How to rescue data from a Mac HDD

In article ,
"J. Krimple" wrote:

> Do iBooks have regular IDE notebook HDDs like PCs?

I believe so, yes. It should be some sort of 2.5" IDE drive. Depending
on model, it might not be too hard to get it out, too.

> What type of filesystem does an iBook HDD use?

Depending on what version of the Mac OS he's running, likely either HFS
or HFS+.

> Could a Windows XP system see, read, and transfer the data files on an iBook
> HDD?

Maybe. I haven't tried it. I've got both sitting here (broken
Powerbook with a disk in it, and a Windows XP laptop) but no disk
enclosure to use. :-/

> If Windows couldn't read it, could Linux?

Yes, with the right support compiled into the kernel. Which it may come
with, depending on which kernel you're running, what distribution you
got it from, and if you've made modifications.

> Any suggestions?

You sound like you've got a pretty good handle on it, actually. You're
just looking for the Mac-specific details. Apple got a clue a number of
years ago and uses a lot more commodity hardware, such as disks and
memory, than they once did.

--
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams.
from "Ode", Arthur O'Shaughnessy
 >> Stay informed about: How to rescue data from a Mac HDD 

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 16:57:57 -0500, J. Krimple wrote
(in article ):

> A friend has an older iBook (he can't find a model number) that won't start -

one of the bright-coloured clamshell (a.k.a. toilet seat...) iBooks or a
white one?

> it's totally dead and nothing happens when he presses the On button.

Probable power supply problem.

> He
> doesn't want to repair it - just wants to rescue his data files.
>
> He asked for my help, but I work mostly on PCs. If I were doing this on a
> notebook HDD from a PC, I would just remove the HDD, use an adapter to
connect
> it as a slave on one of my desktop systems, copy the files, and burn them to
a
> CD. I don't have an Apple/Mac desktop, so I have some questions:

That's how I'd do it, too.

>
> Do iBooks have regular IDE notebook HDDs like PCs?

Apple 'Books, with the exception of the brand new MacBook Pro, have IDE
drives. MBPs have SATA. As this is an iBook, we're talking IDE.

> What type of filesystem does an iBook HDD use?

HFS+, a.k.a. 'Mac OS Extended'. Depending on the OS, it might be journaled.

> Could a Windows XP system see, read, and transfer the data files on an iBook
> HDD?

Only if you have something like DataViz's MacOpener.

> If Windows couldn't read it, could Linux?

Some distros can do it. I think Red Hat and Ubuntu both can, but I could be
wrong.

> Any suggestions?

If there's another Mac which has a FireWire port or a USB 2 handy, I'd take
the drive out of the dead 'Book, put it into an external case (FireWire or
USB 2, doesn't matter unless you want to be able to boot, in which case make
it FireWire. Use USB 1.1 only if you can't do better and have lots of time to
waste.) and see if the drive spins up. If it does, attach the external case
to the other Mac, copy the files over either to the other Mac or to another
external drive, and you're golden. In fact, if he's dumping the 'Book, and
the drive works, just attach the case to his new Mac and copy over. If he
doesn't intend to get a Mac to replace the 'Book, he'll need something like
MacOpener or a Linux distro which can read Mac disks to access his files on
the new box. He'll also need apps which can read those files. Standard file
formats, like .rtf and .pdf and .jpg should be fine. AppleWorks files and
other formats which aren't xplatform, now, they may prove problematic.
MacOpener might or might not help there.

--
email to oshea dot j dot j at gmail dot com.
 >> Stay informed about: How to rescue data from a Mac HDD 

Jim,
I repair computers and have a dual USB iBook (white) that needs a new
LCD on my workbench. I managed to save the data on the drive since I
also have a PowerBook Wallstreet and a Pismo. I have all the take
aparts for the Apple laptops and would be willing to salvage the data
on the HD for the salvage on the iBook itself. Where are you located? I
am near Chicago. Does your friend know how much information he needs
off the iBook. What OS was he running?
Richard


J. Krimple wrote:
> A friend has an older iBook (he can't find a model number) that won't start -
> it's totally dead and nothing happens when he presses the On button. He
> doesn't want to repair it - just wants to rescue his data files.
>
> He asked for my help, but I work mostly on PCs. If I were doing this on a
> notebook HDD from a PC, I would just remove the HDD, use an adapter to connect
> it as a slave on one of my desktop systems, copy the files, and burn them to a
> CD. I don't have an Apple/Mac desktop, so I have some questions:
>
> Do iBooks have regular IDE notebook HDDs like PCs?
> What type of filesystem does an iBook HDD use?
> Could a Windows XP system see, read, and transfer the data files on an iBook
> HDD?
> If Windows couldn't read it, could Linux?
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
 >> Stay informed about: How to rescue data from a Mac HDD 

Thanks to all for the detailed and helpful replies.

Jim


"J. Krimple" wrote in message

> A friend has an older iBook (he can't find a model number) that won't start -
> it's totally dead and nothing happens when he presses the On button. He
> doesn't want to repair it - just wants to rescue his data files.
>
> He asked for my help, but I work mostly on PCs. If I were doing this on a
> notebook HDD from a PC, I would just remove the HDD, use an adapter to
connect
> it as a slave on one of my desktop systems, copy the files, and burn them to
a
> CD. I don't have an Apple/Mac desktop, so I have some questions:
>
> Do iBooks have regular IDE notebook HDDs like PCs?
> What type of filesystem does an iBook HDD use?
> Could a Windows XP system see, read, and transfer the data files on an iBook
> HDD?
> If Windows couldn't read it, could Linux?
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
 >> Stay informed about: How to rescue data from a Mac HDD 

Richard,

I was able to rescue data and the old iBook is already spoken for.
Thanks for the offer, though.

Jim

wrote in message

> Jim,
> I repair computers and have a dual USB iBook (white) that needs a new
> LCD on my workbench. I managed to save the data on the drive since I
> also have a PowerBook Wallstreet and a Pismo. I have all the take
> aparts for the Apple laptops and would be willing to salvage the data
> on the HD for the salvage on the iBook itself. Where are you located? I
> am near Chicago. Does your friend know how much information he needs
> off the iBook. What OS was he running?
> Richard
>
>
> J. Krimple wrote:
> > A friend has an older iBook (he can't find a model number) that won't
> > start - it's totally dead and nothing happens when he presses the On
> > button. He doesn't want to repair it - just wants to rescue his data files.
> >
> > He asked for my help, but I work mostly on PCs. If I were doing this on a
> > notebook HDD from a PC, I would just remove the HDD, use an adapter to
> > connect it as a slave on one of my desktop systems, copy the files, and
> > burn them to a CD. I don't have an Apple/Mac desktop, so I have some
> > questions:
> >
> > Do iBooks have regular IDE notebook HDDs like PCs?
> > What type of filesystem does an iBook HDD use?
> > Could a Windows XP system see, read, and transfer the data files on an
> > iBook HDD?
> > If Windows couldn't read it, could Linux?
> > Any suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Jim
>
 >> Stay informed about: How to rescue data from a Mac HDD