can i put a 160gb hard drive on my imac g3 i know the the max is like 128gb or something like that but would i need anything else or would the hard drive work on the computer but not read 160gb only 120 or 128 whatever it is?
Same as usual, open disk utility and erase the drive. If its brand new, you should be prompted to initialize the unrecognised disk. Clicking the iniyialize button will launch disk utility for you.
They make software tools to get around the 128gb limit, Though I have never personally used it. I believe people have had mixed results with their products so do some research before you commit. But it at least opens the possibility of a larger drive.
Its sort of a hack, Its an alternate driver that allows you to partition the remaining space over and above the 128 gig. However if any problems occur the data on the second partition is at risk.
This software does work apparently, but I think of it much like the various apps that allow dynamic repartitioning of drives. I would not trust a drive that had been formatted using any of the above with my valuble data. I suspect they are more susceptible to software, directory and format errors. For the price, you could get a 3rd party ATA card. That would bypass the limit if you get the right one. You could even get one thats faster than the on board ATA. Or a RAID card, so you could get another disk and an even bigger speed boost.
Don't forget we are talking about an imac here. So the hardware options are limited. For my 2¢ I would either buy a less expensive 120gig drive or use an external firewire (assuming the imac has it) enclosure. I would not spend the money on disk space I cannot use.
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