Xternal Hard Drive

[Eckslusive]

Hey, I was wondering...
Right now I have no HD in my iBook..but I was wondering, if I could buy a external one and then install X on it...would it go or does it have to be a internal hd?

[Kwyjibo]

If you buy an external firewire drive you can install x on it very easily and boot from that. Its onyl really good for maintenance purposes. There are also USB options but USB would run way to slow to boot from. Also make sure te external; drive is a decent rpm so osx runs well. It is possible and i do that to repair permissions on my ibook.

[mberrier]

I'm also in the market for an external HD for my PowerBook G4. I have an old 40GB IBM DeskStar internal from my dead G3 tower that I could use, but I've never purchased an external case before. What should I be looking for? Can anybody offer some suggestions?

[AnotherMortal]

I've seen them at places like Circuit City, and CompUSA. I'd merely recommend getting one with USB 2.0 and Firewire. (so it can be used on PCs and Mac)

[Eniregnat]

FireWire should be enough and is both PC and Mac compatible.
We have seen from the new iPod that USB 2.0 is on its way to the Mac, so if it isn't too much more, then it might be worth the cost for aditional versitality.

You can build your own external drive, using an internal HD and an external box. Just make sure that you have a warranty for the FireWire box, and that it is from a reputable vender. I would stay away from computer shows (I have been screwed their repeatedly- though for WinTel pats).

[AnotherMortal]

But not every machine has Firewire, and since it'll be used primarily on a Mac, you'll want firewire. For PCs, go with a USB2.0 because its backward compatible with USB 1.1. This would allow you to use the portable drive nearly everywhere.

[Elan0204]

Originally posted by Eniregnat
You can build your own external drive, using an internal HD and an external box. Just make sure that you have a warranty for the FireWire box, and that it is from a reputable vender. I would stay away from computer shows (I have been screwed their repeatedly- though for WinTel pats).

Does anyone have any recommendations for firewire enclosures, not specific vendors, but a specific brand of enclosure?

[Eniregnat]

Of the 5 Firewire drives we built, 2 are still function.
We/I are not happy with Mace enclosures.
It seems that the power supplies fail just after warranty.
Fixable, but annoying.
Go for a good box with a good power supple. Cheaper is not necessarily better.

[ibookin']

Originally posted by Elan0204
Does anyone have any recommendations for firewire enclosures, not specific vendors, but a specific brand of enclosure?

Make sure you get a case with the Oxford 911 chipset. It offers better throughput than other chipsets.