iBook G3; New HD not visible to installer! Help!

[sharpnaïf]

Hi, everybody;

I have a seven year old iBook G3 with (?) problems: it starts one out of hundred times, otherwise it displays the "unable to find the finder" sign (finder folder alternated with a ?), and yesterday it even showed me the forbidden ("broken folder") sign!!

So I decided to change HD and got a TOSHIBA MK1234GAX sold to me as compatible with my iBook G3:

First time I installed this new HD, I wasn't able to install MacOS X (earliest version) on it, since the HD wasn't visible to installer, so I installed the old original IBM 15GB HD back again: it started working without any explanation or excuse (maybe it just didn't want to give the job up...)

Then it started again working on a 1% rate, so I took out my screwdrivers and that was enough to get it working once more!

Until last time I turned the laptop off: the finder is nowhere to be found! I've tried almost everything, not even showing out screwdrivers worked; maybe it's easter pause or there might be some HD-Union sabottage strategy going on, or something...

So I'm trying my brand new 120GB MK 1234GAX TOSHIBA, but it's still invisible.

Help!

Thanks!

 

[pastrychef]

Have you initialized either of your new drives?

 

[sharpnaïf]

Long lasts!

Thanks, pastrychef and everybody. I finally was able to intialize the new Hard disk from another mac using firewire. But this didn't seem to solve the problem, either. So I resetted the PRAM once again by holding alt+cmd+p+r during the startup. The Hard disk was still invisible.

In the meanwhile end, I opened Disk Utility from a MacOS X install CD-ROM - from the apple menu, under Installer, before continuing the installation - and chose Drive setup.

In the "Info" onglet the hard disk wasn't visible, but by partitioning the hard drive, my new TOSHIBA HD was detected. After doing the partition, I was able to verify the disk with disk repair and then to install both MacOS X and Mac OS 9, one in each partition.

So, after several years, after all the apple experts and mac stores I had contacted had told me there was no way, and most of all no sense to repair my iBook, I finally made it!

And I am quite sure I will also be able to repair my old IBM original 15GB Hard drive, which seems to have a mach.kernel problem. Of course thanks to macrumors members' help and to the official apple site's help, too.

All this might prove how tremendously stubborn man can be, but it also suggests that markenting strategy could be better oriented if aiming more on the long-lasting quality of products, rather than on a use it/ throw it selling tactique.

Between 1997 and year 2000, I wrote several documents using an old first generation MacIntosh Classic a friend had lent to me. Even if printing was quite everlasting, I was very proud to have such a jewel contribute in raising the esthetic and functional level of my little tiny room's furniture!

I believe the excellent experience I had had with this MacIntosh Classic helped me in the decision making process when I bought my iBook. If it is so good, it lasts for a long time, that doesn't mean you won't buy a new one for being up to date with technology and for complementary use! Oder?