[KSE7696]

Okay, I just installed a Sonnet 1Ghz upgrade in my G4-400 AGP (Sawtooth) and everything seemed to work fine the first time I started it up after installing the cpu. Now when I start it up nothing shows up on the screen. The computer seems to be powering up okay from what I can hear, but nothing shows up on the screen... just a big blank black screen.

I've got an ATI Radeon 8500 installed, but it worked fine the first time.

I did get an error message the first time when it was starting up telling me something about the cache size, but not sure what it meant.

The monitor I'm using is the ol' 17" studio display that came out in 1999 when I got my G4.

Dang... I was hoping everything would go well with this upgrade. At first I thought it was going to... the 1Ghz cpu had some nice speed to it.

Anybody got any ideas? Anybody else run on to this sort of problem before???

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[D'Espice]

Did you try it with the G4/400 CPU again to determine whether the Logicboard is still working fine?

[KSE7696]

I have not tried putting the ol' 400Mhz back in yet. Will do that tonight. Please pardon my major ignorance, but what exactly does the logic board do? Why would it start up once and not the next time?

Should everything be powering up like it is if the logic board is not working?

Everything worked great the first time.

[BobK]

Doing this will tell you if it is the MB or the CPU upgrade causing the problem, I would even stick my old video card back in to see if it works....
Also push the MB reset switch(CUDA switch), if you can't find it unplug and take out the battery for a few minutes, this will reset the MB.
Do you get a boot chime?

[KSE7696]

Yep, I get the usual boot chime.

[cocamix]

Is there a CUDA button you can press?
It's recommended to reset the motherboard after any new hardware, esp a processor.

[Sven G]

The firmware should be the latest (4.2.8f1): you're sure you updated it - otherwise, do it now...

It could maybe also be a sudden monitor failure: the Studio Displays have some well-known sudden failure records (more the 21" than the 17", however)...

(Personally, I recently updated my G4 450 MHz AGP with the Sonnet 1 GHz without any problems.)

[KSE7696]

The firmware is up-to-date with the latest from Apple. Checked it before I installed the CPU. I will try resetting the mobo and putting the old rage 128 back in when I get home. Will try another monitor as well.

I wasn't expecting any problems. Installing the cpu was very easy.

From the reviews I've seen it looked like a good way to go for now, so I took the plunge and get one. Everybody seemed to be having great success with their upgrades.

[dlefebvre]

You should take a look at www.xlr8yourmac.com, you might find some answers.

P.S. I also have a 17" studio Display and at some point, it would not work more than 30 minutes. It seemed like when it reached a certain temperature, it would simply sut down. I bought a new monitor, because I had no time (and was too lazy) to take the Studio Display for repair. Then a few months later, when I bought a Radeon 8500, I took out the Studio Display just to test the card with 2 monitors. Since then (more than 5 months) I had not a single problem with the Studio Display (Go figure).

[ReggieX]

Originally posted by KSE7696:
I did get an error message the first time when it was starting up telling me something about the cache size, but not sure what it meant.

In OS9, right? That's standard, I get the same thing with my GigaDesigns upgrade, and they mention that it's just the memory test throwing an error because it can't figure out what CPU you have. Don't worry about that.

Have you tried asking Sonnet directly?

[KSE7696]

Okay, I tried resetting the modo and it started right up! I still get the "The built-in memory test has detected a problem with cache memory. Please contact a service technician for assistance" message on start up however.

The only problem now is that everytime I shut it completely down and boot it up I have to reset the mobo each time. If I don't I just get the blank screen again. Could the battery be going south?

I do mainly use OS9.2.2 (the 400Mhz was just too slow in OSX for me). I can choose to just restart it from the memu in OS9 and it restarts fine, aside from the cache memory error message. If I choose to shut it down completely I have to reset the mobo to get anything to come up on the screen.

I contacted sonnet tech support about it and they told me pritty much what you guys have told me, except to reset the mobo.

Had it running for about three hours last night and everything worked great!!! The speed increase was VERY nice! The monitor seems to be fine as I had it running for about 3 hours last night. The L2 cache is showing up fine in ASP. Is L3 suppose to show up? It does not, so wanted to ask

Anyway... that is were I'm out now. I really do greatly appreciate the help all of you guys have given me!!!

[pity]

Did you by chance install any cache enabling software? If you did it could be set too high.
If possible put your old processor back in if you cant get it to start and check the settings on the cache enabling software. Slow it down if you can or if the software is not needed take it out?
Then put new processor back in

[pity]

Oh by the way be very careful resetting the cuda. Done too much or the wrong way you will fry the memory controller.
Best not touch cuda if possible

[KSE7696]

Okay, I put the ol' 400Mhz back in and everything works fine and dandy. The cache memory error message does not even come up with it back in. I REALY do miss the speed of the 1Ghz though!!! It was SO SWEET!

I only reset the mobo twice to see if it would work. I couldn't find the CUDA switch so I just pulled the battery for a couple of minutes like a couple of you have suggested and then put it back in.

I'm running the 400Mhz right now and all is well with it... it is just a lot slower

Neither the video card or the monitor were the problem. Tried a different card and a different monitor and had the same problem.

Oh yay... how'd everybody like the Super Bowl

[Sven G]

You should by all means write to Sonnet, through their email support page: it could, for example, be a processor card firmware problem (mine is a rev. B, for example: if yours is a rev. A one, that could be one possible culprit), in which case they usually email you a firmware "flasher" update.

See also this Accelerate Your Mac section for more detailed info...

Anyway, you should try to solve the problem through all possible means!

[Sven G]

Originally posted by ReggieX:
In OS9, right? That's standard, I get the same thing with my GigaDesigns upgrade, and they mention that it's just the memory test throwing an error because it can't figure out what CPU you have. Don't worry about that.

Have you tried asking Sonnet directly?

I don't use OS 9 anymore, but wasn't it possible, by pressing the option/alt key while opening the Memory control panel, to get an option to disable the memory test at startup? That would (partially) solve the problem: no memory test, no error message.

[Sven G]

Originally posted by KSE7696:
Could the battery be going south?

Sorry for replying yet another time - but a battery problem could be very likely after some years (1999-2003?): I had to replace my 1998 rev. B iMac's battery in 2002...

[KSE7696]

Hey... it's working!!! Come to find out it was a 4-port USB PCI card I installed about a year ago.

Been emailing Sonnet tech support the past few days and was told they are seeing issues with the Orange Micro cards. The one I had installed was an Orange Micro, so I took it out and everything seems to be working well at this time.

I am so happy to get the speed back!!

The cpu card I got is a Rev. B.

Sonnet seems to have good tech support. Always got a response within a day, in most cases even within a couple of hours. They were very helpful and patient.