More iMac G5 bs Now it only sometimes boots up when I have my firewire cable connected to a disk burner

iMac G5 no iSight 17 1.6GHz
Mac OS X 10.4.8
1.25GB RAM
22GB HD space remaining

This thread is separate from this one in accordance with forum rules: different topics get different threads. This one deals with start-up issues; the other deals with sleeping issues.

For over a year, I could freely connect two devices to Firewire (external hard drive and a disk burner, we'll say), and I could then start the computer up, no problem. But in the past month, I've found that I cannot keep my d2 DVD±RW connected (and the other cable to my external hard drive) when booting up. Actually, the iMac might still boot up, because sometimes, it boots up anyways, but other times, it doesn't. I don't change the hardware or anything. It's as if it decides when it wants to boot up. Most often, if I wait too long, then I have to unplug the disk burner (not the external hard drive) for it to work. But just today, I found that the problem with starting up the computer occurs with both my brand new d2 and my very old CD-RW, both devices that work fine otherwise. So, "disk burner" now apparently refers to either device.

[1] What I've tried:
Switching firewire ports on either device or the computer
Running Onyx
Doing an SMU reset (will try this again)

[2] What I haven't tried
Keeping only the disk burner connected and being able to reproduce the problem

This problem is so difficult to debug, because it's a sometimes problem and sometimes requires hours of waiting in order to reproduce the problem.

What in the world is going on? What/Where exactly is the problem?

[beetleboy]

I had a situation that was similar to yours and my solution may assist you. About a year ago I purchased an external LaCie Porche firwire dual layer DVD-RW drive for my G4 iMac. When I connected it and tested it, everything seemed fine. I was pleased to find the drive had a power switch, so I turned it off to conserve energy. The next day when I restarted my iMac, it hung. I was shocked. I wasn't sure what to do. A million different things entered my mind as to what could be the problem. In the end I realized it was the new drive that was causing the problem, specifically, the new drive being off while connected via firewire. So, I just left it powered on and have had no adverse issues since. The same thing happened with my G3 iMac when I connected the drive and the solution was the same. I hope this helps or least gives you some options to explore.