Mac OS 9 Lives

Classic Mac OS Hardware => Storage => Topic started by: DrNo7 on October 02, 2021, 12:44:58 AM

Title: Powerbook/iBook DVD drive replacement and boot capability
Post by: DrNo7 on October 02, 2021, 12:44:58 AM
Hi everybody,

Sorry for the double-posting but the search is adamant there is no topics with my keywords  ;D

My Powerbook G4 (12") has its dvd drive showing its age struggling to grab discs and sometimes is finicky reading some.
The big question is: can I get away with any slot-in PATA laptop drive or must I track down a Matsushita hopping it aged well? And bonus question: would any drive be bootable or is there some Apple magic in the firmware of their drives that is necessary for booting off a CD/DVD?

Thanks in advance for any experience/knowledge you havr on the subject :)
Title: Re: Powerbook/iBook DVD drive replacement and boot capability
Post by: peeperpc on October 02, 2021, 07:14:52 AM
I'm not sure but I've replaced my iBook G3's stock read-only CD drive with a COMBO drive from Toshiba (SD-R2612). IIRC, Apple never uses this drive in their products. The drive was plug & play. It booted and worked fine until it died.

So I think you're not limited to Matsushita brand.