Did you get a 2.5" drive or a larger one? You can Target boot the iBook by holding down the T key at startup then you can connect your laptop via Firewire (EEE 1394) to another Mac and use that to partition and clone or install your OS.

When you partition your drive you will have to have at most a 128GB boot partition (Non intel Mac's can't read a partition over 128GB in size for OS install).

Good Luck,

N.

[quote|machead3]'''Did you get a 2.5" drive or a larger one?''' You can Target boot the iBook ''by holding down the '''T''' key at startup'' then you can connect your laptop via '''Firewire (EEE 1394)''' to ''another Mac and use that to partition and clone or install your OS''. '''When you partition your drive you will have to have at most a 128GB boot partition''' (Non intel Mac's can't read a partition over 128GB in size for OS install). Good Luck, N.[/quote]

Hi Machead (N), I`m a bit pressed for money this time of year so what I`m trying is to clone my old iBook HD to my 500 GB external drive using "Carbon Copy Clone" or CCC. I`ve done that already. I`ve looked at the optical drive & there appears to be nothing in it after all (couldn`t undo one pesky & tiny Phillips head screw anyway). Discs seem to be sliding in (mostly) & out now so maybe I`ll be able to use my iBook G4 installation DVDs? I must have loosened something! Then I`ll try copying the contents of the old 30 GB drive over with another copy of CCC downloaded to the 250 GB iBook replacement drive from the Lacie external drive. I have perhaps my only available copy of Leopard (& other things) on the 30 GB drive! You`re right about problems with booting though-it can`t be done from a usb drive (which both of mine are) to a Power PC. Thanks for your response! Mark.

[quote|mgaffney]Hi Machead (N), I`m a bit pressed for money this time of year so what I`m trying is to clone my old iBook HD to my 500 GB external drive using "Carbon Copy Clone" or CCC. I`ve done that already. I`ve looked at the optical drive & there appears to be nothing in it after all (couldn`t undo one pesky & tiny Phillips head screw anyway). Discs seem to be sliding in (mostly) & out now so maybe I`ll be able to use my iBook G4 installation DVDs? I must have loosened something! Then I`ll try copying the contents of the old 30 GB drive over with another copy of CCC downloaded to the 250 GB iBook replacement drive from the Lacie external drive. I have perhaps my only available copy of Leopard (& other things) on the 30 GB drive! You`re right about problems with booting though-it can`t be done from a usb drive (which both of mine are) to a Power PC. Thanks for your response! Mark.[/quote]

Hi (N), I did use your advice! Upon reconstruction I put the first installation disk into the drive but nothing eventuated with option-start, C start or zapping the PRAM. So I connected by firewire cable holding down the T button & from there was able to use Disk Utility & CCC to clone the old HD. I got a little more than I bargained for coming over from the Lacie external HD, perhaps because of my selection of options in CCC & have 150 GB of the 238 available on the new HD. One negative is that the optical drive has swallowed my installation disk & there`s no sign of it in System Profiler..no operation of the DVD player & no eject...Looks like a specialist job because I couldn`t budge one of the tiny screws on top of the optical drive itself..I thought I had all the connections done up again properly too?!

[quote|mgaffney]Hi (N), I did use your advice! Upon reconstruction I put the first installation disk into the drive but nothing eventuated with option-start, C start or zapping the PRAM. So I connected by firewire cable holding down the T button & from there was able to use Disk Utility & CCC to clone the old HD. I got a little more than I bargained for coming over from the Lacie external HD, perhaps because of my selection of options in CCC & have 150 GB of the 238 available on the new HD. One negative is that the optical drive has swallowed my installation disk & there`s no sign of it in System Profiler..no operation of the DVD player & no eject...Looks like a specialist job because I couldn`t budge one of the tiny screws on top of the optical drive itself..I thought I had all the connections done up again properly too?![/quote]

Check the ribbon cable & connection to the logic board &Optical drive it could be off at ether end, or cut/broken. - if it's not in SysProfiler it's not "connected" or responding to a pole of the bus.

[quote|machead3]'''Check the ribbon cable & connection to the logic board &Optical drive ''' it could be off at ether end, or cut/broken. ''- if it's not in SysProfiler it's not "connected" or responding to a pole of the bus.''[/quote]

Hi Machead, (seems strange referring to you by this name!), the drive is only a CD/ DVD ROM (will not burn things only read them) so I was assuming that`s why it`s not listed under Disc Burning in System Profiler? It`s also making a short spinning noise (though it won`t eject & I`ve tried pretty well all the alternatives spoken of in Google) when the track pad etc. is held on re-start so I`ve also been assuming the ribbons are connected. I`ve been advised on the Mac discussion forum that my torx screw driver may be able to undo the difficult screw on the lid of the optical drive whereas the small Phillips head screw driver I used for the other screws may be found wanting..?

[quote|mgaffney]Hi Machead, (seems strange referring to you by this name!), the drive is only a CD/ DVD ROM (will not burn things only read them) so I was assuming that`s why it`s not listed under Disc Burning in System Profiler? It`s also making a short spinning noise (though it won`t eject & I`ve tried pretty well all the alternatives spoken of in Google) when the track pad etc. is held on re-start so I`ve also been assuming the ribbons are connected. I`ve been advised on the Mac discussion forum that my torx screw driver may be able to undo the difficult screw on the lid of the optical drive whereas the small Phillips head screw driver I used for the other screws may be found wanting..?[/quote]