Q: Powerbook 3400c strange start-up freeze problem
Hello All,
I've tried searching for other people with this problem, but have had no luck. Maybe someone here can help me.
I just bought this PB 3400c on ebay. It has 144mb RAM, 2gb HD, OS 9.1 installed. CDROM, floppy, working main battery.
It will only start-up correctly after disconnecting main battery and unplugging cable, then plugging in again. It will also boot directly from the OS 9.1 CD.
The other times (like when I have started it up via the unplugging method just described and try to reboot it via the menu), it freezes on startup at the very beginning of the "fuel gauge" part of the startup (before any extension icons are displayed, and when there is only about 2mm of fuel gauge completed).
It always freezes like this when I try to reboot. Then when it freezes, I disconnect the main battery, unplug cable, let it sit, plug it back in, and it restarts just fine! Then I'll try to reboot (via menu), or shutdown and turn on, and it freezes again, right at the beginning of the fuel gauge window of startup.
I have tried resetting the power manager, resetting the PRAM, reinstalling OS 9.1, and reinstalling OS 9.1 Clean Install. All re-installs of OS 9.1 result in crashing either at or before it was crashing prior to the re-install. I have tried reboot without the main battery connected, without the CD or floppy connected, with no luck. I've tried restarting with extensions disabled, but no luck.
The only thing I haven't tried is re-formatting the HD before doing a clean install. I'm not sure if this will help me.
Does anyone have any ideas? The machine works great once it has started up.
Could this be my PRAM battery? Everytime I have unplugged and reconnected and restarted, and it boots up, the time/date is midnight of 1/1/1904. Could this be the problem?
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Holmes123
I've tried searching for other people with this problem, but have had no luck. Maybe someone here can help me.
I just bought this PB 3400c on ebay. It has 144mb RAM, 2gb HD, OS 9.1 installed. CDROM, floppy, working main battery.
It will only start-up correctly after disconnecting main battery and unplugging cable, then plugging in again. It will also boot directly from the OS 9.1 CD.
The other times (like when I have started it up via the unplugging method just described and try to reboot it via the menu), it freezes on startup at the very beginning of the "fuel gauge" part of the startup (before any extension icons are displayed, and when there is only about 2mm of fuel gauge completed).
It always freezes like this when I try to reboot. Then when it freezes, I disconnect the main battery, unplug cable, let it sit, plug it back in, and it restarts just fine! Then I'll try to reboot (via menu), or shutdown and turn on, and it freezes again, right at the beginning of the fuel gauge window of startup.
I have tried resetting the power manager, resetting the PRAM, reinstalling OS 9.1, and reinstalling OS 9.1 Clean Install. All re-installs of OS 9.1 result in crashing either at or before it was crashing prior to the re-install. I have tried reboot without the main battery connected, without the CD or floppy connected, with no luck. I've tried restarting with extensions disabled, but no luck.
The only thing I haven't tried is re-formatting the HD before doing a clean install. I'm not sure if this will help me.
Does anyone have any ideas? The machine works great once it has started up.
Could this be my PRAM battery? Everytime I have unplugged and reconnected and restarted, and it boots up, the time/date is midnight of 1/1/1904. Could this be the problem?
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Holmes123
Powerbook 3400c, Mac OS 9.1.x, 144mb, 2gb
Posted on Dec 16, 2008 6:15 PM