Powerbook G4 (data recovery?)

[DigitalMP]

Okay, my friend has a Powerbook G4 that he bought from a university store at his school, and he's getting an error to the effect of "SRR0:00420000" (that may not be exact) when he boots. He can't safe boot, or boot with a base extension set (I think that's the same thing though). He needs the files off of his drive, so they recommended that he send the drive out for recovery.

I would rather try and recover them myself, but I have a couple issues with this:

a) It's a laptop, so the option of buying a new HD, formatting it, and connecting the old drive as a slave doesn't look to be an option.

b) I don't know very many people with Macs that could connect his drive as a slave to recover the files.

Possible options:

• CAN I connect his IDE drive as a slave to a Mac desktop to browse/recover files? OR...can I slave it to a PC and still browse the files??
  
  
• Can anyone recommend a good data recovery app for Macs? Do Macs have various file systems I should be aware of, as PCs do? I'm not yet sure of his OS, but I assume it is 10.x.

 

[DigitalMP]

bump

bueller? bueller? anyone?

 

[Lazn_Work]

a) You would need a laptop to desktop adaptor, and put it in a desktop... Or you could try putting it in an external case. (USB or Firewire)

b) This may be a problem. PC's CAN NOT read Mac File systems, you will need a Mac to try to recover files.

If I were in your shoes, I would get him a new HD, and install to that, then try a Firewire Enclosure for his old drive and see if you can read from it that way.

==>Lazn

 

[moep]

Get a Firewire-Cable, connect the Cable to the PB and any other mac with a Firewire Port.
Then press and hold the "T" Button while you turn the machine on - the PB will go into Firewire Target Disk Mode, which makes it act just like any other Firewire Hard-Disk.

HTH

 

[Lazn_Work]

Get a Firewire-Cable, connect the Cable to the PB and any other mac with a Firewire Port.
Then press and hold the "T" Button while you turn the machine on - the PB will go into Firewire Target Disk Mode, which makes it act just like any other Firewire Hard-Disk.

HTH

Ohh, I forgot about this.. I used to do this with a powerbook Duo as a SCSI drive.. (pre Firewire days0

==>Lazn

 

[DigitalMP]

Thanks for your suggestions! Two things:

1. I am assuming I would need a FireWire cable that has the same connector on each end of the cable. I've never seen those...can you recommend one?

2. Also, if the HD is faulty and its defect is the reason the PB will not boot, how is it that using another Mac to boot this HD will work?

 

[Lazn_Work]

Thanks for your suggestions! Two things:

1. I am assuming I would need a FireWire cable that has the same connector on each end of the cable. I've never seen those...can you recommend one?

2. Also, if the HD is faulty and its defect is the reason the PB will not boot, how is it that using another Mac to boot this HD will work?

1. You just need a 6 pin/6 pin FireWire cable, fairly normal.

2. It is the same as putting the drive in a firewire external box, all this will let you do is run drive utilities on it from the working Mac. And possibly copy data from it to the working Mac.

Holding down the "T" button tells the powerbook to not be a laptop anymore, you are just a firewire hard drive.

==>Lazn

 

[DigitalMP]

Just as one last clarification, peforming this action would cause his PB-converted-to-FireWire-HD to pop up as an icon on the "desktop" of the surrogate Mac, correct?

 

[Lazn_Work]

Just as one last clarification, peforming this action would cause his PB-converted-to-FireWire-HD to pop up as an icon on the "desktop" of the surrogate Mac, correct?

Yes.

==>Lazn