want to upgrade PowerPC G4 hard drive...

[shpinglish]

Hi, here's my hardware overview...
Machine Name: eMac
Machine Model: PowerMac6,4
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.4)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 768 MB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.9.2f1

i want to upgrade to a 1tb hard drive. i made an impulse buy on a 1tb seagate barracuda but i see that it is only usable on a G5 I realize this may be a dumb question, but is there any way I can upgrade my g4 to a g5? I love my eMac and i'm hurting on cash so i don't want to let it go for a newer iMac or something. this is one of the best eMacs out there and i just need more space. I've been using a 160gb lacie external which just recently burnt out when i was trying to back up my hd so i have the shell and working parts for that. any way i can use the barracuda in the external shell as my start-up drive? sorry, i'm kind of a noob at upgrading/changing anything with my mac. its been great up till the lacie bunked out and it started to fill up. what can i do? please help!

 

[Avenger2SER]

I have the same model eMac as a media server. Your 1tb drive is SATA, and your eMac only accommodates IDE drives. You can't upgrade the drive interface or the CPU in you machine. I wouldn't recommend you taking apart the eMac unless you know what your doing, it's not the easiest thing to do (I've done it about a dozen times so I know what to do by now).

What you could do is take apart your Lacie external and see if the interface is SATA, if it is (and if there isn't an issue with the actual enclosure) you could swap the 160gb drive for your new 1tb. If it's not SATA, then look into buying a external enclosure for it. Your machine is has USB 2.0, so you can go with that or Firewire400.

 

[harryb2448]

In short the answer is a simple no and you do need an IDE drive, not SATA. As advised eMac are fair animals to take apart and replace the hard drive but it is possible and a good learning curve. Try this:-

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/emac/faq/emac-replace-or-upgrade-hard-drive-expansion.html

 

[hughvane]

Adding a little to Avenger's excellent advice, some things to consider.

You can use the LaCie external, once it's restored to working order with a new drive, to boot your eMac, providing it has:
1. firewire connection, and
2. is SATA compatible (if using the Seagate you've purchased).
The only drawback with firewire vs ATA (internal IDE) is access speed.

Another option is to sell the SATA, and try the internal ATA drive change. To help you with that I've sent you via Private Message a link to a full technical manual.

I share your view about the eMac, I'm still addicted to mine .

 

[shpinglish]

i appreciate the replys and also thanks for that manual link hugh vane, i might be using it. it turns out that my lacie enclosure is only usable with parallel-ata so i'm considering buying one by macally which is sata compatible. i have one more question before i do this though...in my system profiler under the hardware section, there's a menu for serial-ata. now, it says no information available, but i was wondering if that's just because there's no sata drive connected. is it possible that this hard drive actually might be usable with my computer anyhow? why would this even exist as a menu if its not possibly compatible? thanks for the help

 

[Avenger2SER]

The sata info is just a placeholder, you have no sata interface on your machine.