Powerbook G3 is _VERY_ slow

Gora,

Welcome to the Discussions.

Since you know you have a Powerbook G3 PDQ, I just want to make sure is the one with no USB or FireWire. If you have this model, it is commonly known as the Wallstreet.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=24604

I would think the HD is causing the very slow startup, either a failing a HD or possibly one that can be salvaged through specific procedures. However, you are going need a bootable CD to work on the HD plus a System CD to reinstall the OS.

Booting normally to a CD will again point to the HD as the problem. Not knowing which OS is installed, try restarting while pressing/holding the shift key. This will allow only the minimum files required to boot the powerbook to load in both OS9 and OSX...see if it starts any faster. In OS9, you can release the key when you see 'extensions off' in the window with the MacOS 9 logo; it will take longer to reach the message 'Safe Boot' in OSX.

The Wallstreet has these system requirements: A retail MacOS 8.5 > 9.2.2 and MacOS X up to 10.2.8.

lloth welcome to Apple Discussions.

Here's some helpful laptop sites. They may help you secure the keyboard & other repairs.

Fix It Guides for Mac Laptops & Mini
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/
The guides can be viewed on-line or you can download a PDF file.

How to Upgrade, Repair, Disassemble an Apple/Macintosh Laptop or Notebook
http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_apple.html

PowerBookTech
http://www.powerbooktech.com/
(Note - PowerBookTech has some good info, however, some Mac users in other forums were having difficulty getting delivery on parts from them.)

How to Upgrade, Repair, Disassemble an Apple/Macintosh Laptop or Notebook
http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_apple.html

Laptop Repair Guides
http://www.applerepairmanuals.com/#portables

MicroDock
http://www.microdocusa.com/

When you get it booted up, click once on the desktop & then select About This Computer under the Apple Menu. How much RAM is installed and is Virtual Memory On or Off?

 Cheers, Tom 😉

Gora:

Your computer did not shut down properly. Disk First Aid is checking your hard drive and will repair any problems

If you got this message while booted from the CD, it shows that computer itself it fine. However, like jpl, I suspect your Hard Disk Drive. Disk First Aid checks and repairs the directory, that is the filesystem or electronic structure which enables your computer to store and retrieve information. The HDD hardware may still be failing, even if the check seems ok. Unfortunately the WallStreet does not support Apple Hardware Test.

😉 cornelius

Gora,

A failure to boot to a CD could have several causes. Do you hear the optical drive try to spin up?

-a non-compatible CD. Are you sure the OS 8.5 CD is a retail release and not a machine-specific CD that may have a computer's name on it? The latter will not boot the powerbook. Here is what one looks like:
http://www.amazon.com/OS-8-5-Full-Install-Universal/dp/B0010KEFSW

-corrupted PRAM. When resetting the PRAM (command-option-R-P), press the four keys immediately after the startup chime, then wait for 2 additional chimes; if you don't hear the additional chimes, you did not press the keys soon enough. On the Wallstreet, it may take some time between chimes.

-dirty or scratched CD.

-failed optical drive.

After resetting the PRAM again, and if the 'c' key will still not boot the CD, try booting the optical disk while pressing the 'delete-option-command-shift' keys; this forces a bypass of the HD.

Unfortunately, if all of the above fails, there is no simple way to boot the Wallstreet to another volume. With legacy ports, you need an external SCSI HD or optical drive (one that has firmware compatible with a Mac) or you need to connect the Wallstreet to another Mac with a SCSI port in a procedure called SCSI Disk Mode.

Gora,

If your powerbook still takes 20 minutes or 1.5 hours to boot, yet you get no crashes/freezes, your memory is fine; you have an HD problem. Memory will not cause a slowdown like you are experiencing.

Are you resetting the PRAM from a shut down state (cold start)?
------------------------
Here are the steps for resetting Open Firmware:

Boot into Open Firmware by holding down the 'Command-Option-O-F' keys from a cold start while the chime is being played. You will see a command-line screen...enter these commands:

1. At the Open Firmware prompt, type: reset-nvram
2. Press Return.
3. At the Open Firmware prompt, type: reset-all
4. Press Return.
Example:
0 > reset-nvram
Press Return
0 > reset-all
Press Return

The reset-all command should cause the computer to restart. If this occurs, you have successfully reset the Open Firmware settings.
------------------------

Gora,

If one were interested in trying to recover an HD, an erase/install of all software would be the first procedure. But if you were to travel this path, the cover-all-bases approach would be this:

1. Boot to a MacOS 8.x/9.x CD and open Drive Setup located in the Utilities folder on the CD (you cannot have any files in use from the HD).
2. Select your HD in the window, then in the Initialization Options, you check the box for 'zero all data'; this will take time.
3. After zeroing, you run Test Disk; this will also take time.
4. If OK, initialize as MacOS Extended (HFS+) and reinstall software.
5. When Drive Setup is launched, Drive Setup Help in the menu bar covers HD maintenance.

Zeroing accomplishes two things: (1) it thoroughly cleans the HD; (2) it spares (reallocates) any bad blocks. The Test Disk reads/writes to each block; if it fails, zero and test the HD again. If it fails again, the HD is bad.

Of course in order to perform the above, you need a bootable MacOS CD to zero/test/reinstall all software.