Ibook G4 will not boot up

Help- My ibook G4 will not boot up. When I Turn the computer on the apple symbol shows up and the clock continues to spin. I tried to start it up from the disk and at first I could select my hard drive, but then the start up failed. When I tried to start it up again I was no longer able to select my hard drive.
From there I ran the hardware test function and when it tested the memory I got an error message MEM/104/.../BUILTIN. I can't remember the exact message but that is the part that I do remember.
Does anyone have any idea what is wrong with my computer?

Hi rdconners
That sounds like your onboard RAM is defective. Unfortunately that RAM is not replaceable only the logic board it sits on.
If you add some RAM to the single expansion slot you will be able to get it going again.
regards roam

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IBook G3 will not boot

Hello. Recently my mother's iBook G3 decided to stop booting. The information I have seems to suggest that the Open Firmware is gone, yet the information also suggests it's still there.
When I power the machine on, it makes the "Bong!" noise, but never illuminates the screen. The backlight never comes on, and as far as I can tell, no image is sent to the screen (in fact, I don't even think any power is getting to the screen). The hard disk will spin up, I can hear some disk access going on, and then it stops. The disc is still spinning, and nothing happens. I've let the machine sit for up to 20 minutes with no change.
My first guess was a bad hard disk. To test this, I put the iBook in Target Disk Mode. Much to my surprise, the machine powered on, and obediently went into TDM, complete with the Firewire emblem dancing around the screen. I connected the iBook to my MacBook Pro through a 6-pin FireWire cable, and after letting the machine sit for a bit, I eventually got access to the hard disk. Disk Utilities showed that there was no problem with the disk, and I was able to back up my mother's files with no problem.
This is where I started to think the OS is damaged, and I attempted to boot from the Apple Hardware Test CD that came with the iBook. This was, however, a moot point as it seems the optical drive no longer likes to read CDs. I'd test this by duplicating the CD onto a DVD, but I don't think Combo drives read DVDs, do they? (honestly, it's been so long I can't remember if they do or don't)
I then tried using Super Duper! to copy the disc onto my flash drive, which didn't work (I think that might have to do with the fact that Super Duper! used a GUID partition table, instead of the Apple Partition Map). I also happened to have an external USB DVD-RW drive lying around, but it doesn't seem that the iBook likes booting from that either.
I have also tried booting the iBook into the Disk Chooser screen (holding down option while booting) but that gets me nowhere. I've balanced a battery onto the Option key and let it sit for about ten minutes and got nowhere.
I zapped the PRAM/NVRAM and got nothing. I tried booting into Open Firmware, and got nothing. I tried booting my MacBook Pro into Target Disk Mode and connecting it to the iBook, and getting to the Disk Chooser on the iBook in an attempt to use my MacBook Pro as a $3,000 FireWire DVD-RW drive, but that got nowhere (I know this method works, because I used my iBook G4 as a disk drive for a friend with another G3 iBook which also had a shot optical drive).
I'm quite lost here. On one hand, information seems to suggest that the Open Firmware is shot to ****, but if that was true, I shouldn't have been able to zap the PRAM/NVRAM with the correct key combo. Nor should I have been able to access Target Disk Mode, or get the Boot Bong. This suggests that the hard disk is dead, but that isn't supported by the Target Disk Mode letting me access the disk, and it shouldn't interfere with the Open Firmware.
I'm going to try a couple more things, but at this point, I don't know how far I can get in repairing this without
A) Opening up the computer and replacing the optical drive or the hard disk
B) Booting via USB (is that possible with the G3?)
C) Advice from others
Thanks all for your help!

I'm pretty sure an iBook G3 will not boot from a USB external device, but only from a FireWire external device. So if you want to try booting from an external optical drive, it will need to be a Firewire drive. If you want to try booting from an external hard drive, it will need to be a Firewire drive and the partition scheme will have to be the Apple Partition map.
I have used Super Duper to clone my iBook G4 both onto a drive with the GUID partition scheme and onto a drive with the Apple partition map. I could access files from either one, but could only boot the machine from the one with the Apple Partition map. I don't know why you weren't able to clone the drive onto the USB drive.
There is a kb article that may be helpful, although it sounds like you've tried the steps in it:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573?viewlocale=en_US
If the hard drive in the G3 is the original, then it is around 6 years old, and could well be going south. Even though you have been able to retrieve the files, it may have problems that won't let the G3 boot from it any more. And it doesn't sound like you have anything else the G3 could boot from since you only have USB devices.
It may well be that the iBook has logic board problems as Ronda suggests, and the pressure test is well worth doing. It's also possible that the ATA bus on the logic board has failed and that is why the iBook won't boot from hard drive. I believe that the optical drive is on the same bus, although it could just be bad.
If you have a firewire external drive that you could set up with the Apple partition map, you could try doing a Super Duper clone onto that, and then see if it would boot from the external. If the pressure test does not get the iBook to boot, the next thing to try would be to try to boot from an external firewire device, which does not use the ATA bus. If that works, you can boot from the external indefinitely.
Good luck!

IBook G3 will not boot! Hangs at "Waiting for Apple Files"

My iBook g3 will not boot past the "Waiting for Apple Files", Blue screen. I have tried everything from http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107210 to http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214. I only have a Panther OSX 10.3 Update CD. Someone please help me!

Mark:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
I am not sure why you tried replacing the NetInfo database, or what effect that may have or have had on your startup. Here is where I would start:
Reset PRAM and Safe Boot
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2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Turn on the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
5. Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the third time.
6. Release the keys.
7. Immediately hold down the "Shift" key until grey apple appears. This will make the computer start up in Safe Mode
8. Log in and empty Trash if needed.
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Chuck:
Unlike OS X, OS 9 can be copied by dragging from another computer or from a backup on CD or an external HDD. However, you must have OS 9 drivers installed. All you need to do it to drag the System Folder and the OS 9 Applications folder.
Another option would be to boot from the OS X install disk holding down the "C" key. Go to the installer menu and open Disk Utility. Erase the partition in question. Then try booting from the OS 9 installer. Again, OS 9 drivers must be installed or you have to reformat the whole HDD.
While OS X and OS 9 can live together happily on the same HDD/Partition, having it on a separate partition allows you to startup in OS 9 and retain OS X as your default boot drive by Option Booting.
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Does squeezing the case to the left of the trackpad allow you to start up and work for a bit as long as you keep the pressure on it there? If so, it is the logic board at fault.

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Hi, and welcome to Apple Support Communities.
Do you have the original system discs that came with the iBook when it was new?
Do you have the Install disc for the version of the OS that is installed now?
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http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US

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Well, since I don't know your level of expertise, it's hard to advise you. Take a look at the online instructions:
http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/50.12.0.html
http://www.powerbooktech.com/knowledge,name-Hard-Drive,type-6.htm
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Ibook will not boot

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Hi, and welcome to Apple Discussions.
If the iBook is on, shut it off.
Push the power button, and as the startup chime is ending, hold down the x key. This should allow you to boot into OS X.
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http://www.bombich.com/mactips/openfirmware.html

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No problem; I usually answer good questions already solved. (It's for the search engine.) Here's how to wipe a corporate or government ATA hard drive.
Should you be concerned about spies, industrial and foreign, or even you own personal information, there is a standard method of erasing ATA disks that contain government classified information. Most ATA disks have it built in (and is a concern when purchasing computers for classified research). It's extreme, but sometimes necessary: information otherwise remains stored on 'bad' blocks, &c.
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http://ata.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/ATASecureErase
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If Darwin doesn't have it, or if it doesn't work, LiveCD distributions, such as Mint, Berry, & those of major distributions can be found here:
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Checking HFS Plus volume.
Checking Extents Overflow file.
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Could be. Is it that the display is blank but the system is running???? If so, what if you connect an External Monitor.
My iBook has been having Logic Board issues similar to what you say though, but it's because of a chip on the lower side of the board that become desoldered. I ended up putting a small piece of rubber onto it to apply pressure onto the chip once I reapplied the case/undercover. It works & I backed up everything, but it sometime acts up again with similar symptoms as your iMac.

Ibook G4 will not boot up

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