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How to replace the hard drive in a g3 ibook(snow)

macEfan

macEfan

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Apr 7, 2005
1,210
7
Well, i wana upgrade my ibook hard drive but i have nooo clue how this is done. Can someone help me?

Also, if I buy a combo drive on ebay, can i insall that also?

that would be cool if I could. Im the type of computer user that feels comfortable working on laptops, but i heard working on this one is a pain :(

Thanks!
 
And if you put it all back together and there's some screws still left over you're screwed! j/k my friend replaced his and had like 5 screws left over. He just threw them away and never experienced any problems with his... though I can't guarantee you'll have the same luck.
 
mad jew said:
Replacing the 500MHz G3 iBook's hard drive.
...
Good luck, it's not easy. I recommend getting some tape to keep all your screws together on.
Click to expand...
I followed the instructions in this link and found it was easier than I'd imagined it was going to be, it was the first time I'd open any computer let alone a laptop.
The local PC repair and Apple Authorized Reseller either wouldn't touch it or wanted ~$200 to do the work +the cost of the HDD!
 
great:(

Oh well, maybe i will just get an external drive. Still wondering if any place sells the DVD/CDRW combo drive that will work in my ibook.
 
mad jew said:
Replacing the 500MHz G3 iBook's hard drive.

Also, replacing a G4 iBook's hard drive for what it's worth. :)

Good luck, it's not easy. I recommend getting some tape to keep all your screws together on.
Click to expand...



I agree.. doing it yourself may be more trouble than it's worth-- those things are IMPOSSIBLE to open.

Completely, utterly, hopefully IMPOSSIBLE.

OK, it is possible but it involves lots of cursing and cut fingers, in my experience.

Good luck. :)
 
jtown said:
It's not hard. These are the instructions I used to open my ibook. http://pbfixit.com/Guide/50.0.0.html

The only weird tool you need (aside from a very small screwdriver) is a #8 torx. Set aside a couple of hours and make sure you have a place to lay everything out with labels as you go.
Click to expand...


this is going to be tough :( It seems really hard to me.

BTW can i buy an external CRRW drive for the ibook?
 
macEfan said:
this is going to be tough :( It seems really hard to me.
Click to expand...


Don't do anything your not comfortable with. You don't want a dead iBook. Having said that, it's probably slightly easier than the tutorials make it out to be. Just be prepared to set aside a lot of time for it, don't rush it. :)


macEfan said:
BTW can i buy an external CRRW drive for the ibook?
Click to expand...


Yes. :)
 
mad jew said:
Don't do anything your not comfortable with. You don't want a dead iBook. Having said that, it's probably slightly easier than the tutorials make it out to be. Just be prepared to set aside a lot of time for it, don't rush it. :)

Yes. :)
Click to expand...


Thanks for comments. I have an external CD drive. It is iomega brand. Will it work. If not, can i put one in an external USB case and use it that way?
 
Umm... You're not thinking of trying to put the external drive inside the iBook, are you? It should work if you get a case for it but I'm not 100% sure. I've never had any experience with Iomega and I suppose it really depends on which model it is. :)
 
If ...

... you feel you can handle lots of screwing, think you aren´t completely technically retarded and giving yourself lots of time for the first try, it´s not a big deal.

I now did it several times and with training one gets really fast to open the iBook. It now takes me roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Don´t fear to produce scratches, which eventually will happen on your way deep down into the iBook. And never dare to think where this one leftover screw needs to go. There always will be one screw, always ... with me it´s four now (it spares some weight, so I nevermind anyway, hihi).

I myself swapped harddrive and optical in my iBook, so my 2001 G3 500Mhz iBook now carries a 80GB Samsung 5400rpm HD and a Toshiba dual layer 8xDVD burner (SD-R6472), which makes it sooooo much more productive.

I learned many thinks doing it – the most important one possibly to handle nervous breakdowns and to never give up – and moneywise I saved the expensive labour part, which would have been around $250 the least.
 
mad jew said:
Umm... You're not thinking of trying to put the external drive inside the iBook, are you? It should work if you get a case for it but I'm not 100% sure. I've never had any experience with Iomega and I suppose it really depends on which model it is. :)
Click to expand...


lol no, i am not that dumb. I have replaced the ibook's memory, so i am not a total computer illiterate. :)
 
giffut said:
... you feel you can handle lots of screwing, think you aren´t completely technically retarded and giving yourself lots of time for the first try, it´s not a big deal.

I now did it several times and with training one gets really fast to open the iBook. It now takes me roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Don´t fear to produce scratches, which eventually will happen on your way deep down into the iBook. And never dare to think where this one leftover screw needs to go. There always will be one screw, always ... with me it´s four now (it spares some weight, so I nevermind anyway, hihi).

I myself swapped harddrive and optical in my iBook, so my 2001 G3 500Mhz iBook now carries a 80GB Samsung 5400rpm HD and a Toshiba dual layer 8xDVD burner (SD-R6472), which makes it sooooo much more productive.

I learned many thinks doing it – the most important one possibly to handle nervous breakdowns and to never give up – and moneywise I saved the expensive labour part, which would have been around $250 the least.
Click to expand...


cool! How much did the dual layer burner cost?
 
macEfan said:
lol no, i am not that dumb. I have replaced the ibook's memory, so i am not a total computer illiterate. :)
Click to expand...


Sorry if I offended. I didn't think you were trying to do that but it's always good to make sure first, just in case. :)
 
mad jew said:
Sorry if I offended. I didn't think you were trying to do that but it's always good to make sure first, just in case. :)
Click to expand...


no not at all :) thax for input anyway
 
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