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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Beige G3 probs

Beige G3 probs
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tobes
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Jul 27, 2003, 02:11 AM
 
Hey all,

Having a few probs with my fathers G3 computer. It was working fine a few days ago and then the power cord was tripped on and now the computer wont boot at all. It gets to the HAppy mac face and then just stops and doesnt go any further.

I have tried booting from CD but the CD spins up and then it goes to boot off the HD again and locks up as described above. I have zapped the pram and tried several different CD's. The only time it didnt just lock up was when I used a Norton disk and got an illegal instruction method. I have opened it up and made sure that all plugs cabel, cards etc were in properly and it all looked fine.

Any ideas guys? I havent tried a floppy yet I dont have any appropriate ones. (so a link or so for that would be good.)

tobes
     
DrBoar
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Stockholm Sweden
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Jul 27, 2003, 04:08 AM
 
Have you tried unplugging the HD and booting from the CD.


I have had some similar problems with old SCSI disks. I got them fixed by booting with the SCSI disks connected to power but not the SCSI, with the computer running I then connected the offending disks and scanned the SCSI chain with the disk tool to format it! It is absolutly not recomended to plu in IDE or SCSI devices on a running computer, but desperate measures for desperate times!

It might be a flat battery as well. Most computers seem to just lose date and time but some like the LC 475 act dead as doornail. (How the beige G3 is I do not know). But my guess is a damage in the boot sector of the HD than not only stops if from booting but also mounting. If it boots OK from a CD with the HD dissconnected that is it.

good luck
     
tobes  (op)
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Jul 29, 2003, 04:48 AM
 
HMmm I Have disconnected the HD and I have tried booting with several different boot cd's. The OS9 update disk wasn't recognised neither was an apple care disk. The latest Norton started booting, it got as far as the happy face and then get an error type 10.

Any other ideas guys? Im particuarly puzzled as to why the Norton CD does something and all the other CDs just give me the ? disk icon.

tobes
     
Macola
Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Madison, WI
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Jul 29, 2003, 10:31 AM
 
I had something similar happen with a beige G3 266 except there wasn't a definite cause...one day, it just refused to boot from either HD or CD. I eventually removed the drive (IDE), stuck it in a Firewire case, then reinstalled OS 9 from my TiBook, replaced the drive, and all was well. Never figured out what caused the problem, though.
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I do not like them, Sam I am.
     
   
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