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iBook G3/600--worth repairing?

Naimfan

Naimfan

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 15, 2003
4,669
2,019
All--

My girlfriend has a iBook G3/600 with a failing hard drive. Is it worth replacing the hard drive (I can do the labor on my own--tedious, but not terribly difficult) or should I tell her to just chuck it? Luckily, she backed it up the instant she heard the noise from the drive, so she shouldn't lose much if it just drops dead.

I suppose the real question is how long it might hold on if we replace the HD. I understand it's something of an unanswerable question, but I'd be grateful to hear from others who have experience with similar vintage iBooks.

Thanks in advance!

Bob
 
I would say it depends on her uses for it, if she finds that it fits all of her needs then replace the drive and keep on keeping on. I still get alot use my iBook of similiar specs and age. If I need to be out and about and have access to the web but do not want to carry out my MBP the iBook is my go to guy.

I just can not bring myself to let it go as it still runs like new, holds a nice charge, and just genrally is a great little product.

Minus one dead pixel it is very much close to its original performance and that says a lot to me when considering how old this thing is in computer years.
 
I'd say that it depends on the value of the computer to you.

I had a 500Mhz G3 icebook for many years- I picked it up at a garage sale with a dead HD and serviced it myself- eventually, I added a combo drive, new HD, replaced the screen, etc. I bought parts from ebay on the cheap and it worked great.

The issue with the G3s is that they really start to lose their kick with newer programs. But if it is working with older programs and as an internet/email/word processing machine, like mine was, I'd say that you can have some fun replacing the drive yourself, and it is quite a bit cheaper than getting a new computer.

It won't, however, be a replacement for a new comp. At best all you're doing is extending the lifespan of your G3. I recently just needed more power from my portable, and upgraded to an MBP.

But I say go for it.
 
if you dont want it ill take it, ive been looking for a piece of junk notebook just to use for internet
 
I vote "fix it". The G3's can run Tiger very well and hopefully will still be supported for Leopard.

At the very least, you can replace the HD and use it as a Print Server/Firewire HD server. Just connect it to the router via ethernet and you're good to go.

Aside - I have an iBook G3/500 with a busted trackpad (my fault) that is serving as a Print Server right now. I can't justify spending $150 for a refurb logic board.

ft
 
Replacement hard drive is on the way. 80 Gb. Courtesy of OWC. Will be here tomorrow, and I've already my screwdrivers and Torx set ready and waiting. Also upgrading the HD in my 15" 1.33 GHz Powerbook...

Thanks all!

Bob
 
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