sm152 Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 need help in finding out whether it Airport Ready or Airport Extreme Ready. I've got PowerBook G4 15". Also what type of screwdriver do I need to open up the case? And why can't apple use the screws everyone in the world use? :crazy: Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsbury Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Exactly what model do you have? It should say underneath... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the evn show Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 need help in finding out whether it Airport Ready or Airport Extreme Ready. I've got PowerBook G4 15". If the usb/firewire/modem/ethernet ports are in the back you have "TiBook" (titanium powerbook) so it will only accept the airport card, if they are on the sides then you have an "AlBook" (aluminum powerbook) so it will only accept the airport extreme card (which is backward compatiable with airport). Also what type of screwdriver do I need to open up the case? And why can't apple use the screws everyone in the world use? :crazy: To open the case you'll need a torx t6 driver. It's a standard bit in the computer industry (probably because they don't strip) and you should be able to pick one up at a Home Depot or any hardware store for a couple of dollars, they're also standard issue in those $10 "PC repair toolkits" you buy at big-box computer retailers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebaz Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 BTW you know that you dont have to "open up" your powerbook to install an airport card right? All you need to do is remove the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radioboy Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 not to mention if you just bought it new it will have airport installed already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robniep Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Isn't there a way to check it within OS X? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radioboy Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 yeah... look in internet connect and see if theres an Airport section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizkit Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Isn't there an icon in the corner that will tell you? I am just trying to get with the Mac thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredbkt Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 This is the simplest thing. Click on the Apple Menu > About This Mac. Then click the More Info button to open the System Profiler. There's a Hardware section on the right. Under that you'll see AirPort. Just select AirPort to see if you have the card or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iKwak Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 The new powerbooks should have the Airport installed from factory. You should also see an icon that shows like a semicircle. Check the apple website for more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sm152 Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 Thank you all for your reply, I think it's an Airport ready. The PowerBook is second hand and couple of years old and didn't come with any manuals. I have a wireless USB dongle from DLINK but the driver often freezes the machine. The dongle works fine on Windows however. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsbury Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 If it's a couple of years old, and sub-1GHz, it takes the original AirPort card. 1GHz may be AirPort Extreme or AirPort depending if it's Aluminum or Titanium, anything faster is AirPort Extreme. I think that all the Aluminum ones have USB2.0, which may be an easy way to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredbkt Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 A USB key for wireless will not work. You MUST use an AirPort card. I'm telling you that using the Apple System Profiler will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know. If it's an older machine and is not running Panther, then go to Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilties > System Profiler to find out everything about your machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sm152 Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 A USB key for wireless will not work. Not true - USB dongle does work but not reliable enough that all. Sometimes it would work for 1 hour before freezing up the machine other time it would work for many hours. My next problem is to get the damn thing opened! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsbury Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 AirPort install guide: http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/doityourself/15ti/ AirPort Extreme: http://www.apple.com/support/powerbook/doityourself/15al/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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