[MrsLarry]

Good news first... my G4 PowerBook is (about a few weeks) under 5 years old, so they Apple Store CAN take it for service. YAY!

Bad news, it'll be at least $750.

Problems:
- screen is acting funky, crazy little lines zigzagging across the screen, til i adjust the screen, or give it a whack.
- on boot, asks me where i want to boot from
- clicking, seems to not "click and release", but each click is a "click and drag"
- slow

Genius says i should think about a 24" iMac. Thoughts? Is that the one you can dual boot?

What do you kids think? Figures a month and a half before i get married my car and computer both crap the bed... blegh

[Cold Warrior]

You might consider a MacBook as well, if you like portables. It's priced approximately like an iMac. The Apple refurbished models are more affordable and are very good -- like new.

So yes, I'd go for a replacement, not repair. You could try to sell it on eBay or craigslist.

[OldManMac]

I certainly wouldn't put that kind of money into a 5 year old computer. If you don't need the portability, an iMac is a much better bang for your buck. If you're not in a hurry, there's an Apple event next Tuesday, at which it's rumored that the new iMac will be introduced.

[James L]

If money is tight, there is always the Apple refurbs, bought through their website. Full warranty coverage on each model, and free shipping:

The Apple Store (U.S.)

Right Now:

2.0GHz MacBook with 1GB RAM and an 80GB HD is $949.

17 Inch 2.0GHz iMac with 1GB RAM, 160GB HD, 128MB VRAM and a SuperDrive is $1049. Great Deal.

Good Luck, and congrats on your upcoming wedding!

[♥]

MacMall has a 2.16Ghz MacBook Pro 15" for $1544 right now. That's a great deal.

About the iMac, they're great. I personally use a MacBook Pro and an Apple Display together and love it. Can grab the MacBook and leave on the fly and still have it be a desktop system when I need it.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by MrsLarry 

Figures a month and a half before i get married my car and computer both crap the bed... blegh

Heh, nevermind the computer troubles, that's all fixable. Congratulations on the forthcoming marriage. !


PS: Yes, I too say replace, not repair. Bad idea for a marriage, good idea for the laptop.

[MacosNerd]

compare the MB and MBP but if you're used to the screen size of the PB (provided you don't have the 12") you may have a little trouble adjusting to the smaller screen. Also you are used to having a portable, getting a imac may be a change for you. Finally don't jump on the imac yet, apple has the thingy going on 08/07 which they may release a new imac.

Personally I had a Macbook, after having a powerbook and after a time found the screen to small especially for photoshop and dreamweaver. I finally sold it on ebay and purchased a MBP. Great machine and I'm glad I made the jump.

[Andhee]

I think you should get one of the portables, MB or MBP, because a 5 year old machine isn't worth doing up with loads of modern shizz for it only to die on what isn't modern. If you stuck with your PB then I think you'll run into further problems even if you do get it fixed up.

Macbook all the way!

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Mastrap 

Heh, nevermind the computer troubles, that's all fixable. Congratulations on the forthcoming marriage. !


PS: Yes, I too say replace, not repair. Bad idea for a marriage, good idea for the laptop.

So seconded. All of that.

[design219]

When you think about price comparisons, keep the price of the latest system software in mind. With a new machine, you will also get the very latest system in the price.

Congrats as well on the marriage.

So, you will no longer be Mrs. Larry?

[ghporter]

Felicitations.("Congratulations" was already used a bunch.) I agree that a new computer is your best bet. You'll get much faster hardware that runs the latest OS better, and the opportunity to get 3 years worth of AppleCare if you feel it necessary. I recommend AppleCare for laptops at the very least, since they're more expensive to fix.

[Stradlater]

I have a 17" PowerBook from 3 years ago that was pretty well-maxed out die on me about a few months ago (it still kind of works, just not reliably). I ended up getting a new mid-grade MacBook and ("wow!") it is so much better, performance-wise and wallet-wise. (Of course, less than a month later my employer gives me a MacBook Pro—your mileage may vary.)

My advice echoes the others: spend a few hundred more and get a new machine.

(And of course: mazal tov!)

[freudling]

What a boring thread.

[Aeternus]

Originally Posted by MrsLarry 

Good news first... my G4 PowerBook is (about a few weeks) under 5 years old, so they Apple Store CAN take it for service. YAY!

Bad news, it'll be at least $750.

Problems:
- screen is acting funky, crazy little lines zigzagging across the screen, til i adjust the screen, or give it a whack.
- on boot, asks me where i want to boot from
- clicking, seems to not "click and release", but each click is a "click and drag"
- slow

Genius says i should think about a 24" iMac. Thoughts? Is that the one you can dual boot?

What do you kids think? Figures a month and a half before i get married my car and computer both crap the bed... blegh

I love my 24" iMac. And yes, you can boot into windows no problems. This is the most awesome machine I've ever owned.

[Chuckit]

For what it's worth, you can dual boot any current Mac (assuming you mean OS X and Windows — no current Mac runs OS 9 at all).

[shifuimam]

$750 is still cheaper than a new - or refurb - Mac, unless you get an older Mini.

Not only that, but it sounds like you might be able to fix some of this stuff yourself. If moving the display fixes the video, you probably just need a new video cable - which is all of $20 from any Apple certified reseller, or you can get one on eBay. It will take some effort to fix it, but $20 is a hell of a lot cheaper than $750 or $1200. The slowness and asking where to boot from can very, very likely be fixed by just reinstalling OS X completely. Not doing an archive and install, but backing up your data, formatting the hard drive completely from Disk Utility on your OS X CD/DVD, and installing fresh. This is free, which is cheapest of all.

The trackpad problem might be fixed by a reinstall. It might also be a loose cable, which would be fixed after reassembling your PowerBook after replacing the video cable. The assembly might be crapping out, but you can get a replacement for under $50 on eBay.

What did the guy at the Apple Store tell you? Did he say what's wrong, or what needs to be replaced? If he did, you can probably do everything yourself.

You're about to get married. The last thing you need right now is to spend a grand or more on a new computer, when the one you have can be fixed for, from the looks of it, under $100. At the absolute worst, the logic board or the LCD is bad. Either one is going to cost around $300 (or less, if you find a good sale on eBay, Craigslist, or the MacNN Marketplace), which is still not much considering how much a new computer (especially a new Mac) is going to cost you.

Just please consider your options before going and dropping a load of cash on something that you can't return without taking a price hit.

[Chuckit]

Replacing the logic board in a PowerBook is non-trivial.

[goMac]

Buy a Macbook. A bit more expensive than repairing your Powerbook, but way faster, and it'll last you another 4 years.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Replacing the logic board in a PowerBook is non-trivial.

I've had to help my boyfriend do repairs on both his 12" PowerBook and his 12" iBook. It is time-consuming, but it saves money and you will learn about your computer in the process. Not only that, but if it's not the logic board and it's even as simple as reseating the video cable and touchpad cable, there's less work and much less money involved.

I'm just trying to point out that this guy has options. Even if he pays Apple to repair it, that's cheaper than buying a new computer. He might even get a cheaper labor quote (because you and I both know most of that $750 is labor) if he gets it fixed by a third-party company.

It just bothers me when someone has a problem like this, and people immediately advise him or her to go spend a boatload of money on a new toy. It's that very attitude that gets individuals and couples into major financial trouble. If it's broken, and it can be fixed, and the fix will cost less than a new one, there's no justification for spending the extra money on a new one.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

It just bothers me when someone has a problem like this, and people immediately advise him or her to go spend a boatload of money on a new toy. It's that very attitude that gets individuals and couples into major financial trouble. If it's broken, and it can be fixed, and the fix will cost less than a new one, there's no justification for spending the extra money on a new one.

But if the Powerbook is repaired, how long will that Powerbook last? In another year, he might be looking at replacing it anyway, with the Intel transition and all... If he's cash strapped, it might actually be a bad investment to put more money into a machine he may have to replace anyway.

What speed is the Powerbook, Mrs. Larry? If it is under 800 mhz, I definitely wouldn't bother repairing it...

[Aeternus]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

$750 is still cheaper than a new - or refurb - Mac, unless you get an older Mini.

Not only that, but it sounds like you might be able to fix some of this stuff yourself. If moving the display fixes the video, you probably just need a new video cable - which is all of $20 from any Apple certified reseller, or you can get one on eBay. It will take some effort to fix it, but $20 is a hell of a lot cheaper than $750 or $1200. The slowness and asking where to boot from can very, very likely be fixed by just reinstalling OS X completely. Not doing an archive and install, but backing up your data, formatting the hard drive completely from Disk Utility on your OS X CD/DVD, and installing fresh. This is free, which is cheapest of all.

The trackpad problem might be fixed by a reinstall. It might also be a loose cable, which would be fixed after reassembling your PowerBook after replacing the video cable. The assembly might be crapping out, but you can get a replacement for under $50 on eBay.

What did the guy at the Apple Store tell you? Did he say what's wrong, or what needs to be replaced? If he did, you can probably do everything yourself.

You're about to get married. The last thing you need right now is to spend a grand or more on a new computer, when the one you have can be fixed for, from the looks of it, under $100. At the absolute worst, the logic board or the LCD is bad. Either one is going to cost around $300 (or less, if you find a good sale on eBay, Craigslist, or the MacNN Marketplace), which is still not much considering how much a new computer (especially a new Mac) is going to cost you.

Just please consider your options before going and dropping a load of cash on something that you can't return without taking a price hit.

That has some merit, but this is an even better idea:

Buy a new machine for whatever you want. Take apart the powerbook, and sell it piece by piece on ebay. It'll probably make over $500, even if the LCD is broken.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by goMac 

But if the Powerbook is repaired, how long will that Powerbook last? In another year, he might be looking at replacing it anyway, with the Intel transition and all... If he's cash strapped, it might actually be a bad investment to put more money into a machine he may have to replace anyway.

But think of it the way you look at fixing a car. I spent a grand on repairs in February of this year. My car is still going strong. If something terrible happens in the next six to twelve months - the engine blows or the transmission craps out, for instance - the time between my Feb. repair and my next repair is time that I'm able to save money to pay for any other problems that come up, and it's still cheaper than buying a new car.

When you are strapped for cash, spending more money than you really, truly need to is never, ever, ever a way to HELP your financial situation.

If I'm right in my diagnosis that OS X needs to be reinstalled and the video cable is bad, $20 for a repair on a computer that might last another year or more makes total sense. Even $300 for a new logic board makes sense compared to $1200 for a new MB. If our OP is "strapped for cash", the last thing he or she needs to do is spend a ton of money on a new computer.

[OldManMac]

Other than buying used parts on eBay, where else does one get parts for Macs?

[goMac]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

But think of it the way you look at fixing a car. I spent a grand on repairs in February of this year. My car is still going strong. If something terrible happens in the next six to twelve months - the engine blows or the transmission craps out, for instance - the time between my Feb. repair and my next repair is time that I'm able to save money to pay for any other problems that come up, and it's still cheaper than buying a new car.

Computers are different. His "car" may not be able to go on very many roads in a year or two, heck, even now.

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

When you are strapped for cash, spending more money than you really, truly need to is never, ever, ever a way to HELP your financial situation.

Sure, but he can spend $700 now, and $1200 later for a new computer. Or just spend $1200 now. It's not good timing... but...

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

If I'm right in my diagnosis that OS X needs to be reinstalled and the video cable is bad, $20 for a repair on a computer that might last another year or more makes total sense. Even $300 for a new logic board makes sense compared to $1200 for a new MB. If our OP is "strapped for cash", the last thing he or she needs to do is spend a ton of money on a new computer.

It does sound like his video cable is shot, but it's certainly not the only thing wrong. And Powerbooks are a royal pain to work on, he risks damaging it more....

On the other hand, the computer still seems to be usable still. Maybe he should wait a bit if he's short on cash.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

But think of it the way you look at fixing a car.

Let's continue with this analogy. When I was young, my parents had this ancient Pontiac — total POS — that they were spending tons of money and time fixing every month. Finally they just scrapped it and got a reasonably-priced, used Mercury. We enjoyed it much more and even though it cost more up front, it actually saved us money in the long run because we didn't have to fix or be held up by the dying gasps of an ancient clunker.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

But think of it the way you look at fixing a car.

Consider how many "computer years" are in one "car year." "Computer years" are really small, while car years are longer, using the "dog years" age analogy. How much useful life is still in a five-year-old computer? For just surfing plain-jane sites, it'd probably be worth having. But if you want to watch movie trailers, edit photos, or do other more challenging things, that five-year-old machine is not worth upgrading or repairing.

In 2002 I had a Civic that was great at 90,000+ miles-except that the A/C was going out on it. This was a '93 model car, with R12 refrigerant in the A/C. That means fixing the air would cost literally thousands of dollars. So I sold it (to the dealership) and bought a new car. Right now I have a homebrew PC desktop that just doesn't have the horsepower anymore. It's not "broken," but right now it would cost a huge pile of money to upgrade to something that would do what I want it to do. I'm actively searching for a commercial replacement for it. It's all about future useful life versus cost to repair-you have to mentally amortize the repair cost over how long the machine will be viable.

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

Other than buying used parts on eBay, where else does one get parts for Macs?

Craigslist, college classifieds, MacNN Marketplace, Apple Certified Resellers...

Originally Posted by goMac 

It does sound like his video cable is shot, but it's certainly not the only thing wrong. And Powerbooks are a royal pain to work on, he risks damaging it more....

Two of his four issues listed aren't hardware issues - they're OS issues. It's unlikely that his misconfigured boot config and the OS slowness are caused by hardware issues. I also have a feeling that the click-and-drag behavior of his trackpad is something messed up in OS X. It's at least worth a try to do a format and fresh install.

On the other hand, the computer still seems to be usable still. Maybe he should wait a bit if he's short on cash.

Indeed. If it's usable and the only real issue is video (but that can be handled by fiddling with the display for a moment), I think he can live without spending the money.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

...they were spending tons of money and time fixing every month...it actually saved us money in the long run because we didn't have to fix or be held up by the dying gasps of an ancient clunker.

...And I agree that pouring money into something old to avoid buying something new is just as irresponsible as buying something new when you can economically fix something old. But what are the odds that his PowerBook is going to be plagued with frequent and expensive issues? They're reliable machines - anyone here will agree to that. I'm just trying to present the angle that it could be fixed for a reasonable price, which is going to be cheaper than buying a new computer.

Originally Posted by ghporter 

How much useful life is still in a five-year-old computer? For just surfing plain-jane sites, it'd probably be worth having. But if you want to watch movie trailers, edit photos, or do other more challenging things, that five-year-old machine is not worth upgrading or repairing.

See, I've heard the exact opposite here. I've read posts from a lot of people talking about how their G4 and G5 Macs are still completely usable machines. A 1.x GHz G4 PowerBook is plenty powerful to do normal consumer tasks - including photo editing and watching DVDs. I'd have to say the OP's G4 PowerBook still has a decent useful lifespan left in it.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Two of his four issues listed aren't hardware issues - they're OS issues. It's unlikely that his misconfigured boot config and the OS slowness are caused by hardware issues. I also have a feeling that the click-and-drag behavior of his trackpad is something messed up in OS X. It's at least worth a try to do a format and fresh install.

Even if everything still worked, it's time normally for an upgrade. Trust me, I went through this with my girlfriend's iBook. I went through and fixed all the minor issues once, a month later she was having more hardware failures again. It was just time for the machine to go.

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

See, I've heard the exact opposite here. I've read posts from a lot of people talking about how their G4 and G5 Macs are still completely usable machines. A 1.x GHz G4 PowerBook is plenty powerful to do normal consumer tasks - including photo editing and watching DVDs. I'd have to say the OP's G4 PowerBook still has a decent useful lifespan left in it.

I had a Powerbook G4 1.25 less than a year ago. It wasn't good for photo management and video, and I ditched it. Intels are magnitudes faster. Not to mention we're starting to see more and more Intel software.

Mrs. Larry has already expressed interest in dual booting. This is something his G4 simply can't do.

If it's 800 mhz or under it definitely needs to be replaced. 5 years ago means it's at most 800 mhz. Translation: Time to replace it.

[- - e r i k - -]

Why do people insist on keeping their computers for five years or more when it's far more economically and computationally sound to replace them every second year or so?

[analogika]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

See, I've heard the exact opposite here. I've read posts from a lot of people talking about how their G4 and G5 Macs are still completely usable machines. A 1.x GHz G4 PowerBook is plenty powerful to do normal consumer tasks - including photo editing and watching DVDs. I'd have to say the OP's G4 PowerBook still has a decent useful lifespan left in it.

That's all well and true, but only if repair costs don't come near or even exceed the actual worth of the machine.

The point is that *this* particular machine is NOT "completely usable".

[analogika]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Why do people insist on keeping their computers for five years or more when it's far more economically and computationally sound to replace them every second year or so?

Well, there is the environmental aspect as well - trace elements needed in every computer chip require dozens of tons of rainforest earth to be excavated *per machine*...

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Two of his four issues listed aren't hardware issues - they're OS issues. It's unlikely that his misconfigured boot config and the OS slowness are caused by hardware issues.

Not necessarily. What it sounds like is that the boot selector that you get when you hold down the Option key is always activating even if the Option key isn't down. If so, this would be happening before the OS loads.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Why do people insist on keeping their computers for five years or more when it's far more economically and computationally sound to replace them every second year or so?

How is it more economically sound to buy more often if you don't anticipate greatly increasing your income with the purchase?

[JustinHorne]

Originally Posted by analogika 

Well, there is the environmental aspect as well - trace elements needed in every computer chip require dozens of tons of rainforest earth to be excavated *per machine*...

REALLY? Wow....

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

How is it more economically sound to buy more often if you don't anticipate greatly increasing your income with the purchase?

Depreciation.

Of course, this isn't the only factor. Effectiveness and enjoyment also factors in, especially if your time is worth money.

[analogika]

TP: Energiewandler

It's from 2002, it's in German, but it's Heise.

There's aluminum from Surinam, Iron from Sweden, chromium from Zimbabwe, Zinc from Peru, Nickle from New Caledonia, copper from Chile, tin from Malaysia, molybdenum from Canada, arsenic from France, antimony from South Africa, silver from Mexico and traces of other rare metals, all of which need to be extracted and transported, before being shaped into chips, using a lot of energy.

The figure they give *just for manufacturing* is 1.6 kg of fossil fuel for a 32MB RAM chip. That does NOT include the eco-balance of excavating and transporting the raw materials.

Now figure on the number of chips in your average automobile, or mobile phone...

[irunat2am]

Wait a month 'til you get married. Tell the hubby to buy you a new decked out 24" iMac or you quit. Winner!!!

[MrsLarry]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Lots of great ideas.

Originally Posted by design219 

So, you will no longer be Mrs. Larry?

No, I'll actually be MrsLarry - most of our friends have called me that since my fiance, "Larry" and I started dating almost 6 years ago.

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Why do people insist on keeping their computers for five years or more when it's far more economically and computationally sound to replace them every second year or so?

I guess I just don't know any better? In my own defense, the "genius" said he rarely sees machines this old, and when he does, they're usually in pretty rough shape. I take good care of my things.

Originally Posted by goMac

Mrs. Larry has already expressed interest in dual booting. This is something his G4 simply can't do.

If it's 800 mhz or under it definitely needs to be replaced. 5 years ago means it's at most 800 mhz. Translation: Time to replace it.

I am interested in dual booting. But it's not completely necessary. It would just make me twice as cool as my PC only fiance! (LOL - nah, he'd never want a mac anyways)

And it's 867mhz. FYI.

Originally Posted by irunat2am 

Wait a month 'til you get married. Tell the hubby to buy you a new decked out 24" iMac or you quit. Winner!!!

Best idea I've heard all day.

[MrsLarry]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Two of her four issues listed aren't hardware issues - they're OS issues.

I think she can live without spending the money.

Fixinated. I'm a she.

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by MrsLarry 

Fixinated. I'm a she.

I guess your MrsLarry nic didn't convey that you're a woman

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by MrsLarry 

I am interested in dual booting. But it's not completely necessary. It would just make me twice as cool as my PC only fiance! (LOL - nah, he'd never want a mac anyways)

Six years, and he still hasn't come around?