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InIn14

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 12, 2008
9
0
Well, I hope the question is quick anyway. Long story short, my laptop randomly shut down and won't boot back up. (I have called Apple and we have tried every force boot command nothing works.) Suffice it to say, I consider it dead and have been planning on buying a new one soon anyways. The only problem is that I still have some files on there that I would like to retrieve...what is the best way to go about doing this? I have several externals but obviously I can't get my computer to boot up in order to use them. I would take it to the store to have them do it for me, but there isn't one anywhere near, so yeah...any advice/step-by-step guides you can direct me to would be greatly appreciated.
 
No it won't even boot up for me to be able to hit the T key.
 
I don't have another Mac to transfer it to. The link says it can only be transfered to another Mac. Is this true?
If you can boot into Target Disk Mode then your iBook isn't entirely dead and gives us a chance to get the data off of it. Give it a try first and it'll help with further advice. I don't think you want to take your iBook apart if you don't have to. ;)

Using MacDrive or HFSExplorer even a Windows machine can retrieve the data off of it. You just need a FireWire port.

No it won't even boot up for me to be able to hit the T key.
Ouch. Well if you don't mind putting your iBook back together taking it apart is just a mess of small screws.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/
 
If you can boot into Target Disk Mode then your iBook isn't entirely dead and gives us a chance to get the data off of it. Give it a try first and it'll help with further advice. I don't think you want to take your iBook apart if you don't have to. ;)

Using MacDrive or HFSExplorer even a Windows machine can retrieve the data off of it. You just need a FireWire port.

Sorry, I edited my post before you had a chance to see it. I read further and realized that it isn't necessary to have another Mac.
 
Is this one of the last models of iBooks that Apple made? I think they were 1.33 gHz.

If this is the case it is possible that it is an issue with the built-in airport bluetooth card. If you think this is the model you have I can give you more specific instructions on how to check and possibly fix it.

You can also look here to see if this is a similar problem that you are having.



At any rate, if the hard drive is okay you can remove it from the computer and put it in an external drive and copy the contents to another computer that way.
 
So I got it out...does anyone know what size of an external casing I will need? It was the 60 GB hard drive for a 2005 iBook G4.
 
Any type of hdd enclosure for a 2.5" IDE/ATA drive will work. You can find them on ebay for less then $10 shipped for a cheap one.

What model was this? Once you have it apart, disconnect the cd-rom and the airport and bluetooth modules if you have them and any extra memory. Then try booting it up.
 
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