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jcadam · Jan 31, 2003, 05:15 PM

A few days after my 90 day warranty expired, the machine ceased functioning.

Actually, I re-installed OS X, and the machine won't boot. It just sits there at the grey screen w/ Apple logo.

Re-installed countless times (using discs included w/ system), zapped PRAM, NVRAM, removed third-party peripherals (exept the Radeon 8500 I replaced the stock vid card with, which I no longer have) and extra RAM. Tried different hard-disks. Even tried booting from iPod. Still paying on Apple Loan. Somebody's gonna die.
It still boots from CD, that's about it...

help plz.

Scotttheking · Jan 31, 2003, 05:23 PM

It has a 1 year warranty on the hardware.

TheMosco · Jan 31, 2003, 07:49 PM

90 days is only for tech support i believe. you should be able to bring it any authorized apple service center and have them fix it.

My MDD has been acting up lately too.

Doncom · Jan 31, 2003, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by TheMosco:
90 days is only for tech support i believe. you should be able to bring it any authorized apple service center and have them fix it.

My MDD has been acting up lately too.

I'll give you the advice someone once gave me when my iBook died; call Apple Tech Support. If they can determine that your computer problem was not due to a software conflict (which it probably is 75% of the time), they will cancel the $50 for the call and arange for the machine to be picked up and sent to their repair facility.

At least they did this when my iBook's HD died... I'm not sure if they would send you a huge box for a G4 repair... perhaps...

I had no additional warranty beyond the 1 year iBook, but it came back just fine.

Good luck.

Mac Zealot · Jan 31, 2003, 10:14 PM

Originally posted by Doncom:
I'll give you the advice someone once gave me when my iBook died; call Apple Tech Support. If they can determine that your computer problem was not due to a software conflict (which it probably is 75% of the time), they will cancel the $50 for the call and arange for the machine to be picked up and sent to their repair facility.

At least they did this when my iBook's HD died... I'm not sure if they would send you a huge box for a G4 repair... perhaps...

I had no additional warranty beyond the 1 year iBook, but it came back just fine.

Good luck.

Different story for desktops. Apple tells you to take it to a service provider, where they probably won't be able to recreate the problem, and then apple will be a b*tch, and etc.

jcadam · Feb 1, 2003, 10:36 AM

Right now I have a theory:

The Radeon 8500 was installed after at least some of the updates to 10.2 were released.

When I re-installed, I put 10.2.0 back on the machine (the version that came with the system).

Perhaps the Radeon 8500 drivers in version 10.2.0 are bad?

To test this, I would need one of the following:

1. Some more current 10.2 install discs

or

2. Another video card

I have neither. I do have an iBook 600 w/10.2.3 installed. I tried copying over it's system folder using firewire (target) disk mode, but the new startup folder can't be seen by OF.

reader50 · Feb 1, 2003, 01:17 PM

I installed 10.2.0 on my G4 350 some months ago. It had a flashed 8500 in it at the time (still does).

The installer CD saw and used the 8500 as the primary monitor right away. The system booted up afterwards on the 8500 just fine. Jag comes with decent 8500 drivers preinstalled.

Hold down Open-Apple-V during boot to make the system boot up in Verbose mode. It will display various messages, watch them and see where they stop. If it hangs on FSCK, that means it's trying to repair disk damage on the HD. If it hangs on loading ATi drivers, that would mean a possible vid card problem.

milhouse · Feb 1, 2003, 01:22 PM

Might sound silly but recheck all of your cables especially the internal cables for the HD.
Remove and reseat the Video card and RAM.

Since you are posting you must have internet access via another machine.

Check the Apple kbase for resetting the CUDA/PMU on that unit. It seems simple but you can fry the PMU if you don't perform it correctly.

You can try reinstalling Classic only. I think this might be done from the SW restore discs and choosing a custom install.
There is also a kb article on installilng OS 9 this way. (You may need OS X installed first though, and if so it wont help you.)

good luck

Run the Apple HW diagnostic disc too.

jcadam · Feb 1, 2003, 02:05 PM

Tried holding down open-apple-V, apparently the boot process doesn't even get that far along, it just sits there at the Grey screen with the apple logo in the center (I can get verbose mode when booting from the CD, so I know I'm doing it correctly). If I hold down option and select the boot partition manually, I will see a grey screen with a centered circle with a slash through it. Can't install OS 9 without first having OS X installed, since the OS 9 installer is on the non-bootable Software Restore disks. The newest retail OS 9 install disk I have is version 9.2.1, which won't install on the G4 (requires 9.2.2)

Tried resetting the PMU. No dice.

I am currently using my iBook for net access.

reader50 · Feb 1, 2003, 02:32 PM

It's not finding the OS install. Boot up from the CD and run Disk Utility (DFA mode), see if it finds a problem with the HD. Also try Apple System Profiler, it sometimes gives useful info on partitions that are not mounted.

If it is HD corruption, DFA may be able to fix it. If it requires more serious repair by DiskWarrior/TTP, you can boot up into Firewire Target Disk Mode, to let your iBook repair the PowerMac HD. This won't work in all cases though.

I agree with milhouse, recheck those cable connections. Also check how your HD is jumpered, and if it shares the cable with any other ATA devices. Certain jumper settings, when other devices are present on the bus, will result in problems.

milhouse · Feb 2, 2003, 01:24 AM

Did you run the HW diagnostic CD?

If you are getting video when booted from the CD I doubt it could be your Radeon.

Although rare, it is possible that an IDE cable "went bad". I've had it happen on a PC. It drove me nuts because it's not common and I refused to replace it as a diagnostic for a time...

It does sound like it's I/O related though. You can also try jumping the hard drive to master (IIRC it's set as CS from the factory).

You might also try moving the HD to another IDE channel (you have two to choose from for the HD's).

jcadam · Feb 2, 2003, 06:40 AM

hmmm...... interesting

I got it working, here's how:

Put PowerMac in Firewire Target mode
connected to iBook.

booted iBook from 10.2 install disc

installed 10.2 from iBook to PowerMac Hard Drive

booted iBook from PowerMac Hard disk

Completed registration/setup on iBook.

Booted PowerMac.

That worries me. So I have to install the OS on my Powermac from another machine now???

Oh well, it works.

Mr.Clicky · Feb 3, 2003, 12:21 AM

Definitely recommend checking the jumper settings. I couldn't boot - grey screen, eternal spinny thing - after having a new HD installed (with a few other things). The very intelligent Certified Apple Technician had oh-so-carefully set the jumper shunt to Dual (slave). I had to crack it open (aging iMac) and remove the shunt.

still waiting for a refund from the techie though

Akarso · Feb 4, 2003, 11:04 AM

What you did was install 10.2.1 right? That version didn't come with the ati radeon 8500 drivers, that's why your system didn't boot. If you had installed the oem geforce card instead of the radeon your system would have booted up fine. So remember that when you do a reinstall on your system. TAKE OUT THE RADEON 8500 and replace it with a different card. Then Download the drivers off the ATI website, or update or system to 10.2.3. THEN put the radeon 8500 back in and everything will be fine.

hope that helps. i know this from experience by the way. i did the same thing on my MDD dual 867.

a2daj · Feb 4, 2003, 12:12 PM

10.2.0 comes with RADEON 8500 drivers.

jcadam · Feb 4, 2003, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Akarso:
What you did was install 10.2.1 right? That version didn't come with the ati radeon 8500 drivers, that's why your system didn't boot. If you had installed the oem geforce card instead of the radeon your system would have booted up fine. So remember that when you do a reinstall on your system. TAKE OUT THE RADEON 8500 and replace it with a different card. Then Download the drivers off the ATI website, or update or system to 10.2.3. THEN put the radeon 8500 back in and everything will be fine.

hope that helps. i know this from experience by the way. i did the same thing on my MDD dual 867.

That would explain a lot. I had suspected the vid card, but I had sold the oem geforce on ebay (for $190, who the hell pays that much for a 32mb Geforce4mx?!?!)

Akarso · Feb 5, 2003, 11:23 AM

Originally posted by jcadam:
but I had sold the oem geforce on ebay (for $190, who the hell pays that much for a 32mb Geforce4mx?!?!)

hehe...a cube user...?