Tray-loading CD-ROM in Slot-loading iMac?

[aphetica]

Is it possible to use a tray-loading CD-ROM in a slot-loading iMac? This would only be temporary, long enough to get an OS onto the hard drive and that is it. It doesn't even need to fit in the case. I could just leave the machine half open while it installs.

I ask because I have a slot-load 500 with a broken CD-ROM and no OS, and I am picking up a tray-load 333 soon for free.

 

[bluekatt]

well maybe

but it involves tearing them both apart

as far as i recall both use normal eide cables and you could use an extended cable if the eide cable of the slot loader isnt propriety which i think it is not sure

why not hook up an external usb cd driver ? thats a lot easier

 

[aphetica]

well maybe but it involves tearing them both apart

as far as i recall both use normal eide cables and you could use an extended cable if the eide cable of the slot loader isnt propriety which i think it is not sure

why not hook up an external usb cd driver ? thats a lot easier

I don't have a USB CD-ROM. I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible.

I don't mind tearing them apart. I've had to take the 500 apart a few times to take out the dead CD-ROM. It was a pain in the butt...

Do you happen to know if the 333s have the slim notebook-style ide drives that lack the molex connector? That is what was in the 500.

 

[coius]

the slimline are regular laptops trayloads (same for the slot-load) that has an apple-designed adapter at the back that allows the cable that connects the CD-ROM and HDD on the same system to provide power to the CD-ROM. if you notice, the cable splits off part (or minus a few wires) that connects to the HDD, I think. At least it does on the DV. As far as the other wires, it goes to the board on the back of the CD. It then converts it to the CD-ROM standard Slim-line plug on any standard CD.

What I am saying is that the CD-ROMs in an iMac are the same as ANY laptop system. It's just slim-line slot-load vs. Slim-line Tray-load. You can use it. But you will need to do an awful lot of modifying, especially the front screen case. right under that front plastic, there is a hard plastic that has a little slot in it for the CD to go through the case into the CD-ROM. so you would need to take the ENTIRE iMac apart to cut an opening. Good luck with THAT. it's a PITA just getting to the monitor insides. I got an iMac DV sitting on my floor with a bummed screen Controller on the back of the tube died, PAV is fine) and am too lazy to put it back together. I also have a Slim-Line CD-ROM, but not sure if I want to give it up.

 

[aphetica]

I don't want to actually install it permanently.

I'll do what I did last time and remove the bottom half of the iMac, flip the unit upside-down, and just temporarily set the CD drive on top of it while it installs the OS. Once it is installed I'll put it all back together without the CD drive.

I tried this once with a fullsize CDROM from a tower and a molex splitter to power it, but that didn't work for some reason.

 

[equill]

Is it possible to use a tray-loading CD-ROM in a slot-loading iMac? ... long enough to get an OS onto the hard drive and that is it ... I ask because I have a slot-load 500 with a broken CD-ROM and no OS, and I am picking up a tray-load 333 soon for free.

This is exactly the purpose for which FireWire Target Disk Mode exists, which is of no comfort to you when the tray-loader does not have FireWire. Next best then would have been to send a disk image of the install CD to the slot-loader (a 'net install') by ethernet, and install onto the slotloader from the image. But, with no OS on the slot-loader, even that is denied to you. Your natural adaptability may enable you to use the ATAPI tray-loading CD-ROM with your slot-loader, but none of us can see your setup or offer meaningful advice. Round about now you can, I am sure, see the virtue in replacing your slot-loader's CD-ROM drive, soon.

Best o' luck!

de

 

[~tl]

If you have a another IDE cable (a standard one from a PC) it's possible to run it out of the RAM hatch on the bottom of the case and connect any CD drive like that. You should also be able to split the power out from the HD drive with a molex Y-cable or two as extenders... however as you said this didn't work before, it may be possible that the power supply doesn't have enough juice to power a full size CD drive along with the HD (which is perfectly possible since these were designed to be fairly cheap machines). It certainly should work with a full size CD drive, as I've done it in the past. However, I did use an external power supply that I scavenged from an old SCSI CD-ROM drive.

 

[aphetica]

If you have a another IDE cable (a standard one from a PC) it's possible to run it out of the RAM hatch on the bottom of the case and connect any CD drive like that. You should also be able to split the power out from the HD drive with a molex Y-cable or two as extenders... however as you said this didn't work before, it may be possible that the power supply doesn't have enough juice to power a full size CD drive along with the HD (which is perfectly possible since these were designed to be fairly cheap machines). It certainly should work with a full size CD drive, as I've done it in the past. However, I did use an external power supply that I scavenged from an old SCSI CD-ROM drive.

That's a good idea. I do happen to have an adapter that plugs into the wall that's made for powering molex devices. I'll have to try that one.

 

[The Macster]

If the hard drive is relatively easy to get out of the iMac, you could surely put it in another Mac, install OS X on there, and then put it back in the iMac? That you can do this has always been one of the things that amazes me about the Mac OS, as it just doesn't work with Windows.

 

[aphetica]

If the hard drive is relatively easy to get out of the iMac, you could surely put it in another Mac, install OS X on there, and then put it back in the iMac? That you can do this has always been one of the things that amazes me about the Mac OS, as it just doesn't work with Windows.

Tried it with OSX, but not with OS9.

I'm not sure if it will work, but I suppose it's worth trying. Thanks for the suggestion.