# What does IDE mean?



## skwerally (Oct 4, 2007)

I am in the process of purchasing and Apple DVDRW IDE Drive/Burner for PowerMac G3 G4 G5 for my powermac G3. Does IDE mean its a internal drive? If so, with instructions, would that be something I could just install? I used to be a tech at Xerox and worked on many printers... installing firmware/software, so I can understand a lot of instruction. If it is internal, does it require any firmware? I have only a CD & zip drive on on my pwr G3.  Thanks in advance for any info. I need something that I can burn CD's on. 
Thanks, Skwerally


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Oct 4, 2007)

"IDE" is pretty much synonymous with "ATA" (parallel ATA, or "PATA").  It is a standard connector for hard drives and optical drives.

Its successor is SATA (serial ATA), which has a different connector.

While it doesn't explicitly mean that the drive is "internal," I've never seen an external PATA device that wasn't installed in some sort of USB/FireWire/eSATA enclosure.

Depending on the drive (I highly recommend the Pioneer DVR series for DVD-RW/CD-RW), it should be a pretty straightforward install, without the need to install software, drivers or firmware.


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## skwerally (Oct 4, 2007)

Thank you for the infor... it's a great help!


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## jbarley (Oct 4, 2007)

IDE stands for   "Integrated Drive Electronics"
ATA stands for  "Advanced Technology Attachment"
PATA stands for "Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment"
SATA stands for "Serial Advanced Technology Attachment"

The first 3 are labels for the same type of drive, the last "SATA" is a different drive, and fast becoming the new standard in todays computers.
The connections are not compatible, so you must have the right type of drive if you are adding or changing a drive.

jb.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Oct 4, 2007)

If you're putting the drive in a G3 (blue and white model, I assume) then it should be straight "plug-and-play."  Most Pioneer DVR models are 100% compatible and recognized by the system, assuming that you are using Mac OS X 10.4 and keep it up-to-date (eg, you are using version 10.4.10).

I have a Pioneer DVR-110D in my G4 Yikes! machine (pretty much the same machine as a G3 blue & white, but with a G4 processor) and it burns about 10 DVDs a week.  Not a failed burn yet (I always burn at 4x, even with 8x media) and the drive shows no signs of crapping out.  In addition, those drives can be had for under $50, which is a steal in my opinion.

Here's a great guide for installing a new optical drive in your computer:

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G3-ZONE/hival52x/install.html


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## skwerally (Oct 4, 2007)

I am actually not running 10.4, I just purchased 10.3, will it... should it still work with 10.3 or do I need to upgrade to 10.4.  I have 10.2.8 right now.


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## eric2006 (Oct 4, 2007)

Yes, it should work with 10.3 as well. It's compatible more on a hardware level than a software level.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Oct 5, 2007)

You may need to use a utility called "Patchburn" to get it recognized by the iLife apps and iTunes and what-not.  While it may function as a regular DVD-RW/CD-RW and be bootable and all, some of the Apple applications may not recognize it as a supported burning medium until you use Patchburn.


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