How to remove data from a dead powermac G4 ?

Forums › Mac OS › How to remove data from a dead powermac G4 ?

martyyn

1971 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 772

ID Verified

#265670 4-Feb-2020 15:34

I know nothing about Apple but a friend of mine is desperate !

It looks like the master drive has died and her data is on the slave. There is power but it wont boot, you can hear the master disk clicking away.

I have no idea how long it's been like this or even if you can get anything off a 20GB, IDE Seagate ST320413A !!

If I could find an IDE external case can I retrieve the data using Windows ? I know I will need some 3rd party software but that's about it.

Is there anyone in Kapiti/Wellington who might be able to help ?

xpd

Geek of Coastguard
14115 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4574

Retired Mod

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2412523 4-Feb-2020 15:43

Could try one of the options here

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-ways-read-mac-formatted-drive-windows/

XPD / Gavin

LinkTree

wellygary

8810 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5287

#2412524 4-Feb-2020 15:43

Powermac G4, holy knives and bearskins computing batman...

Its unlikely windows will read it,

You are likely going to need a Mac to read the disk , apparently a modern mac can still read HFS drive it will have, but not a too new machine... Wiki says anything past 10.15 wont touch it...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchical_File_System

Your best bet will be to see if you can find a USB housing that will take the IDE HDD and then see if a modern (see above) mac can make heads or tails of the data..

Behodar

11094 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6071

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2412526 4-Feb-2020 15:49

A G4 will be using HFS+, not HFS, so no compatibility issue there.

martyyn

1971 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 772

ID Verified

#2412534 4-Feb-2020 16:08

Thanks all.

I used to have an IDE enclosure, 15 years ago !!

Options are a little limited around here so I might try an IDE to usb adapter and some of the software @xpd suggested.

Fingers crossed.

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#2412541 4-Feb-2020 16:36

Can you not install a new IDE master drive and install OSX tiger or whatever on it, and then get the files off the slave disk?

wazzageek

1095 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 108

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2412886 5-Feb-2020 10:45

I've had good experience using linux to do this in the past (very dim past, mind you). If you are comfortable with Linux, then even an ubuntu live disk should give you at least read only access to the drive.

Assuming no backups have been made, I would tend to try things "read only" so that there isn't something funky that tries to "fix" the drive and make it even worse.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

scetoaux

56 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 15

#2412899 5-Feb-2020 11:09

wazzageek:

I've had good experience using linux to do this in the past (very dim past, mind you). If you are comfortable with Linux, then even an ubuntu live disk should give you at least read only access to the drive.

Assuming no backups have been made, I would tend to try things "read only" so that there isn't something funky that tries to "fix" the drive and make it even worse.

I've done this previously as well - you'll just need to be sure to use a PowerPC (PPC) linux distro - x86 builds won't run on a G4.

wazzageek

1095 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 108

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2413628 6-Feb-2020 11:43

scetoaux:

wazzageek:

I've had good experience using linux to do this in the past (very dim past, mind you). If you are comfortable with Linux, then even an ubuntu live disk should give you at least read only access to the drive.

Assuming no backups have been made, I would tend to try things "read only" so that there isn't something funky that tries to "fix" the drive and make it even worse.

I've done this previously as well - you'll just need to be sure to use a PowerPC (PPC) linux distro - x86 builds won't run on a G4.

Ah - I was thinking of removing the drive to another machine & using linux on that - that's a good suggestion to use a PPC linux distro on the machine. (Perhaps Lubuntu?)

scetoaux

56 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 15

#2413644 6-Feb-2020 12:45

Ah - I was thinking of removing the drive to another machine & using linux on that - that's a good suggestion to use a PPC linux distro on the machine. (Perhaps Lubuntu?)

It would save having to source an IDE enclosure at least. I've done something similar with a G3 iMac before - the biggest issue was finding something that could boot with 64MB of memory!

martyyn

1971 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 772

ID Verified

#2416270 11-Feb-2020 16:44

Quick update.

I found the old IDE enclosure today and tried both HFS+ for Windows and HFS Explorer with no luck. HFS+ finds nothing at all, HFS Explorer seems to find a partition but nothing more than that.

I know someone with an imac running 10.10.x Yosemite so I'll go over there tomorrow to see if they can see anything with the enclosure.

cyril7

9073 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2499

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2416383 11-Feb-2020 19:58

Hi, you would be better off trying a linux machine, but best of luck.

Cyril

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

1024kb

1197 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 519

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2416387 11-Feb-2020 20:13

This thing is fixable. Macs boot externally so if it's not running because of the boot drive only, you can disconnect that then grab any installed PPC drive from that era, hook it up via FireWire & hit the Option key on boot. That'll bring up the OS on the external drive with the internal slave drive available for copying from.

To find a PPC drive with FireWire connectectivity, I suggest you try MOTAT.

Megabyte - so geek it megahertz