03-08-2011, 10:13 PM

I have a 2004 iBook G4, i replaced the hard drive a couple of years ago, hard drive crashed. I replaced it with a WD hard drive, about three weeks ago, little by little i started getting the dreaded blinking folder with the question mark, i backed up all my info then finally it died on me. I tried to restore/repair/reinstall but eventually it wouldnt see the hard drive. I sent it back and got a replacement one from WD, installed it and now it wont mount in the disk utility feature...so i know the hard drive is ok, i've reset the PRAM and tried everything else...is there something else i'm missing or has it finally bit the dust? Thanks in advance for the help.

03-08-2011, 10:23 PM

Time for a new mac?

03-08-2011, 10:26 PM

LOL...NOOOOOO...i cant even erase/format the drive because disk utility wont see it. I tried connecting it to another Mac and starting it up in Target mode, thinking at least the other Mac would see it and let me erase/format it that way but nope, it wouldnt see the hard drive. this post is my one last effort before i pull the plug and get one...[fingers crossed]

03-08-2011, 10:33 PM

have you tried putting the new hard drive into an enclosure and hooking it up to a mac that does work? it sounds more like the drive is at fault from my end.

03-08-2011, 10:35 PM

It sounds like it may be a bad ribbon cable which plugs in on one end to the hard drive and the other end to the logic board. So before you toss your iBook it may be worth while to replace that cable and see if that solves it. Your iBook has been around for a long time and those cables get brittle from the heat over time.

03-08-2011, 10:36 PM

and that is what i thought too, which is why i sent it back to WD and they replaced it under warranty. I got the other one yesterday and threw it in there...unless there's some chance that both drives are/were defective. and yea i dont have an external enclosure for the 2.5 so i havent tried that, i only have one for the 3.5 ALTHOUGH, if I cant fix it i'll probably rip this HD out and use it for an external drive for my "new" one so I'll need an enclosure anyway...good thinking! thanks...

03-08-2011, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

It sounds like it may be a bad ribbon cable which plugs in on one end to the hard drive and the other end to the logic board. So before you toss your iBook it may be worth while to replace that cable and see if that solves it. Your iBook has been around for a long time and those cables get brittle from the heat over time.

ahhh, good call. yea i saw it when i took it apart but didnt think to look it over, i did notice that it was really thin though, i know there werent any cuts or kinks in it but that doesnt necessarily mean it wasnt defective. Do you know where we can pick up those ribbon cables? I know i've had this laptop since day 1 so i would assume it'd be hard to find parts for it.

03-08-2011, 11:07 PM

Try these two places:

iFixit: The free repair manual

Mac Repair - Mac Parts and Service for Apple Macbook, iPhone, iPad

03-08-2011, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by chscag

Try these two places:

iFixit: The free repair manual

Mac Repair - Mac Parts and Service for Apple Macbook, iPhone, iPad

Yea i know they carry the big stuff, but never checked for the smaller things, i'll check it out...thanks.