can't upload content on emac or burn cd's

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can't upload content on emac or burn cd's

Hi all,

I bought a 2nd hand emac recently, (G4 1.25ghz 40gb, 2006 model)

It seems there's a few problems with the computer; it barely ever recognises cd's, official or copies, and even if it can recognise the content it can't upload onto the computer and always shows the same excuse about there not having enough disc space..as quoted below. (although it plays dvd's perfectly)

Infact if I try to upload, copy a cd or even move stuff to or from an external usb hd drive, it always says - "can not be copied because there is not enough free space" Despite there being plenty of space on the internal or external hard drives.

Any suggestions as to why its not working correctly would be appreciated, cheers

emac-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jun 17, 2011 9:05 AM

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Answer 1

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,852 points

Jun 17, 2011 11:47 AM in response to lgleeds

The first thing to do is to check the serial number against this list of ranges:

G8412xxxxxx- G8520xxxxxx
YM412xxxxxx - YM520xxxxxx
VM440xxxxxx - VM516xxxxxx

Many 1.25G eMacs had a near-fatal logic board issue so serious that you need to know if yours is among them before throwing money and time at the problems you have.

The serial number is visible on a sticker when you open the optical drive door> Pics are in this Apple article:

How to locate the serial number and identify your model

If the computer serial number starts with "R" or "RM," it is an Apple refurbished unit and the serial number will not correspond to those in the list.

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Answer 2

lgleeds Author

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Jun 17, 2011 1:14 PM in response to lgleeds

Thanks for replying so fast, ye the serial no is vm416...

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Answer 3

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,852 points

Jun 18, 2011 12:11 PM in response to lgleeds

Interestng. There have been reports of eMacs outside the serial number range being affected. Theye is a way to check, although not perfect:

The major issue in those affected eMacs was bad (leaking) capacitors. Although not a perfect diagnosis, you can open the RAM door and look for a few of the potentially bad capacitors there. There is a picture of what a bad cap viewed through the RAM door looks like here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/houlihan/146258714/

The bad one is on the right, with the ugly brown gunk on it.

There are several potentially bad caps in different locations other that the ones visible through the RAM door. However, if you see one in the door, that's pretty diagnostic that more are affected. The one economical fix that repairs instead of replacing the logic board is only feasible if you live in the Western US.

If you see bad caps, I'd have a heart-to-heart talk with whomever sold you the computer and see about getting your money back. Even the low-cost repair is US$140 plus the significant expense of shipping a 50-pound (23kg) computer both ways. Finding and getting a new logic board installed costs hugely more than a used eMac is worth.

Apple had a repair extension program for this issue but it expired about two years ago.

I've resurrected a lot of Macs in my hobby career; the only one that defied my efforts was a 1.25G eMac in the affected serial number range.

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Answer 4

lgleeds Author

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Jun 21, 2011 4:21 PM in response to lgleeds

Thanks for ya advice, ye I've had a look through the RAM door and the caps seem totally fine, there's no sign of anything leaking.

I spoke to someone from the apple shop the other day and they thought that something might still be in the emacs trash. That's why I'm not able to upload or copy stuff.

Having checked and deleted what was still in the trash , it seemed they were right, the computers working fine now.

Apart from the disk drive that is, looks as though that might be past it now. Think i might have to fit a new drive, if that's possible to do in this mac.

I'm just wondering, is this model of emac going to be prone to having dodgy caps in the future? Or would the fault have shown up by now

Cheers

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Answer 5

Allan Jones

Level 9

68,852 points

Jun 21, 2011 5:21 PM in response to lgleeds

Glad it was not a hardware issue. I had to ask because there have been so many reported here. with that version.

It's possible that yours was never affected, or got the official APple repair before the program ended. If it's working, I'd use the dickens out of it.

When you have it apart, you should clean out any infestation of dust bunnies, if you're not already done so. If caps are going to be a problem, they are more likely to go walkabout if diminished airflow allows the LB to heat up..

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