How do I tell if spontaneous shut down due to notebook or ext hard drive?

[BluesForDan]

I'm running a Powerbook G4 15in, 1.5 Ghz PowerPC, 1.25 G RAM, using the hard drive from my old G4 tower in an external case (so I can have the later OSX that I'm used to, and my files). Running OSX 10.4.11, surfing with Safari 4.0.5 (4531.22.7).

I had been running on an older version of safari ever since my last episode in august of '09, when I upgraded my safari, and the G4 tower crapped the bed. Turned out to be the power supply, supposedly unrelated to any browser update, but the fact remains it didn't screw up until after I did the update. So I had put off any update to safari, being lazy about doing a backup to DVD.

Yesterday, the computer just shut down on me, right in the middle of typing a reply to a forum. Just as if I had selected shut down. The read light on my external case was solid red, as if it were trying to read itself continuously. Shut everything off, rebooted, worked fine. Decided that perhaps I had better think about doing that backup, I started to select files for the burn folder. While I was waiting for a file to copy into the burn folder, the computer shut itself down again, this time going straight to the blue screen where it stayed. The read light on the hard drive external case was again solid red. Shut it down, got it going again. got my back up disc burned. upgraded the safari (and itunes). computer working fine.

Today, I'm typing away, screen just goes to black, read light on hard drive external case shows solid red again. Now I'm not sure if it is the notebook or the external hard drive. I've got my important docs backed up, except for what I wrote today.

what information can i give to help with setting up a method to sort this out?

 

[BluesForDan]

btt - went for a couple of weeks without any problems, then it started happening again. Interestingly enough, it seems to happen if my room gets to 75 degrees F or higher. I'm pretty sure neither the notebook nor the external drive have fans. I've been using this setup since last fall, when my G5 power supply crapped the bed. This year is the first exposure to warmer temperatures this system has had since i started using it.

As hard drives age, do their temperature tolerance decline? I'm becoming inclined to think I perhaps should find a way to copy this old drive onto a new one. In fact, I have a new one but no machine to put it in for the transfer.

Suggestions? Apart from buying a new computer?

 

[chscag]

Your Powerbook probably does have a fan. If it didn't, the CPU would overheat and could possibly be destroyed if the machine didn't shut down first. Your problem sounds like something internal rather than external. Could very well be the logic board acting up or something else.

What I suggest is to take it apart and give it a good careful cleaning. Blow and clear dust away from the vents and around the CPU cooling fan. It may be overheating due to not being able to dissipate the warm air. Reassemble and see if that helps. If not, you might consider retiring the machine and getting a new one. A machine that old is really not worth putting a lot of money into.

Regards.