Be Excellent To Each Other

Hello

I have an old iBook that stopped working about 4 years ago. It began to switch itself off. Then it refused to switch on occasionally. Then often. Then it didn't fire up at all. I replaced the battery, which seemed to help a little bit, but it was soon back to its old tricks. Since then it's sat collecting dust on a shelf under my desk at home.

Question: how do I get the data that is saved on the machine out? Of it.

Easiest way would be to remove the hard drive and put it into a 2.5" USB caddy (about a tenner). However, I doubt the file system will read on a PC, so it'll be strictly MAC for reading off the data.

If you get a firewire cable to connect it to another mac (usb might work, i dunno) you can boot it in a 'target disk' mode that makes it act just like a external drive.

If you can't boot it then your shit out of look, but I mention it in case that still works for some reason.

I think it's cmd+T at boot but google it.

Can't you tell it that "It just works"?

I have to confess that I'm scratching my head as to 'why'? I mean, the stuff on it is four years old, right? Why the need to get it now?

There's some artwork on it that I want to use for a piece of writing I'm doing for my website. I began the story several years ago, got bored and stopped. I've recently got all excited about the main character again so want the pics. My artist friend who created them has scoured his computer and outbox, etc, to no avail, and I don't appear to have saved the e-mails that contained the attachments that he sent me in 1897.

Vexing.

And now it won't fire up at all?

Nope. Stab/press at the power button and nothing happens. Absolutely nothing.

For example.

EDIT. Removed because its SATA. *looks harder*

Tadaaaaa

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/MSI-Star ... 5-IDE-HDDs

Is removing the hard disk likely to pose a risk to my pretty face/hands.

It should be as simple as a simple thing in a simple world listening to simple minds.

Usually one or two screws remove a cover, and the drive then pulls out. What Ibook is it? then I can find out exactly how you do it.

Thanks John. I should probably try to help myself a little at this point rather than flailing all over your bathroom floor.

Ta chaps.

A few weeks ago, I had cause to remove the HDD from a six year old iBook. Spook!

It's a right bloody job to get the hard drive out on most of these, but it can be done, particularly if you don't care about putting it back together. Find a video tutorial on eBay, or do what I did: arm yourself with a collection of Torx screwdrivers and have at it until you're left with a collection of pieces and nothing else.

And JC is right, you'll need to plug the (PATA) hard disk into a USB adaptor and then into something that reads HFS to get your files back. Another Mac is the logical candidate, Linux can read HFS, and I have no doubt Windows can be made to do it too.

I might be interested in the battery if you're scrapping the iBook, as Mrs Z's iBook battery is rather shonky.