[Fooboy]

Hey Guys ...

I got a question for you genius guys. My friend dropped his 12" g4 on its side a few days ago. I *think* his hard drive is bad, but I can't tell for sure. When he boots it up - he gets his apple logo but thats it. I have my g4, his g4 ... a firewire cable ... my os x CD's ... and an apple store within 15 minutes drive. However, he doesn't want to spend a lot of time or money doing pointless stuff @ the apple store (its warranty is up). Is there a sure fire way to see if its the hard drive? Can I boot of my g4 on to his? Any other possiblities that come readily to mind about what it could be?

Will apple charge a bunch to open it up? Augh - help!

ill be on AIM/ichat @ "Will Bridenstine"

[Fooboy]

I booted off my os x CD ... and disk utility wont load up. "Gathering disk information". When I tried to install os X it lists no destination drives either.

Looks like we need a new HDD... right? Anything I should double check before closing my investigation.

I also wonder if the hdd didnt get scratched (it only fell 1 foot, landed on powercharger corner) ... but a cable came out or something?

Sorry - 1 more quesiton. Does Apple Genius Bar charge to open up the computer ... even if it just needs a wire jiggled or something.

[Brad]

Well, you could boot yours normally, connect the two with a FireWire cable, and boot his in target disk mode. That would at least let you know if the drive is accessible and readable.

How to use FireWire target disk mode

edit: well, you beat me to it with the CD, but this might still be worth a try.

Yeah, it looks like you might need a new drive. Though, there's the chance that maybe a cable or something just got knocked loose. There's also the change that the damage is worse that you think, too. The only definitive way to know is to take it to be serviced.

[Fooboy]

Thanks Brad. Did both the CD and the Firewire Target thing... each came up with nothing.

Conclusion - Hard Drive is busted or cable loose.

[Brad]

I'm pretty sure opening up the computer will incur a charge wherever you go. The genius bar's free service is meant for simple issues that can be talked out. However, since the warranty is up, you could just brave opening it yourself...

[Fooboy]

how much is genius bar?

[Brad]

Well, I don't know if there's actually a set rate. Besides, for this type of thing, they might actually ship the unit off to somewhere else for work.

Paging Dr. Wickers. Dr. Wickers, you're needed in PowerBook trauma ward three.

[Ebby]

You can replace the hard drive yourself. Than just boot off the CD and reinstall the OS. That is basically what the genius bar will do, without the extra charges. Unless you actually tell them it was dropped, then they'll rack up the fees. I'd say if the screen didn't break, you have a good chance of everything working after the repair. If it is damaged, it might have been too much of a shock and other parts may be damaged. Either way, run the hardware test CD to make sure nothing else is damaged.

[Fooboy]

Instructions for opening up the powerbook look ... frightening.

[Brad]

True.

Where did you look, though? PBFixIt.com has some of the best instructions, in my opinion.

FixIt Guide for PowerBook G4 12"

[Fooboy]

Ya ... well its not so bad openign it up.

We got the the 3 battery screws but our screw driver is to short and we dont want to strip the screws. We will go to walmart or ace hardware tomorrow and get the hex set / smaller screwdrivers.

[FFL]

the HD isn't so bad

be careful putting the top case back on - don't let the tabs bend down around the optical and block the disc slot.

[Fooboy]

I did it - and it worked!

[Brad]

Awesome! Congratulations on a job well done!