12" PowerBook G4/1.33ghz - replace HD?

I have a 12" PowerBook G4/1.33ghz, purchased in 2003, ran like a champ until this year. Needs a new hard drive. I like the idea of having this as a backup laptop. Is it worth replacing HD and if so what is the newest OS it could support? Thanks!

*Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard installation system requirements*
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24950
Installing Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1544
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Installation and Setup Guide
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/leopard_install-setup.pdf
After you install the base 10.5, download & install the 10.5.8 combo update at http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_OS_X_10_5_8_Combo_Update
 Cheers, Tom

Similar Messages

Pushing for more time with a 4.5 year old PowerBook G4 1.33GHZ (12-inch).

I have a PowerBook G4 1.33GHZ (12-inch) running Mac 10.4.11 that I purchased in the summer of 2004. It's been a great laptop, and in fact still continues to be with most of the things I use it for.
Memory: original 512 total RAM (256 built in, 256 DDR SDRAM)
Hard Drive: original FUJITSU MHT2060AT 55.89 GB (i.e. "60")
Battery: Full Charge Capacity (mAh) of 945; 259 cycles. Replaced in Fall 2007 in the battery replacement program.
Battery AC Adaptor: heavily modified due to needed repairs See here for what I did.
So, a laptop that's lasted 4.5 years is pretty good, but I'd like to push for ~2 years more if possible.
I use the laptop for web-browsing, document editing and presentations. I do a little bit of design (GIMP) and computation (Octave), and run a MAMP set-up for wordpress development at times, but currently it's almost fast enough for my needs.
What would be recommended for upgrade? I'm already thinking about:
*getting a memory upgrade. (the 1GB options on this page. Anybody have experience with these? I'm a poor grad student, so cost does matter, but I don't want to get something that doesn't improve my computer too.).
*getting a new battery soon (current one lasts 40-60 minutes).
To justify those costs to myself, I'm wondering about the probability of a component failing. The possible components I can imagine are:
Hard-drive
Display
Motherboard
keyboard/trackpad
Anyone know average lifespan of those components for this computer? How risky is it to push for another 2 years?

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
To see if additional memory would help for what you run, in applications/utilities, open up Activity Monitor and look at the system memory tab, specifically at page ins/outs. If page outs is more than 10% to 15% or so of page ins, you can use more memory. That says your system doesn't have enough physical memory for what you run, and has to free up memory by moving it to the hard drive fairly often. The values reset whenever you reboot the system.
On memory, you want to use quality memory, especially for a 1.33Ghz system. I'd recommend Crucial (http://www.crucial.com), Kingston - not their value-ram though (http://www.kingston.com) or Samsung, which is sold through distributors. Crucial is $53 and Samsung from OWC in your link is $55. You can usually find a 5% discount or free shipping coupon for Crucial on the web. Kingston memory is running $64+.
Hard drives are one component that can fail, typically in the 3-5 year range. If you don't have it already, SMARTreporter is a neat monitoring program that puts an icon on your menu bar, which by monitoring the SMART status, can sometimes give you early warning of an impending failure. You can get this free utillity at http://www.corecode.at/smartreporter/ . Of course, having a regular backup regimen is your best insurance against hard drive failure.
Display, logic board, and keyboard failures do happen, but not with great frequency. I wouldn't spend time considering that, epecially since there's not much you can do as preventative maintenance.
One thing I do is to periodically run OnyX, which you can download from http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs2/english/download.html . Run the tasks on the cleaning and maintenance tabs will help keep your disk in good order. Again, having a recent backup is good insurance when doing anything to the hard drive.

Powerbook G4 15" Aluminium replacement battery...

Hi all,
Just bought a 15" G4 PowerBook Aluminium off a mate, but the battery is history, I've already checked the Battery Replacement Scheme and I don't meet the serial number requirements.
Where can I find a decent replacement battery? I don't want to pay through the nose, willing to pay £30 - £40 is this a reasonable price scale for something decent?
Hope someone can help!
Merci Buckets.

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
You can buy a cheap battery off of ebay, however, a number of / many people have been unhappy with the cheap batteries failing or not working well. When I bought a new battery, the comments on Apple's web site, as well as the lack of performance on the replacement batteries suggested looking for an alternative. I ended up with this battery: http://www.thebookyard.com/product.php?products_id=31 (I bought mine in the US). I would recommend it as a solid alternative.

PowerBook 12" 1.33Ghz Won't Boot - Game Show Buzzer Sound

When I try to boot my PB, it just gives me a game show type buzzer sound. Does anyone know what that is? I've searched all over these forums and also Google, but can't find anyone else that's had this problem.
I just replaced the hard drive, so it's got a blank 80GB hard drive in it. The one I took out had failed. The battery is fully charged, and the power adapter seems to be working just fine as it glows green while plugged in.
Here's a video I made in case it's not clear what I'm talking about.
http://vimeo.com/848018

What was the question you got wrong? And how much did you wager? Ha ha ha. =)'
I was going to say one solution that I thought it might be, but when I watched your video of the problem, wow, that's the first time I've heard that sound.
Obviously, something is wrong, why your Mac is making that noise. I thought your problem was maybe the RAM modules needing to be reseated. One time I opened up a G3 iMac to swap hard drives, and when I rebooted, it would make a loud scratching/buzzing noise on startup.
My friend told me to check the RAM, and upon doing so, startup was fine. But the sound from your video doesn't match, so sorry.
Try using this site. They have answers to the most perplexing questions that sometimes can't be found here on the Apple Discussions. --> [http://macosx.com>

Up grading powerbook G4 1.33GHz

I have a powerbook G4 15 1.33 GHz. I would like to up grade that, because it runs very slow right now. I am really novice, so please help me with some details. thank you.

what all do you do with your mac? how long has it been since OS X was installed?
I don't think that mac shipped with 256mb of ram, nor will leopard install with such little ram...
please click on the apple icon in the upper left of the screen, select "about this mac" & tell us the OS version & ram installed.
does this mac have the original drive? if so, there may be another reason.
check these guys out for any parts you are looking for. very good, I buy from them all the time: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook-ibook-macbook/
but if you have never done upgrades before, don't start on this mac. RAM is ok to do, 4 screws & a cover. a unibody is pretty easy, but the AL PBs & 1st gen MBPs are harder than they should be, too easy to do damage. have a apple certified tech do it.
here are all the repair guides: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Device/PowerBookG4_Aluminum_15%22_1-1.5GHz
Message was edited by: kmac1036

PowerBook 17" 1.33ghz - Black Screen on Boot

Three out of four boot times, this PowerBook fails to boot into the GUI and instead displays a black screen. HD and CD are both running when this happens but there is nothing on the display and the HD does not make normal operation sounds but simply spins. Sometimes, if I wait, it goes to GUI but most times it doesn't. I have run every possible test I can think of from Disk Permissions to Safe Boot to booting with and without battery. Please help if you can.
Message was edited by: nukular potato

Same problem here - with a friend's 15" PowerBook G4.
Once turned off, it takes many start up trials before the machine will finally boot to the desktop - sometimes up to 20 tries!
Pushing the power button will get no start up chime & black screen - so the only indicator that the machine is running will be the faint humming of the hd spin - or hitting the Caps Lock key to see the light come on.
Running Disk Utility from an external drive found no problems - TechTook Pro came up with 1 bad black in the Surface Scan.
Can one bad block cause this issue, or is there something more substantial ?
Hardware Test maybe ?

Powerbook G4 Power Supply Replacement

The model number is M8407. I can't find any items on Ebay whose charger works with this labtop.
Can you tell me what I need to look for?

There are quite a few options out there if you just do a Google search. Here are some matches on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=electronics&field-keywords=powerboo k%20charger&page=1
Considering the prices for new ones, I wouldn't go through eBay. Also, there are quite a few third party manufacturers for those charges (unlike the current MagSafe versions).

Powerbook 1.33GHZ vs Mac Mini 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo

I'm running a Powerbook 12 1.33 GHZ 768MB RAM with Logic (Express) 7.1
and can't afford to upgrade to Power Mac G5. Anyone any ideas on the noticeable differences in performance I should get upgrading.
I also have an Apple 17" LCD display so I don't want/need an iMac.
I use Plat'Verb sparingly and have around 6 inst' plug-ins and 6 audio tracks with FX. Never more than around 16 tracks in total. Because of a lot of midi dat on Ins' tracks I sometimes get error messages but can freeze tracks to cope. I run my tracks of a 7200rpm external firewire drive and use M-Audio USB MobilePre for audio in.
Money is tight but could stretch to 1.66GHZ with 2MB RAM MacMini.
Any comments please. (I'm posting this here rather than Logic Express disc' as there seem to be more Mac mini users here. I willalso be upgrading to 'Pro' soon).
Powerbook 12 1.33GHZ Mac OS X (10.3.9) 768MB RAM

There is not a whole lot of difference between the DC mini and a single or dual G5. Yes, it's measurable, but I wouldn't be happy if I spent the cash difference.
The difference between your powerbook and a DC mini, however, is pretty amazing. I just sold my powerbook in an online auction (and for $800, so you may want to consider selling yours if you truly seek to upgrade), and I would be quite happy to give up portability for the mini's massive speed boost and digital inputs.
I did a quick side-by-side with the DC and G4 mini running garageband and it looks like the DC is every bit of the 4x faster that Apple is claiming. It also appears that running the node application will boost performance even more on duos, so you may find that the gap becomes even wider once they fine-tune logic a little more.

Does any one know how to replace the hd in a 12 inch PowerBook G4?

I need to find a manual for replacing the hard drive in a 12 inch PowerBook G4. Has anyone replaced the hard drive for the 12 inch PowerBook G4.
Thanks

Allan Jones wrote:
Tom,
You and I should appliy for the "Glutons for Punishment" award. I changed PRAM batts in two Wallstreets less than a year apart.
Again, glad I have Titanium G4 books, PRAM battery almost trivial by comparison.

Powerbook G4 Replace Casing -Compatibility

Is the upper casing (part that contains the trackpad) from the 500mhz powerbook g4 a valid replacement for the uppercasing in a powerbook g4 667mhz vga? The casing on the 667mhz is cracked all the way through and i found for sale a casing from a 500mhz powerbook and i was wondering if this part is interchangeable and would be a valid replacement for the cracked one. I've looked everywhere and cannot find an answer to this problem.

Hi Brendan,
Sorry, but the 400/500 upper case fits only that model, not the 667.

I recently bought a used PowerBook G4. Which drive, larger than 80GB, will it accept?

According to the seller, its 1.33GHz logic board died recently and was replaced with a faster 1.5GHz board. Along the way, its 60GB hard drive was replaced with a 40GB drive, which has Leopard 10.5.8. Its model number is A1095.
This "new" PowerBook was meant to replace an older, slower one with an 80GB drive. While this "new" machine has certain defects, some of which can be corrected relatively easily, I would definitely like to upgrade its hard drive to something larger than 80GB; what larger size drive would be supported by this architecture?
Another question I have is the maximum RAM to which I can upgrade. The lower slot is dead, with the upper one occupied by a 1GB DDR SDRAM memory module. Assuming there is no way to "restore" this lower slot to operational status, how big a memory module could I use in the remaining slot, to help improve performance?
Thank you for your time.
Dieter

Allan, thank you for your response.
Permit me to share some background, which I couldn't do because of a character limit in the details section of the question.
As much as I would love to buy Apple's latest MacBook Pro with all the bells and whistles, I cannot do so at this time, as I do not have the wherewithal. Thus, I'm stuck buying used machines that still work.
That being said, my question regarding larger hard drives was to permit me to use this newer machine to replace the one I currently use, which plods along at 667 MHz with an 80GB hard drive. However, the biggest stumbling block is the hard drive, which has HALF the capacity of my current machine. Therefore, I want to replace it with a larger-capacity drive, so I don't get the ""Your startup disk is almost full" message, which I've encountered too often. The larger replacement drive doesn't have to be faster than the 80GB drive in the other machine, just roomier.
This "new" PowerBook - on which I'm writing this reply - is meant to replace the current machine. I don't do graphics-intensive work on it, or gaming, so it doesn't need to go to Warp 8. All i want is for it to function as it should, for my online activities and spreadsheet and word processing activities.

Mac OS X 10.4 on PowerBook G4

I have an PowerBook G4 1.33GHz 12.1inch and i have replaced the hardrive becuase the one inside stopped working. When i boot up the computer it has a file with a question mark in it and flashing with the mac logo. When I hold down Option it comes up with a refresh button and a arrow in it. When I insert the Mac OS X install Disc nothing happens. Even when i have clcik the refresh button and then it will eject the disc from the drive. PLEASE HELP ME! What should I do next ??

You might want to go throught the procedure you followed in replacing the hard drive and make certain the connections are seated well. I know from personal experience that it is easy to not press the tiny ribbons in far enough to assure proper contact. I presume you have the iFixit or another guide that you used to assist in disassembly/assembly.
If not here is a link.
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/PowerBook_G4_Aluminum_12%22_1-1.5_GHz

Powerbook G4 runs hot after OS X upgrade

I have a powerbookG4 that had 10.3.7. I upgraded today to 10.3.9 and upgraded iTunes from 4 to 6. (looking at the iPod video requirements) Now I'm noticing that it seems to run much hotter. I was on the internet, using AirPort (as usual) but the fan seemed to be running much faster and the bottom of the computer was almost too hot to touch. Plus, I also noticed in this form, that the computer automatically filled in the OS X form with 10.3.7, tho' I have verified in the 'about this apple' page that it now has 10.3.9.
Any suggetions? I wouldn't think running hot would be good for it, and if I want to use it on battery power, would use more power for the higher speed fan. (I did notice tho' that when I turned off AirPort for a few minutes and turned it back on that it's slowed the fan down some, and seems to be cooler, even after turning AirPort back on. Interesting.)
PowerBook G4 1.33GHz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
It sounds like you do may not be using the right discs. If you want to install Leopard, you will need the retail DVD--black with the purple aurora. If you want to install the original OS (Panther?), you need the exact install discs for the PowerBook. If you don't have these, you can call Apple with the serial number and get a replacement set for a fee.
Any other gray machine specific discs will simply not work. These are optimized for the computer they were shipped with.
The ?/Mac face just reflects the fact that the drive you erased is empty and there is no OS on it.
The idea of erasing and reinstalling the system software is basically a good idea. It just sounds like you are trying to use the wrong discs and will need to try to acquire the right ones.
Good luck!

PowerBook Constant Freeze and Graphics Problems

I have a Powerbook 12" 1.33Ghz Leopard 10.5.2 , I star to work in anything and in a few minutes its freezes and appears a Kernel Panic or de backend System Text start to output reports overwriting the last graphic image.. here a picture..
http://cyberkiko3d.com/down/photo.jpg
I remove the memory card, and stills hapening..
I want to know is this is just a kernel problem that it stops formating or is a hardware problem involving the LogicBoard or Graphic Card..
Thanks

I guess memory can fail over time. I just haven't experienced it myself. (Or heard of it, but it is a piece of hardware).
You can test your RAM by either using your system installation / restore discs (the original grey discs that came with your machine) and pop in Disc 1 and reboot the computer holding down the OPTION key and from there, you will get the choice for Apple Hardware Test, which you can use to do a basic test of your RAM.
Second, if you ever signed up for AppleCare and got the TechTool Deluxe disc that comes with it, you can use that too for a more extensive RAM test. Just be careful not to use it to diagnose anything with your hard drive. Just use it for RAM. (Be warned, as their is an incompatibility with Tiger that can ruin your drive. Though I see you have Leopard, so don't even know if it works).
The other test you can do, as suggested by many of the top users in these forums is "Rember" which tests your RAM and should let you know what's going on. I used it once after using it as a suggestion (taking someone else's suggestion and using it for my own testing) and it showed the second module of memory that I bought on eBay--the one that doesn't cause kernel panics--to pass.
You can find that here: [http://www.kelleycomputing.net:16080/rember>
Also, when you get your RAM replacement, I highly recommend getting Apple OEM suppliers such as modules from Samsung, Hynix, or Micron (manufactured by Crucial). They should be trouble free.
I say should because the Samsung 1GB module I bought for my 12-inch PowerBook from OtherWorld Computing has worked flawlessly for almost two years now. The one I was talking about previously, that crashed my 15-inch machine? A Samsung one as well. So, it is true that these Aluminum PowerBook G4s are picky about the RAM installed.
Message was edited by: Pismo 900
I forgot to ask you... what brand RAM do you have installed? (If you know and it is labeled).

IScroll 2 Settings for 17" Powerbook G4?

Hi,
I have a 17" Powerbook G4 1.33Ghz, 2gb of ram & 160gb 5400rpm Hard drive running 10.5.8 with all updates.
I miss the two finger scrolling so i downloaded iscroll2 but no matter how i seem to configure it it is aither too slow or too fast or too jerky, you get the picture!
I have used it sucsefully in the past put am having no joy this time, it also seems to behave differently after restart etc.
Does anyone have specific settings they can post?
Thnaks.

I can't help you but I have the same problem, with one iBook I used to own iScroll2 worked perfectly but not with this PowerBook 12" which I have. I have noticed that once you install iScroll a setting menu appears on OS X's own System Preferences, but that seems to conflict with iScroll's settings. Isn't there any way enable OS X's own menu without iScroll2? Clearly this is just Apple blocking this feature from some machines so maybe there is a command to override this or something?
EDIT: I'm running OS X 10.5 Leopard.

12" PowerBook G4/1.33ghz - replace HD?

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