Need hard drive replacement recommendations for Lombard 333

[cyberdan]

Hi all!

Two years ago I restored my Lombard by repacking the battery packs, replacing the PRAM battery, and replacing the HDD with a used 32GB HDD. I kept hearing about replacing the internal HDD drive with an SSD but waited until now to give that a try. So far I've failed. This has been my experience:

I started with the M.2 (Edit: Not NVME) SSD from my Steam Deck and copied the data over via a USB adapter. I proceeded to order what I thought would be a suitable internal IDE adapter for my SSD but it turned out to be for mSATA. So I ordered a 128GB mSATA SSD, booted of a MacOS 9.2.2 CD and formatted and partitioned the drive. But what kept happening was after copying just a few files the machine would seize up.

So at this point I had just about given up on the mSATA IDE solution, but I did order a USB enclosure for it just in case...

Meanwhile I decided to order a new internal hard drive, the biggest one I could find. It was a 160GB Seagate but it was too good to be true because it came with a SATA interface and not IDE despite the image and description.

So the USB adapter arrived and I copied everything onto the mSATA drive. Put it in the Powerbook and it booted. I opened up an old music project in Deck II and within the first 30 seconds the machine seized up. So I've given up on this drive and/or IDE adapter. The drive seems legit (Transcend) (Edit: Transcend mSATA SSD 230S 128GB) but the adapter seems a bit sketchy, no-brand thing. So I might consider buying a different one.

Can someone recommend the largest modern SSD / Adapter combo that they have successfully installed into a Lombard? Or if there's a good modern HDD solution I'm interested in that as well. Also, mine's a Bronze Keyboard 333 version if that means anything. Thanks for your time!

 

[cyberdan]

I went ahead and ordered an M.2 drive (non-NVME) and an IDE adapter because some people seem to have success with those. Will report my results in a couple days.

 

[phunguss]

I don't think you are going to get away with a drive larger than 128GB. Some of these G3 machines are very particular about the type of Solid State storage you choose and there are quite a few adapters out there that don't work. My guess would be that you may have to resort to the CF to IDE adapters and get a 64GB or 128GB CF card to use. These adapters are passive, as CF uses the same Parallel ATA interface. Many of the mSATA to IDE and M.2 to IDE have an internal controller that may not be compatible with your laptop. Lots of trial and error.

I have CF-IDE working in PowerBook 190, 5300c, and some iBook G3. These machines failed with mSATA to IDE. PowerMac G3 B&W is very particular about the adapters it can use. Here is a long thread about issues in G4 Cube.

 

[cyberdan]

I don't think you are going to get away with a driver larger than 128GB. Some of these G3 machines are very particular about the type of Solid State storage you choose and there are quite a few adapters out there that don't work. My guess would be that you may have to resort to the CF to IDE adapters and get a 64GB or 128GB CF card to use. These adapters are passive, as CF uses the same Parallel ATA interface. Many of the mSATA to IDE and M.2 to IDE have an internal controller that may not be compatible with your laptop. Lots of trial and error.

I have CF-IDE working in PowerBook 190, 5300c, and some iBook G3. These machines failed with mSATA to IDE. PowerMac G3 B&W is very particular about the adapters it can use. Here is a long thread about issues in G4 Cube.

Thanks for replying! Yeah, when I ordered that 160gb hdd I was emboldened because I had installed MacOS 9.2.2 from a Universal installer created by a site called Mac OS 9 Lives! and their readme file says something about being able to partition a drive > 128GB so I figured I have to try it!

I'll give the M.2 adapter a try this weekend but if that doesn't go as planned I'll almost definitely go the 128 GB CF card route.

Powerbook 190 really takes me back. I loved that machine!

 

[cyberdan]

Thanks for replying! Yeah, when I ordered that 160gb hdd I was emboldened because I had installed MacOS 9.2.2 from a Universal installer created by a site called Mac OS 9 Lives! and their readme file says something about being able to partition a drive > 128GB so I figured I have to try it!

I'll give the M.2 adapter a try this weekend but if that doesn't go as planned I'll almost definitely go the 128 GB CF card route.

Powerbook 190 really takes me back. I loved that machine!

I received the m.2 drive (Edit: Transcend M.2 SSD 430S 128GB) and the new ide adapter. It had the exact same issues as the mSATA drive, i.e. it didn't work.

I've placed an order for the CF card and adapter. I'll use these other drives in some newer machines that I'll be acquiring. I'll be receiving an aluminum and titanium g4 powerbook some time soon so maybe they won't go to waste.

 

[phunguss]

I received the m.2 drive and the new ide adapter. It had the exact same issues as the mSATA drive, i.e. it didn't work.

I've placed an order for the CF card and adapter. I'll use these other drives in some newer machines that I'll be acquiring. I'll be receiving an aluminum and titanium g4 powerbook some time soon so maybe they won't go to waste.

I have 3 Aluminum G4 Powerbooks and all work with the mSATA-IDE adapters.

I have not tried an M.2 to IDE. Is your M.2 drive SATA or NVME? Does it match what the IDE adapter supports (most support SATA, I don't know if any support NVME)?

 

[mac27]

Agreed that drives larger than 128 GB are just asking for trouble. And SATA adapters are the way to go based on my own experience. A CF-IDE adapter should also work.

I was able to get a 64GB mSATA SSD working in my Lombard recently; links to the products I used are available at that link if you scroll all the way to the bottom.

 

[Fizzbinn]

Not too long ago I tried a bunch of options in my Lombard. Ended up using a new Yansen 16GB 2.5-inch PATA/IDE 44-Pin SSD I bought from Amazon.

The somewhat pricey Ableconn mSata to IDE adapter that I use successfully in my 3400, Pismo, iBook G4 and Mac mini G4 does work in a Lombard too. I tested with three mSATA SSDs:

• Transcend TS16GMSA370 16GB SATA III mSATA SSD
• Transcend TS64GMSA380M-QDT 64GB SATA III mSATA SSD
• Transcend TS64GMSA230S 64GB SATA III mSATA SSD

All worked fine. The first two I had on hand but I recently bought the 230S card as it was mentioned somewhere (which I now can't find) as working in mSATA adapters when other mSATA SSDs would not. I was dubious on that, thinking the adapter would mask any subtle differences in mSATA SSDs...

So I decided to try the above three mSATA SSDs in the two other "cheap" mSATA to IDE adapters I have with the Lombard:

• Green Board - ChenYang mSATA Mini SATA SSD to IDE 44Pin 2.5 inch Hard Disk Case Enclosure Box White
• Black Board - 44PIN MSATA To 2.5 Inch IDE D SSD MSATA To PATA Adapter Converter Card

These two adapters are very similar (use same JM20330 Serial ATA Bridge Chip) but have some differences in populated passive components that I had thought might change their compatibility.

The 370 and 380M did not work in either, however the 230S worked in both of them! Not sure what to make of that other than the 230S (despite the lower model number) is a newer mSATA SSD, perhaps it better supports ATA modes that the Lombard uses?

In any case the combination of a cheap green board adapter and a 64MB Transcend 230S mSATA SSD is about the same cost as the 16GB Yansen PATA/IDE 44-Pin SSD (~$36) but with 4 times the capacity...

 

[mac27]

That's good to know, and it's consistent with my experience as well. I've used those 230S's in a number of my own machines and they have worked pretty much every time, for machines of G3-G4 era anyways.

Anyways, will definitely second the recommendation of the green-board adapter and 230S for machines like this.

 

[cyberdan]

I have 3 Aluminum G4 Powerbooks and all work with the mSATA-IDE adapters.

I have not tried an M.2 to IDE. Is your M.2 drive SATA or NVME? Does it match what the IDE adapter supports (most support SATA, I don't know if any support NVME)?

Hi, yeah I mentioned earlier that I had an NVME drive, but I was mistaken. I have an m.2 SATA drive (not NVME) and an mSATA drive, both with IDE adapters. They actually work great in as long as they're attached to the usb adapter, but not internally in the Powerbook G3 Lombard.

Edit: Happy to hear the mSATA drives work in the G4. I think I just watched a youtube video of someone installing an M.2 drive in their Titanium Powerbook so I should be alright.

 

[phunguss]

Hi, yeah I mentioned earlier that I had an NVME drive, but I was mistaken. I have an m.2 SATA drive (not NVME) and an mSATA drive, both with IDE adapters. They actually work great in as long as they're attached to the usb adapter, but not internally in the Powerbook G3 Lombard.

Edit: Happy to hear the mSATA drives work in the G4. I think I just watched a youtube video of someone installing an M.2 drive in their Titanium Powerbook so I should be alright.

Great, as long as your M.2 is SATA! I have actually used an M.2 to mSATA adapter on top of an mSATA to IDE and it works fine in the machines that typically work with the mSATA to IDE adapters.

 

[cyberdan]

Not too long ago I tried a bunch of options in my Lombard. Ended up using a new Yansen 16GB 2.5-inch PATA/IDE 44-Pin SSD I bought from Amazon.

The somewhat pricey Ableconn mSata to IDE adapter that I use successfully in my 3400, Pismo, iBook G4 and Mac mini G4 does work in a Lombard too. I tested with three mSATA SSDs:

• Transcend TS16GMSA370 16GB SATA III mSATA SSD
• Transcend TS64GMSA380M-QDT 64GB SATA III mSATA SSD
• Transcend TS64GMSA230S 64GB SATA III mSATA SSD

All worked fine. The first two I had on hand but I recently bought the 230S card as it was mentioned somewhere (which I now can't find) as working in mSATA adapters when other mSATA SSDs would not. I was dubious on that, thinking the adapter would mask the any subtle differences in mSATA SSDs...

So I decided to try the above three mSATA SSDs in the two other "cheap" mSATA to IDE adapters I have with the Lombard:

• Green Board - ChenYang mSATA Mini SATA SSD to IDE 44Pin 2.5 inch Hard Disk Case Enclosure Box White
• Black Board - 44PIN MSATA To 2.5 Inch IDE D SSD MSATA To PATA Adapter Converter Card

These two adapters are very similar (use same JM20330 Serial ATA Bridge Chip) but have some differences in populated passive components that I had thought might change their compatibility.

The 370 and 380M did not work in either, however the 230S worked in both of them! Not sure what to make of that other than the 230S (despite the lower model number) is a newer mSATA SSD, perhaps it better supports ATA modes that the Lombard uses?

In any case the combination of a cheap green board adapter and a 64MB Transcend 230S mSATA SSD is about the same cost as the 16GB Yansen PATA/IDE 44-Pin SSD (~$36) but with 4 times the capacity...

Thanks for this detailed response. It's pure gold! I'm also happy to hear that the 230S seems to work well since that was one of the drives I bought. Hopefully my Sintech mSATA to IDE adapter works when installed in either of the G4s. If I have any issues I'll give the ChenYang a try.

 

[cyberdan]

After accidentally ordering and installing a 128 MB CF Card, I corrected my error and today installed the 128 GB CF Card. It copied flawlessly and I was able to boot up and play back an old 12-track music project in Deck II. I also played the first level of Rebel Assault II which I have on CDROM but I have no recollection of ever playing. Later on I'll try to recover more old projects off of an APS DAT Backup I ordered on ebay. Thanks for all your help!