Issues setting up a new SSD

[Abbbby333]

I just installed a new zheino ssd in my Powerbook G4 (A1139) and went about setting it up. I inserted the OS X disk, powered the computer on while holding down the option key, selected the install disk and then I got this screen.

What did I do wrong?

 

[1042686]

Wow, never ran across that before. Maybe a PRAM reset might help? What about cloning the old drive to the Zhenio & then reinstalling the Zhenio?

 

[Abbbby333]

Wow, never ran across that before. Maybe a PRAM reset might help? What about cloning the old drive to the Zhenio & then reinstalling the Zhenio?

No luck with resetting the pram. I did notice another detail. It does go to the apple screen and then the black box comes down over the apple, almost like a curtain. I may end up cloning, but I was hoping to do a clean install.

 

[B S Magnet]

I just installed a new zheino ssd in my Powerbook G4 (A1139) and went about setting it up. I inserted the OS X disk, powered the computer on while holding down the option key, selected the install disk and then I got this screen.

View attachment 948159

What did I do wrong?

I feel like this asking this falls under the obvious “I checked that already,” but from which install disk are you trying to boot: an OEM DVD specific to the A1139, a retail Leopard DVD, or a retail Tiger disk whose version number is at least 10.4.2?

(Also, as unlikely as this sounds, check the read side of the DVD make sure it doesn’t have any scratches or anything which might be tripping up the SuperDrive lens. And, obviously, verify the SuperDrive is operating nominally as usual, and/or try connecting an external DVD drive and booting from that, if one is available.)

I ask only because when I found my A1139, which I stumbled upon at a local used goods shop, it would KP similar to this. After I ejected the DVD in the SuperDrive, I found that not only was it an OEM disk for the iBook G4, but also a version from prior to 10.4.2. Once I used a newer install DVD, the system was able to boot into the OS Leopard installation without much more trouble.

But if you have the correct install disk for the A1139 and are still running into trouble, I agree with @RhianB’s advice: try installing to the SSD from an external enclosure, if you have access to one, connected to a separate PPC Mac.

 

[Macbookprodude]

Zhenio ? Sounds Asian.

 

[eyoungren]

Zhenio ? Sounds Asian.

It's Zheino (not Zhenio) and it sounds Asian because it is: http://www.zheinossd.com/contact-26.html

 

[Abbbby333]

Hey All! sorry for dropping off the face of the planet last week and not responding. I ended up getting really sick (thankfully not covid) and didn't have the energy to work on this for a bit, but I'm back now!

I feel like this asking this falls under the obvious “I checked that already,” but from which install disk are you trying to boot: an OEM DVD specific to the A1139, a retail Leopard DVD, or a retail Tiger disk whose version number is at least 10.4.2?

(Also, as unlikely as this sounds, check the read side of the DVD make sure it doesn’t have any scratches or anything which might be tripping up the SuperDrive lens. And, obviously, verify the SuperDrive is operating nominally as usual, and/or try connecting an external DVD drive and booting from that, if one is available.)

I ask only because when I found my A1139, which I stumbled upon at a local used goods shop, it would KP similar to this. After I ejected the DVD in the SuperDrive, I found that not only was it an OEM disk for the iBook G4, but also a version from prior to 10.4.2. Once I used a newer install DVD, the system was able to boot into the OS Leopard installation without much more trouble.

But if you have the correct install disk for the A1139 and are still running into trouble, I agree with @RhianB’s advice: try installing to the SSD from an external enclosure, if you have access to one, connected to a separate PPC Mac.

Thanks for checking for clarification! This is def the right disk. I ran into the issue you describe when I was setting up the computer on the old hard drive and I was able to burn the correct version onto a disk which I verified did work before I changed over the hard drives.

I did do additional disassembly when I swapped the hard drives to access the heat sink and replaced the thermal paste. 2 of the pads had this goopy white stuff on it which I'd never seen before (although after some research I believe it may have been thermal grease?) so I did end up replacing that with a thermal pad on the middle pad and thermal paste on the outside 2 pads. This is what I have seen on similar machines but if this was a mistake, please let me know and I can fix it.

It is possible I messed something else up in the process of disassembly and reasesembly. Does anyone have any idea of what it could be or if there are any specific connections I should check to make sure they are connected properly?

I am planning on swapping the old hard drive back in to rule out any non hard drive related issues I may have caused.

@eyoungren @Macbookprodude Could the asian origins of the hard drive be causing an issue. I did do my research before I selected this one and people do seem to have good experiences with it.

I don't have an external housing for the hard drive, but I do have another G4 (A1106) would I be able to put one of the hard drives in that and use the 2 computers and a firewire to clone the hard drive? I've never cloned a hard drive before so I'm not sure what's involved.

 

[eyoungren]

@eyoungren @Macbookprodude Could the asian origins of the hard drive be causing an issue. I did do my research before I selected this one and people do seem to have good experiences with it.

That's always possible, but it has not been my experience. I have a Zheino mSATA3 in my 17" PowerBook and my 2008 MBP has a Zheino SSD as well.

I both cases I used Carbon Copy Cloner on my Quad G5 to back up the old HD to a disk image. I did that by putting the laptop in TDM, which then mounted as a disk on the G5 desktop. I then installed the drive and put the laptop back into TDM and used CCC from the G5 to clone from the disk image to the new drive. I use a block copy if CCC lets me.

I don't have an external housing for the hard drive, but I do have another G4 (A1106) would I be able to put one of the hard drives in that and use the 2 computers and a firewire to clone the hard drive? I've never cloned a hard drive before so I'm not sure what's involved.

TDM would work. I use Carbon Copy Cloner, see my process above.

 

[Abbbby333]

an update:

I swapped out the new hard drive for the old one and powered on the computer only to get this screen. I think this must have been what it was trying to display when I had the new hard drive in it and for whatever reason the words weren't displaying.

I tried to reset the pram and only got one chime before it booted on.
I tried taking out one of the ram sticks, tried to turn it on, and then swapped them and tried to turn it on and that didn't work either.
I have a Lion install disk in the optical drive and tried to eject it by holding down the trackpad button while it booted on and that didn't work either.

I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm getting really worried that I may have seriously messed something up when i was replacing the hard drive and thermal paste, and cleaning the dust out. I had to take out almost every-art to get at the thermal paste so I feel there was alot of opportunity for me to mess something up. I really hope I didn't. It was working fine before I opened it up. Please help. Thanks.

 

[B S Magnet]

an update:

I swapped out the new hard drive for the old one and powered on the computer only to get this screen. I think this must have been what it was trying to display when I had the new hard drive in it and for whatever reason the words weren't displaying.View attachment 950861

I tried to reset the pram and only got one chime before it booted on.
I tried taking out one of the ram sticks, tried to turn it on, and then swapped them and tried to turn it on and that didn't work either.
I have a Lion install disk in the optical drive and tried to eject it by holding down the trackpad button while it booted on and that didn't work either.

I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm getting really worried that I may have seriously messed something up when i was replacing the hard drive and thermal paste, and cleaning the dust out. I had to take out almost every-art to get at the thermal paste so I feel there was alot of opportunity for me to mess something up. I really hope I didn't. It was working fine before I opened it up. Please help. Thanks.

Lion is far too recent and Intel-only, so you will not be able to use this or use Snow Leopard. Aim for the Leopard 10.5 DVD.

First thing: open your RAM cover and double-check the RAM is fully seated in their slots. If so, then keep reading.

Next: when you set up and formatted the new SSD outside of the PowerBook, did you format the SSD with a GUID Partition Table (GPT) or did you format it with Apple Partition Map (APM)? If you were setting it up with an Intel Mac, then chances are good that it defaulted to GPT, not APM.

The partition scheme which your SSD was formatted should, when selecting it in Disk Utility (with the Mac you formatted it with), tell you what partition scheme was used (down at the bottom where all the drive details are located). If you want to check it without taking apart your PowerBook, hold down the “T” key immediately after pressing the power button, and wait for the yellow FireWire symbol to appear against a blue background. Then connect the PowerBook to your other Mac and open Disk Utility from there.

This partition map selection option can be found once you highlight the new drive and then open the “Partition” tab. Underneath the visual representation of your drive (the tall rectangle showing the partitions), select the “Options…” button just underneath. You will need to format the SSD as Apple Partition Map in order for the PowerBook to properly boot from it (GPT was added for the purpose of the then-upcoming Intel machines which use GPT).

For now, with your Leopard install DVD in the SuperDrive: as soon as you press the power button to turn it on, hold down the Option key and wait see what comes up on the screen. Take a pic if something other than the above appears and let us know.

 

[bobesch]

I'd check all cables and connectors within the PB. Maybe one of them was forgotten or badly connected?
1) Prior to that I'd try to boot that faulty PB from another FireWire-connected PowerBook in TargetDiskMode (to check, if hardware is ok).
2) If that is working, then I'd try to boot from the the old hard drive while sitting in an USB- or FireWire-enclosure (to check, if hardware and old internal drive is ok).
If step 1) does work but step 2) doesn't, it's a problem with your hard drive. If step 1)+2) do work work, then there might be a problem with the hard-drive-cable / connector.
If booting from both FireWire and USB should fail, there's some other problems related to cables and defective LB.

 

[Abbbby333]

Lion is far too recent and Intel-only, so you will not be able to use this or use Snow Leopard. Aim for the Leopard 10.5 DVD.

First thing: open your RAM cover and double-check the RAM is fully seated in their slots. If so, then keep reading.

Next: when you set up and formatted the new SSD outside of the PowerBook, did you format the SSD with a GUID Partition Table (GPT) or did you format it with Apple Partition Map (APM)? If you were setting it up with an Intel Mac, then chances are good that it defaulted to GPT, not APM.

The partition scheme which your SSD was formatted should, when selecting it in Disk Utility (with the Mac you formatted it with), tell you what partition scheme was used (down at the bottom where all the drive details are located). If you want to check it without taking apart your PowerBook, hold down the “T” key immediately after pressing the power button, and wait for the yellow FireWire symbol to appear against a blue background. Then connect the PowerBook to your other Mac and open Disk Utility from there.

This partition map selection option can be found once you highlight the new drive and then open the “Partition” tab. Underneath the visual representation of your drive (the tall rectangle showing the partitions), select the “Options…” button just underneath. You will need to format the SSD as Apple Partition Map in order for the PowerBook to properly boot from it (GPT was added for the purpose of the then-upcoming Intel machines which use GPT).

For now, with your Leopard install DVD in the SuperDrive: as soon as you press the power button to turn it on, hold down the Option key and wait see what comes up on the screen. Take a pic if something other than the above appears and let us know.

I misspoke regarding the install disk. It is actually a tiger 10.4.2 disk.

I didn't format the SSD outside of the powerbook (although the original SSD is back in it now and I am still receiving a Kernal panic). Do I do that with a firewire enclosure? Do I need to do that through another G4?

Neither the "option" or "t" key are doing anything when i hold them down at start up. It goes straight to the apple screen and then to the kernel panic. Could this indicate that the keyboard isn't communicating properly with the rest of the computer? the powerbook is working fine.

I'd check all cables and connectors within the PB. Maybe one of them was forgotten or badly connected?
1) Prior to that I'd try to boot that faulty PB from another FireWire-connected PowerBook in TargetDiskMode (to check, if hardware is ok).
2) If that is working, then I'd try to boot from the the old hard drive while sitting in an USB- or FireWire-enclosure (to check, if hardware and old internal drive is ok).
If step 1) does work but step 2) doesn't, it's a problem with your hard drive. If step 1)+2) do work work, then there might be a problem with the hard-drive-cable / connector.
If booting from both FireWire and USB should fail, there's some other problems related to cables and defective LB.

I am going to open it today, take it apart and reassemble it and make sure i didn't miss anything and also check the thermal paste and pad I applied. I'll take a pic of that in case wiser eyes spot something i don't

when I boot this one in target disk more using another computer, do I need to have a hard drive in it?

Do you have a recommendation for a reliable external HD enclosure? I don't have one yet and I'm having trouble figuring out which ones will work with these SSD's


I think I may be reaching the end of my ability with this computer. Does anyone have recommendations for reliable repair services?

 

[bobesch]

Do you have a recommendation for a reliable external HD enclosure? I don't have one yet and I'm having trouble figuring out which ones will work with these SSD's

Oh, I forgot, it's an IDE-drive. There are probably no external-USB/FireWire-cases, like those ones, available for SATA-drives. I always use an USB-IDE-converter-cable for that purpose. Comes at about 5-10 bucks.
You need the big black connector and an maybe a Y-USB-cable for extra-power through the 2nd USB-port.


If you happen to get kernel-panics with the PowerBook's old internal-drive, then I'd try to boot the Book or any other PPC from that old drive via IDE-USB-cable, just to check, that drive and OSX-installation is ok.
If you're able to boot the PB from the USB-attached drive (booting while pressing the ALT-key to see / select from all attached bootable drives), the there might be something wrong with the internal IDE-drive-cable etc.

when I boot this one in target disk more using another computer, do I need to have a hard drive in it?

Target-Disk-mode means, the Mac in TDM serves as a big FireWire-enclosure for it's internal-drive in order to access that internal drive via FireWire by another Mac. So no internal drive, no TDM.

Neither the "option" or "t" key are doing anything when i hold them down at start up. It goes straight to the apple screen and then to the kernel panic. Could this indicate that the keyboard isn't communicating properly with the rest of the computer? the powerbook is working fine.

Yep, that might be the clue! Check, if the keyboard-cable is properly connected to the LogicBoard. It might easily become disconnected from it's plug when fiddling around with the keyboard-assembly while rebuilding the machine.
(I once completely forgot to connect it at all ...)

 

[B S Magnet]

I misspoke regarding the install disk. It is actually a tiger 10.4.2 disk.

I didn't format the SSD outside of the powerbook (although the original SSD is back in it now and I am still receiving a Kernal panic). Do I do that with a firewire enclosure? Do I need to do that through another G4?

In reverse order of your questions:

Hrm. One of my DLSDs has a kernel panic during boot-up when the flat cable for integrated Airport Extreme/Bluetooth is connected, but succeeds with it disconnected (annoying, but for $25 for the computer, I will not complain). Not that you’re facing the same issue, but without seeing the details in a verbose boot screen, it’s possible there’s a bus which is having problems for whatever reason. Without seeing that, it’s hard to know.

(For FireWire target disk mode, yes, you would need another Mac with at least FireWire on it (Thunderbolt on a newer system also works with a FireWire adapter).)

Neither the "option" or "t" key are doing anything when i hold them down at start up. It goes straight to the apple screen and then to the kernel panic. Could this indicate that the keyboard isn't communicating properly with the rest of the computer? the powerbook is working fine.

It’s actually possible, yes. Do you have any spare USB keyboard — even a Windows-optimized keyboard — to plug into the PowerBook and holding down “T” the instant you power on the PB?

Also, by chance do you have a DVD with a later version of Tiger or even Leopard handy? I seem to recall the 10.4.2 which was included on the OEM DVD for the PowerBook was tailored specifically for that PowerBook and not a standard retail copy of Tiger.

I am going to open it today, take it apart and reassemble it and make sure i didn't miss anything and also check the thermal paste and pad I applied. I'll take a pic of that in case wiser eyes spot something i don't when I boot this one in target disk more using another computer, do I need to have a hard drive in it?

Don’t worry about the thermal paste work you’ve done; that isn’t what’s causing trouble here. More likely than not, there is a bus issue causing the hang-up — up to, but not excluding, the bus the internal keyboard is connected to (which is an internal USB bus); the Airport Extreme/Bluetooth; or even the PC Card flat cable.

Do you have a recommendation for a reliable external HD enclosure? I don't have one yet and I'm having trouble figuring out which ones will work with these SSD's

I bought a replacement external 2.5" HD enclosure earlier this year from OWC, called Mercury-on-the-Go Pro, which was reasonably priced and is probably the only remaining enclosure still being sold OEM new which has FireWire 800 (and also has a USB 3.1 port, which is of course backward-compatible to USB 2.0). Edited to add: but this is only for SATA 2.5" drives. Yours is PATA/IDE.

I think I may be reaching the end of my ability with this computer. Does anyone have recommendations for reliable repair services?

I do not, I’m sorry.

That said, I do think persistence here will pay off for you. Don’t give up yet!

For now, try one thing at a time — like unplugging the Airport/BT cable and the PC Card cable, and also trying an external keyboard to access either FireWire Target Disk mode or Option-select the boot volume.

Hang in there!

 

[Abbbby333]

In reverse order of your questions:

Hrm. One of my DLSDs has a kernel panic during boot-up when the flat cable for integrated Airport Extreme/Bluetooth is connected, but succeeds with it disconnected (annoying, but for $25 for the computer, I will not complain). Not that you’re facing the same issue, but without seeing the details in a verbose boot screen, it’s possible there’s a bus which is having problems for whatever reason. Without seeing that, it’s hard to know.

(For FireWire target disk mode, yes, you would need another Mac with at least FireWire on it (Thunderbolt on a newer system also works with a FireWire adapter).)



It’s actually possible, yes. Do you have any spare USB keyboard — even a Windows-optimized keyboard — to plug into the PowerBook and holding down “T” the instant you power on the PB?

Also, by chance do you have a DVD with a later version of Tiger or even Leopard handy? I seem to recall the 10.4.2 which was included on the OEM DVD for the PowerBook was tailored specifically for that PowerBook and not a standard retail copy of Tiger.




Don’t worry about the thermal paste work you’ve done; that isn’t what’s causing trouble here. More likely than not, there is a bus issue causing the hang-up — up to, but not excluding, the bus the internal keyboard is connected to (which is an internal USB bus); the Airport Extreme/Bluetooth; or even the PC Card flat cable.



I bought a replacement external 2.5" HD enclosure earlier this year from OWC, called Mercury-on-the-Go Pro, which was reasonably priced and is probably the only remaining enclosure still being sold OEM new which has FireWire 800 (and also has a USB 3.1 port, which is of course backward-compatible to USB 2.0). Edited to add: but this is only for SATA 2.5" drives. Yours is PATA/IDE.



I do not, I’m sorry.

That said, I do think persistence here will pay off for you. Don’t give up yet!

For now, try one thing at a time — like unplugging the Airport/BT cable and the PC Card cable, and also trying an external keyboard to access either FireWire Target Disk mode or Option-select the boot volume.

Hang in there!

Thanks for the encouragement. I tested an external keyboard and there was no change. so I guess that means its not an issue with the keyboard?

How do I go about testing which part could be causing an issue? I'm very new to working with computers and other than just fully reassembling it and crossing my fingers i'm not really sure how else to trouble shoot this. I've been using the ifixit guides up to this point.

I'd like to try to rule out whatever I can before I use TDM, as i'm still feel a bit confused by that and i don't have the adaptor here yet.

 

[Abbbby333]

as for the IDE converter, would this do the trick?

AGPTEK® SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5", Compatible with USB 1.1/2.0/3.0, with External AC Power Adapter Included

This USB 2.0 to IDE / SATA drive adapter implements a bridge between a USB port and one SATA, ATA or ATAPI based mass storage device port.

www.amazon.com

If think it has both the conversion and the power built in?

 

[B S Magnet]

as for the IDE converter, would this do the trick?

AGPTEK® SATA/PATA/IDE Drive to USB 2.0 Adapter Converter Cable for Hard Drive Disk HDD 2.5" 3.5", Compatible with USB 1.1/2.0/3.0, with External AC Power Adapter Included

This USB 2.0 to IDE / SATA drive adapter implements a bridge between a USB port and one SATA, ATA or ATAPI based mass storage device port.

www.amazon.com

If think it has both the conversion and the power built in?

Yes, that would work, per the suggestion @bobesch offered.

Thanks for the encouragement. I tested an external keyboard and there was no change. so I guess that means its not an issue with the keyboard?

Hard to know just yet.

By chance, have you tried to hold down the Shift-Cmd-Opt keys whilst pressing and also holding down the power button for, say, 15–20 seconds? This is the Power Management Unit (PMU) reset key combination. You’ll know it’s resetting if the latch’s white LED light, after several seconds, gets very bright and then begins to flicker rapidly at the same time a tone, ~2–3 seconds long, is heard. At that point, you can release the power button and the Shift-Cmd-Opt keys.

If that doesn’t happen at all, then I’m beginning to think — without my being there to see stuff in real-time — there could be a keyboard and/or USB issue.

How do I go about testing which part could be causing an issue? I'm very new to working with computers and other than just fully reassembling it and crossing my fingers i'm not really sure how else to trouble shoot this. I've been using the ifixit guides up to this point.

iFixit is an excellent resource. I’m going to paste below two pics from their respective guides the things I would suggest to just leave disconnected for now, while you’re troubleshooting. (Neither being disconnected will make the boot-up issues any worse than what you already have.)

Spoiler: How to disconnect the two flat cables in question for testing (iFixit)

Disconnecting the Airport/Bluetooth flat cable, Step 22:

When you get to Step 22 and you disconnect the cable from the Airport/Bluetooth card from the logic board, use the next guide to disconnect the PC Card cage from the logic board

PC Card cage replacement, Step 16

After you’ve disconnected those two flat cables, just leave them where they are, as-is, and reassemble the laptop. Once you’ve put it back together and you’ve got the keyboard reconnected, try powering it on again and hold down either the Opt key or the T key until the display shows up — hopefully in a shade of blue.

If you don’t get a blue screen of any kind and instead you get the same grey kernel panic screen, then the problem may be more involved. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I'd like to try to rule out whatever I can before I use TDM, as i'm still feel a bit confused by that and i don't have the adaptor here yet.

Whether you ultimately use it or not, Firewire Target Disk Mode is harmless and pretty straightforward. Once you realize TDM is just making the internal hard drive into an external hard drive for another Mac to access, it becomes a real lifesaver.

 

[DarkSel]

What happens if you disconnect the HDD cable and attempt to boot? It should get stuck on a blinking disk drive icon.

If so, I suspect your HDD cable/connector is borked. You can further confirm this by attempting to boot via an external HDD or another mac in Firewire Target Disk mode (as mentioned above).

 

[G4fanboy]

My adventures with Zheino on a PB G4 17" 1GHz

http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,3912.msg31459.html#msg31459

 

[Abbbby333]

Yes, that would work, per the suggestion @bobesch offered.

iFixit is an excellent resource. I’m going to paste below two pics from their respective guides the things I would suggest to just leave disconnected for now, while you’re troubleshooting. (Neither being disconnected will make the boot-up issues any worse than what you already have.)

["How to disconnect the two flat cables in question for testing (iFixit)"]
Disconnecting the Airport/Bluetooth flat cable, Step 22:

When you get to Step 22 and you disconnect the cable from the Airport/Bluetooth card from the logic board, use the next guide to disconnect the PC Card cage from the logic board

View attachment 951460

PC Card cage replacement, Step 16

View attachment 951461

After you’ve disconnected those two flat cables, just leave them where they are, as-is, and reassemble the laptop. Once you’ve put it back together and you’ve got the keyboard reconnected, try powering it on again and hold down either the Opt key or the T key until the display shows up — hopefully in a shade of blue.

If you don’t get a blue screen of any kind and instead you get the same grey kernel panic screen, then the problem may be more involved. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I finally got the energy up to revisit this project and I think I have figured out the problem!

I took your advice and disconnected the airport card and Hard drive and voila! No more kernel panic! I plugged the hard rive back in and it booted on properly! I plugged the airport card back in and once again it went into kernel panic. so it seems that that is the culprit!

Since the airport card is not working properly, should I just remove it? Is there way to fix it or do I need to replace it if I want to access wifi from this computer again?

 

[Abbbby333]

Ok so next task! I bought the IDE to USB adaptor cable. How do I got about formatting my new hard drive?

 

[eyoungren]

Since the airport card is not working properly, should I just remove it? Is there way to fix it or do I need to replace it if I want to access wifi from this computer again?

You can either remove it, replace it or boot into Safe Mode and remove the Airport kext extension (then reboot).

 

[B S Magnet]

Since the airport card is not working properly, should I just remove it? Is there way to fix it or do I need to replace it if I want to access wifi from this computer again?

What to do if you want AirPort wifi:

1) Open up the PowerBook to disconnect the flat cable for the AirPort Extreme card connection to the logic board (or, just remove the flat cable altogether).

2) Get a used Linksys WPC600N 802.11n PC Card, which is recognized by the AirPort kext as a Broadcom wifi card (the same series as the Broadcom chip bundled with AirPort Extreme). This means that OS X will treat it as a device-native AirPort card (i.e., being able to use the wifi pull-down menu to pick a hotspot) and the added benefit of it supporting faster 802.11n bandwidth (and not 802.11g as with the internal AirPort Extreme card).

The above is what I use with my DLSD PowerBook 17", and it has been flawless throughout the last two years since I got it (see below). It’ll add one icon to your menubar (far left in the attachment), but you won’t need to mess with it.

3) If you need Bluetooth, you can add it with a USB adapter for Bluetooth 4.0.

 

[Abbbby333]

So I swapped the airport card from this g4 (17" a1139) and another g4 I have (15" a1138). Shockingly the original airport card in the other computer (15" a1138) is working perfectly, whereas the 2nd card in the 17" is giving me the same issue as before. I am now suspecting that the issue is not the card but one of the cables. There are 3 cables that attached to the airport card: 2 antenna and 1 ribbon cable that attaches to the logic board. I'm inclined to think it's the ribbon cable. Does anyone have any experience with this are advice for how to determine which of the cables could be the issue. Thanks!

 

[Abbbby333]

In the event that it is the ribbon cable, I have found a couple of sources for a potential replacement and there is a big difference in price between the 2. Are either of these a reliable source for parts? Is one of them recommended over the other?

PowerBook G4 Aluminium 17" Airport/BT flex (1.67GHz DL) 922-6980 632-0330 821-0378

www.thebookyard.com

Powerbook G4 Aluminum 17" AirPort Extreme w/ Bluetooth Flex Cable - 922-6980

Powerbook G4 Aluminum 17" AirPort Extreme w/ Bluetooth Flex Cable Mac Parts and send in Mac Repair service for your Apple Macbook, Macbook Pro, iMac, iPhone or iPad.

www.powerbookmedic.com