[crystalthunder]

I just recieved this PowerMac from work after apparently the harddrived crashed, but after tinkering around with it I believe it has something to do with the graphics card.

First I tried installing Jaguar, but it kept getting hung after showing the Apple logo and spinny thing. What it shows is a black and white hatch background that I am assuming is a graphics related problem.

I then tried to install Mac OS 9 but the machine won't even recognize the 9.0 disc (which claims on the disc is bootable)

I then pulled out the big guns and whipped out my old Mac OS X 10.0 disk and that actually got to an install screen, but everything has massive graphics artifacts everywhere and cannot be read outside of menus.

After having all of these problems I decided to disconnect the power from hard disk just to see if it really is a hard drive problem but after doing the previous three tasks over with this change I get the same results.

I already tried zapping my PRAM but to no result. I have heard some bad things about the nVidea graphics card that comes with this machine and I am really leaning towards a graphics card problem. I even pulled a Rage 128 Pro from my 450mhz PowerMac G4 to use and the 733 didn't even recognize it.

Has anyone ever heard of this problem and quite possibly have a solution for it?

[crystalthunder]

In what is now experiment #5, I put the nVidea card into my 450mhz PowerMac and the card works fine. Quartz Extreme is running fine and everything. What could possibly be wrong with the other machine to cause such problems?

[crystalthunder]

Experiment #6

I put my harddrive from my workin PowerMac into the busted-ass digital audio machine and when I tried to boot all it did was load the initial apple boot screen and then show a command line in the top left hand corner. I am putting everything back together right now in hopes of an answer from the internet. Thanks to anyone who helps ^_^x

[reader50]

A 9.0 boot CD would not be able to boot a Quicksilver, because the machine was designed more than a year after 9.0 was finalized. For much the same reason, a 10.0 CD will not be able to boot it either. You probably need a 9.21 boot CD, and at least a 10.1 CD on the OSX side.

In order for the hard drive from your older Mac to boot the Quicksilver, you first need to install a Universal System Folder from your 9.0 CD. Then apply each of the updates to get it to 9.22. This should supply the drivers, including vid card drivers, needed to boot the Quicksilver.

The Jaguar CD should have booted it though. Try giving the Quicksilver a CUDA-button reset. With the unit off, open the side door and look around the battery holder. Somewhere nearby, you will find a small square with a smaller button in the center. Press and hold for about 10 seconds.

[crystalthunder]

Thank you very much for the help! Unfortunately the CUDA button did not help. I'm getting the same hanging errors when booting. Remember this is not a Quicksilver. The original Digital Audio PowerMac is indeed a good ol' graphite. The strange thing is I have been able to boot from a 10.0 disk except the GUI is all screwed up. I'm beginning to think it is a motherboard issue that cannot be repaired. I am going to get a Mac OS 9.2.1 disk and attempt to boot from that. I'll update you tomorrow!

[crystalthunder]

Well to my dismay the 733mhz PowerMac's hard drive works fine. I plugged it into my 450 machine and it booted without any problems. This is why I probably won't be trying to boot from a 9.2.1 CD, because I know the drive works fine. I am really sad to start seeing what looks like a motherboard problem. I even tried replacing the RAM but I always came to the same problem. Are there any diagnostic applications or ANYTHING at all that I can do to attempt to fix this problem?

[-Q-]

Two suggestions (and sorry to read about your troubles--this looks to be a frustrating problem):

1. Can you swap out the CD drive? It could be a faulty CD-ROM drive. A consultant friend of mine ran into that with a powerbook he was trying to fix. A new CD drive cleared the problem right up.

2. Can you perhaps take the 733 home and put it into FireWire Target Disk mode and install OS X that way? And then see if it will boot after having the OS installed in that manner.

That's all I have for now.

[crystalthunder]

Thanks for the help. I have the machine at home already so if swapping the Optical drive doesn't work I'll try having the machine use firewire target disk mode. I'll end up probably installing Mac OS 9 on my iPod and targetting that

[crystalthunder]

Well the Optical drive solution didn't work. Since I've never done it before how exactly do you set a PowerMac to firewire target disk mode?

[reader50]

On the 733 system (the Target), hold down the "T" key while booting. Instead of booting from the HD/CD/etc, the firmware will take over and the system will come up as a Firewire HD enclosure. A Firewire logo will appear on the screen, and you can now connect a Firewire cable from the target system to your working system. The target system's internal HD will mount on the healthy Mac's desktop.

[reader50]

Upon further thought, this problem is looking like a RAM or motherboard problem. If there are multiple sticks of RAM in it, try pulling them and trying to boot with one stick at a time.

Alternatively, when trying to boot from the Jag CD or a Jag install. Hold down open-apple-V to boot in Verbose mode. Watch the text scroll up the screen until it hangs. Copy the text from the last few lines before the hang, that should give some idea of where it's getting into trouble.

[crystalthunder]

I have already done the memory test, but I am looking forward to getting home and trying verbose mode. That's great advice. Maybe this computer isn't dead yet...

Thank you very much I'll post the status later when I get home.

[crystalthunder]

I deem this machine fux0red -_-

I think I might have to resort to having a professional look into it.

Thanks for all the help tho I've learned alot about troubleshooting and stuff