imac G4 won't turn on

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Level 1

8 points

imac G4 won't turn on

I have a nearly 4 year old 15" flat panel imac G4. I got home Sunday from a weekend away and haven't been able to turn it on. It makes no noise or any kind of indication that there is anything going on. I've tried several different outlets and unplugged all peripherals except the power and still nothing. It was plugged into a surge protector, and I don't think there were any storms while I was away, but I guess I don't know for sure. I took it into the Genius Bar at my local Apple store and they said it's probably the power supply or logic board (or both), which could be anywhere from $200-$600 to repair depending on what it is. Does that sound right, or should I get a "second opinion"? If that's the case, I'd rather put the money toward a new computer. I'm looking at the MacBook (13"). If that's what i do, can I somehow transfer the contents of my imac's hard drive to the new computer? (Of course I had no back up system in place, just some burned cd's of pictures and some documents about 6 months ago).

iMac G4 Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Jun 6, 2006 8:52 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 7, 2006 5:37 PM in response to kp42

Did they mention if they reset the PMU?
see here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95165

This often resolves no power issues.

You may also have a dead backup/PRAM battery. The batteries cost 6-10 dollars but you have to have no fear of disassembling your system and applying thermal paste to replace it. You can manually pull the hard drive. (not so much fun having done it a couple of times, but at least you'd get your data) The hard drive is on top of the CD drive in the case. You can remove the whole drive carrier after you get the bottom housing off.

The silliest thing I've seen with a flatpanel imac is that sometimes the power cord looks like it is plugged in. but isn't. Pull the cord out and plug it all the way back in, making sure the square border around the plug is completely flush with the base.

Good luck.

12 inch Powerbook 1.33 GHZ Mac OS X (10.4.6)

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Answer 2

ali brown

Level 7

26,493 points

Jun 8, 2006 8:07 AM in response to kp42

Hi kp42! And Welcome To Discussions!

I'm so happy to hear you got your Mac running again!

Also, I notice that you have marked your question as answered, but have not utilized the Helpful or Solved options. That may be intentional, but, if you are not aware of the benefits, of using that function, here is some information.

When you mark the appropriate posts as Helpful (5 pts) 2 available, or Solved (10 pts) 1 available, you are Thanking the contributors, by awarding them points.

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Enjoy Your Stay In Discussions!

ali b

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Answer 3

Jun 21, 2006 8:39 PM in response to Jamie Piperberg

you all are geniuses

i thought i was going to have to lug this thing in for repairs and lo and behold, the plug wasn't in all the way.

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Answer 4

Jun 7, 2006 5:08 AM in response to kp42

Hello KP42 and welcome to discussions,

If those genius chappies ( and chappesses! ) have diagnosed a faulty system then that likely to be that. Are you sure you are getting power to the mac? I would only attempt this if you are confident in your electrical knowledge though...

Using a meter suitable for the purpose. Check to see if there is the correct voltage at the end of the cable. If there is 240v ( UK only ) or 110v then the computer is most likely as diagnosed. If there is no voltage then you may be in luck.

Let us all know please.

Cheers

Ian

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Answer 5

kp42 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 7, 2006 8:11 AM in response to Ian Bickerstaffe

Yea, I don't think I want to mess with electrical! I tried several outlets in my house that I know worked, so it wasn't that. When I took it into the apple store, I forgot the power cord so they used one of their's and it still didn't work, so I'm guessing that it's what they said. Any feedback on if/how I can transfer the contents of my hard drive to a new computer (or perhaps an external hard drive). Is this something I can do myself, or do I need a "professional"? Thanks!

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Answer 6

Jun 7, 2006 8:35 AM in response to kp42

Hello KP42,

Well using a different power cord certainly seems to back up the theory that the power supply or main PCB is fried. If that is the case, apart from being very sad new, I don't see how you will be able to access the internal hard drive to recover the data. I suspect that you are going to need the services of a professional person to assist you to recover that which is lost.

There are only 2 types of computer in the known universe. Those that have failed and those that are going to

Having a viable back up is essential to prevent your predicament. I am not having a go at you KP - Far from it. Only trying to let others see what happens in this distressing situation.

Good luck with the new Mac and with the recovery operation.

Best regards

Ian

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Answer 7

kp42 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 7, 2006 8:00 PM in response to Jamie Piperberg

Wow/___sbsstatic___/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png I can't believe they didn't try that, I just reset the PMU and it worked/___sbsstatic___/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png Seems like a pretty easy thing for them to check, but they just plugged it in, tried turning it on, did some stuff on their computer and basically said it was the power supply or logic board. Unbelievable/___sbsstatic___/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png Well, THANK YOU/___sbsstatic___/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png/___sbsstatic__ _/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png

I've got it on right now and am backing some stuff up/___sbsstatic___/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png I'm scared to shut it off 🙂 Any ideas why this happened, or is there anything I should avoid or do to keep it from happening again? Thanks/___sbsstatic___/migration-images/migration-img-not-avail.png

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Answer 8

Jun 8, 2006 3:53 AM in response to kp42

I've seen it happen alot, especially on older machines after a power outage or a long period of being unplugged. My guess is it has to do with the internal backup battery. Especially on a 4 year old machine, the battery probably lost charge and may have crashed the PMU chip, so it needed to be reset for it to come on. shrug I wouldn't worry too much about it happening again for now. Definitely keep up the backup strategy though. (Learned that the hard way too many times).

Glad it worked 🙂

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Answer 9

kp42 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 8, 2006 7:27 AM in response to Jamie Piperberg

Thanks everyone! That must have been it. I can't remember for sure, but it may have been over a week since I had turned it on (usually it gets turned on every day or every other day). Hopefully it holds up for a while longer while I save up for a new one! Thanks!

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Answer 10

Jun 7, 2006 11:57 PM in response to Jamie Piperberg

Wow!

Good catch Jamie. Great catch indeed

Have a bag full of virtual points on me

+++

Cheers

Ian

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