Is there even a HD in this eMac?

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Level 1

4 points

Is there even a HD in this eMac?

Hi all and thanks in advance.

A little background here first. I was driving along a mountain community road in 2007 or 2008 and spotted this eMac by the side of the road, stopped, picked it up, and brought it home. Turned it on and got a boot screen with a folder flashing alternately a ? and a pre OS X mac logo (the two happy faces in one). I didn't have time to mess with it but assumed that it was probably wiped before being disposed of, therefore, no system.

I just pulled it out to take a look at it and see what I can do with it since I now have a computer literate 4 year old who might enjoy it when she is not on her iPad and it would be an upgrade for her from the "half dome" iMac that she likes to use.

This time when I turn on the eMac I noticed that the first thing that displays after a startup desk top is a white square with what looks to be an earth in the north America or western hemisphere, flashing. Then after a bit this changes to the folder flashing alternately a ? and a pre OS X mac logo. I turned it off and grabbed the only install disk handy, a replacement 10.4 disk from Apple, for my G4 MDD tower. Re started, Held down C, and booted into the disk and ran disk profiler and disk utility. To my surprise, it appears as if there is no HD in the machine in disk utility because it shows only the install CD as an HD.

I've done a bit of reading of the threads here prior to posting this and have not seen anything quite similar, though the battery may be dead by now and causing part of the start up issue I am guessing. However not seeing another HD other than the Disk Drive is a little perplexing. So.... without taking the thing apart, could there be a HD that is just not mounting or being recognized by Disk Utility, or is this display and behavior indicative of the HD being missing?

Machine info:

eMac

Model : Power Mac 4.4

CPU: Power PC G4

# of CPUs : 1

CPU Speed 1 Ghz

L2 Cache 256 KB

Memory : 256 MB

Bus: 133 MHZ

Boot Rom Ver 4.6.4f1

Serial: I have it but don't know which part of the serial will help you without divulging it all.

The following two Items I THINK are accurate:

Model # A 1002

eMac # 1955

Any insight and suggestions appreciated as I have a couple of parts lying around from other orphans and castoffs but no money at the moment.

Oh yes and the system issue when this thing gets to that point, does the System absolutely HAVE to be from eMac instal disk? or is there some way to work around this? I don't have the original disks as you may have guessed.

Thanks again......

PowerMac, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Oct 13, 2012 9:49 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

BDAqua

Level 10

239,213 points

Oct 13, 2012 10:39 PM in response to 0random1

Hello,

This time when I turn on the eMac I noticed that the first thing that displays after a startup desk top is a white square with what looks to be an earth in the north America or western hemisphere, flashing. Then after a bit this changes to the folder flashing alternately a ?

Likely a dead PRAM Battery, but hold the Option or alt key at bootup & see if it shows other boot choices.

PRAM Battery, 4 years is close to their lifespan, far less if ever without AC power, & can cause strange startup problems...

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

If you don't know the model, find the Serial# & use it on one of these sites, but don't post the Serial# here...

http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php

How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product...

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1349

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

239,213 points

Oct 13, 2012 10:40 PM in response to 0random1

Oh yes and the system issue when this thing gets to that point, does the System absolutely HAVE to be from eMac instal disk? or is there some way to work around this? I don't have the original disks as you may have guessed.

Either that or a Retail Install Disk.

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Answer 3

britny

Level 1

130 points

Oct 14, 2012 4:43 AM in response to 0random1

your guess is as good as mine whether someone removed the drive and put the thing back together. some sellers do that on e-bay but keep in mind this: there is a reason why this thing was sitting by the road in the first place.

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Answer 4

0random1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 14, 2012 7:16 AM in response to britny

britny.... Thanks for your reply as well. Relevant statement and observation. When I changed the battery I could see the cable connecting the HD to the motherboard in place. So.... once I get the battery working and see if that helps I should be able to determine if it is a dead HD as the reason for the HD not showing up in System Profiler and Disk Utility.

Much appreciated....

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Answer 5

0random1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 14, 2012 7:31 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua... Thanks for all of your time and interest. When you replied:

BDAqua wrote:

Oh yes and the system issue when this thing gets to that point, does the System absolutely HAVE to be from eMac instal disk? or is there some way to work around this? I don't have the original disks as you may have guessed.

Either that or a Retail Install Disk.

Did you mean that of course the original eMac disks will work, OR a retail version off the shelf of OSX 10.3

will also work? I have a copy of 10.3 that I purchased from Apple back when, to upgrade the B+W G3 that was new then. OR did you mean that ONLY original eMac system and retail version of THAT eMac system will work on this machine?

I find that for the most part, "parts is parts" except in a few cases, like building hot rods for example. So if the 10.3 system disk that I have will work, that'd be great!

Thanks for your help on the battery issue as well... I had another battery that I put in but alas, it too seems dead. So I'll have to visit a retailer a bit later and make certain that this basic item is taken care of before proceeding further.

Thanks again and best...

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Answer 6

BDAqua

Level 10

239,213 points

Oct 14, 2012 10:47 AM in response to 0random1

Did you mean that of course the original eMac disks will work, OR a retail version off the shelf of OSX 10.3

will also work? I have a copy of 10.3 that I purchased from Apple back when, to upgrade the B+W G3 that was new then. OR did you mean that ONLY original eMac system and retail version of THAT eMac system will work on this machine?

The Original eMac Discs for that Model eMac will work, a Retail 10.3 or 10.4 Install Disc should work, possibly a Retail 10.5 Install Disc will work also, if a 1 GHz or greater CPU speed eMac.

Update or Drop-in CDs/DVDs are very iffy, usually requiring a previous OS install.

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Answer 7

0random1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 14, 2012 11:01 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua

Yippee!!!! That's GREAT news! I have both a retail version of 10.3 and 10.4 once I get the HD to show up. I just don't have the eMac original disks. Everything that I have read seemed as if this model required a special install disk. It is the 1GHz model. I will use the 10.3 to put a new system on then upgrade later possibly later.

Thanks and best!

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Answer 8

0random1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 14, 2012 11:46 AM in response to BDAqua

Oh yes... one other thing.

Instructions on Apple Support

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3005

say:

Step 6: Press the reset button

Locate the PMU reset button inside the computer. Push the button for one second using a pen or pencil.

I could not find that button. HD case is in the way. There seems to be a small white chip near where the reset is supposed to be located but I really think that is a chip not a button. Any idea where this button is?

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Answer 9

BDAqua

Level 10

239,213 points

Oct 14, 2012 2:20 PM in response to 0random1

Hmmm, you don't see it close to the minus side of the PRAM Battery?

Tiny square thing with a round center?

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Answer 10

0random1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 14, 2012 3:16 PM in response to BDAqua

Not at all. On the complete opposite side of the opening, (with the cover removed to access the battery) from the battery, the right side, is an appx 1/4 X 1/4 X 1/4 metal square with what seems to be a round shape in the center. It seems that you can push it like a button. But it's not where Apple document describes it. HD ribbon has FOXCONN tag on it. This item is on the right side of the tag. Really, the object is on the complete opposite side of the access opening as described.

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Answer 11

roam

Level 6

13,631 points

Oct 14, 2012 9:58 PM in response to 0random1

Depending on the eMac model the reset button can be on either side. You have found yours to be on the right hand side.

The document you are referring to applies to only one model, not to both types.

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Answer 12

0random1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 14, 2012 10:27 PM in response to roam

Thanks Roam I really appreciate your input. Have a great day!

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