How to transfer data from a G3 to a G4?

[MacsInspire]

I'm about to retire a beige G3, but would like back up about 10gb of files onto a G4 which I still use. What would be the quickest, easiest way to do this? I don't have an external hard drive, but I have USB sticks. Or can I connect the machines together and just drag and drop everything I want to save? Or burn a few CDs?

Also, no matter what I try, I can't get the G3 to boot up from a CD (the CD is Nortan Disk Doctor, which I wanted to use to clean up the hard drive before I dispose of it. Tried all the usual tips, held down the C key, option, zapped the Pram, etc.

[cpragman]

Perhaps try "Target Disk Mode" with the old computer.

Connect the two computers with a FireWire or Thunderbolt cable.
Start up the computer to be used as a disk in target disk mode:
If the computer is off, start it up while holding down the T key.
If the computer is on, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Startup Disk, and then click Target Disk Mode.
When the computer has started up, a disk icon appears on the desktop of the other computer.
Transfer files by dragging them to and from the disk.
Eject the disk by dragging its icon to the Trash.
While you drag, the Trash icon changes to an Eject icon.
On the computer you transferred file TO, run disk utility, and wipe the disk of the old computer.
On the computer you used as a disk, push the power button to shut it down, and then disconnect the cable.

[chabig]

Quote: Originally Posted by MacsInspire I can't get the G3 to boot up from a CD (the CD is Nortan Disk Doctor, which I wanted to use to clean up the hard drive before I dispose of it.

No special application is required. Just use Disk Utility to erase the hard drive.

[DeltaMac]

Note the details in the OPs post:
Beige G3 - which probably won't have OS X at all, and you would need to find an old OS X installer CD (10.2 or older), to be able to use Disk Utility. In MacOS, the equivalent is Drive Setup.
The Beige G3 also does not have native Firewire (definitely not ThunderBolt) so Target Disk Mode is not possible.
If the boot hard drive on the G3 is IDE, you may be able to get to the files on the hard drive by moving the HD from the beige G3 to a hard drive position in the newer G4.
Pair up the master/slave jumpers, to make sure that you have one hard drive set as master and the other as slave.
But - the beige G3 may not have an IDE HD, but is likely to be SCSI. That makes the process more challenging, unless the G4 has a PCI SCSI controller installed.

Once you get the files that you need, do you have an OS9 installer CD? OR, an OS8 installer should work, too. Boot to one of those, and run the Drive Setup utility to erase the hard drive.
Or, as a final resort (and by far the easiest), if you get the files recovered first (or, after you give up on getting those files) - you can use the "drill-press method", which is simply drilling a few holes through the hard drive.
Then, your hard drive is "done!" and ready to be "retired"

[bdm]

If both machines have ethernet ports you can connect them that way.

[benwiggy]

Yep, Ethernet is your best bet. Enable File Sharing on the G4 and log in on the G3 with a username and password from the G4. Then drop the files onto the G$ sharepoint.

Quote: Originally Posted by MacsInspire Also, no matter what I try, I can't get the G3 to boot up from a CD (the CD is Nortan Disk Doctor, which I wanted to use to clean up the hard drive before I dispose of it. Tried all the usual tips, held down the C key, option, zapped the Pram, etc.

It may not be the right version of Norton. Are you selling/giving away the G3? If you're just going to bin it, then I wouldn't worry too much about zeroing the free space -- the biggest stumbling block to snooping is the age of the device and interface.
But you could always take a power drill to the drive.

If you are passing it on, you might be able to find a CD disk image or even floppy disk image of MacOS on Apple's website. They have a nice Legacy downloads page.

[anthlover]

****Another method of data transfer would be a pata/ide adapter cable or USB case: There are also multi interface drive cables that can handle PATA. Many make them below is nice one from a trusted company owc aka macsales for $30

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/U3NVSPATA/

After you transfer the files you might want to sit on the drive for a bit or forever. The computer has no real value. Another copy of your data would not hurt to keep.


If you really want at some point to make sure the data on the drive is really gone there a few simple methods:

Death by Dill Bit
Death by Large Nail
Death by Circuit board mutilation, screw driver or pliers would likely be sufficient
Death by Hammer
Death by disassembly

I usually put my old drives in a bin and arrange for their demise later.

[DeltaMac]

An original hard drive could also be a SCSI interface, which will make it more challenging to transfer the data.

Quote: Death by Dill Bit

(?)
Death by Dill (Pickle) - I suppose the acid would do it, too

[anthlover]

Drill Bit Ahh My Typos. To bad edit time is so short now on this forum

A quick search seems to indicate they were probably ata/pata, but I could be wrong, at this time the powerbooks 1995 and later were ata I believe and the Towers supported both interfaces? I think in the beginning the CD were IDE and HD might have been either SCCI or IDE.

A model and year would help.

Ethernet certainly would be a simple method as was suggested earlier.

As a tangent, but an important one. It is important to back up. It is also important to monitor technology and transfer/transcode data so that it remains accessible, technology keeps changing.