Ask Jacob

The new MacBook Air that you’re receiving has an application that provides for “Over the Air” network-based migration, as the MacBook Air does not have a FireWire port included. However, in order to use the “over the air” method, the originating machine must have an operating system of 10.4.6 or later. Because your iBook G4 has 10.3.9 installed, the automatic migration isn’t an option.

Should I have this same situation, I’d use a manual migration method. Using a USB external drive, back up your data from your home folder. Then go through the standard setup process with your MacBook Air. Once your account is created on the new machine, you can connect your external drive and move the backed up data to the correct folders. It’s not exactly seamless or automatic, but it can provide a safe way to move your data and build a nice, stable system.

-Dennis
Ask Jacob Team

With the G4/1.67, there were two different models. One has a standard analog audio port (headphone jack), and one has the Combination Analog/Digital Optical port. It’s possible that the the sensor that detects a headphone connection may be tripped. This would cause the notebook’s speakers to be silent. One way to determine this, is to plug in headphones, and see if you get sound through those. Also, if you go into System Preferences, then to Sound, and check “Output”. It should list which devices are providing sound output. Does it list “Line out/headphones” or internal speakers? Let me know what the results of these are, and we can go to the next step of restoring sound for you.

Dennis Beaman
PowerMax Support

I have a special fondness for the G5 iMac. One thing to check is to see if you have two drives installed in your old G4. It could be that you have a old drive or data drive installed as the Master drive in your G4. If that is the case, you may need to remove the none-booting drive and then try again. 9 times out of 10 that is the problem when you see that error.

- Jacob

If you have a Mirrored Drive Door G4 PowerMac, all drives in the Mac need to be pinned as “Cable Select.” Also, see if the drive can be viewed in the Finder window as it’s possible in OS X to have drives mounted but not visible on your desktop. That setting is adjustable in the Finder preferences.

If you continue to have problems you can certainly contact your sales person for direct customer support.

- Jacob

Yes, the G4 iMacs can take an Airport card. Depending on the generation you can get an 802.11B card or an 802.11B/G card.

• If you have a 700 MHz or 800MHz processor you need a FastMac APP-0968 Wireless AirPort 802.11b Card.

• If you have a 1GHz to 1.25GHz processor you can get an Apple M8881LL/A AirPort Extreme Card.

It will install under the metal plate on the bottom of the iMac and is easy to do, just make sure to attache the built-in antenna cable after you slide it in the slot.

- Jacob

The original Quicksilver G4 PowerMac towers could only use hard drives that were 128GB or less in size. The 2002 Quicksilver G4 PowerMac tower could take any size ATA hard drive.

If you have a 733, 867 or Dual 800 MHz processor than you have the original Quicksilver. If you have a 800, 933 MHz, or Dual 1GHz processor you have the 2002 Quicksilver and can use larger hard drives.

Hope this helps.
- Jacob

In general a new Intel Mac mini or refurbished Mac mini is a great replacement for most PowerPC systems. I use one as my primary home computer and can say that I have yet to find its limit.

The only drawback for you will be working with software that was designed to run on a PowerPC processor, it will have to be run in a special environment on your computer called Rossetta. Everything should work, but just may not be running at its full potential speed.

- Jacob

Yes you are correct that the Apple Cinema HD Display 23″ will require a better video card than what your Cube has.

That display needs an ADC connection from a card with 32MB of Video RAM. It is likely that your video card is underpowered for that display. Replacement parts are hard to find, we do not have any, but you may be able to find a card from a high end Cube for sale online.

Hope that helps
Jacob

What version of the Mac OS are you running on this system? Perhaps you need to run an update to support those drives. Also, If your System is a Mirrored Drive Door G4 tower, your optical drives have to be set with the Jumper pin to Cable Select. In the MDD G4 you also need to have the Super Drive on the topmost drive slot and Combo drives (or lesser optical drive) bellow the Super drive.

If that does not help, could you send me the serial number and OS version so I can dig deeper into the issue.

Also, if you want to replace that G4 optical drive, I’ve included Apple’s guidelines on how to do accomplish that:

Replacing G4 optical drive involves five simple steps:

- Turn off the G4 computer.
- Open the computer.
- Remove the installed CD/DVD drive.
- Install the replacement CD/DVD drive.
- Close the computer.

All you’ll need to replace the G4 optical drive is a #2 Phillips screwdriver.

A Note About Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Static electricity can build up on your body as you walk around – you’ve probably experienced the shocking sensation after dragging your feet along the carpet in your home. An electrostatic discharge occurs when you touch an object generate a small electrical spark. ESD can damage to the internal components of your computer, so avoid walking around while replacing the optical drive in your G4.

Opening the G4 Computer

Warning: Always turn off your computer before opening it to avoid damaging internal components.

1. Place your computer on a clean, flat surface.
2. If your G4 has not shut down, but is in sleep mode, press the power button on the front of the computer to wake it.
3. Shut down your computer by opening the Special menu and choosing Shut Down. Then wait five minutes for the computer’s internal components to cool down.
4. Remove any security cables you may have installed in the G4′s lockable cover latch.
5. Except the power cord, remove all other cables from the computer.
6. On the back of the computer, touch the metal PCI access covers . Important: To avoid electrostatic discharge, before you touch any parts or install any components inside the computer – always ground yourself by touching the port access covers. From this point forward – to avoid static electricity building back up in your body – do not walk around the room until you have completed your installation and closed the computer. No dragging your feet around the house!
7. Unplug the power cord.
8. Carefully lift the latch on the right side access panel (these can break off)
9. Gently lower the access panel onto a clean towel or cloth until it lies flat.

Warning: Close the side access panel and shut down the computer if you see any lights glowing on the main logic board. Lights indicate the computer has not been shut down.

Removing the Installed CD/DVD Drive

1. Press the clips behind the drive faceplate assembly, rotate the assembly forward until the clips are free of the front panel, and carefully continue rotating the assembly forward to remove the faceplate.
2. Remove the two screws that hold the drive carrier in place and push the carrier forward far enough that you can reach the cables behind it. Note: You will feel some resistance as you push on the carrier.
3. Disconnect the power and ribbon cables from the back of the CD/DVD drive.
4. If a Zip drive is installed, disconnect the ribbon and power cables from the back of the Zip drive.
5. Slide the drive carrier assembly the rest of the way out of the computer.
6. Remove the shield from the back of the CD/DVD drive.
7. Remove the four screws that mount the CD/DVD drive to the carrier and remove the drive from the carrier.

Installing the Replacement CD/DVD Drive

1. Position the drive in the upper bay of the drive carrier, lifting the back of the drive slightly so that it is flush against the carrier. Insert the screws from the old drive through the holes in the carrier and tighten to secure the drive to the carrier.
2. Replace the shield on the back of the replacement CD/DVD drive.
3. Partially insert the drive carrier into the computer. Leave room behind the assembly so you can reach the connectors.
4. Connect the cables to the Zip drive and CD/DVD drive:
1. Connect the middle connector on the power cord bundle to the Zip drive.
2. Connect the middle connector on the ribbon cable to the Zip drive.
3. Connect the end of the power cord bundle to the CD/DVD drive.
4. Connect the end of the ribbon cable to the CD/DVD drive.
5. Push the drive carrier the rest of the way into the computer.
6. Reinsert the two carrier mounting screws you removed earlier.
7. Replace the faceplate assembly by aligning its left edge on the computer case, reinserting the clips into their slots on the right side, and pressing the plate until it snaps into place.

Closing the Computer

1. Raise the side access panel, lift the latch, and press the panel against the case until it snaps securely into place.
2. Reconnect all cables and restart your computer. Warning: Never turn on your computer unless all of its internal and external parts are in place and it is closed. Operating the computer when it is open or missing parts can damage your computer or cause injury.

Thanks,
- Jacob

The ADC video port on your Quicksilver G4 Mac is actually DVI with power and USB connections bundled in with it. So a simple adapter should let you hook up your Dell display via DVI. This Apple ADC to DVI video adapter should do the trick.

As for the buzzing noise, open up you computer and make sure that there are no cables resting on the various fans in the computer. You can have a G4 running when the case is open, just make sure not to touch any of the circuitry. Look to see if there is a fan on the video card. Those little fans can make extra noise as they age. There could also be some loose drive sleds on the bottom of the case making a metal on metal noise.

I was not able to see where we listed the ports on this G4 PowerMac, but these Macs have two USB ports and two FireWire ports on the back of the units. I think you might have confused USB and FireWire, as most printers and scanners use USB and not FireWire. Apple often lists the computers as having additional USB ports because the Apple keyboard comes with two USB ports built in. So the one USB port that the keyboard uses, is replaced by two extra on the keyboard. That would give you a listing of three USB ports. Perhaps that was the discrepancy you saw in the description.

A good option to get extra USB connections at a higher speed than the internal USB 1.1 ports, is with a Sonnet USB 2.0 PCI card.

- Jacob

The problem you are having probably has to do with how the FireWire drive was formatted. Often new external Firewire hard drives come formatted in a universal format but that is not compatible for booting the drive. Any time you get a new drive, it is best to Erase it and reformat the drive from the OS you plan to use it with.

In OS 9 you use Drive Setup (inside the Utilities folder on your hard disk) to initialize a hard disk. You will loose all information on the drive but you will then be able to boot off of it. You need the drive to be an Mac OS Extended (HFS+) format.

After that you can clone your boot drive over to the external drive and it should work as your boot volume. You can use the Startup Disk control panel or hold down the [option] key on startup and select the external drive.

- Jacob

The interesting thing is that all G4 PowerBooks had just a single screen latch in the 15″ models. 17″ PowerBooks had two latches and later the 15″ MacBook Pros had two latches in both the 15″ and 17″ models. The 15″ MacBook Pros have an iSight camera placed where the single PowerBook latch was located. That is why they switched to using a 2 screen latches on the MacBook Pros. Now they have no latches at all.

- Jacob

Many of the Everio JVC camcorders had 4 Pin FireWire, sometimes called iLink, on them in addition to USB. Make sure that you really only have USB. FireWire is the best method for you to use and often you just need a firewire cable for your Mac.

If you need to connect via USB, you will need to have a USB 2.0 port, which the Titanium G4 did not have. You can add USB 2.0 via this IOGEAR USB 2.0 card. With a USB 2.0 connection you can install the software that came with the camera and import your video files via iMovie or Final Cut.

- Jacob

You should have no problem reinstalling OS X 10.3 over the old 10.3 via an Archive and Install, but you will have to Trash the Previous System folder after you have finished the install. After the folder is removed, you should have about the same amount of free space on your hard drive. OS 9′s System Folder should not be affected by this process.

You may even be able to skip the install and just reset the Admin users password via the Reset Password Utility on the Mac OS Install disc. Jump to the last part of this article to get info on the process:

After you have Admin access to the computer, just make a new Admin user account with the name you want to use and login to it. After you login, delete the old admin account.
Jacob

Sure thing, you probably want an Adaptec 2916 card.

When I was a install tech I used this card 99% of the time and never had a bad one. There are better cards for hard drive control but this is fine for external devices. SCSI also can be run in daisy chains, so you may be able to get by with just one card, if one of the devices supports pass through.

- Jacob

If you want to stick with OS X 10.3.9, then you should look at some of our used Fifth generation iPods or used iPods. They are also called an iPod Video in the descriptions. My wife owns one and loves it for video and music. This model is the most advanced iPod that will still work with a Mac OS before 10.4 Tiger. For running though, you may just want to get a used original iPod Nano. They do not weigh much and have no hard drive to get damaged by bouncing around. I had one, but I loved it to death and just have an iPhone now.

If you are interested in upgrading your iBook, it will run Leopard just fine. My teenage daughter has that exact same model iBook running Leopard and she will not let me replace it.

- Jacob

Well you only have a few upgrade options with an eMac. You can easily upgrade the RAM to 1GB or 2BG, depending on the model. With a little technical help you can also upgrade the hard drive, but it may be beyond the average users skill level to open up that computer. Consider taking the eMac into an Apple Authorized service center.

Your best upgrade option would be to trade-in that eMac and look at getting a new or used Intel iMac. The performance boost to dollar ratio will be much more favorable to you by trading it in.

Hope that helps,
- Jacob

A new battery would probably be the next step after resetting the PMU without success. But before you plop down some big cash, does the PowerBook retain date and time if you remove the battery and power supply from the laptop? If it still looses the time, you could have a faulty backup battery that should be replaced. In rare cases, a dead
backup battery will block a main battery from charging. This battery is internal and takes some technical skill to replace.

You can buy the part from We Love Macs if you want to attempt the repair yourself.

Another consideration should be your Power Adapter. Make sure you are using the proper Wattage power supply for your PowerBook. You need a 65W adapter for your PowerBook but some earlier models used 45 Watt and some replacement adapters don’t provide a full 65 Watts. An underpowered adapter will not charge your battery.

Otherwise you can get a replacement PowerBook battery and that should fix your issue.
- Jacob

The 466MHz Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio) was technically very close to the 1st generation of Quicksilver G4, so you should have no issues moving your older drives over. The RAM and hard drive bus are the same between the two models.

Jumping computers should work well for you, except for the drop in processor speed and the reduction of overall processors.

- Jacob

You may need to repartition it through the Partition tab in Disk Utility.

To repatriation a drive, select the drive (not the indented Volume) that you want to erase and click on the Partition tab. Change the Volume Scheme popup menu from “Current” to “1 Partition.” Click the [Options...] button and set it to use the “Apple Partition Map.” Then give it a name and click on the [Apply] button. One more click to say that you understand all data will be lost on that drive and then it should work fine for your Mac computer.

It will not work on PCs after that though, it will be a Mac drive.

- Jacob

The good news is that you can move the mail file over fairly easily. There is are two folders and a file you need to copy from your home folder. The home folder is in your hard drive in the “Users” folder and then in a folder with your unique user name. The home folder is indicated with a ” ~ ” symbol and I will use the symbol in describing the files locations.

First copy the preference file: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist
Then grab the main mail folder ~/Library/Mail/
And lastly the Mail Downloads folder ~/Library/Mail Downloads/

On the fresh system copy these back to your new Users account, in there respective places. Then when you launch the new mail app it will look just like the old one.

- Jacob

In general Apple laptops can not get replacement processors or even upgrade processors. In a portable PC or Mac, the processor is often soldered to the logic board.

Early PowerBooks used daughter cards for the RAM and Processor, consequently that made them upgradable, but the G4 Powerbooks never used that design. The good news is that you processor may be slower than you like but it is not physically failing, at least not by what you describe. You can have a total of 2 GB of RAM in that computer so I would recommend that you buy another 1GB stick and remove the 256 MB stick. Also replacing your hard drive with a faster unit could be a good way to boost speed. You can get a 2.5″ 7200 RPM drive for your laptop and greatly increase your file access speeds. Also if you have not done so in a while, backup your data and erase your hard drive. Then install a clean version of OS X and pull your data back over.

Starting fresh can provide a amazing boost to your overall system performance.

- Jacob