EndyBajr
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Q: PowerBook G4 (A1025) Boots to grey screen, etc.

Hi!

I have a PowerBook G4 in for service that will only boot to the grey apple with the spinning 'gear' thing. ...mostly. If the original HD is in there, it will just sit at the apple, doing nothing at all. The HD has been tested with TechTool Protege (and via HDD regenerator on a PC) -- both give it a clean bill of health. Safe mode does not work, single user mode will not load, the system will not boot to an OS X install DVD (neither internal or FireWire). Just for kicks, I replaced the HD with a fresh drive, and booted from a USB installer of 10.4. It'll boot, start the installation, then stop at around 59%. RAM also tested out fine, and I've reset the PRAM ('cause it was starting up without making the MacBong).

Here's the odd thing: the system will boot from the installation stick if the drive isn't partitioned, but not if there's a partition on the drive. I let it go for an hour and a half, just spinning away. No boot. I don't usually service Macs, but this is a favor.

 

Any ideas? Any more info I could provide? Thanks in advance.

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.4)

Posted on Apr 17, 2014 8:44 PM

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EndyBajr

Q: PowerBook G4 (A1025) Boots to grey screen, etc.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by K Shaffer,Helpful

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Apr 18, 2014 12:10 AM in response to EndyBajr
    Level 6 (14,414 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 18, 2014 12:10 AM in response to EndyBajr

    Was the OS X 10.4 version on the USB stick, from a retail DVD originally?

     

    The retail DVD, (or a PB install-restore factory-included gray-label disc set)

    are two main options to install a system on a PowerPC Mac. Rarely do they

    boot OSX from USB systems. A few times I'd read about that, the user had

    significant experience and hours of trying to make it work from disk images.

     

    The Tiger version, if Tiger shipped with the PowerBook G4 (not Panther, etc)

    would have to be the one that was on the original gray DVD included w/ it.

    Or a later retail version; as new as Leopard 10.5. Not from another Mac.

     

    To contact Apple Support or AppleCare, with product serial number, you

    may be able to talk to someone about buying a Replacement DVD of either

    OS X 10.4 or OS X 10.5, on a white-label DVD. There is a fee. Either of

    these should be able to boot a PowerPC G4/G5 Mac to install a full OS X.

     

    The PowerBook G4 is likely too old to hope to get an exact install restore

    DVD set as it shipped with from the factory; that would also have the

    correct Apple Hardware Test on bootable section of the DVD, and all of

    the included applications and extras; many are not on the retail DVD. Any

    of the included DVD media discs would usually be gray-label and have

    the name of the computer along with a part number, on those DVDs.

     

    If you had a second Mac that could run a supported Mac OS X system,

    you could try and see if booting the PowerBook G4 into FireWire Target

    Disk Mode, could help; then you could tell if the hard disk drive was

    correctly formatted to an Apple Partition Map and HFS+ for PPC use.

     

    Not sure what else to say...

    Good luck & happy computing!

     

    edited

  • by EndyBajr,

    EndyBajr EndyBajr Apr 18, 2014 6:34 PM in response to K Shaffer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 18, 2014 6:34 PM in response to K Shaffer

    Thanks for the reply! It's an OS X install DVD. Black with a silver X on it. I pulled the drive and re-ran HDD Regenerator and this time, it came up with a few bad sectors. Popped it back in and attempted to run repair disk with TechTool again, and it still failed. Command line fsck_hfs just laughed. I'm going to yank the RAM and test it in a system I'm more comfortable with, I think.

    We'll see what happens.

    Thank you again!

  • by K Shaffer,Helpful

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Apr 19, 2014 10:11 AM in response to EndyBajr
    Level 6 (14,414 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 19, 2014 10:11 AM in response to EndyBajr

    If you had the original software install-restore disc set, you could

    see if the 'factory included' Mac OS 9.2.2 was bootable; I don't

    recall where I saw this information, it could make a difference...

    Some needed to have the drive set up with earlier Mac OS if

    they were dual-boot. Of course a later OS X install disc should

    just work, if the drive is correctly formatted, & undamaged.

     

    While there could be a hardware problem behind some symptoms

    it certainly helps to have software to troubleshoot. If you had a

    known good ATA/IDE (PATA) drive to test, or an externally enclosed

    HDD in a FireWire chipped case, with external power supply, with

    an installation there. A bootable OS X system can run PPC from an

    external FW enclosure, if the case has the oxford-type chipset.

     

    Which version of TechTool do you have? Compatible from Jaguar

    through Leopard? (The PowerBook G4 you have shipped w/ X 10.2

    and Mac OS9.2.2; if that model was considered a Titianium PB 15")

    https://www.powerbookmedic.com/identify-mac-serial.php

     

    Some info at mactracker.ca download application may be helpful.

     

    Hopefully you can get past its issues & get it running.

    Good luck & happy computing!

  • by EndyBajr,

    EndyBajr EndyBajr Apr 26, 2014 12:30 AM in response to K Shaffer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 26, 2014 12:30 AM in response to K Shaffer

    Sorry for the delay; I forgot to check and/or close this thread!

    It seems to have been a bad drive cable. I found one in a bag of random parts and all seems well. It still didn't like the PATA SSD, but I didn't really expect *THAT* to work anyways.

     

    I appreciate the suggestions and help. Oh, and the TechTool I have is a FireWire thumb drive (which in itself is awesome) from around when 10.5 was just coming around. It's good for the old stuff.

  • by K Shaffer,

    K Shaffer K Shaffer Apr 26, 2014 1:45 AM in response to EndyBajr
    Level 6 (14,414 points)
    Desktops
    Apr 26, 2014 1:45 AM in response to EndyBajr

    The FireWire based thumb-drive is a treasure, given it opens possibilities.

     

    Oh, the product example regarding SSD for older Mac (ATA/IDE) 2.5"

    was: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_Legacy_Pro

     

    Glad you found the cable was available, and that it was a cure.

     

    Good luck & happy computing!