A plea for iBook help
| Author | Topic: A plea for iBook help |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 34
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written Wednesday, August 17 2005 20:02
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Well, I purchased this PowerPC G3, 128 MB RAM, 900 MHz, Mac OS X 10.2.4 iBook in the summer of 2003. It was fantastic back then, ran smoothly, and even had fastish dial-up internet once I downloaded Firefox. It even managed to dodge all the LogicBoard recalls. However, this thing seems to be slowly winding down. I had to send it in to Apple around half a year ago because it wouldn't start up and lost everything stored on the computer in the process, which was a bummer. I expected it to run fine after that, but it seems to just be getting slower and slower. I've still got 30 gigs of storage space left for what it's worth, following a desparate attempt to speed the thing up by erasing a lot of stuff. But the internet loading speed is at about 1.5 kilobytes per second instead of the 6 it used to be at (either way, that's still archaic, I know; God bless off-campus internet service). Non-internet stuff is going really slowly too. So I'm wondering, is there any way to get this computer back to its old self, short of buying new RAM or spending any money? With OS 9 and earlier, rebuilding the desktop worked pretty well, but that doesn't seem to be possible on these ibooks or anything with OS X. Please help! [ Wednesday, August 17, 2005 20:04: Message edited by: Robin ] -------------------- Fo shizzle, my lord. Two goldfish are in a tank. One says to the other, "Do you know how to drive this thing?" Posts: 702 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
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Mongolian Barbeque
Member # 1528
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written Wednesday, August 17 2005 21:17
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Well, I can't speak for your situation exactly, but something I recently did with my "old" iBook (bought in early 2001) was to wipe the contents and do a clean re-install of the operating system. My iBook had been getting more and more sluggish, and recently got to the point where it would take almost a full minute to wake from its sleep mode. Restarting took about ten to fifteen minutes. I still wanted to use my iBook for some programs that don't run in Classic, but all my files and so on were backed up on CDs or already transferred to the new iMac. After doing a clean re-install, my iBook is running like it was brand new. Of course, I never had any problems with the hardware, so this may or may not do any good for you. But it's certainly more likely to speed things up than anything else I can think of. You can do a clean reinstall using the installation disc(s?) that came with your computer. I'm sure someone else can offer more detailed instructions on this. I did it on an OS 9 machine, and haven't had to do anything like this with OS X so it may be done differently. -------------------- The A.E. van Vogt Information Site My Tribute to the Greatest Writer of the Science Fiction Golden Age Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00 |
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Thursday, August 18 2005 04:32
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It may well still be the logic board. I bought my iBook in 2003 and had my logic board collapse, and a friend of mine had to have his replaced twice. If the program still exists (I'm not certain if it does at this point) I suggest seeing if you can't get yours replaced. In the past, I've worked with a computer where something was outright wrong with the hardware (in that case, the built in sound card on the motherboard was fried), and though the computer still worked, it did so in a slow, seemingly "mentally handicapped" fashion. Best of luck to you - that definitely sucks! :( Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5576
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written Thursday, August 18 2005 12:58
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quote:So are you saying that you don't know of any utility programs that you can use in OS X? I like to use OnyX, which is free: http://www.titanium.free.fr/ -------------------- Überraschung des Dosenöffners! Posts: 627 | Registered: Monday, March 7 2005 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, August 18 2005 16:01
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You could also try running one of various scan, spit, and polish programs like Norton Utilities if you can get your hands on them. Norton has saved my Cube from oblivion several times and fought a valiant losing battle with a Performa (I think the problem was that it was a Performa). It's much cheaper if you can borrow it from an acquaintance. —Alorael, who would seek out an apple genius, either the professional kind or the unofficial kind, in person. It's much easier to diagnose and fix a computer when you have it in front of you. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5576
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written Thursday, August 18 2005 18:15
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But, sadly, developement of Norton Utilities for Mac OS has been discontinued. I have also heard that Drive Genius is useful, but it costs money, so I don't really know. However, Alorael makes a good point that someone knowledgable can (hopefully) fix the computer much more effectively in person. -------------------- Überraschung des Dosenöffners! Posts: 627 | Registered: Monday, March 7 2005 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, August 18 2005 19:37
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There's no Norton for Tiger, but 10.2 is still in Norton territory. It's just a matter of finding someone with the CD. —Alorael, who isn't sure what he'll use now. Probably TechTool, unless someone has a better suggestion.n Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Thursday, August 18 2005 20:24
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The OS's built-in Disk Utility is fine for day-to-day maintenance. When serious problems arise (like your computer failing to boot from the HD), the guys at my local AppleCentre recommend DiskWarrior, which is what they use themselves. The price is pretty reasonable considering that it's a professional-quality product. -------------------- My BoE Page Bandwagons are fun! Roots Hunted! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |