So when I got to school today, my 800mHz G3 iBook froze on me and wouldn't start. After trying to reset the pram, start up in single-user mode, et cetera, I remembered to how to boot from my external drive, which I did.

Disk Utility tells me that the hard drive is pretty much toast, so I was able to back up a few files, but now it's not even spinning for me. Thank goodness I do regular back-ups.

So, my question is - do I replace the hard drive in this obsolete iBook which is on its 3rd logic board, has a broken control button, and has the screen go all funny green if i tilt it back too far, or do I go ahead and buy a new laptop, even though i am now a divorceé who has been trying his damnedest to budget sensibly since his wife left him?

What is the felicific calculus on this one?

???

hard drives are cheap. fix it.

"Throw it in the gutter, and go buy another"

anybody else?

A new HD is around $100-150. You would be better off using that for towards a newer one. Especially with all the problems with that one. unless you wanted to make that last another year or two. in which case you could then take the HD out and use it in an external case for a backup/portable drive.

Just FYI, installing a new HD in an iBook is not too much fun or easy, nor is it for the faint of heart. I replaced mine about two years ago and it meant almost taking the whole thing apart! lots of little screws and you have to know where to split the case. If you have somebody else do it then you would be better off just getting a new one.

I think you answered your own question once you listed how you really felt about the heap you currently call a computer.

computers are disposable----F--k it.

my 2000 HP PC died a couple times and the last one was the last straw. through my work discount program I picked up this:

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

you bastard. buy me one too, ok?

it doesn't ship for another month...hopefully it will not get delayed

p.c. laptop, or maybe a refurbished mac? Get that educational discount, boy...

yeah get a new one.

MAC

You can find a good used one on Craig's list. I've see them for about $400-500

http://austin.craigslist.org/sys/120076463.html
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Chowgurt, you Samaritan, you.

Madison doesn't deserve you. This state, for Chrissake, doesn't deserve you.

Christ.

Monty, are you trying to get me to leave?
you sly dog!

I figure since I can't spend any of my own money, I might as well help somebody else spend theirs.

Best Buy will give you 12 months free financing on a new laptop--so figure $75 a moth for the latest and greatest?

why does everyone on Obner seem to use Macs? Are you ALL graphic design students or something?

I fuh.

is that ATL speak for 'fuck'? Or just Obner speak for 'fuck'? Or someting entirely different? Fill a brother in...

Most biologists in my field use macs, so in my case it's cultural inertia. And they're sexier, of course.

It's drunk-speak for "I would fuck".

And they're rumored to be much more stable.

now that's definitely a lie.

eh, since the release of os x, i can count the number of crashes i've had on one hand. that generation of iBook definitely had some hardware issues, though.