Broken power button on iMac G4

Hello Greg,

You raise several issues here, the first is taking an iMac apart to repair it..

iMac take apart

Not easy! Not impossible either. The thermal paste is critical!!!

A Quick search in Google will reveal people who sell Apple spares all over the world.

Leaving it switched on all the time? I only ever switch my Mac off when I go away on holiday and when there is risk of a thunder storm. I think its OK to leave them running 24/7.

Hope that helps some

Regards

Ian

Given the said iMacG4 model and year are not discussed, one possibility
may be to buy a third-party for Apple Macintosh keyboard with power key.

If nothing else is wrong with the computer, it may run awhile without trouble;
but access to the physical power key (on the logic board; may be hard to
buy the part by itself to replace it) is handy in troubleshooting or restarting
when something freezes up. Unplugging and re-plugging the iMacG4 to
make it go/make it stop is not recommended. Issues can result; I am
aware of a few problems in the G4 and earlier G3 iMacs and others, due
to the owner unplugging the machine instead of performing maintenance
or repairs in a timely and orderly fashion.

Since that machine is likely no longer covered under an AppleCare Plan,
you could either have someone else eventually replace the logic board
or other parts as you find them; or if you are technically minded and have
a good attention to detail with adequate work habits, fix it yourself. The
service manual, a download in PDF for techs, may still be available. It
was intended for trained personnel, and damages worse than the first
problem may result from improper procedures being done inside the iMac.

That said; good luck & happy computing! 🙂

The present owner says that he just plugs it in and it starts up...

That means that the button is stuck in the depressed position. I wouldn't recommend running the iMac continually until you replace the power button.

K Shaffer...

"Given the said iMacG4 model and year are not discussed, one possibility may be to buy a third-party for Apple Macintosh keyboard with power key."

Unfortunately keyboard power doesn't work on any iMac G4 models and even on the later iMac G3 Slot Loading (CRT) models. Best to say any iMac that shipped with a Apple Pro Keyboard, more than likely, wil not support keyboard power. (iMac G3 Summer 2000 appears to be non-support date to present)

+++

Greg Lockhart...

I feel that you may be asking for problems by ignoring the switch.

If it is so called in the "stuck on position" I wonder what is preventing that from shutting down the computer?

On all my Mac computers a power - hold for about 5 seconds is a forced shut down.

I am getting bad vibes that there maybe something else wrong-???

...Ron

Greg and Ron --

I've had a bad feeling about this from the get-go.

Greg -- if the power button is broken
and the original user has been powering off and on via the plug,
a lot of damage has been done to this Mac.

If you're still considering buying it, and you're looking for advice here,
I, myself, wouldn't buy it.

Hmmm... That may be the case on a few older ones; and maybe newer
hardware. I've tried a fairly recent third-party for-Apple extended keyboard
with power key and I get the same dialog box with that, I get when I press
the Control Key and the Eject Key together. So, I can shut down from it.
But powering up, as you said, will vary due to keyboard/model compatibility.

In some of these iMac G3 and G4 computers, if someone has been inside
them and didn't pay attention to detail(s) the power button can be misaligned
or damaged, and the button may stick due to friction against the case. If
that is evidently not the issue, it is best to avoid the problematic unit...
Unless it is free and you want to ebay the parts, to buy something else.

Since you can get an iMacG4 from places such as wegenermedia for as
little as (or less than) $400 for the basic unit, check for best working price.