Things to look out for in an iBook

[topicolo]

Hey everybody,

I may have just found an awesome deal on a used iBook 800Mhz, 128mb RAM, with a combo drive for $1000CAN (~600US) and I have some questions:

What are the things I should be looking out for?
Which parts tend to fail most often?
Also, can I just put any PC100 SODIMM into the iBook to upgrade its memory?

 

[mmanfrey]

Where?

Can you share the deal information with us?

much appreciated
~m

 

[topicolo]

It's not from a website. A person I know locally is selling it.

 

[Anne]

wow! what a price!

I have the same machine and truthfully the only problem I've had is having a rubber foot falling off. I've heard that it's pretty much inevitable, but many apple stores will just give you replacements.

From my experience it's a sturdy and very reliable little machine. After 3 months still get great battery time. No crashes - only restart when I install software that necessitates it. Beautiful screen (I have no dead or stuck pixels), except for the dust that I need to get around to cleaning

enjoy the new computer!

 

[Hmm]

With most computers, it seems that the parts that actually move are the ones likely to be a problem someday. Make sure the lid opens and closes smoothly without squeaks or strange noises. Open and close the CD tray a few times to make sure it still lines up and isn't crooked or anything. In fact, test the drive if you can with at least a CD and DVD to make sure that they still work. If you can test write a CD, do that too.

As long as the memory fits, it should work in the iBook, but you probably want to buy it from any of the Mac resellers you can find on dealram.com or ramseeker.com. Some older chips might not work with the newer Apple firmware, so a vendor that actually says their memory will work with an iBook would probably be best.

 

[topicolo]

Anne: thanks for the comments. I hope your ibook lasts a long time

Hmm: I figured that the combo drive will probably be the most troublesome, if it has any problems at all. Still, I'm a little unsure about the memory. I want to be able to stick a 512mb SODIMM in there to max everything out from the beginning, but I vaguely remember reading something about the ibook only accepting SODIMMs that are half-height or something so I wasn't totally sure.

 

[howard]

damn those little white ibook feet!! i lost mine and its scratching up the bottom of my ibook!! argh...

 

[MacBandit]

1" and 1.25" memmory cards only.

 

[caveman_uk]

I haven't lost any feet yet...I'll keep an eye out and a tube of superglue handy Mine's pretty much perfect too. Scratches easy but then we all know that. I'd check the screen for duff pixels and get some more RAM - crucials pretty cheap.

BTW if anyone knows what to use to clean the screen can they post here?

 

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by caveman_uk
I haven't lost any feet yet...I'll keep an eye out and a tube of superglue handy Mine's pretty much perfect too. Scratches easy but then we all know that. I'd check the screen for duff pixels and get some more RAM - crucials pretty cheap.

BTW if anyone knows what to use to clean the screen can they post here?

iKleer as seen at Apples website.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...FkHiTQO2OaP9Su18P9PdrU/2.3.0.3.27.8.3.21.13.0

 

[beatle888]

Re: Where?

Originally posted by mmanfrey
Can you share the deal information with us?

much appreciated
~m

um why would he do that? its his deal. ....
sorta sounds like you want to out bid him.

 

[yzedf]

rubber feet

clasp

if you can, get the applecare warranty. if that clasp breaks out of warranty, it is $600US to fix! happened to a friend of mine at the 13month mark. only i have heard of though... and he treats his hardware very very very good.

 

[topicolo]

Thanks for all the tips everybody. I really appreciate it. I just hope that guy hasn't sold his ibook yet. It was made for me

 

[jefhatfield]

the ac power cable could short out where it meets the plug since this is a vulnerable area

i heard apple has improved this somewhat

i have replaced two yo-yo adapters in three years...mostly because i put a lot of pressure on the calbe and yanked it while i am laying down, or i step on it, or it gets tangled in blankets if i am on the couch, etc

the saleslady at macwarehouse told me it was the most bought or replaced product for the ibook...more than ram

 

[Anne]

my ibook (Nov '02) didn't come with that round yo-yo adapter, but a smaller rectangular one. Don't know if that makes a difference, but if the problem was only with the round ones, it shouldn't be an issue with an ibook purchase.

 

[ibookin']

I've had a little more trouble with my iBook.

Everything on it has been replaced except for the screen.

And I went to the Apple Store yesterday to get a new yo-yo adapter (the old one died on me) and to check out an issue where there was a block of blue on the screen that would move around, flicker, and disappear at random. I am told I need a new video card, meaning the machine will get its third logic board as soon as I can bear to live without it for a week or more to send it in.

Don't let this put you off the iBook. It is an amazing machine and I am rough on my computers anyway. But definitely get AppleCare.

 

[janey]

Originally posted by ibookin'@mwny
Don't let this put you off the iBook. It is an amazing machine and I am rough on my computers anyway. But definitely get AppleCare.

You dropped your iBook. Of course you're gonna have problems.
My iBook has a LCD that goes back a little too far (assuming someone did this) and a stripped screw-I'm too lazy to send it off

 

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by Anne
my ibook (Nov '02) didn't come with that round yo-yo adapter, but a smaller rectangular one. Don't know if that makes a difference, but if the problem was only with the round ones, it shouldn't be an issue with an ibook purchase.

the key to the round ones is don't roll it up all the way and lock the tab on the plug into the adapter(yo-yo part)...it puts too much strain on the cord where it meets the plug on the adapter

the square one supposed to be better with the weak link issue on the plug