Installing a New Hard Drive in a Lifesaver iMac G3 333 MHz.

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joeyp770 - 09 Jan 2006 18:38 GMT

I am trying to upgrade my HDD in my G3 iMac 333MHz. It is my
understanding that you can use any standard IDE HDD to upgrade the HDD
on the 1st generation iMac G3s. I heard something about a size
limitation that the iMac can recognize but I thought that was fairly
large. I am only trying to put a 20GB HDD in it, so I don't for see a
problem. The HDD does have a previous install of WIN2000 on it. Would
it help to format it with the WIN2000 Disk and then disconnect before
the install. Because it does not see the HDD during the install. I
don't know what to do, can someone please help? I just got Panther to
install on it but with a 6GB HDD on it that leaves me 2.7GB of free
space. That doesnt leave me much breathing room.

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Clark Martin - 10 Jan 2006 05:52 GMT

> I am trying to upgrade my HDD in my G3 iMac 333MHz. It is my
> understanding that you can use any standard IDE HDD to upgrade the HDD
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> install on it but with a 6GB HDD on it that leaves me 2.7GB of free
> space. That doesnt leave me much breathing room.

How is the drive jumpered? It needs to be set to Master. Coming from a
Windows machine it's very likely it's set to Cable Select.

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Clark Martin
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joeyp770 - 10 Jan 2006 18:05 GMT

It is set as a master. Like I said, it has a WIN2000 install on it.
Should I be able to just slap it in there and format it in the iMac?
That is what I tried, but I tried it with the 10.0.3 install disk and
it would not recognize the HDD. I think that my Panther is a full
install disk. Do you think I would have better luck using that disk? I
am at my wits end with this one.

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Mike Rosenberg - 11 Jan 2006 14:05 GMT

> It is set as a master. Like I said, it has a WIN2000 install on it.
> Should I be able to just slap it in there and format it in the iMac?
> That is what I tried, but I tried it with the 10.0.3 install disk and
> it would not recognize the HDD. I think that my Panther is a full
> install disk. Do you think I would have better luck using that disk?

There's no reason to try installing 10.0.3 if you have a full Panther
install disk, but I'm confused since in your original post you said you
had already managed to get Panther installed. In any case, you'd need
to reformat the drive before installing.

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Anders Eklöf - 11 Jan 2006 23:08 GMT

> > It is set as a master. Like I said, it has a WIN2000 install on it.
> > Should I be able to just slap it in there and format it in the iMac?
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> had already managed to get Panther installed. In any case, you'd need
> to reformat the drive before installing.

And partition it !!!
On this generation iMac, the system has to be on a first partition that
is less than 8 GB. See the "Read me before install" file.
That may be the reason why the installer won't see the disk.

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joeyp770 - 12 Jan 2006 00:29 GMT

Do I partition it using the boot CD? If so, how would I go about that?
Do I have to have OS9? Will I be able to use the remaining space to
store files?

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Anders Eklöf - 12 Jan 2006 23:01 GMT

> Do I partition it using the boot CD? If so, how would I go about that?
> Do I have to have OS9? Will I be able to use the remaining space to
> store files?

PLONK!

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Mike Rosenberg - 12 Jan 2006 23:12 GMT

> > Do I partition it using the boot CD? If so, how would I go about that?
> > Do I have to have OS9? Will I be able to use the remaining space to
> > store files?
>
> PLONK!

It's admittedly none of my business, but why?

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Anders Eklöf - 12 Jan 2006 23:26 GMT

> > PLONK!
>
> It's admittedly none of my business, but why?

Hello Mike. Have you seen all the threads he has started in this and
neighboring groups the last two weeks ?

For every question you answer, this guy gives you as least two more.
He's like a 5-year-old that can't let go, and can't find anything out by
himself. Just wait and see.
I've just had enough of him. I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this.

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Mike Rosenberg - 12 Jan 2006 23:52 GMT

> > > PLONK!
> >
> > It's admittedly none of my business, but why?
>
> Hello Mike. Have you seen all the threads he has started in this and
> neighboring groups the last two weeks ?

For some reason, I hadn't noticed them before, but I just took another
look and found them. I figured there had to be something beyond this
one thread.

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Dave Balderstone - 13 Jan 2006 04:41 GMT

> > > > PLONK!
> > >
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> look and found them. I figured there had to be something beyond this
> one thread.

And those of us who are successfully filtering WITHOUT announcing every
frigging "plonk" we implement thank you all for bringing a thread we
WERE successfully ignoring to our attention once again.

Heros, you are.

Usenet heros, no less.

Making sure everyone knows!

Well done.

Bravo, all!

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difficult to redirect, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of
mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it. "
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joeyp770 - 13 Jan 2006 08:01 GMT

I would like to congradulate you on being the first a.shole I have met
in a MAC newsgroup. Excuse the hell out of me for trying something new
and hitting a few bumps along the way.Nobody is being a complete
j.rkoff here except for you, Anders. If you don't want to answer my
posts, don't. But I see little purpose in answering my MAC related
questions, in a MAC newsgroup, with useless insults. I also consider it
much more lame to search to see how many treads I have had in the last
2 weeks that do not meet your requirements to post in here, than to buy
a older model MAC and seek assistance in a news group getting it up and
running. Keep being an a.shole to people you don't know in life and see
how far it gets you, Jerklof.

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Mike Rosenberg - 12 Jan 2006 23:12 GMT

> Do I partition it using the boot CD?

Yes, assuming you're referring to the Panther installer CD.

> If so, how would I go about that?

Run Disk Utility.

> Do I have to have OS9?

Only if you have programs that require it.

> Will I be able to use the remaining space to store files?

Yes. You can use the second partition any way you'd like.

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joeyp770 - 13 Jan 2006 07:21 GMT

Thanks Jerklof for telling me something that askjeeves covered with the
first search I did of the issue. Make you a deal, if you stop giving
the most common answers to every post I leave; I will not post so much.
Our own insecurities cause us to insult others, Jerklof.

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Mac Forum / General / Hardware / January 2006

Installing a New Hard Drive in a Lifesaver iMac G3 333 MHz.