My iBook G4 will not start up. Took it to Emeryville Apple store and was told the iBook is too old and no employee knows how to work on it. How can I get my iBook to load up?

Try:

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

If no power comes on or you don't hear the chime anymore, then you have a hardware problem. We aren't really able to help with that. You can try a visit to iFixIt for DIY help.

You will have a better chance of finding help here if you post your question in the right forum - Older Hardware.

Does the computer react in any way (display, sound) when attempting to start up (with the power adapter connected)? Light (colour) at the low-voltage DC plug? Any difference if the battery is charged for a while? Any difference if the battery is removed instead (a bad battery can put a heavy load on the power supply)?

See also the specific iBook G4 information about resetting the Power Management Unit here:

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT1431

It is not unusual to find notebook computers with a problem in the area where the low-voltage DC plug is connected. Often, this is related to cracked solder joints at the DC-in jack. To begin with, this would lead to intermittent contact if the plug is moved.

Jan

You could try & find an Authorized Apple Service Provider, an Independent

specialist who may have someone on staff familiar with the older vintage

hardware, software, and knowledgable in diagnostic testing, repairs, etc.

For whatever reason, not all of the previous replies appeared until after

I chose to edit my reply; then others now do. So I see a PMU? method

had been tried. If it was the correct one, for the specific iBook you have

then try it more than once. To be sure it really worked at all.

In your area (wherever that is) you may have other options and to look into

the Support information on locating other Apple related service/sales agents

may be helpful. You could use the info in these links to narrow your search:

• Find an Apple Authorized Service Provider
• Visit an Apple Retail Store

Since you've tried the Retail Store angle, check the AASP section; also note

that some smaller companies who say they repair Apple may also sell older

units they have repaired. There are others online who specialize in portable

Macs since they are more readily shipped to & from repair service...

An older iBook G4 with a DVD or CD stuck in the optical drive, may or may not

yield or eject the disc when you hold down the button on the touchpad on restart

but if you have a USB mouse, and use that instead of the touchpad, with the

mouse clicked down (single button, is easiest) on startup can eject a disc.

•Portable Mac repair guides - iFixit:

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac_Laptop

•iBook G3 + G4 models - repair guides - iFixit:

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iBook

There may be some physical obstruction preventing the disc from normal ejecting

so there could be a felt or trim edge of the iBook case, next to the optical drive slot

not aligned correctly and that may stop a DVD or CD from ejecting.

Also, the actual optical drive may have some kind of hardware defect, if a software

reset (PMU = power management unit - reset) doesn't help, nor a PRAM reset.

Note: instructions below for PMU reset varies with model of Apple Portable...

•Resetting PowerBook and iBook Power Management Unit (PMU) - Apple Support

The same article covers nearly all PowerBook & iBook model PMU reset methods.

{At the bottom of page, instruction to reset for parameter random access memory

is shown; that is a different item -- it does not do the same thing as the PMU reset.}

If the AC power adapter, battery, DC-in Board, and other circuits are OK, then the

problem may be further inside the computer. An Expert is recommended, since the

product line has been in existence longer than most Apple store employee are old.

The iFixit repair guides: as noted in earlier reply can be a fair source for learning

how these computers are assembled, and in some cases may be worth effort

to learn how to fix them yourself. However consider the computer a lost cause if

you are going to start learning on this one; it is possible to make things worse in

attempts to unknowingly repair the complexity of these machines. Level: Difficult.

Is this topic with the same Mac, as your other similar thread, about an iBook issue?

In any event...

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

There are quite a few different versions of the iBook G4.

It would help us help you if we knew which exact model you have. You can choose from the list here.

If it is truly an iBook G4, then it will not run Mac OS X 10.6.8. Could you check again and tell us which version of the Mac OS you have installed?

What is the processor speed, and how much RAM is installed?

Do you have the original operating system discs that came with the computer when it was new?

Okay. I don't understand what an iPod has to do with an iBook, but whatever worked for you.