Q: Why is my iBook G4 only allowing me to wake it after a period of time?

Your vintage PowerPC G4 iBook cannot use other Mac's OS X installer DVD

or any other model part numbered model-specific install restore software kit.

The official retail OS X 10.5 Leopard DVD media would be the latest system

the unit can use. The computer itself shipped with a special grey-labeled

install-restore set that had an iBook G4 - specific OS X 10.4.x software kit.

That set of discs, as shipped, also included the supported applications not

to be found on a retail version OS X that can otherwise work on that unit.

So any Intel-based Mac system software generally does not work in PPC vintage.

That is the first hurdle. Drivers for graphic processor and other bits also would

be lacking because a system disc from Intel-based Mac does not include them.

As to troubleshooting displays; a VGA adapter for the built-in port to accommodate

an external display, can be helpful. There are components on the logic board and

in the display itself, that could have failed. You can test the main graphic component

by using the external port and adapter to by-pass those other items.

Some aspects of the older OS X 10.5 Leopard system were universal, to support

both Intel-based and PPC-based hardware; but lacked PPC support when the kit

was intended specifically for an Intel-based model. So the original Tiger version on

grey-labeled DVD media for the iBook G4, or retail label Leopard, are correct parts.

Good luck in this matter!

Working good condition or quality replacement new ATA/IDE hard drives may be

difficult to locate; since the 2005 vintage iBook G4 would be a late or last model

the specification on that hard drive would be the ones to match.

Parts examples, as follows:

Unless you locate an SSD that could work in the ATA/IDE/PATA environment.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/ibook-g4

Replacement optical drive for iBookG4 (among other) can be found here:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/superdrive/iBook_G4

{An externally enclosed hard drive device with chipset Oxford-type or other

suited to OS X booting system in FireWire enclosure, is recommended; an

enclosure sporting FW400 and 7200-RPM HDD, with its own AC adapter...

I have some these with partitions, these run full system OS X clones.}

If the computer has or had a File Vault or encrypted partition, compressed

files (system or user) performed at an Admin level, the regular means of

re-setting the password would more difficult. If there was an equivalent of

a Firmware Password, that would usually mean it was on the logic board.

So swapping out hard drives would not effect a removal strategy.

At this point in time, I have not researched the main issue you mention and

have to go offline; still morning here and several real-world issues await me.

Hopefully another helpful ASC user such as BDAqua or another who has

and uses PowerPC Macs and pre OS X systems will see your post & reply.

The ATA/IDE hard disk drive requires a reformat to HFS+ and an OS X suited

to the hardware version your iBook G4 has. The MacBook system install is

not intended nor will it be likely to function as such. About all that may work

on the Intel-install DVD is disk utility, you could see if startup with C key held

will boot from that inappropriate install disc, to run its Disk Utility from menu.

There is a format for Intel-based Mac (GUID) do not use that. The PPC uses

an Apple Format pre-dating what works in the Intel-based versions.

Good luck!