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G4 eMac Desktop Disappearance !

Firstly apologies to Mods if thread placed in wrong area: don't know if problem is OS X or the hardware itself. Please move as you see fit.

Computer is a very, very lightly used g4 emac, 1.42ghz, 2 gb ram. HD has 25gb of free space from 79gb. OS X 10.4.11

Last week my personal desktop froze on a few occasions requiring hard shutdown/restart - never seen this before. Whilst it was working I verified and repaired disk and disk permissions just be to be safe. Passed.

Turned on the following day to have no desktop; just a light blue screen with a movable cursor. No menu. Nothing to select. No 'BONGS', No unusual HD sounds, no rattling or complaining - just pale blue screen.

Shut down and restarted in 'safe' mode' - all is fine; eMac works fine albeit with the normal 'safe' mode limitations:

Q. where has my desktop gone, how do I access it again, will what's happened to my personal desktop also happen to 'safe' mode ?

Much reading later......things I have done:

Start up from OS X Tiger DVD> Disk Utilities> repair and verify both disk and permissions again> some fixes required and effected> PASSED.

Still can't boot to personal desktop.

Acquired use of external HD and Macbook Pro core i7 with intention of putting Tiger OS X on external drive to boot test eMac and perhaps clone off existing eMac material before wipe and fresh OS install.
Have erased and partitioned Touro EHD on both eMac and Macbook Pro, setting as 1 Partition and Apple Partition Map then using OS X DVD tried to load on to Touro. Won't do it - puts up error message saying OS X is 4.7gb and there's not enough free space on selected external drive. There's 499gb free !

I don't know how much longer eMac will last and I no longer know what to do for the best - I'm a week older and no further on........

Any help would be massively appreciated. Thankyou.

macludite

G4 eMac-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.4.11), 1.42GHz 2GB RAM 80GB Superdrive

Posted on Jan 26, 2016 2:24 PM

47 replies

Feb 13, 2016 1:21 PM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua - thank you.

Didn't know this about MA; thought I'd selected the best course of action …..

I'll do the Carbon Copy Cloner thing and report back.

macludite

Feb 15, 2016 12:07 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua - I didn't think I had created a new user on the new eMac…….

As bought, the machine would turn on and go straight to desktop without any 'sign in' from me.

Only when I wanted to use MA did the machine ask me for my Admin p/w.

I just typed a word and of course it wouldn't allow me to get past that pane, so, having learnt I can change Admin p/w from original Tiger OS DVD, that is what I did. Didn't think of this as a new User but you seem to be suggesting otherwise hence your counsel to use Carbon Copy Cloner instead of Migration Assistant.

I apologise for my confusion - can you please reiterate which course is best at this time: CCC or MA ?

Grateful as always….

macludite

BDAqua

Level 10

240,071 points

Feb 15, 2016 9:44 AM in response to Julian Barrett

Yes, the Install Disc can change the PW for any user, good work. 🙂

If you use MA after you create a user on a new install, MA will import a new user from the old one, if the User has the same name it'll ask to rename the old user it's migrating if I recall correctly, not a huge deal, more of a heads up.

CCC will just leave your new eMac identical to your old eMac.

Feb 15, 2016 10:12 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua - thanks for the reply.

I don't think I can appreciate the above post without trying things out to see what happens; by which time it'll be too late 😟

I mentioned MA because I thought [naively] it was an even better solution than CCC - it seems I was wrong, so for simplicity CCC it needs to be…...

muchas gracias

macludite

BDAqua

Level 10

240,071 points

Feb 15, 2016 11:14 AM in response to Julian Barrett

Go ahead &U try MA, you can always try CCC later if you have any problems.

Feb 20, 2016 3:35 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua - thanks once again.

Ready to do CCC; now have a copy on the new eMac but before I hit 'GO!' may I just reiterate something that concerns me:

"….should I partition the host machines HD or indeed do anything else that might be sensible please ?" - there are applications on it that it may be prudent to save.

I want to avoid any 'Why the **** did/n't you do that' moments !

macludite

BDAqua

Level 10

240,071 points

Feb 20, 2016 9:52 AM in response to Julian Barrett

You'd only want to partition it if you wanted a 2nd OS Install on it & had plenty of room on it.

Feb 23, 2016 11:33 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua - I regret this is not done yet 😟

In my defence I feel that as a true 'macluddite' I've consumed so much unfamiliar information that I'm now paralysed with fear !

The computers are linked up but when I started reading CCC and all that talk of making the drives the same etc I just went blank.

Can you 'idiot guide' me please: as you're cheerfully aware I have one good g4 and using Firewire it can 'see' my screenless g4.

I no longer know if I'm starting in TD Mode, alt key [which machine], which desktop I'm booting from/to etc etc and I really need to be crystal clear before hitting CCC's 'Go' button. So sorry for my confusion.

Thank you once again for demystifying it all.

macludite

BDAqua

Level 10

240,071 points

Feb 24, 2016 5:02 PM in response to Julian Barrett

Does the boot drive show as a Firewire symbol or not, if it is you're booting of the old headless eMac, you can check this also in Disk Utilty by highlighting it & clicking on the blue Info icon.

Feb 25, 2016 9:16 AM in response to BDAqua

Sorry BDAqua, it's the language that generates some confusion 😟

What is the 'boot drive' - are you referring to one or other of the eMacs ?

By 'headless' you mean what - my guess is the old screenless eMac ?

If I start new eMac with both machines connected via FW, nothing appears on new eMac desktop. If leave new eMac running and start up old screenless one with T key depressed a FW hd symbol appears on new machine desktop. If I go to Disk Utility and cursor over the yellow hd symbol in the left sidebar, the flag says it's a FW Disk.

What would you have me do next please ?

Thank you once again…….

BDAqua

Level 10

240,071 points

Feb 25, 2016 12:18 PM in response to Julian Barrett

Boot drive = The actual drive you're booted from, either internal SATA or external Firewire to/from old headless eMac.

Headless = Yes, old eMac.

Yes, the yellow/orange icon is the old eMac's drive, that is where I'd use CCC to clone from that old eMac's drive to yje new eMac's internal drive as the Destination.

Mar 12, 2016 7:30 AM in response to BDAqua

To my friend BDAqua who stuck with me through thick and thin.......

You'll be delighted (and relieved) to know that this message has been typed from my replacement g4 eMac 🙂

As far as I can tell, everything has been saved by Carbon Copy Cloner and most importantly all software dragged across from screenless eMac to it's replacemnt is working. I'm now wiping the USB Touro that I was unable to boot from.

Regretfully, the new eMac doesn't have a sharp screen; no idea why - the old one was cut-glass sharp, so a transition to a best option computer that'll run Rosetta seems essential after all......or I can put the new eMac motherboard into the old eMac......feasible ?

Is there a way of re-titling the HD image sitting on the desktop; the HD in the replacement eMac is named 37 characters of gibberish and I'd like to do something about that if I can please ?

Finally - where/how do I award you copious points for all the interest, patience and knowledge you've shown - Heaven knows you've earnt them 😉

Thank you so much once again BDAqua; grateful doesn't begin to describe the last month and a half: you saved my work and my sanity and you've embodied exactly what the mac community is all about.

macludite

MlchaelLAX

Level 4

2,286 points

Mar 12, 2016 9:01 AM in response to Julian Barrett

Congratulations!

I am sorry to hear that your screen image is not up to par!

Your story inspired me to go get my iMac1,1 with the dead video output and attempt to use it again headless, but alas, it seems to have died!

I am able to get into Target Mode and use its hard disk to boot my Mac Mini2,1 and adjust all the setting for headless use, but when I reboot: nothing!

I am unable to find it in Screen Sharing or File Sharing and with no video output, it appears that its useful day are over! 😟

BDAqua

Level 10

240,071 points

Mar 12, 2016 11:16 AM in response to Julian Barrett

Is there a way of re-titling the HD image sitting on the desktop; the HD in the replacement eMac is named 37 characters of gibberish and I'd like to do something about that if I can please ?

Yes, highlight the whole name in the Finder or Desktop, by clicking once on it to highlight it, then a second click to select the whole name, type in a new name.

As far as points the original poster should see solved or helpful under each post, yo're allowed 1 Solved & upto 2 Helpfuls. 🙂

I think the old logic board is the problem, I believe the Graphic Card is soldered to the Logic Board.

Mar 12, 2016 12:28 PM in response to BDAqua

HD screen name now changed; much simpler than I thought. Thankyou.

So my new logic board married to my old screen should get me back to a crystal clear display; I mean 'how hard can it be' ?

Apparently, pretty easy according to this: http://www.powerbookmedic.com/Manuals/emac/eMac-Take-Apart-Guide.m4v

G4 eMac Desktop Disappearance !