Before you do that pick up a cheap 9.5mm notebook hard drive (10GB should be fine --
www.transintl.com call and ask for Mike or Tony) and install a new hard drive.
You're going to need your OS 9 disk and a Torx 8 screwdriver -- and be sure to touch something metal to displace all static electricity once you get inside so that you don't zap the MOBO -- but it's REALLY easy to install a new hard drive. I'm thinking you merely have a dead HD -- that's why ? showed up -- the system couldn't find the hard drive.
Remove the battery and remove the bottom cover (using T8) and you'll see a little tiny BLACK screw in the lower right-hand corner of the cage that helps to hold in the HD. Set it aside. Then carefully toggle that grey separator out of the way (the one you just removed the screw from) and to the right -- you'll be exposing two rubber bumpers that have hard drive screws in them.
CAREFULLY detach the cable that connects the hard drive to the MOBO -- from the MOBO (not the hard drive) and leave it attached to the hard drive for the time being.
VERY carefully pull the hard drive out -- remembering that there are two other bumper/screws on the left seated in holes in the frame so ease it to the right gently.
Once you get it out then you'll go ahead and very carefully and firmly detach the ribbon from the HD. Make sure to notice that the four pins on the left are not attached to the ribbon so that when you put the ribbon back on the new hard drive you don't try to connect there.
Remove the four bumpers and four screws and install them on the new HD. Put the ribbon back on. Then ease the HD with the bumpers back in the way you took it out -- making sure to seat the two bumpers with the screws carefully on the left-hand side. Carefully slide the grey separator back to the left making sure that you align the holes with the bumpers. Carefully toggle it. Sometimes I have to use a butter knife to carefully lift the hard drive up to meet those holes and align it (because the hard drive is too low). Once it's seated correctly then replace the black screw that holds the plastic grey cage in place. Carefully snap the ribbon back in place on the MOBO.
Remember: NEVER FORCE ANYTHING.
Put the bottom back on and install only two or three screws, just enough to hold the bottom on, then turn it over and connect the AC adapter.
Try starting it up -- as soon as it starts up insert the CD that contains system software and hold down the "C" key to boot off the CD and then proceed to format/initialize the drive (if it's OS 9 then you'd go to "Utilities" and to "Setup" to do this as soon as it boots off the CD).
If it doesn't start up again then you might not have attached the ribbon correctly so remove the back and check it again and make sure it's firmly connected to the MOBO.
If it starts up then replace the rest of the screws.
I was thinking it might be bad memory, also, but ram doesn't usually just go bad -- try taking out one piece at a time. You've probably already done that, though.
It could also be a bad ribbon someplace -- or maybe the MOBO crashed and burned.
One would think that you could avoid all of this and simply boot off of the CD if you have a bad HD but for *some* reason we've had bad hard drives before in our PBooks and this was the only way we determined we needed new hard drives.
Of course, if it's under warranty then it's highly advisable that you scrap these plans and simply call Apple.
Good luck.
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