I have finally finished re-building my PowerBook G4 12″ (1GHz). I have upgraded the hard drive (40GB to 160GB), replaced the broken combo drive (got one cheap off eBay) and upgraded the operating system (10.4 to 10.5).
To others considering a similar mission:
- The hard drive is much easier to replace than the optical drive;
- The 160GB 5400 RPM Western Digital Scorpio disk runs warmer than the stock disk (to be expected really *);
- Remember where all the screws came from (I didn’t);
- Use the right tools for the job;
- There are a few service manuals available on the web. Use them.
I can’t really justify a new laptop at the moment. I think these upgrades have extended the life of my old one a bit longer.
* Edit: this may be due to the fact that the original disk was 4200 RPM.