I was given an iBook G4 with the hard drive erased. Is there a free reformat/reboot download available?

I was given an iBook g4 with the hard drive erased. A local Mac tech stated the unit could be reformatted online.  I've not been able to find anything to help. Is there a downloadable program?

You should be able to gain a clue if the sticker with the serial number on it remains intact.
Check out the Apple Knowledge Base article on How to find the Serial Number for that information.
Is there any other path to pursue other than paying bucks to have a local Mac Tech restore it?
Yes, but you will need the Install and Restore discs.
Can another Mac cink with it to retrieve this data?
There is no data to "retrieve," since the hard drive has been erased. What you need is an installation and restoration of the operating system and original applications. This is accomplished with either a compatible full retail install disc (or discs) or the original Install and Restore discs. We are right back to needing to know which exact model it is in order to advise you further.

Similar Messages

  • I just fix my macbook air because it was kernel panic. They changed the hard drive. I could not back up with Time Machine, because it did not work and I had over Adobe creative suite 5 design premium student. But I finished my studies last year and I'd li

    I just fix my macbook air because it was kernel panic. They changed the hard drive. I could not back up with Time Machine, because it did not work and I had over Adobe creative suite 5 design premium student. But I finished my studies last year and I'd like to know how to get the serial number for me to reinstall Adobe creative suite 5 design premium when I am no longer study because I would still like the used? It is not fair if I do anymore because I really need.

    You can download Creative Suite 5 here:
    Other downloads
    To deal with the issue of the serial number and using it again, you'll have to use Web Chat. Here's a link:
    Adobe ID, sign in, and account help
    See the bottom of the page for a link

  • I've had a fault with the hard drive on my laptop, it's been replaced and now my iphone and ipod can not sync unpurchased items with itunes. Is there anyway of sorting this without uploading all of my CD's again?

    I've had a fault with the hard drive on my laptop, it's been replaced and now my iphone and ipod can not sync unpurchased items with itunes. Is there anyway of sorting this without uploading all of my CD's again?

    If your CDs are on your iPod/iPhone, they can be recovered from there,see this post:
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/11857427#11857427
    Your problem shows the importance of making backups.

  • Why can't i use realplayer with my mac anymore? it worked fine until i had the hard drive erased and reset

    why can't i use realplayer with my mac anymore? it worked fine until i had the hard drive erased and reset

    Did you remember to reinstall it?

  • What is going on with the Hard drives?

    I purchased my macbook in Feb 2007. I've had two 160GB macbook hard drives corrupted (beyond any data retrieval) since then (and in the last year). I lost a great deal of PhD Thesis the first time.
    Both times i had the screen freeze (unrelated to power since both were fully charged) and when I rebooted the HD could not be accessed. Seems to be corrupting the category B-tree in the catalogue. I have no idea what this means except i have no love for the B-tree. Off to mac repairers. Apple will not replace your HD without the old one which does create dramas when your old one is at data recovery.
    I've learnt my external hard drive lesson (but always remember to back up your iTunes and iPhotos) since then but what's a reasonable expectation for your macbook to corrupt it's hard drive? Each HD took exactly 8 months to corrupt. coincidence? unlikely.
    I have extra applecare protection cover but apple seem to think it's reasonable to replace the hard drive again and won't replace the macbook. I'm don't think that living in fear for the next 8 months is an appropriate resolution?
    Is there an issue with macbook hardware that explains the HD corruption epidemic?

    There have been some reports of a couple of runs of bad drives from the drive manufacturers, most reports being of Seagate drives, but I've seen nothing confirmed by any of the manufacturers. But all laptop manufacturers get their drives from the same vendors, so any vendor is equally likely to have a problem in such a circumstance. It's possible that your replacement drive was of the same series and so had the same problem, if such a problem really does exists. But laptop drives, being of very tiny parts, are more susceptible to failure; they're just not as robust as desktop drives, and of course are subject to more shock from travel. In my experience, support hundreds of laptops from various vendors, MacBooks are no more prone to hard drive failure than are any other manufacturer's system. So it could well have just been bad luck (presuming that the problem was indeed a hardware failure).
    As to replacement, it's quite reasonable for Apple to just replace the hard drive again in the case of another failure, as there is really nothing in such a circumstance that would make replacing the entire MacBook help the situation.
    Sorry you've had bad luck. I hope that your system behaves well from now on.
    Regards.

  • What can I do with the hard drive from my broken iPod Mini?

    Hello all,
    A friend of mine has an iPod Mini that is broken beyond repair. However, the battery and the hard drive works fine. The question is, is there a way to utilize the hard drive as an external USB drive? If so, can anyone point me in a resource that outlines this? I have checked online but haven't had any luck.
    Thanks so much,
    Ed

    Yeah, but I may have not descriped the issue with the iPod. He tried to replace the battery himself and broke the ribbon cable that connects the circuit board to the control wheel. The battery and HD are o.k. so I mentioned that he may be able to take the HD out and use it as a separate storage device. I thought they drives that had the same form factor as a compact flash card.
    I told him to pay the 50 bucks to have Apple replace the battery but did he listen? I know it sounds like I have an imaginary friend and I did it, but really it was he that tried it on his own. <ggg>
    Ed

  • How does the 1st gen appletv with the hard drive work?

    I want to know what the hard drive records and stores. Poscasts? Purchased media? Rented media? Your itunes media? Ripped DVD's?
    What does the hard drive hold media wise?
    Does the 1st gen have the same features as the 2nd, netflix, poscasts, PC media streaming?

    Does the 1st gen directly access podcasts without going thru itunes? Like the 2nd gen can do. Can the drive store podcasts?
    Message was edited by: randym431

  • Problem with the hard drive of my ipod classic

    hello everybody
    i have a recent problem on my ipod classic, the hard drive make strange noises (the hard drive cuts after a few second and this repeat about 3 or 4 times) do you think it's broken :/ ?

    See this user hint from a fellow user https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141.
    The information from the other poster will not bring your iTunes library to your comptuer from the phone. This is not designed to be done this way. This workaround in the post I linked to will help.

  • My computer's hard drive was damaged and had to be replaced last year. How can I download the tunes I had purchased previously that were lost with the hard drive? I can see the list of songs I bought in my account. Thank you.

    My computer's hard drive was damaged last year and had to be replaced. How do I download previously purchased songs that are listed in my account? Thanks.

    To re-download your purchases from iTunes on your computer:
    Go to the iTunes Store and select "Purchased" from the Quick Links side bar on the right. Go through all the tabs to download again for free

  • How do I sync ipod with PC that has a fresh copy of windows 7 installed because of a fault with the hard drive?

    Hi - had to install a fresh copy of windows 7 on a customer's laptop that was previously running itunes which she was using with her ipod nano (6th generation).
    She can't get it to sync with the new install - I think she want to remove some of the suf on the ipod and add new stuff she hs downloaded on the PC.
    Its also giving heer messages about to many authorised devices 9though what she said didn't make snese - that it was the 4th device and she can only have 5!)
    Is there a straightforward way of sorting this please.
    Thanks

    See Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
    tt2

  • G5 dual-core with the hard drive installed crooked?

    I bought a G5 2.3 dualcore standard configuration from a authorized Apple dealer. Opened the case to remove the plastic strips and noticed that the supplied hard drive was literally jammed in at a 40 degree angle and riding between below the lower rail on bay B (right side of drive) and the space between A and B (left side of drive). It can not be removed because the "buttons" on the left side of the drive have caught on the bay housing behind where the upper B track curves up into A. I applied a bit of force with no result. This does not seem possible in an Apple product yet here it is. Has this manufacturing mishap happened to others?
    G5   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  

    Another person on another forum [mac rumors] had this same problem back in late November - look for it as I'm sure the result of their complaint was also posted. It would appear that there's a disgruntled employee somewhere on the line. This of course is completely unacceptable so contact apple and return your machine ... there's absolutely no way this could have happened any other way other than an assembly employee deliberately shoving the HDD into the bays on a 40 deg angle. If that got by QA on your machine, what else did they miss?

  • When I need to open a folder on the desktop takes long time to open, so it is with the hard drive?, I'm using Maverick

    The system boots without any problem, applications without a problem when I'm on the desktop and I need to open folders taking forever to open and for a moment I open and blocks other thing that the colored circle appears, use ten folders on the desktop where I'm keeping this information and take process and lock the desktop makes my job a little slow, and does anyone know anything about all of this as repairing system error?

    Have then select one of the photos and type Command+i. In the Info window that comes up check to see which application is set as the default application. If it's iPhoto therein lies the problem. Regardless of what is set for the default select Preview and click on the Apply to All... button. See if that will fix the problem.
    TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
    I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
    Note: There's now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

  • My MacBook Pro 13 inch makes a clicking noise from the hard drive and can not start up in safe mode and normal. I then ran disk utility in recovery mode and disk utility shows no problems with the hard drive. What is the problem?

    Please help me, I have a mid 2010 Mac book pro with a toshiba mk3266gsxf harddrive. It started making a clicking noise and then my computer crashed. I proceeded to boot in safe mode, but it doesn't work. When I ran disk utility in recovery mode, it showed no problem with my disk. Does any one know what the problem is?

    Sounds like a mechanical problem with the drive and it ruined the sectors where the Macintosh HD partition (and OS X, and files and programs) reside, but not your Recovery HD partition.
    If you held command option r while booting, that's Internet Recovery and it's loaded via the Internet, not via the Recovery HD partition on the boot drive, so that could mean the drive is dead mechanically or there is another issue.
    In either case the drive will likely have to be replaced, it's a matter of what occured to where and the drive state if you can recover data or not. If you made recent backups then your fine.
    My computer is not working, is my personal data lost?
    Most commonly used backup methods

  • Having problems with the Hard drive in my zen x

    Hi,
    I have a Zen xtra mp3 player and love it, b;ut currently took it to a marching band competition and well, it got dropped by one of the pit crew and you can guess the rest. i tried to boot it up and it goes into "rescue Mode" First I tried to reinstall the OS, then i tried reformating it. All it said was "Harddisk Problem" so im pretty sure the hard dri've is dead. but my question is, does this take just a regular laptop hard dri've or do you need a special one? and also, How do you go about getting the old hard dri've out, I know it can't be to hard but not sure. Any help is appreciated.
    Kevin

    You can try the advice here in the Zen FAQ at Nomadness.net at your OWN RISK. If you don't want to try this or are under warranty then contact Creative Support.
    If you aren't under warranty you can contact Creative Support to see if they will repair it. If you want to try repairing it yourself, taking the risk the hard disk is at fault, then you can follow Rudi Cheow's excellent guide. There's also a thread here at the Zen Nomadness.net forum on compatible dri'ves, and the last page of Rudi's guide also has information on this.

  • I need help setting up the hard drive I'm my TC to upload and download files remotely

    Can anyone tell me how to setup my TC hard drive to access VIA the Internet

    Are you trying to connect using win7?
    If so I have bad news.. it won't work. The TC only exposes AFP to internet.. not SMB. And there is no AFP add on for windows. You can only do it from a Mac.
    People do open SMB to the internet on a strange port.. look it up if you want to infect your system and expose all your files to the internet.. there is no security doing this.. so I refuse to consider it an option.
    The only real way from windows is to get a vpn router.. bridge the TC and use it plugged into the vpn device.. vpn into the network and you can safely use SMB.. you cannot do this directly with the TC. It might well have ipsec for icloud but you cannot access it.

Maybe you are looking for