we have an imac G4 with a 17" screen that is about 4-5 years old i think. it had been working fine, no problems. we turned it on one day and when it came on, a few seconds later, the screen turned green. we have not been able to get rid of the green screen. it is so annoying. what happened? is it worth repairing? would it be expensive? we loved this imac, it was a great machine until it turned green...
There are several parts, some in the display's case and
others in the lower main body of the computer, which
support the graphics and display; some of these could
be weak and have failed: so the green screen colors.
Of the component parts, things such as the inverter and
other bits can be replaced and should not cost a lot. To
say not a lot, means that should be cheaper than buying
another similar computer in guaranteed working condition.
You may have to ask a qualified repair center who has
some product specialists (Apple certified, etc) about
the costs involved for them to troubleshoot the issue
in their shop and provide you with an estimate. And
then, if you don't like it, you know; and they get paid
for that aspect. Some may roll troubleshooting costs
into the total repair if done there & that is not so bad.
If you are handy with small tools and tedious delicate
labor, with skills and attention to detail, you could see
about reading up on the topic online and consider
some basic troubleshooting before hand.
With the original VGA adapter which came with the
iMac G4 (and similar, iBook G4) you may be able
to see if an external display provides correct color
images from the computer's graphics card; so as
to eliminate the main computer as a source of this
trouble. The inverter or other parts inside the display
itself are not so costly as to avoid a repair over. But
when the parts include something on the logic board,
the costs can be more expensive.
A qualified estimate and repair quotes should be the
path to find out if you want to get it fixed or consider
getting something else... The parts are available, still.
