Accessing combo drive on iBook

My Superdrive has died on my iMac, I have an iBook with a combo drive, can I hook up the iBook to my iMac and use the combo drive from my iMac?

Hi TrayKay9's-
FireWire Target Disk mode is your friend.
You may find this helpful: How to use FireWire target disk mode
Luck-
-DP

Similar Messages

Can I install a combo drive in ibook G3?

I have a G3 iBook and it only plays CDs. I'd like to swap out the drive and replace it with a combo drive to read and write. Can this be done? Does anyone know what models are compatible and are there "how to" instructions for doing so? Please advise and thanks.

I've done it, in a G3 500. Not a techie!
It is very time consuming (probably take you about 2 hours, the first time) but not impossible. If you like to tinker (or are desperate, as I was) give it a try.
Here is some advice, if you decide to do it. Make sure you have all the proper tools.
1)Print out the instructions.
2)Keep track of all the screws, and where they go (I used double-sided tape to attach them next to the appropriate pictures).
3)Be very careful with the ribbon cable (large orange cable which attaches both the HD and the Optical Drive).
4)Be very careful removing the Trackpad, Power, and Speaker cable connectors.
Also, you might want to replace your Hard Drive with a larger one at the same time. Most of the steps are already done, so you would get more bang for your buck (so to speak). You can install up to 120GB in an iBook, I think.
Good luck.

Ibook G4 won't recognise Combo drive

Hi there
I have an iBook G4 12" 800Mhz , when I bought it off ebay it arrived with an issue - the computer doesnt see the combo drive, dvds don't mount, Apple dvd player app gives an error message saying it kind find the drive to play dvds.
I have since taken the ibook apart and tried another combo drive and super drive but with the same results, I thought it could be the flex cable so tried that but again same result. I'm really confused now, am I missing something? do I need to reset Vram etc ? could there be a problem with the logic board?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I'm stumped
Troy

Hey,
I have had the same problem with three iBook G4's. It is not hardware, it is your software. Some how when you download a font or such off of the internet it interferes with a setting on your computer that has to be reset. But I do not know how to change the setting back to recognize DVD's except to backup up you hard drive and reinstall your panther or tiger software. This is what I have done and it fixes the drive, and you are able to play DVD's again.

My iBook won't recognize my combo drive

My computer is acting like no combo drive exists. There are no drivers installed and my 'about this mac' tells me nothing is recognized. I put a disk in and it tells me "The disk cannot be used because the disk drive is not supported. (error code0x80020025)" What do I do?! Thank folks, you're great!
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

That's what the tech guy over the phone said to do. Well when I took out my extra ram the problem was solved! I then decided to put the ram back in and test it and it was still solved! So I think unpluging the power and taking the battery out resets something. Try your old stick of ram - it might still work...

Wife's iBook G4, original combo drive, now getting the 70012 code

Hi, first time ever posting on Apple discussions.
Long story short, kids dropped my wife's iBook G4 the other week, I just replaced the entire monitor, no problems (thanks to instructions at iFixit!). Its a iBook G4, 12 inch, 1GHZ. Anyway, a few days afterwards I decided to see if the CD / DVD combo drive worked..... and it didnt. DVD player is not working and am getting the infamous 70012 error code. This is the original internal combo drive that came with the iBook and never have had an issue before now. She doesnt use it much but. Wondering if I didnt something wrong during the monitor swap or if it was damaged during the dropping incident. Any help / advise would be greatly appreciated!!!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Can you see the drive in the System Profiler? (>About this Mac>More Info>Hardware. Check under both "ATA" and "Disc Burning".
If you don't see it at all, it may be that the cable was dislodged from the logic board when it was dropped or while it was apart. If this is the case, try reseating the cable.
Good luck!

Superdrive dead, can I use iBook combo drive

My superdrive had died, can I hook up to my iMac my iBook so I can use it's combo drive?

Re my message below regarding the dead superdrive, my computer is an iMac G4, not G3.

Old iBook Combo drive into BlackBook 2.0

I've got a dead 12" iBook 1.2GHz (with a combo drive) and a BlackBook Core Duo 2.0GHz (with a drive that doesn't want to accept disks...)
I'm sure the BlackBook drive is bad (ie.- dirty/non repairable) and am wondering if it would be easier to just swap out the two.
Does anyone know if this is possible?
Will the iBook drive work in my BlackBook?
Thanks in advance,
Double_A

No, the iBook drive is 12.7mm high and the MacBook takes a 9.5mm high drive. Check out the specs at OWC. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/

Upgrading iBook combo drive to Superdrive?

Suppose I have a DVD pulled from a dead Titanium Powerbook 15" G4/867 (it had a really bad accident) and I want to replace a 12" iBook G4/800 CD-RW combo drive with the DVD SuperDrive.
(a) Will the salvaged SuperDrive fit inside the iBook?
(b) Are the power and data cables and connectors and connector locations identical?
(c) Will I have to reinstall the operating system?
(d) If the answer to (c) is "yes" do I just rerun the 10.4.4 update or do I have to do an "archive and install" or .... ???
Thanx!

I dont think you should mess with that. But if you want open your ibook and look if the cables and size are the same. If they are.... get a second opinion and try it. Also if you put a new cd drive your OS will not get lost

Can 2005 iBook G4 1.33Ghz combo drive read dual layer DVDs?

Hi. Can my 2005 iBook G4 1.33Ghz 1.5G ram OS X 10.4.11 with combo drive read double layer or dual layer DVDs? I couldn't find any definite info anywhere. Thanks a lot!!!
Mack

Welcome to Apple Discussions, humain.
I have been burning DL DVDs from another Mac for quite some time now. Never had any problems with the DVDs being unreadable on my PowerBooks except when there was a bad batch of discs, which then meant only the Mac that burned the disc could read it.
15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, PPC Mac minis, 12" iBooks G3/G4, Mac OS X (10.4.5) Cube, TAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

IBook Tangarine with a cd/DVD combo drive.

Hi,
I've recently see on the UK Ebay site a Tangarine iBook, where the seller has upgraded it somewhat and put in a CD/DVD combo drive. (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8802810218&sspagename=ADME% 3AL%3ARTQ%3AUK%3A1&rd=1)
I contacted the guy to ask him what the make and model of the drive was and he told me it was a Toshiba SD-C2502 drive. He said that you need to use F12 to open it and hasn't mentioned if it has suffered from any cosmetic damage.
I have a Blueberry iBook and I'm interested in upgrading it to have a cd/DVD combo to watch DVDs on. I've previously put in a 60Gb hard drive using the wonderful instructions recommended by users her from PBFixit.
Is this feasible and has anyone done that before? If so can you tell me whether it's wrth the effort?

Hi ScoringSkins -
It is possible to install a DVD drive in your clamshell. However, there have been reported problems with using Apple's DVD Player (in OS X) to view the DVD's because it requires the Rage128 or later graphics chip. There are other players that will do the job.
Check out the drive database on the site www.xlr8yourmac.com for drive compatibilities and optional DVD players.

IBook G4 Combo drive does not read

My brother has an iBook G4 with a Combo Drive and I just need to know if there is any way I can clean it or just check to see if it is bad. I need to know if I have to replace it or what. Are there any steps I can take before I replace?

There are a couple of things to try:
First, open Disk Utility (in the Applications folder) and click on the hard drive by brand name and then on the first aid tab. Verify permissions and repair if necessary. Repair until there is nothing left to repair. Sometimes permissions get messed up and cause problems.
I believe you can try cleaning the drive with one of the kits specially made for cleaning optical drives.
Also, try a variety of discs--see if the problem is with all of them or just some of them.
Good luck!

IBook G4 Combo Drive Does Not Read CD's - But Reads DVD's

Since about a week ago, my combo drive has not been able to read any audio or data CD's. However, it remains able to read and play DVD's. When I insert a CD into the drive, it would either automatically eject itself, or remain in the drive without being recognized by the system. After inserting a CD, I can hear the drive making noises indicating that it's trying to read the disk.
If anyone has encountered this problem, how can it be resolved?
Thanks.

I had 8 CD-RW disks backing up iTunes and wanted to update them so I erased them to start over. Afterwards when I tried to use them each and every one was useless-my iBook was telling me they were unreadable. I Googled this problem for quite some time without finding a solution. People were actually replacing their optical drives. Anyway I found my own solution, figuring that the combo-drive was ok since it was reading all my DVDs and other CD-RWs. I opened BurnX, popped in the unreadable CD, but before the warning box came up I clicked on erase to erase the already erased CD. This prevented the warning box from coming up and the CD ejecting. Next I burned a small file onto the CD-just any old file-actually a short TextEdit document, then I erased that. Also I made sure that the CD was not apendable. It worked! I then did the same with all the other CDs that were unreadable after having erased the iTunes backup from them and was ready. I began the backup procedure and was afraid that it was going to tell me what I had forgotten to mention earlier, that the disk was not blank when I knew it was, but it didn't and they all worked fine. The backup was a success and I had found the answer to a problem that apparently many people have had over the years. Hope this helps.

IBook G4 Combo Drive Not Recognized / Freezes

Hello all,
I have a problem with my iBook G4 1.25ghz
I have erased and reinstalled the OSX do to a hdd error, something about the tree. I dont remember now.
It will intermittently freeze during boot, if I hit the case above the hdd it will unfreeze and continue loading. When the OSX loads (10.4.11) again will intermittently freeze (hit the case and it comes back to life)
It doesn't recognize the combo drive, I therefore cannot do a disc repair from Tigers OSX disc, nor can I load tech tools.
Tried re-seating the Ram, resetting everything PRAM, PMU, NVRAM and countless other suggestions that I have read.
Im kinda hoping its just a hdd and can replace that. Before I tear this thing down anyone have any suggestions? The combo drive not being recognized is throwing me for a loop.
Thanks

"I have erased and reinstalled the OSX do to a hdd error, something about the tree. I dont remember now."
Sound like there is directory damage. Try DiskWarrior
Similar issue here: http://forums.macworld.com/message/185445
The Disk Utility app that comes with the Mac OS is cannot repair that type of error. That is directory damage. You need DiskWarrior.
Carolyn

Ibook g3 combo drive not working

I have a 500 mhz Ibook G3 with a non working combo drive. I went and replaced it with a new combo drive. The new combo drive didn't work either, so I dug deeper. When I checked out the "about this Mac" drop down , I saw that the combo drive doesn't appear at all. I also cannot eject/open the CD drawer. If I manually open the drive I can't get a disc to play or even spin. So I an assuming that it is a power to the drive issue. Any ideas? Do I need a new ribbon cable or is it a software thing? I'm running 10.4.11.
Thanks
Tom

You may have gotten another drive that was faulty.
I don't think it's the cable because the iBook G3 uses a single cable for the hard drive and the optical drive, using a Master/Slave configuration. So if your hard drive is working, the optical drive should work, too, unless it's not connected properly.
Did you use iFixit's guide to install it?
It sounds like hardware, not software.

Ibook G4-combo drive HELP

I have a ibook g4 14" and my combo drive UJ-845-C Super 845CA went out and I need to find a new one. Because I am having a bit of trouble finding the same drive for a reasonable amount--does anybody know if there is another combo drive that will work in my ibook??? Thanks for your help

Hey Josh,
Here's one for $35,
http://cgi.ebay.com/PowerBook-iBook-G4-Slot-Load-SuperDrive-Apple-Original-/1605 24150514?pt=Apple_Laptops&hash=item255ffc26f2
One here for $39,
http://cgi.ebay.com/PowerBook-iBOOK-G3-G4-Superdrive-UJ-845-C-/360336468227?pt=P CCDrives_StorageInternal&hash=item53e5ba2903
Here's a combo drive for $22,
http://cgi.ebay.com/iBook-G4-12-A1133-1-33-CD-RW-DVD-Combo-Drive-CW-8124-C-/3305 15586612?pt=LHDefaultDomain0&hash=item4cf4439e34
Here's another, what appears to be a, superdrive,
http://cgi.ebay.com/dvd-rw-cdrw-drive-uj-845-c-OEM-Apple-iBook-G4-14-a1134-/1404 95911841?pt=LHDefaultDomain0&hash=item20b6357ba1
There are many more, if those don't work out. The last search I did was just for "iBook G4 DVD drive".
Randy

Accessing combo drive on iBook

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