PowerBook G4 17" 1.67 GHZ not booting up

Are there any other similarities between the current situation and this one you posted about with the same computer, a few years ago? Back then the only reply was linked reference to kernel panic diagnosis. And there was no reply to indicate that helped, back in the day...

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3560913

Which PowerBook G4 17" 1.67GHz model do you have? There were two.

When you tried a reset of the Power Management Unit, did you go through the steps, as indicated for your specific PowerBook G4 17" model, at least twice? What was the result? Any indicator lights, noises?

•About NVRAM and PRAM:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

There could be a problem in hardware; however these PowerBooks also have a PRAM battery on the logic board that may need replacement and this could affect the computer on startup. These get replaced, so that is a matter of looking into the fixit.com repair guide (link below) to see what that'd take, including parts.

Do you get any activity at all, from the PowerBook G4? Any light, display wink, sleep light, etc? A buzzy sound from the optical drive? Indications of power, battery, or adapter working? If not, there may be a charging system issue. As these age, there are other possibilities, too.

And if the battery is totally drained, and old, it won't start the computer; in fact, it won't hold a charge if too old or if it has seen too many Cycles (charge & discharge.) Could be it may need a new main battery, or a replacement AC adapter, hard to say. I have plenty of ideas, but don't have that computer here.

Have you tried starting the computer from the OS X install DVD*?

C key held on startup, to load the Installer, so as to use the Installer's

Disk Utility to check the hard disk drive, and repair it, etc.

*That assumes the computer has power and can try to boot up, but perhaps

has a defective hard disk drive or critical errors in the software inside it.

Startup requires power; a working power adapter, battery, and a working DC-in board to connect the adapter to battery and also run the computer, as needed. If these are not good, then it won't run. If the hard disk drive has corruption or bad sectors, it won't supply the startup system basics, so it can't get past the first step.

•PowerBook G4 Aluminum 17" Repair - iFixit:

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/PowerBook_G4_Aluminum_17%22

Troubleshooting this will require some known-good things to help test the computer. Or someone qualified to test the various aspects of the hardware and also the software, to see what is wrong with either or both.

Hopefully it is repairable.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Of two different ifixit pages inside the link above, one covers 1.0 + 1.67GHz 17" models

while the other covers 1.67GHz Model A1139 / with 1680x1050 screen resolution. This

appears to be what you say you have. High-res display, plus dual-layer superdrive.

"Released in October 2005, the G4 Aluminum 17" 1.67 GHz High-Res came equipped with ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics standard. Features included a standard SuperDrive, a DVI port, and both FireWire 400 and Firewire 800 ports. The LCD used by the 17" PowerBook G4 Al is the same used as in the 17" iMac of that era, but with a thinner backlight..." ifixit.com - about High-Res model. (Prior to Dual Layer Superdrive?)

•High-Res 17" PowerBook G4 1.67 with D/L superdrive:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/specs/powerbook_g4_1.67_17_hr .html

While it is my untechnical feeling that part of the problem may be the PRAM battery on

the logic board (these do not last, and can affect bootup) could be a contributing factor,

the computer should see an expert or someone knowledgeable and skilled to check it.

The iFixit repair page cover the possibiliity of PRAM battery replacement, as shown.

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/PowerBook_G4_Aluminum_17%22_1.67_GHz_%28High-Res%29

A more knowledgeable person in theory, may be able to determine a course of action

based in troubleshooting &/or testing results. With an older computer, however, to find

a specialist or someone professionally capable of this level may be difficult, or costly.

There is little one can do about it remotely. What other computer do you have?

If the PowerBook G4 17" 1.67GHz portable Apple computer does not boot at

all, it would be nearly impossible to use Target Disk Mode (FireWire) to access

the unit and get any of your user-created files out. But if that could work, at least

you could remove a copy before attempting any service or do-it-yourself repairs, etc.

Someone handy with computer experience, at a college or other school, may know

of a capable person with portable Apple PowerPC experience. However I would

venture to suggest you'd be very lucky to find someone qualified and not too costly;

then there is a matter of replacement parts. Could be more than a PRAM battery, as

these portable computers age, other parts often fail due to wear. The hard disk drive,

the battery, the power adapter, the DC-in board. Electrical contacts inside the case

can wiggle loose from years of handling. This alone could cause it to not start up.

According to Everymac.com, they show five different 17" PowerBook G4 models

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/index-powerbook-g4.html

to include earlier 1.0GHz,1.33GHz, 1.5GHz and two 1.67GHz models... If yours is

the Dual Layer SD with High-Res display, that limits the repair guide to one page.

So you'd need to check the one you have, before considering a repair option that

would include correct parts for a specific build version, model identifier, year, etc.

Not sure if this helps, though...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂