iMac G3 won't boot up

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Level 1

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iMac G3 won't boot up

I got my old G3 iMac out of the cupboard and dusted it down for my 3 year old daughter to use. However, it wouldn't boot up.

When I switch it on I get the chimes and the it momentarily displays a folder icon with a question mark in it followed by the OS X logo. It then hangs on the light grey screen with the dark grey Apple logo.

I've tried re-installing OS X 10.3 Panther but when I get to the dialog box to select a destination directory it's blank, so I can't re-install OS X.

Has the hard disk failed on my G3 or can it be revived?

iMac G3, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Feb 27, 2010 9:56 AM

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Answer 1

rccharles

Level 6

13,037 points

Feb 27, 2010 10:22 AM in response to Border Bhoy

I bad harddrive would be the likely problem.

How to upgrade slot loading iMacs

You need to get the 3 and a 1/2 inch ATA harddrive. They are also known as parallel ATA or PATA. The iMac was designed to take a maximum drive size of 128gig. The 120gig drives are the largest readily available. Odd ball sizes do not work like 7gig and 13gig. Pick a size that appeared on the iMac G3 or is a common size greater than 20gig like 40, 60, 80, or 120. Sizes larger than 128 will work but you can access only the first 128gig without buying additional third party software.

Check out this site
iMac HDD Upgrade Guide (Slot-Loading) Visual Installation Guide - slot loading iMac Hard Drive Visual Installation Guide

Robert
.......

You could try to locate the service and repair manual for your iMac on the Internet.
iMac G3 600 is imac_summer01.pdf

other names iMac slotloadCD.pdf or iMac_early2001.pdf.

Robert

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Answer 2

Allan Jones

Level 10

80,456 points

Feb 28, 2010 9:14 AM in response to Border Bhoy

If the computer was unplugged for more than a couple of weeks while in the cupboard, the internal back-up battery is surely dead. That can create start-up issues. The first thing to do before taking more drastic steps is to replace the battery so you can know a battery issue is not masking more serious ones.

You can see the battery through the RAM access door underneath. The battery is a 1/2AA 3/6V lithium, and cost around US$5 online or close to US$2- at a Radio Shack store/

I get mine here:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/

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