Did I kill my iMac?

I really hope someone can help me with this. Thank you in advance.

My mid 2017 iMac's fans have been on high gear for the last few weeks and I decided to clean it. I never did that so I figured that is worth a shot.

I opened it and removed speakers, PS and the HD. I cleaned everything gently with and anti-static brush and blew the dust from under the remaining components with a powerful anti-static blower. There was quite a lot of dust.

I put everything together booted the computer. It started fine and I went on YT, played a video but there was no sound. I took it apart and reconnected the speaker connector to the PS. Put everything together again and the computer froze at login and then rebooted. Next I was able to login to desktop and the same happened. Sometimes I am able to go online but it soon freezes and reboots again.

I took everything apart again and put it together but it did not help.

I am not sure what it is. I ran the Apple Diagnostic Utility (D at startup) but it shows everything is OK.

The only thing that comes to me is the I do not recollect if I disconnected the power cable when I resented that power cable from the speaker. Not saying I forgot to do it, but retracing my steps I think I might have left it on, but of course I did power down the computer. Not sure if it could have caused the problem.

Anyone have an idea what it is. Seems like some MB issue to my thinking. Any way to diagnose it?


Posted on Nov 19, 2023 9:34 AM

Reply
7 replies

Nov 19, 2023 11:42 AM in response to vorbius

See if the iMac can boot into Target Disk Mode  . If it can then you can connect it to a new or other Mac as described in the article and copy the user files or migrate the user files and settings to the new Mac with Migration Assistant the first time you startup the new Mac.


If you purchase a refurbished or used Mac only purchase from Apple or OWC (MacSales.com). That will assure you're not getting someone else's problem. So many are not prepared properly for resale which makes them pretty much unusable by the purchaser.




Nov 19, 2023 9:54 AM in response to vorbius

Before you do any more damage, please take it to an Apple Authorized Service Provider to be professionally diagnosed and repaired. We would have zero idea what you did, however experience has told us that many "do-it-yourselfers" that try to save money end up spending more because they don't have the skill set or training to work on a Mac.


You can locate an Apple Authorized Service Provider in your area by clicking Apple Authorized Service Provider Locator (AASP) & Genius Appointment or you can call AppleCare and they will help you find one and setup an appointment. AppleCare Contact Info

Nov 19, 2023 11:43 AM in response to vorbius

If you intend to replace the computer of course you can buy a new one but there are some things that can help you if you think you cannot afford a new one. First is, Apple offers no-interest financing with the AppleCard. Also, did you know Apple has a refurbished store which has ZERO downside? Apple refurbished Macs are only available directly from Apple and can be found at www.apple.com, just navigate to the bottom of the page and click the Refurbished store. Refurbs are identical to new, come with the same warranty as new, are eligible for AppleCare and can save hundreds of $$$. Also, note you are not limited to an iMac you can select any Mac that is currently available. If you can't find what you want then check often as inventory changes very quickly.


If you still cannot afford to buy directly from Apple then consider a used Mac. If you buy used, please do yourself a favor and only buy from a trusted source such as Macsales.com. NEVER EVER purchase from E-Bay, Craigslist, Marketplace, your local PC computer store, your best buddy friend (you know what I mean, right??). Be safe and be smart, if you don't have enough money right now then continue to save. This strategy pays off!!


Finally, yes you can remove the old Macs HD and place it in an enclosure to migrate your data. Simply get a good quality enclosure (OWC Mercury Elite Pro) and put the drive in there. Then follow the instructions below once you have the new Mac.


When you buy a new Mac the easiest, quickest and most reliable method to migrate from the old Mac to the new Mac is to simply connect the old Mac's Time Machine External Hard Disk (or the drive from your old machine in an enclosure) to the new Mac using a USB cable before you turn on the new Mac. You will likely need a USB A to USB C adapter, you can find them on Amazon for $10 or less. When you start the new Mac for the first time it will startup Setup Assistant (SA), SA will get to a point where it asks if you are migrating from another computer, select Yes  and follow the on-screen prompts and it's done! It is THAT simple.

 

If you have already done SA on the new computer then simply connect the Time Machine External Hard Disk using a USB cable and launch Migration Assistant (MA) which is located in Applications - Utilities - MA. Then follow the on-screen prompts. 

 

The ONLY difference between MA and SA is MA will create a new user account that you need to log into.

 

Both SA and MA migrate applications (not 32 bit apps), data files & settings. They do not migrate Mac OS itself. Some professional apps such as Adobe and Microsoft apps may require re-installing their apps as they will not allow them to be migrated. As long as you kept the security keys for installing their apps, it is not an issue. 

 

Finally, never EVER use Wi-Fi when doing Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant. Why, it simply fails in most cases. Please read and follow the directions in Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant. If you do not have a Time Machine backup of the older Mac then create one as you can use that same drive on the new computer. If you are not aware of Time Machine, please read Back up your Mac with Time Machine and finally if you need an External Hard Disk to use as a Time Machine External Hard Disk then many experience users on these forums prefer the OWC Mercury Elite Pro due to it's reasonable price, high level of quality and ease of use. 


Did I kill my iMac?

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