[nuggetman]

My friend's iBook wasn't seeing Airport after a failed attempt to install 10.4.2. Then it wouldn't even boot. So i saved her data (with many input/output errors on several files), formatted it, reinstalled 10.4, updated to .2, everything working A-OK.

She calls me back today, this is a day later, it's not booting again. This time not only will it not boot, but when I put the iBook DVD in to boot the hardware test, the menu you get from holding option just hangs.

She hasn't bought Applecare yet so I can't get phone support, just parts support.

Any ideas?

[nuggetman]

now it's sitting at the spinning pinwheel w/ the gray apple boot screen, and it's just hanging, and occasionally making a single chirping noise

[seanc]

Could be a faulty airport card. Try removing it and see what happens.
It's under the keyboard, just pop the keyboard up (you may have to unlock the screw/numlock light) then pop out the air port card and disconnect the antenna.

Faulty airport cards do funny things, including not booting or powering up.

Otherwise if it's new, just take it back and ask for a new one.