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Powerbook · Apr 4, 2007, 12:35 PM

Got myself a new iBook: 2 years old iBook G4, 1.2 GH, 80 GB Toshiba, 1,25GB Ram.

Symptoms (so far): Machine works flawlessly for e.g. 20 minutes then refuses to load something (e.g. a system panel). I restart and nothing happens, apart from a blank grey screen (NO sad mac, NO flashing HD folder...). I boot from the system CD and try to do a re-install of the system, NO HD can be seen! Lowlevel format with HD tool, everything works, I install the system again.
Next day, same szenario. Apple's HD tool says everything is fine with the disk. No strange sounds, speed is okay...

Regards
PB.

seanc · Apr 4, 2007, 12:40 PM

Well either the logic board is on it's way out or the HDD is. Do you have any other HDDs you could try?

Powerbook · Apr 7, 2007, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

Well either the logic board is on it's way out or the HDD is. Do you have any other HDDs you could try?

This ain't fun. :/
I have other HDDs, but I'd rather use a software tool to test the components, since changing HDs in the iBook is such a hassle.
Have you seen these issues caused by a faulty logic board?

Regards
PB.

analogika · Apr 7, 2007, 10:22 AM

This could well be a faulty logic board.

It gets warm, some bad solder joints or other components expand, and the machine stops functioning correctly.

Does the 'Book run normally when booted from an external hard drive?

seanc · Apr 7, 2007, 01:07 PM

I'm seeing a number of iBook G4s come up on eBay at the moment with logic board issues, could be a coincidence though. Got an AHT disc? If you haven't, i'm sure someone on these boards would send u a disk image of one if you asked nicely.

It is weird that the HDD would keep disappearing, would agree that it sounds like a bad solder joint as the iBook gets hot or something similar.

Powerbook · Apr 10, 2007, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

This could well be a faulty logic board.

It gets warm, some bad solder joints or other components expand, and the machine stops functioning correctly.
Does the 'Book run normally when booted from an external hard drive?

From what I can observe, it's the other way round. I had the machine crunching on a folding@home project, with four days & nights straight work... no problems whatsoever.

Thanks, I'll try the external hard drive...

PB.

erniesthings · Apr 11, 2007, 01:14 PM

Try running Disk Utility from the start up CD. Check the SMART status of the drive.

This just happened to me recently on the same iBook like yours. I have bad sectors. It would stop at the gray screen and tell me to reboot. Tried to reinstall from the CD and no HD was found. Ended up replacing the drive. All better now.

Powerbook · Apr 13, 2007, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

Got an AHT disc? If you haven't, i'm sure someone on these boards would send u a disk image of one if you asked nicely.

Hi Sean,
I've been told (some) AHT would be on the system discs? Not true?
Could you help me out with some AHT or ASD disk?

Regards
PB.

Powerbook · Apr 13, 2007, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by erniesthings

Try running Disk Utility from the start up CD. Check the SMART status of the drive.

It says, S.M.A.R.T. status is checked.
When I start repair drive, HD toolkit says, it has fixed some minor problems successfully.

On my last OSX install it crashed while installing though. System was invalidated afterwards.

Regards
PB.

seanc · Apr 13, 2007, 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by Powerbook

Hi Sean,
I've been told (some) AHT would be on the system discs? Not true?
Could you help me out with some AHT or ASD disk?

Regards
PB.

With the G4, there were about four discs I think.
1 OS X install disc 1
2 OS X install disc 2
3 Airport Extreme software
4 AHT and Classic

You need to find that AHT disc, if you have all of the original manuals and discs it should be in there somewhere.

Unfortunately I sold my G4 a few years ago so I can't help you, but like I said, someone on this board must have a disc they can make you an image of.

Powerbook · Apr 13, 2007, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by seanc

You need to find that AHT disc, if you have all of the original manuals and discs it should be in there somewhere.

Thanks, now I got it. I had it already there.

I did both the simple and the extended test and everything passed as okay. This would indicate it's rather a faulty HD, I presume?

Regards
PB.

kick52 · Apr 13, 2007, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Powerbook

Thanks, now I got it. I had it already there.

I did both the simple and the extended test and everything passed as okay. This would indicate it's rather a faulty HD, I presume?

Regards
PB.

suppose.

but to be sure, keep it on the looping test for a while (like 24 hours) to see if it finds anything.

if not, replacing the HD isnt impossible. with a lot of time, patience, and an ifixit guide, you should be fine. i have ordered a new hard drive and an external caddy to restore my data.

analogika · Apr 14, 2007, 09:40 AM

FWIW, the Apple Hardware Test is a sort of proof-positive, like the SMART test on a hard drive. If it says something's wrong, something is definitely wrong.

If it can't find anything wrong, that does not by a long shot mean that everything is okay.

Powerbook · Apr 17, 2007, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

FWIW, the Apple Hardware Test is a sort of proof-positive, like the SMART test on a hard drive. If it says something's wrong, something is definitely wrong.
If it can't find anything wrong, that does not by a long shot mean that everything is okay.

I hear ye. :-/
Well I guess I better just return the 'Book, since can't afford even more time to find out what's ultimately broken and what not...

PB.

chipchen · Apr 18, 2007, 04:24 AM

Sounds like a dyaing hard drive... or hard drive with bad sectors.

Powerbook · Apr 18, 2007, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by chipchen

Sounds like a dyaing hard drive... or hard drive with bad sectors.

That was my thinking but wouldn't the symptoms be reproducible then? Maybe 98 out of 100 setups? The machine is working now, for four days straight...

PB.

Powerbook · May 3, 2007, 04:56 PM

Okay, update.

We ran smart reporter for weeks. It gives different s.m.a.r.t. status over the day, e.g.:

SMARTReporter [216] ...
SMARTReporter [1296] ...
SMARTReporter [183] ...

What do these numbers mean exactly?

Regards
PB.

analogika · May 4, 2007, 12:38 PM

This is the normal log entry:

2007-05-04 18:06:32.077 SMARTReporter[267] ATA Drive: 'FUJITSU MHV2120BHPL' - SMART condition not exceeded, drive OK!

If your log entries do not explicitly say "SMART condition not exceeded, drive OK!", then your hard drive (or its controller) is ****ed, plain and simple.

analogika · May 4, 2007, 12:42 PM

Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology :: Attributes

Powerbook · May 9, 2007, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology :: Attributes

Thanks -
Is this listing complete? I can't find the attributes SMARTReporter is showing for me...?

PB.

analogika · May 9, 2007, 08:10 AM

"Please note that some disk manufacturers use their own ID's for attributes."

I don't know.

However,

Originally Posted by analogika

If your log entries do not explicitly say "SMART condition not exceeded, drive OK!", then your hard drive (or its controller) is ****ed, plain and simple.

Powerbook · May 11, 2007, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by analogika

"Please note that some disk manufacturers use their own ID's for attributes."

However,

Mmmmmkay...

It does explicitly say "SMART condition not exceeded, drive OK!" but I guess this way it doesn't mean anything. Something around the disc is faulty.

regards
PB.

analogika · May 12, 2007, 10:33 AM

Might be connector cable or main logic board...