Mac problem

knightstyle

Hi everyone, I have upgraded my Mac G4 from 10.3.9 to 10.4.11 all seems fine but the pics I stored from iPhoto to disc won't open or download. The disc makes wiring noises, sometimes ejects but the disc ikon never appears. I cleaned the reader but still no luck. The drive is the cheaper one, not superdrive. Hope I haven't lost the pics or I will be in BIG trouble!

troubleuk

Hi - If you have access to a Windows PC then I'd recommend using ISO Buster to see if you can see the data (it allows access to the disc data better than Windows Explorer does without getting too technical!). I wouldn't normally advocate a Windows option to a Mac one but this is one of those rare occasions where it may be best to use Windows!

isofa

Do all other CD/DVDs you have burned previously work ok?

knightstyle

Thanks for replies. No, discs I previously saved from iPhoto now don't work, but commercial DVDs do. Thinking on the lines of buying an external device, is this feasible?

isofa

What about any other CDs your burned? Commercial DVDs/CDs are pressed and created in a different way. So it's entirely possible commercial discs can be read but if there is a fault with the laser or reader, burned discs might not read.

Obviously if your machine can't read any home-made "burned" CDs then it'll be a fault with the reader.

Check, as I think the iPhoto connection is a red-herring.

If it is the reader, you could replace it with a Pioneer DVD-RW internally (this matches the Apple spec and will be recognised as a SuperDrive), quite cheaply, search the hardware forums at www.macuser.co.uk for full instructions, else a FireWire external drive will be good (G4s only have USB1 not USB2) so FW will be much faster.

unrich

Apple have quite a harsh policy for backwards compatibility.

They don't really bother.

Check on the web for version compatibility.

isofa

unrich wrote: »

Apple have quite a harsh policy for backwards compatibility.
They don't really bother.
Check on the web for version compatibility.

Really? That's a sweeping statement, and my experience indicates completely the opposite
.
Upgrading a G4 to 10.4.11 will not render a combo drive unreadable, unless there is a fault with the install, problem with a hardware patch not installed, (check the firmware patches too) or a fault with the drive itself.

I speak from experience as there is a G4 1.25Ghz MDD in my office now with 10.4.11 (formally having 10.3) with both a combo (CDRW) and superdrive (DVDRW) installed and both work perfectly...

I've had Macs and PCs for 17-20 years, and no upgrades on the Mac have ever rendered any piece of hardware useless. There may be the odd fault now and then which needs an update or patch, but every company making an OS has these from time to time.

Major hardware changes by Apple, including moving from 680x0 processors to PPC then from PPC to Intel, compatibility has always been covered by Apple with the operating systems.

The giant leap from OS 9 to OS X, still allowed users to either dual boot, or run OS 9 in classic mode, on all PPC hardware, so all legacy applications would still function.

Check the hardware forum at www.macuser.co.uk as someone might have seen it before.

knightstyle

Thanks again one and all. Think it must be a fault with the combo drive so will look to replacing it or if cheaper using an external disc device. Any ideas on the best way forward much appreciated.

isofa

Any Mac compat. CDRW or DVDRW external drive (preferably firewire) will be fine, LaCie, Iomega, etc plenty of brands to choose from.

I personally would look at replacing the internal drive, it's easy and saves having another box on the desktop.

There is a video guide here:

http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=Video/optical/g4qsopt/med.html

And two good threads here:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/macuser/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=235787
and
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/macuser/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=224259

I added a Pioneer 112 (there are plenty on eBay, make sure you buy new though!), and this is recognised by the system as a "SuperDrive".

knightstyle

Thanks again isofa, my Mac is an eMac, all in one, do you think the Pioneer will fit/work without too much trouble?

isofa

Hmmm you might have less luck with an eMac, and it may well be better to buy an external drive as it has a built-in CRT screen, which can be dangerous to open up.

Other third party videos and guides are here: http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm

Also a good site is: http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/machine.php?name=emac

Apple has an on-site Service Assistance here: https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

You might find this useful too: http://www.lbodnar.dsl.pipex.com/eMac/eMac-upgrade.html

Personally for this machine, I'd buy a compatible external drive.