Startup issues: Blue screen w/ cursor - Safe boot results in Console

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Level 1

5 points

Startup issues: Blue screen w/ cursor - Safe boot results in Console

I recently inherited an iMac (G4/1.25GHz/20") and am now trying to bring it back to life. I was told that Tiger may have been the last OS that was installed; also, I took out the iMac's bottom plate and saw a 512MB stick installed.

When I first turned it on, I heard the startup chime, then the drive spinning, then some beeps (not sure how many; between 2 and 4) and then the fan spinning fast; then the gray Apple logo and the progress indicator appeared on the screen, and the fan sped down. Then the "Mac OS X" window with the blue progress bar came up; progress was slow but the blue bar eventually reached the end of the process. Then I got blue screen for a moment and then black screen reading "Darwin/BSD (jborgmans-Computer.local) (console)" and underneath that "login." After a few moments the Console disappeared and the screen turned blue; the cursor was visible and movable by using the mouse. The screen stayed blue until it went to Sleep. I then moved the mouse and the screen woke up to being blue again. Unable to do anything I shut it down by pressing and holding the power button.

The second time I turned it on, I got:
1. Startup chime
2. 1.5 beeps
3. Gray Apple logo (for 22 seconds)
4. Fan spinning fast (for 40 seconds)
5. Mac OS X window w/ blue bar (for 2 seconds)
6. Blue screen w/ cursor
I shut it down.

Then I tried a third time booting in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key and here is how it behaved:
1. Startup chime (I'm holding Shift until gray logo)
2. 1 or 1.5 beeps
3. Gray Apple logo (for about 40 secs)
4. Mac OS X window w/ blue bar and Safe Boot written underneath (progress was slow but blue bar reached the end)
5. Black screen reading "Darwin/BSD (jborgmans-Computer.local) (console)," and underneath that, "login."
6. Screen went to Sleep after a few minutes.
7. On wakeup black screen reading "com.cisco.nke.ipsec: removed or detactivated interface: (en0), and below that, "Couldn't alloc class "com cisco_drivevnp"."

Any ideas as to what all this means and how it can be fixed, if possible?

iMac G4/1.25GHz/20-inch

Posted on Dec 4, 2009 12:00 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,594 points

Dec 4, 2009 12:06 PM in response to Yasas

Some of the symptoms you describe can happen if the OS were installed from the gray system disks that came with another Mac model. Some work, many don't. The disks from an Intel Macwill absolutely not work and create a lot of havoc.

Are you working with the remnants of the OS that was installed when you got the computer, or did you have some disks that you used for a fresh install. If the latter, what kind of OS disks are they? If gray and not black in color, we may have found the culprit.

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Answer 2

Yasas Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 4, 2009 12:22 PM in response to Allan Jones

Allan, thanks so much for your speedy reply.

I got this computer as is. The only thing I know about it is that Tiger may have been installed on it; I'm not sure what type of discs they used.

Now, I own the same iMac (G4/1.25GHz/20") and have its original Panther discs; I also have a retail Tiger disc. Should I try to do a fresh installation? And if so, does it matter which OS discs I should use since I don't know which OS is currently installed on the machine? Also, how can I get the optical drive to open in order to start-up from my OS disc?

Thank you.

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Answer 3

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,966 points

Dec 4, 2009 3:20 PM in response to Yasas

The computer may also have been set up to run from a network
server, thus the reference to missing hardware; or maybe not.

Hopefully the previous owner did not also have a firmware password
installed; but if so, you'd have to work around that matter, too.
Not sure of pulling the extra RAM & resetting the PRAM/NVRAM
can help remove a firmware password, or not. (Haven't done that.)

Were you able to get further in the boot sequence from the Install
disc#1 originally for the computer, or a retail installer disc 10.4?

The original installer disc #1 should also have the Apple Hardware Test
on it, and the Test is bootable if you hold the Opt key on startup. If you
have the original software set included with the iMac when new.

There may be a firmware means of opening the optical drive tray; if
the usual method of holding the mouse button down on startup won't.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

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Answer 4

Yasas Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 4, 2009 4:15 PM in response to K Shaffer

Thank you for replying.

I haven't used any of the install discs as I'm not sure how to get the optical drive to open. Is there any way to get it open, restart from the disc, erase the hard disk and perform a new installation? Or use an external optical drive maybe?

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Answer 5

Yasas Author

Level 1

5 points

Dec 14, 2009 4:54 PM in response to K Shaffer

K Shaffer, thank you for pointing me to the right direction.

It turns out that there was a firmware password set, which I managed to reset. Moreover, the hard disk was (intentionally?) filled with data; 74 out of the 80GB of total capacity. And, there was an older OS install disc (10.0.3) inside the optical drive from which the computer was trying to start up. So, after resetting the password I booted into the Startup Manager, ejected the older OS disc and installed Panther via my retail set; unfortunately I was unable to use the iMac's original system discs as disc # 1 is a DVD and the optical drive doesn't seem to accept any DVDs.

Now, I'd like to run the Apple Hardware Test included in the original system disc # 1 and, if all is well, install Tiger (retail disc). Since the iMac's optical drive does not read DVDs, could I use an external firewire Lacie DVD drive I have to run AHT and then install 10.4? If yes, how do I start up from the disc? Double-click on its icon when mounted on the Desktop, or selected it as a Startup Disk in System Preferences and then hit restart?

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Answer 6

K Shaffer

Level 7

34,966 points

Dec 14, 2009 6:06 PM in response to Yasas

Regarding booting up from the System Install disc #1 and the external FireWire DVD optical drive;
the external may work OK if it happens to have been built with the correct chipset that would support
booting up the Mac from an OS X system disc.

And, be sure when using any external device, FW or USB, that you unmount them correctly when
done; but they can remain attached through startup/restart intervals so long as once you are done,
they are unmounted or their image ejected from the computer's desktop (drag to trash, eject, etc.)

{*Was the "Panther retail set" on a four CD set? If so, what version did that put into the computer?
I ask this, because if the computer shipped with Panther on DVD and that says on the disc, to be
newer than the version you installed via that Retail disc set, then the old Panther DVD may not be
correct for the computer. But you should be able to install Tiger from DVD if the external drive can
see and use that DVD media correctly, in the way an Apple SuperDrive or Combo drive would work
via the FireWire external optical drive. Hopefully that unit supports booting a PPC Mac.}

To do as you said, with the drive attached and the system disc inside, choose the external from
the System Preference startup disk control panel, and see if that supports booting; and while it
does boot into the Installer, you hold the C-key down. (You can tell in the System Pref Startup disk
panel if the optical drive and boot/install disc are going to be seen by the computer.) And since
the FireWire external enclosure may be slower to read than the hard drive on the Mac's logicboard,
it likely would take more time to finally start from that OS X DVD. So that means holding the C key
through the duration and hopefully that will work for you.

Not sure if the same DVD or another (original DVD with Apple Hardware Test or AHT) would be
more apt to work from the external; but the Panther DVD, if the original as shipped software,
would have you hold the Opt key down on startup until you see a Chooser kind of menu on the
screen. One of the choices should be the Apple Hardware Test; an arrow, and a re-circular symbol.
So, if you get that far, you should be able to either restart the computer with no effect, or start up
from the AHT and run the test; and hope it works, too. If the original boot-restore iMac disc is not
really the correct one (if it has no DVD drive, only a CDRW) then the AHT would have been on CD.

You may be able to later revisit the Panther installer disc set to see about extricating some of the
original apps, such as AppleWorks 6.2, from there, by using Pacifist to avoid the failed installer.
This can be helpful. The iLife apps included with the computer are probably too dated, but could
also (maybe) be installed using Pacifist. This is a downloadable utility that runs in demo mode.

Not sure how I may be of more help; since I start writing and this isn't a good place to write
a story book, especially if none of it applies!

In any event...
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

{*edited to ask: about your Panther install CD? disc set - vs. the Panther DVD's version info}

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