iMac G4 700 MHz won't boot

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Level 4

2,429 points

iMac G4 700 MHz won't boot

Hey there all,
A cousin got an old iMac G4/700MHz running Mac OS 10.4.x. It worked fine when she bought it but, now it won't finish booting. I've turned it on and it won't get beyond the gray screen with the little gear cycling. I zapped the P-RAM and still nothing. What else might be the issue? It's a Mac for her elementary school-age kids, for school work(research) and web-surfing to kid-friendly sites. There are no external devices connected to it not even speakers, just a keyboard and mouse.

TIA for any assistance or suggestions.

Mac Pro Quad/2GB, 20" CD, 23" Samsung HDTV; LaCie FW 800 HDDs, MOTU 828, Mac OS X (10.6), 17" iMac CD, MacBook C2D, iPods, Sony HDV/DV Cams, MOTU MIDI TimePiece

Posted on Jan 25, 2011 9:08 AM

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Answer 1

iTechCNS

Level 1

130 points

Jan 25, 2011 9:26 AM in response to Donna Jones1

Hi Donna,

We had tons of those iMacs in my company back in the days, this is the old white iMac Lamp. When something like this comes up, I mean problem like yours wont pass the point of spinning , it was indicating bad HDD or going bad.
If you have extra/spare HDD try to swap it and install fresh OS X.

I use to run Leopard 10.5 on some of those guys, even though minimum requirements where 876Mhz processor, I was installing it on 700Mhz units, just put in 2Gb ram and you are set 🙂

I hope the problem is nothing more then HDD.

Goran

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Answer 2

Donna Jones1 Author

Level 4

2,429 points

Jan 25, 2011 9:41 AM in response to iTechCNS

Hey there iTechCNS,
Thanks for your timely response. I'll look into the HDD issue and see about getting a replacement in it ASAP. Maybe even upgrade it to 120GB if possible.

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Answer 3

iTechCNS

Level 1

130 points

Jan 25, 2011 12:08 PM in response to Donna Jones1

Cool Donna,

Let me know how it goes. It is not hard to replace the hard drive on them all i will advise is to be careful when you pull the bottom part for the iMac, because over time the thermo grease will dry up and the cooling sync will be kind of glued.

Goran

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Answer 4

Donna Jones1 Author

Level 4

2,429 points

Jan 25, 2011 12:19 PM in response to iTechCNS

Hey there iTechCNS

Thanks for the heads up. Think I'll check with a local Mac biz that repairs and sells used Macs to see how much it would cost--it's not my Mac & I wouldn't want to muck it up and have to replace it.

Thanks again.

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Answer 5

Allan Jones

Level 9

78,242 points

Jan 25, 2011 4:40 PM in response to Donna Jones1

Try starting in Safe Mode, with the Shift key depressed during startup until you either get a desktop or a message saying that you are in Safe mode. If this gets you a desktop, don't use the computer just yet. Do a regular restart. If you still get a desktop, it's probably OK. If not, post back.

If the computer has been stored off wall power for any time, or unplugged from the wall every night, the internal logic board battery is likely dead. That can cause startup issues. However, on this model iMac, it takes the same effort to get to the battery as it does to replace the hard drive. Although neither is considered a "user-serviceable" part, should you feel comfortable with dealing with computer innards, google for "iMac G4 takeapart" to find instructions. Illustrated instructions are out there and they may help you assess your comfort level with home repair.

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