worth saving a week of downtime.

see i can't do that, i sometimes am in classes for more than 8 hours in a day, i use my computer minimum 15 hrs a day for school work, and i have a disability with my handwriting, so i need my computer to take all my notes. it is well worth it to get a 200g (weight) external HD than loose a week of taking notes.

EDIT: What i am asking here is if the HD does fail can i still use THIS computer running off the external HD via firewire, or is that not possible?

saw the post about booting off a school computer but i need to use my laptop

[yellow]

I have a FireLite drive. The original HD was a 40GB one. I pulled it and replaced it with an 80GB one. It's very small ~the size of a Palm Pilot, very light, and uses the firewire bus for it's power.

[Mord]

i'm dyslexic and use my ibook for all my notes and do all my work, you could replace the HD yourself, it's a little tricky but with patience anyone can do it, service manuals are easy enough to find, first run disk utility from a mac os x disk.

[eva01]

already did but no errors, still louder than it has ever been, and takes longer to boot.

[Mord]

the disk is probably fine, if it makes clunky noises thats what you should be worried about, also are you sure it's not just the optical drive as it can get very noisy.

[eva01]

nothing in the optical drive ever. its just taking forever to boot up and loud noises not exactly clunking, maybe a clicking sound, loud

[Mord]

how much of the disk is used?, if you have stated useing more memory hungry apps it sometimes thrashes the disk as virtual memory,

[eva01]

18.39GB of 40GB, i have been using iChat, Adium, Safari, and Word regullarly. Sometimes Excell for lab report graphs

[yellow]

Repetative clicking = bad news. Back up your data ASAP

[eva01]

Repetative clicking = bad news. Back up your data ASAP

already backed up to one external HD, iPod, and my website.

i just want to be able to still use this computer booting off external drive if internal drive fails

[yellow]

i just want to be able to still use this computer booting off external drive if internal drive fails

Absolutely. If you boot and hold down Option, wait a while (it has to check all the buses), then you can select the boot volume.

[eva01]

thank-you so much brock (yellow) looks like i getting that lacie HD and then buying an iBook just for a backup computer for future times my powerbook fails.

Venture Brothers own

[SpaceMagic]

thank-you so much brock (yellow) looks like i getting that lacie HD and then buying an iBook just for a backup computer for future times my powerbook fails.

Venture Brothers own

If you're going to buy an iBook anyway then why don't you do that now and then when the iBook is first turned on it'll ask if you want to copy everything from another computer (i.e. your powerbook). Then you just connect a firewire cable between them both.. hold down T on the PowerBook and it will more or less make the iBook into a clone of the PowerBook. Then.. while you are using the iBook send the PowerBook to apple asap before the warranty finishes.

[Mord]

for the cost of the ibook you could get a place to do a same day repair (it dose not take long an hour max) and have lots of money to spare.

could you record with your internal mic the noise the HD makes, almost close the powerbook in a quiet room and record with soundstudio or imovie, compress it with itunes and attach it to a post

[eva01]

it happens sporadically, and it is really loud.

and i am getting the iBook in the future when i have the money to do so.