keithgvp
Level 1 (8 points)
Notebooks

Q: ibook G4 powers on but no activity

After daily use since January, this laptop was normally in sleep mode when not in use.  A few days ago I shut it down when traveling.  Starting up, it displayed the Starting Up window but it remained there for the rest of the session - with the blue progress bar full.  The rest of the desktop was there behind it, and the computer was fully functional.  Then I shut it down again. 

 

After that is when the trouble started:  the chime is heard when powering up, and there's the familiar whirring sound, but the screen is black.  Sometimes, after powering down by holding the power button and then restarting, I get a single tone, and there's a white light rapidly flashing just to the left of the clasp -latch in front. 

 

The computer is definitely on.  It gets warm  on the underside, and the green lights on the caps lock and the num lock keys go on. I've also tried slipping in a CD, which is accepted, sort of spun around, but not played.  After some time holding the eject button, the disc is ejected.

 

Should I try resetting something?  PRAM and/or PMU?

 

Advice appreciated,

 

thanks.

 

G4 iBook, 12" model, OS 10.4.11

Posted on Jun 15, 2012 9:27 AM

by Ronda Wilson,Solvedanswer
Ronda Wilson Ronda Wilson
Level 8 (41,572 points)
A:

It's rather hard to check in System Preferences for Login Items if you can't get into the iBook's GUI to do that.

 

Keith,

 

If it will start up from the Mac OS X 10.4 DVD, I would suggest that you do that and try repairing the internal hard drive from the Install DVD's Disk Utility.

 

Good luck.

Posted on Jun 17, 2012 10:09 AM

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keithgvp

Q: ibook G4 powers on but no activity

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  • by keithgvp,

    keithgvp keithgvp Jun 23, 2012 10:57 PM in response to Ronda Wilson
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Notebooks
    Jun 23, 2012 10:57 PM in response to Ronda Wilson

    Ronda,

     

    Thanks so much for sticking with this.  I wish I could say it's holding too, but the iBook has continued to act up.  It can only be restarted with the Install CD, as I get the grey screen and logo forever, otherwise.  It doesn't always let me access the Mac HD for Startup either, and I've had to restart several times - sometimes only getting a black screen - though with a moveable cursor, or once, just a blue screen.  If left alone, it might start up to the regular desktop, which is now, thankfully, so I'm inclined to just let it sleep.  However, it has shown to be finicky about playing CDs, which sometimes don't show up on the desktop, and at other times I'll get the spinning beachball for a very long time. 

     

    Alsoft Diskwarrior may well be the fix, as I've heard great things about it, and once had an earlier version for my first Sawtooth G4 Desktop in '99.  Whether that would work for my present laptop, I'm not sure, as the software may be for OS 9. 

     

    Diskwarrior is expensive, but then so is a trip to the shop.  Disk Utility attempts to repair, which fails in the end, though the indication in red is that necessary repair to ....Volume (whatever) is a minor one. 

  • by Ronda Wilson,

    Ronda Wilson Ronda Wilson Jun 24, 2012 8:37 AM in response to keithgvp
    Level 8 (41,572 points)
    Jun 24, 2012 8:37 AM in response to keithgvp

    If you have your serial number for DiskWarrior, you may be eligible for a significantly lower-priced upgrade for it.

     

    Good luck.

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