Dead G4 iBook to new MacBook Air transfer

Goes straight to grey Apple screen and stays there... no sign of Ubuntu dialogue...

Trying again, holding down Alt key...

Strange - straight to grey Apple screen...

Sorry, If you are trying to boot from an Ubuntu live cd try keeping the C key pressed at boot

Managed to force iBook to boot from Ubuntu disc and - minor miracle - it has finally presented me with a desktop screen... Ubuntu OS though, not Mac OS...

So, how do I now get Ubuntu to 'see' my Firewire external drive and USB external drive, so I can transfer everything from Firewire and iBook to USB drive - which my Air WILL see...???

First steps - have hooked iBook up to my wireless network through Ubuntu, so I can now browse internet.

Where will I find all my old data?
Desktop files and folders?
Stuff on HD?
Old emails etc...?

So much to find, so little clue what I'm doing!

Oh and Happy New Year, everyone...

louishen said:

Sorry, If you are trying to boot from an Ubuntu live cd try keeping the C key pressed at boot

Click to expand...

Finally tried that properly and for the first time in a month, I have something other than a grey Apple screen...

However, I need to find out how to make Ubuntu see my Firewire drive... it has recognised my USB terabyte drive, onto which I want to empty my iBook, before connecting it to the MB Air but it won't see the Firewire drive...

Any ideas?

Thanks for the help so far - Happy New Year!

Trying to simply drag n drop to copy files from iBook HD to USB drive - tells me external drive is read-only...

Is this because it's Mac-formatted?

Clues for overcoming this issue?

One facet of running Ubuntu seems to be that the keyboard - which was acting up under Mac OS X - now works properly.

However, I can't connect to the internet or use external drives so - aside from the fact that it HAS actually started up with some kind of desktop - the iBook is still as hopelessly locked as before, unless I can wade my way through a new and very basic OS...

Not sure I have the time, so praying someone can help me either a) fix my OS X boot-up or b) make my external drives recognisable and usable to Ubuntu, so I can empty the iBook HD onto them and transfer files from the Firewire to the USB drive...

Try reformatting the USB external on the Air to MS DOS format in disk Utility. Usually Ubuntu can write to HFS drives but maybe not that PowerPC version.

Once the usb external is in MSDOS Fat format you should be able to copy from it. I think we are nearly there.

Once you get your files off, then when you get the time we will do a fresh wipe and clean install on the PowerBook, but lets get your stuff off there first

louishen said:

Try reformatting the USB external on the Air to MS DOS format in disk Utility. Usually Ubuntu can write to HFS drives but maybe not that PowerPC version.

Once the usb external is in MSDOS Fat format you should be able to copy from it. I think we are nearly there.

Once you get your files off, then when you get the time we will do a fresh wipe and clean install on the PowerBook, but lets get your stuff off there first

Click to expand...

The USB drive is already in use as my 'failsafe' backup... can I partition it somehow to make a MSDOS FAT segment that Ubuntu can write to or do I need a new drive to do that with?

Once Ubuntu has (hopefully) recognised the drive and allows me to export to it will the Air a) be able to read it and b) open the files etc that are on it?

No amount of disk utility cleaning and repairing makes a difference but I can boot the iBook from discs and work with Ubuntu, so there can't be too much wrong with it... just need to hoover off all the data before I try to re-format the whole thing...

Can this be done with my Mac-formatted external drive or do I need to buy a new one and format it for MS DOS?

And if I do, will it still work for my Air to take the data off??? And if so, how?

Do I need to partition it or something?

Getting close - can someone help me with the final steps???

Trying to dump the important contents of my iBook HD onto a new 32GB USN key through Ubuntu but it won't copy across things like music, pictures, emails because I do not have permission...

HELP!?!

I will be back to you, just having to get a Ubuntu boot stick to see if I can get the same problem as you

louishen said:

I will be back to you, just having to get a Ubuntu boot stick to see if I can get the same problem as you

Click to expand...

I now have a brand new external HDD, which claims to be formatted for Mac and PC...

Won't be home again until next week, so will try the drag n drop export again then...

Everything crossed - as each day goes by I remember more stuff that's on the iBook that I need for work!

All you need to do now to get those files off the Mac and onto the external is to use Ubuntu's command line (dont get scared, its pretty simple.

Fisrtly create a folder called backups on the external disk, this makes the copying process easier.

Boot up into the Ubuntu live CD as before with the external disk also attached. Bring up two windows in Ubuntu - one showing the User folder on the mac, the other showing the external disk

In the Applications menu, select Accessories > Terminal

In the command line type sudo cp -r - this basically sets a a copy command that gives you all privileges, so that your own permissions on the folders are beefed up to all access.

Next use drag and drop to drop the copy from folder and the copy to folder from the windows you brought up into the command line - this saves you having to work out the command line locations of the two folders.

Press return and wait patiently for the command to do its work, it will create a new command prompt when done.

Repeat to copy the new folders, or just copy the whole user folder, its up to you.

Here a handy picture to show how its all done.

OK, so now, I am trying to boot the iBook from the Ubuntu DVD but although it starts churning away, starting up holding C, it gets to a black screen and just stops...

Tried with ALT, selected Ubuntu as boot choice - same thing...

Frustrating...

Hah... FINALLY, on about the 12th attempt, it's launched the Ubuntu desktop...

Have opened windows for Users folder and external drive... opened Command line... tried sudo cp -r - it refused to acknowledge the command...

tried again with the full root names of the Users folder and the recipient drive...
Once I hit return, it just went to another blank command line (just > )

Tried copying Users files but once more it refused to let me copy thing like Pictures etc, because I didn't have permissions...

Copying across whatever it will let me, to see what's included and what isn't...

When I type in just ' sudo cp -r ', it replies with ' cp: missing file operand '

Open to suggestions...