Replacing Powerbook HDs

[Redjack]

Hi Guys:

I have a Pismo and a Powerbook 1400c that I'd like to get replacement (bigger) hard drives for. What should I look for? I don't want to just get a generic IDE hard drive and I don't think I can anyways.

BTW, for the 1400, I understand that if I use IDE, I can't use target disk mode. Is this true, do I need to find a SCSI?

Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[JRL]

That only applies to HDD's above 4 GB with the PowerBook 1400 series.

 

[LCGuy]

Why don't you want to just get a generic IDE HDD? What do you think came in there from the factory? Every single PowerPC 'Book apart from the Duo 2300 shipped with a standard 2.5" IDE drive, exactly the same as one from a PC.

 

[MultiFinder]

As far as PowerBooks go, so long as they're IDE inside, you can use any bloody drive you like. I yanked the 30 gigger in my Pismo right now out of an old Sony lappy

 

[sircabulon]

I have 120GB in my Lombard and my sister's Pismo has a 40GB yanked from a mac Mini. Both are PC compatible drives.

 

[Bunsen]

1400s can't use internal SCSI drives, only ATA/IDE. They can take any size up to 136GB, but yes, if you use anything larger than 4GB, SCSI Disk Mode (target mode) will result in data corruption. I have a vague memory of some reports of success with a 4GB partition workaround - maybe the search function here will turn that up.

 

[register]

If you do _not_ need the SCSI target disk mode but want to have plenty of storage, get a recent hdd that produces not too much noise. Avoid the old travelstar models. Consider to buy a smaller solid state disk at the prize of a large hdd.

In case you do not need that much storage, consider to grab any kind of flash memory fitting into a PCMCIA slot (like PCMCIA flash cards or any CF/SD/SDHC etc. memory card in an appropriate adapter). This way you avoid compatibility issues for CF cards on internal adapter boards. You might diconnect* or remove the internal hdd and boot from PCMCIA, leaving a silent PowerBook, the perfect typewriter. Cheap solutions are available. Example: a 1 GB Kingston Ultimate 100x CF in a generic CF-PCMCIA adapter will boot a fully blown Mac OS 9.2 in approx. 45 seconds. The required parts can be purchased new at less than USD 20.

*It is possible to unmount and shut down the internal hdd by software, but it will spin up and mount again on every wake up or boot process.

P.S.: have a look at the 68kMLA Wiki.

 

[Bunsen]

I've had no luck using a PCMCIA ATA Flash card to boot a Powerbook (G3 Lombard). I don't know at this point whether it's a bad card or a fundamental problem with that card type. At this stage, I would recommend a CF card on an internal 2.5" IDE adapter if you really want flash storage.

 

[MultiFinder]

Just an FYI, the 30 gig that I yanked from the Vaio is an IBM Travelstar; and it's deathly silent. Unless it's reading or writing, you'd think this thing had an SSD in it. Add that with the fan never coming on, and you have an epic writing machine or just overall very quiet laptop

 

[register]

At this stage, I would recommend a CF card on an internal 2.5" IDE adapter if you really want flash storage.

In case you use an internal CF-IDE adapter for the PB1400 be sure to get either an industrial grade CF card or a recent CF card supporting UDMA. Due to a quirk in the PB1400's ROM it cold boots only from media in the internal hdd bay identified as _fixed_ media. The CF card types mentioned above usually work for this purpose. Most consumer grade CF cards identify as _removable_ media and will not be recognized properly as long the system software has not loaded an appropriate driver.

 

[Franklinstein]

As long as the first partition on the disk is less than 4GB, SCSI Disk Mode will work on the pre-G3 PowerBooks with high-capacity hard drives. Of course, only that first partition will be usable in disk mode; the rest will be invisible until the machine is rebooted.

Unless you want to go with an IDE-CF adapter or something, generic 2.5" IDE is all you're gonna get: you can't use SCSI or SATA or anything else.

If it were me, I wouldn't go more than 60GB @ 4200RPM on a 1400, as the performance improvement would be fairly minimal (since the 1400's IDE controller, along with the rest of the system, is pretty slow).

On the Pismo, though, I may go for an 80 to 120GB @ 5400RPM, since it can run OS 9 and X and a few decent games, and its disk controller can do UDMA.

 

[LCGuy]

Just an FYI, the 30 gig that I yanked from the Vaio is an IBM Travelstar; and it's deathly silent. Unless it's reading or writing, you'd think this thing had an SSD in it. Add that with the fan never coming on, and you have an epic writing machine or just overall very quiet laptop

Yep, I have the same drive in my 1400, though a Hitachi unit (I'm assuming that yours is the 4200 rpm version as mine is), and its quieter than a cat burglar. Good choice of drive for a 1400, IMHO

 

[MultiFinder]

Just an FYI, the 30 gig that I yanked from the Vaio is an IBM Travelstar, and it's deathly silent. Unless it's reading or writing, you'd think this thing had an SSD in it. Add that with the fan never coming on, and you have an epic writing machine or just overall very quiet laptop

Yep, I have the same drive in my 1400, though a Hitachi unit (I'm assuming that yours is the 4200 rpm version as mine is), and its quieter than a cat burglar. Good choice of drive for a 1400, IMHO

That would be it; amazing how quiet the bugger is. I would totally put it in any fanless-or-otherwise-quiet PowerBook, just to complete the silence