[mattmarshall]

please help me, nice, smart macnn peoples!

A few days ago, I installed KisMac on my Pismo. It worked OK for a day, then the next day the computer kept crashing every 10 minutes---and freezing, I had to restart each time. It would work fine, then come crashing down. Wierd!

Uninstalled Kismac. Still crashing.

Backed-up my files. Tried to reinstall OS 10.2. It won't! If I did an "Easy install" it hung interminably. If I customized it, and did the barest minimum install, it claims to finish (too quickly) and when I restart, I get a "no smoking" (circle with line) where the grey Apple should be.

I replaced the hard drive with one I had lying around. Same thing happens.

Does anyone know what could be wrong? I've "Rebuilt" the drive(s) with DiskWarrior and reparied them with the Disk Utility on the 10.2 disk. Nothing works, so now I think it can't be a hard drive issue.

What could it be?

thank you SO MUCH

- Matt

p.s. it's my only computer! i am lost without it!

[rjt1000]

hi matt,

first thing i would try is to boot from the ORIGINAL OS 9 install disk that came with your Pismo.

if that works, the cleanest solution is to reformat your hard drive, rerun the disk utility on it and then reinstall system software from scratch.

if you cant boot from the original CD install disk, then try resetting the power manager (that little button near the ports). while your at it, zap the PRAM and try again.

still not working? then report back with exactly what happens when you try to boot from your original install CD.

good luck,

rich (pismo g3 500)

[mattmarshall]

hey man

thanks a lot for replying....

i cannot boot from the original os 9 cd....or the software restall (or install) disks....i just get a white/grey screen.

i will try what you mention and report back tomorrow. (no computer, no internet, so i can only pot from the school library).

thank so much

- matt

[mattmarshall]

Hey

i did the PRAM reset....no luck. i tried to do a PMU reset (thought I don't fully know how to, or what it is) but no luck either.

this is a real bummer. the install actually finished one time, and the computer started--then whammo--kernal panics started again.

hardware issue?

thanks

-matt

[mattmarshall]

Some more info:

When trying to install, it always crashes during "processing base system." sometimes it restarts itself, sometimes it goes to a blank, DOS-like screeen where it says "null code = 0."

i've tried pram reset, vram reset, pmu reset.

any ideas on what else to try?

thanks

- matt

p.s. do those Hardware test cd's that come with newer macs work on pismos?

[rjt1000]

hey matt,

pesky problem, huh.

does the computer chime normally when you try to start up?

have you done any hardware upgrades recently? i would remove all but the original OEM RAM, check all the internal plugs and connectors and see if that helps.

you can also try starting up in verbose mode (command V) and see if you get any clues to what might be wrong.

if you are successful starting up from OSX install CD, try running disk utility and repairing permissions and repairing the disk.

if none of that helps, i would suspect a hardware fault, perhaps the processor. 400mhz processors go for about $100 on eBay--might be worth a try. but swapping out hardware parts in a situation like this is not only frustrating but expensive.

best wishes,

rich (pismo g3 500)

[mattmarshall]

hey rich

thanks for your reply....

yes, it chimes normally at startup.

no hardware upgrades caused it--i haven't done any in a long time. i changed the drive after it happened though.

i tried "verbose mode" and it said some stuff, but it flew by too quick! then disappeared.

i've repaired/erased the drive dozens of times...no luck.

i'm guessing that it's hardware too......but is there any way i can tell for sure? i know new macs come with "hardware test" cd's....i tried my sisters, for an ibook from 2 years ago, but it said it wouldn't work with my machine. do any of these hardware tests work on pismos?

i looked up tekserve in nyc, and they charge 100 dollars just to tell you what's wrong!

- matt

[rjt1000]

Hey Matt,

The hardware test CD for the Pismo (Apple Hardware Test 1.0) is discussed here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.h...onID=anonymous

It doesnt seem to be available as a d/l from Apple--which is surprising. I actually found the one that came with my Pismo. I had forgotten about it but found it in the box.

I was thinking to send you a disk image--but, alas, this is one tricky CD--most of its contents are hidden and don't show up when making a disk image or copy. (My guess is that it is chock full of proprietary info to be that well hidden by Apple). So, I'm afraid I cant help you in that regard.

BTW, I used to live in NYC and have only good things to say about Tekserve--but they do get crowded so try to go at off peak times.

Your Pismo is still worth at least $500 (once its fixed), so i think $100 to diagnose it could be reasonable. Once its on the bench, they may well put that $100 towards the cost of the repairs.

Its hard to know where to draw the line with these older computers. Remember you can buy a new iBook for under a thousand, so you will need to be realistic about what you spend to fix this one.

I'd be interested to know what it turns out to be, if you dont mind to post back once you've gotten it checked.

Best wishes,

Rich (Pismo G3 500)