[rossmosis]

my ibook is about 3 years old and recently the screen froze and it started blinking random bright colors and then the page i was on flickered and then it died. it wont restart, when i hit the start button it starts to sound like its trying to start for a few seconds but then it just dies again. the power input and battery lights still turn green. could this be anything other then just needing to buy a new hard drive? thanks.

[dowNNshift]

That's gotta put you into a panic attack... yikes!

Ok, so what were you doing when this happened? Was the iBook plugged in? When you press the power button, do you hear the start chime?

Get out your Apple Hardware Test CD. If you can get it to start up chime then, put in the AHT CD and press the "C" key to boot from it. Run the test and see what the results are. This will be very helpful in isolating where the problem is.

Any error codes will be vital for properly diagnosing the problem.

[chipchen]

Doesn't sound like a hard drive issue... sounds more... serious... like logic board...

I'd take it into an Apple Store to have it looked it.

[macbob_530@yahoo.com]

I had the same problem. It came from me grabbing the computer from the edge. Of course it did not help that the case is just too flimsy to support the weight of the components. I would think that Apple would have thought(tested) of that knowing that most people will pick it up by the edge before carrying it. Therefore, the welds came loose from the graphics chip attached to the logic board...a very common problem with that model.

I just had my logic board reflowed, a solution to the problem, by First Phase Techonlogies in Tempe, Arizona. The cost was $50.00 total cost, which I think is more than reasonable. For that price, they will also return your logic board to you. They have a technician who has been doing this process for over 9 years. Give them a call 1-480-967-1100. Ask for Bobby or Tom.

Of course, you have to remove the board yourself. There are directions on the internet of how to do that if you are so brave. I did it myself and found that it was only slightly painful. You will need a static free mailing bag to send it to them. You can get those from a computer repair shop cheap. The url is as follows: iBook G3 12" Disassembly: Installing Hard Drive - Removing Top Shield (page 14/17).

TB