Massive help needed with new HD

One of our work computers seems to be having trouble. So boss lady bought a new internal harddrive and is expecting ME to put it in.

H E L P !

First of all.... how do I back up what's on the current drive? Second... once I install the new drive, how do I get the OS on it?

I need to warn you all up front that I cannot purchase any sort of software for ANYthing...... it killed her to buy a new hard drive. They penny pinch and weasle out of a lot of purchases that are desperatly needed so having to purchase back up software will be out of the question....

Something free that's out there maybe?

I'm not that good with "parts"...... I need some guidance.....

OOps.......... sorry..... it's a G4 OSX 10.4.11
Upgraded a gazillion times over... I think it still has OS 8.5 System folder on it!

Good lord! 8.5? Don't ever launch that with OS X!

You do have an external hard drive to back up the internal HD to be replaced? Just download SuperDuper! it will clone your hard drive. I would tell you to delete the 8.5 OS but just in case it creates problems, leave it there for now.

It's really easy: you pick what will be cloned and where the backup will go. It will verify that the clone is bootable and ok and there you have it.

Ok... I downloaded SuperDuper but all we have is a cheapo external 80gig drive powered by a USB... now superduper says it can copy to a Network drive so I connected to my computer... followed the instructions to make a disk image... and copy the HD over to the Backup Disk Image I made but what's scaring me right now is that it says it's going to ERASE the MOBackUp Disk image I created..... does that mean it's going to erase MY computer because I'm copying over a network onto my work computer?

Cripes.... I hope all that made sense...

Sorry for being ditzy about this...... can't afford to be erasing MY computer!

Edit: How's this.............
MainOffice HD computer is being replace....

MiddleOffice (Me) is where I want to put the MainOffice HD Backup on.

In SuperDuper, I created a Disk Image called MOBackUp which will be placed on MiddleOffice computer (over the network), but it's saying it's going to erase MOBackUp even tho I just created it and there's nothing on it - making me "think" it's going to erase the MiddleOffice computer (mine).

Tell me I'm wrong?? LOL!!

Make more sense?? LOL!!

Back-up to a network drive!!!

Cant you connect the usb drive directly to their machine and keep your own macbook well away from it all

Sorry, but you sound panicky and I would clone their set-up to the external using her computer only

what is the boss lady's computer (sounds like a nightmare boss)

EDit: if there is nothing on that disk image you can superduper to it, you are selecting that disk image only as the destination for the back-up and not your entire computer

If you don't pay the SuperDuper! licence, you only get one type of backup option: you erase the target hard drive (the one receiving the backup) but the source hard drive (the one being copied) is left intact. So that's cool.

One thing that should steer you away from the USB drive directly connected to your Mac is this: a PowerPC-based Mac cannot boot from a USB drive only from an external FireWire HD. Intel-based Macs can however boot from either FireWire or USB, makes no difference to them. Now I'm not really sure which type of Mac you are trying to backup but I think it was PowerPC-based?

To avoid confusion, change the name of the target drive to something totally different like I dunno blueberry HD or something like that.

I think I got it figured out ok.......... yes it's an old powerpc g4... VERY slow... and yes, superduper said it advised NOT to use USB which is why I've gone network way...

Staying clear away from my MBP! Believe me! LOL....... I'm copying the backup to my work computer... a G4 cube..... just hope it can withstand the abuse for now.

Well as soon as possible I would delete the OS 8.5 stuff though. That can't be too good with all that old stuff laying around. I mean it won't infect your OS X install or anything but, it's software that lies there and that could corrupt or something. I don't know, I jut don't like the thought of useless files lying around in a system like that.

But that's just me.

Well........... this isn't gonna work..... my [work] computer is running out of disk space....... FAST!! I only have a 20gig HD!

Back to square 1

Did you use SuperDuper! to do the reverse?

I.e. first change your internal hard drive to the new one your boss brought you and that you're supposed to install.

Then, you start up from your PowerPC G4 holding down the Option key so you can choose the drive on the network that has the backup on it (at this point, the Cube doesn't have any OS on its internal hard drive).

Launch SuperDuper! from the network hard drive (in the Applications folder) and choose to make a backup from your Network drive to the internal.

That should work.

I'm not quite following.....
I'm still trying to back up my co-workers computer to mine.... but I don't have enough disk space on my own to back up hers.... so the backup will be incomplete. I need a larger drive to backup to.

Whoah! I think I took the wrong turn at Albuquerque here!

I thought you had to replace the internal hard drive in your Cube with a new one your boss gave you...

what size of disk is on that old powerbook G4

and how much room can you make on the cube

take a deep breath, and I hope your boss isn't like the one I left my last permanent job for (I now freelance, so no boss but me)

I think you need to re-explain things slowly here... Otherwise wrong info could be given to you. Make it as clear as you can.

ROFL....... ok.....

Work......
I have a g4 Cube. 20 gig
Co-work has a g4 Powerpc tower. 20 gig

Moving co-worker's HD to my HD...

I think I'm just gonna get boss lady to have someone else do it..... too chicken to attempt this.... can't afford to have 2 puters down at work. LOL. Although I've contemplated some sabotage here.... I can't stand the boss(es).

Louishen: I believe I am currently where you used to be... what I wouldn't give to freelance. Maybe once I move to Australia (3 more months!) I'll try it there.

MACyMouse said:

ROFL....... ok.....

Work......
I have a g4 Cube. 20 gig
Co-work has a g4 Powerpc tower. 20 gig

Moving co-worker's HD to my HD...

I think I'm just gonna get boss lady to have someone else do it..... too chicken to attempt this.... can't afford to have 2 puters down at work. LOL. Although I've contemplated some sabotage here.... I can't stand the boss(es).

Louishen: I believe I am currently where you used to be... what I wouldn't give to freelance. Maybe once I move to Australia (3 more months!) I'll try it there.

Click to expand...

ROTFL

Sabotage? Hmm tempting ain't it?!?

Ok listen MacyMouse, I'm about to leave for a tai chi class but good knowledgeable people will drop in here and you will not be alone in this attempt, ok?

They'll guide you step by step so it won't be a hair raising experience. And quite frankly? You can do it.

So hang on, you'll do just fine. Just remember to be as descriptive as possible when you tell what is going on: no one here is looking over your shoulder to see what's going on so we have to be able to see it in our minds, capice?

Go girl, you can do this. I'll check in when I get back! Good luck!

P.S.: SuperDuper! Is swell and will work very well so no worries about the app either.

Thanks MHC! Enjoy that Tai chi... !!!

MACyMouse - read page 18 & 19 of the user manual - this should guide you through creating the backup across the network onto the 80GB USB drive you have, with it connected to your computer - the cube. Just make sure you select that 80GB drive to put the disk image onto.

After you have created the sparse image, then change out the old drive for the new one in the g4.

Then read pages 27 and 28, starting with the section titled 'Restoring when you can’t start up from your backup'.
You will need the OS X disk to boot the G4 at this point. If the G4's original disk is OS 8 or 9, I don't have a clue if it will work or not. Have not been around Mac's that long.

These should be the only pages you need for what you are trying to do.
Do you have any questions from there - or is that beginning to make some sense?
However, never having done this, I can fully understand your reluctance at going ahead.
The main thing is to make sure when you select the place to create the backup, it is on the 80GB drive and not on yours.

The 80 gig drive is connected via USB to the HD I want to swap out... unfortunately just trying to copy a few megs takes minutes to do... that 80gig external drive isn't visible in the Network from the HD because it's connected via USB. I can only see it networked through my Cube... Also the 80 gig is nearly full as well... won't hold the Disk Image.

Someone's coming in tonight to put the new drive in....... then partition it... add the OSX to it and then copy the files to the 2nd partition.... I'm home now.... so we'll see how things go when I get into work tomorrow.

Do keep us posted on the outcome.

There is a little utility called Sharepoints that would allow you to see that 80GB drive on the network but since you are leaving I guess it will not help.