Power Mac G4 cube display

Your best option is to use an old CRT VGA display or possibly a very early LCD monitor which had lower resolutions & can sometimes be selected on the monitor itself. You would need to boot from an OS X install DVD so you can access Disk Utility to erase the internal HD.

Another option would be to pull the IDE Hard Drive from the Cube and use and IDE to USB Adapter to connect the HD to another computer. These IDE to USB Adapters are getting harder to find though. I cannot guarantee this will work with recent Macs or Windows PCs.....it should. Here is one IDE to USB Adapter I've used in the past:

https://vantecusa.com/products_detail.php?p_id=90&p_name=IDE/SATA

You can try putting the Cube into Target Disk Mode which can be done without a working display. However, this requires a Firewire connection to another computer.....so this option is probably unlikely unless you have a Firewire cable and an older Mac or PC with a Firewire port.

With any of these options you will want to write zeroes to the whole physical drive (single pass is sufficient). Disk Utility has a "secure erase" option when erasing a drive. It may take a while depending on the size, speed, and health of the Hard Drive.....assuming the Hard Drive even still functions.

Another option is to remove the Hard Drive and physically destroy it. Some people bash it with a sledge hammer, others may drill multiple holes into it. Just be very careful not to hurt yourself.

Or you could take it to a trusted tech or recycler to perform the secure erase for you, or the physical destruction of the HD. Or maybe a tech would have access to an old VGA CRT monitor or a very early LCD panel.

DogwoodDennis wrote:

I’m having no luck finding an old CRT. When you say “very early LCD with lower resolution” what exactly should I be looking for? Thanks for any advice.

An LCD panel that would have been current around the same time as the G4 Cube. Perhaps even as late as 2005. Any later, then you may have mixed results depending on the panel. The best option would be an LCD which allowed you to switch/select resolutions using the panel's menu interface, but you will want one that can handle the old 4:3 display resolutions as they are more likely to be compatible with the G4 Cube.

You can even try one from as late as 2010 if you have one just to see if it will work, but the older the more likely it will be compatible.

The more recent displays usually don't allow the user to select the display resolution or refresh rate.....the recent displays just automatically detects the video signal from the computer.

The G4 Cube is in high demand on a popular auction site. Remove the hard disk drive and sell it.

$200 or more, sometimes a lot more.

DogwoodDennis wrote:

I found a 2009 Asus LCD display and it’s working! Thank you for your help. It’s all cleaned up and posted on Facebook Marketplace.

That's awesome. Glad you were successful on all counts.