Zenorph

Q: PowerMac G4 MDD video signal

Hi!

I have a PM G4 MDD with the original video card AGP. But no video signal. The computer booting well with no bootBeep alert. I can  hear the Mac "logo sound" and the notifications after few minutes. I can up and down the volume througt the keyboard, I can eject, and I can read audio CDs!

 

So I think It's time to get another video card am I right? Or maybe there's anything else wrong with other things?

 

Thank you!

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Oct 19, 2015 11:24 PM

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Q: PowerMac G4 MDD video signal

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  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Oct 20, 2015 5:35 AM in response to Zenorph
    Level 8 (35,022 points)
    iPad
    Oct 20, 2015 5:35 AM in response to Zenorph

    Has the computer sat unused and unplugged for an extended period of time, or was it is constanty in use and the problem simply showed up from one day to the next? Hard to say just yet but there are a couple of things to try before searching for a compatible video card.

     

    1) Remove the video card, clean its contacts, and blow out any debris in its logic board slot. Reinstall

     

    2) See if replacing the G4s internal backup battery (also called a "PRAM" battery) makes a difference. It's not common with the MDD but some Macs will do a "no video" thing in spite of otherwise appearing to run normally if the PRAM battery is dead. This is the battery:

     

    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BAA36VPRAM/

     

    Radio Shack (Tandy Stores) carries the proper battery as part number 23-026 but the convenience of picking one up today will cost you about 4x what the online item costs for exactly the same thing.

     

    Long periods disconnected from wall power cause the PRAM battery to drain to nothing in only a few months, thus the question about whether the computer sat unused.