eMac freezes randomly, open window turns into broken up jibber

Schandorsky - I don't blame you...

Add me to the list of having the same issues. Now I wish I would have bought the Apple Care. This machine also has a great deal of sentimental value as it was bought for me by my father that passed away a year ago.

My machine is a 1.25 ghz emac with 1 gig of ram. I have followed all the steps and even thought it might have been an OS issue and did a clean install.

I've been following this thread since about mid-March. I had and have the same problems described by other users. After moving those 5 extensions to a desktop folder I've been able to use my computer fairly normally, but I'm still waiting for that move by Apple...This week was my finals week for college, and I'm just thankful that the extensions trick works. Anyways, still hoping for recall or similar program...

YM443E7VQJ8 is my serial number just for the record.

Hi all,
Well one month so far with the ATI extensions deleted. So far so good, but I hate to think what the mobo looks like. Attack of the killer blob, no doubt.
My 13 yr old has gone from being an apple fan to building PCs for pocket money, he reckons there is no future in apples. I would have to agree, if this is how they treat their customers.
happydaze

Just took a peek in the RAM hatch to see how my capacitors looked. One looks normal and the other is bulging (frozen coke can syndrome), but not leaking. Both are the "+" type. I have had no problems with freezes or video yet. Called Apple support today but don't expect any help until my eMac starts experiencing more serious problems. Any advice on how to get Apple to fix the problem before things get worse?

Purchased 10/2004 from Apple Store. SN G8438JAEQQH

Say hello to another logic board. I had the same problems and they got worse and worse until the macine wouldn't run for more than two clicks after a hard restart. Many buyers are starting to agree this is not a coincidence but after 12 - 16 months this is becoming common.

Was it the logic board? azactive@yahoo.com
let me know as you may clearly not be alone.

-michael

yes yes. Bad logic board and it just happened to me as well 16 months later. And the Apple Store tech acted like I was the only one. Then again emac was not a overly popular selling machine--was it?

Hi James
In regards to your posts months back about eMac failure. I have the same problem and an Aplle Store Genius(makes me smile) said the board is bad--needs to be replaced aprox $700 (I bought this for not much more than that 16 months ago) my serial number is not i your company of failures: RM4474UCQQJ
Any thoughts before I make the call and stress concern with an apple tech tomorrow? I can loog through the memory and see If there are bad caps but not sure how far I can did in to it or if I should even bother.

-michael

Someone recently said that they don't understand why no one with this problem hasn't simply replaced the bad capacitors themselves. They said the caps are very cheap, and the procedure could be done for only a few dollars.

It's a very interesting point. No - I would not recommend anyone do this unless they are well practiced with electronics - but it does show the point that Apple can very cheapily fix this problem if they so choose. Once they start replacing logic boards, they can put new caps on the old logic boards (provided the leaking fluid hasn't damaged the board itself) and reuse them.

Someone recently said that they don't understand why
no one with this problem hasn't simply replaced the
bad capacitors themselves. They said the caps are
very cheap, and the procedure could be done for only
a few dollars.

The caps are cheap. If the motherboard was an old-style single-layer board I'd already have replaced all my caps and just driven on. However, the motherboard's a triple-layer wave-soldered board which I for one am reluctant to mess with. One wrong move with a triple-layer board, and it's DEAD. Beyond repair. I personally will only mess with the motherboard once it's become clear that Apple has no intention of issuing a recall or other such fix, as if I started ripping out caps they'd notice (in about two seconds...) and bang would go any chance of getting that board replaced. If I fix it then, good. If I mess it up (much more likely) then the eMac is spare parts. I already know where I can use the hard drive, optical drive, and RAM, and I've got an idea on using the CRT.

It's a very interesting point. No - I would not
recommend anyone do this unless they are well
practiced with electronics - but it does show the
point that Apple can very cheapily fix this problem
if they so choose.

Messing with triple-layer wave-soldered boards is many things, but 'easy' and 'cheap' are not among them.

Once they start replacing logic
boards, they can put new caps on the old logic boards
(provided the leaking fluid hasn't damaged the board
itself)

That is, of course, another part of the problem. Cap fluid is corrosive. (And toxic. Don't touch.)

and reuse them.

I just sent steve@mac.com the following email message. I'm anxiously awaiting a response. I think more than anything I'm just disappointed in not having a working computer and am looking for some satisfaction for the close to $1200 I've invested in my mac and AppleCare.

Dear Steve:
I am a teacher that has used Apple products for about 10 years. I have used them both in my professional and personal life. In June of 2004 I purchased an eMac (1.25 GHz SuperDrive, with 512 SDRAM DDR333-1 and a 160GB Ultra ADA drive at a cost of $1056).

I purchased this system because I love using the iMovie, iDVD,, iPhoto and iTunes programs and how they are integrated into the system. Within 10 months of my purchase the computer was not working properly. The screen was blinking like crazy going black and white and the system would freeze and lock up.

In June of 2005, on the day my 1 year warranty was to expire I purchased the extended Applecare (luckily). After numerous troubleshooting measures given me by the Applecare team I took my system to an approve Apple technician(Northwest Computer Services, St. Paul, MN). He replaced the main power supply (monitor). About a $400 repair for someone without Applecare. The computer seemed to be working fine but at times the screen would shimmer and get a little jumpy. This April (2006) the computer began to freeze up after about a half hour of use and would then be useless to me for the rest of the day. I returned the computer to Northwest Computer Services and they put in another power supply ($400). When I got home the system almost immediately began to lock up. The computer is now back at Northwest and is having the logic board replaced (about a $600-700 repair). By my calculations I’ve only had a working computer for about 12 months out of a total of 23 months. The repair cost is about equal to a brand new Apple system.

Today is Friday May 5th, 2006 and I was to have made a DVD project for a silent auction at my daughter’s school tomorrow night. That is obviously not going to happen.
I would like to know what my options are if this repair does not resolve my issues.

I have used numerous Apple computers at my place of employment without any of these issues. I have discovered at the Apple discussion board that I am not the only eMac owner having these problems.

I also discovered the following advertising campaign on the Apple website (Bottom of page). This is exactly why I purchased my Apple. (Isn’t it more than a little ironic that I’m typing this message on my wife’s new Dell laptop)?

Product Serial # G84240ZFQQH

"It just works.
Your toaster doesn¹t crash. Your kitchen sink doesn¹t crash. Why should your computer? Think of the countless hours you would save if your PC worked on your time ‹ not the other way around. Then think about a Mac. iMac
If you spend more of your precious time figuring out why your PC crashes than you spend taking out the garbage every week, you need a Mac. Still not convinced? Just ask the millions of people who use and love a Mac why it’s become such an integral part of their lives, and most will tell you the same thing: it just works. Letting them do what they want to do. When they want
to do it. All the time.
That’s because a Mac offers absolutely flawless integration of hardware and software. Only with a Mac do you get a system built by the same people who make the OS, applications, and the computer itself."

eMac PowerPC G4 Mac OS X (10.3.3)

Nearly 14,000 views, as of a couple minutes ago. And Apple doesn't think this is a big problem?

I'm sure they know it's a problem...you do the math...even 200 computers to replace or repair at $500 to $1000 each is runs into hundreds of thousands of $$$$$$$$$$$$!