Dying G4 iBook

Hi folks, I'm at a loose end.
My g4's just over a year old now and yesterday when I opened the lid from sleep mode it wouldn't recover.
(Over the last week, it has started crashing occasionally, but never this bad...)
Upon removing the battery to reboot it, a pattern emerged of either:
-no sounds but fan spins up and remains on;
-occasional startup sound and nothing else;
-very occasionally the machine will start up fully.
I've managed to run the hardware diagnostics once and everything passed. Am worried that I've got an intermittent fault with some hardware.
After a full re-install of OS 10.3, it's still not working...
Has anyone suffered anything similar?
Many thanks in advance, John

Guys, I too have been using various platforms and machine types for 15 years now and I do have fond memories of using brand new cutting edge LC II's in school.
My issue is tech support and the apparent roughshod approach that Apple is taking over owners of iBooks. It is clear that the G3 logic board replacement program needs to be extended to G4's and I have a hunch that it's graphics related. Maybe ATi need to get on-board (excuse the pun.)
It doesn't help that Apple referred me to a British retailer, called PC World, for tech support. They don't support mac hardware...
Another solution would be to release logic boards for a reasonable price if people are willing to install them by themselves. £400 is not reasonable for a board that must be at least 18-24 months old. (Huh, just noticed the cpu's copied for 2002.)
On a more positive note, some people have suggested that I search or replacements on eBay, was thinking of looking for a model with a bust screen as a donor. Do you guys know of cross-compatible boards (i.e. different processor speeds) and at a long shot, will the 14 inch model board fit?
Cheers, J

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Old ibook has died; Can I get my thesis off hard-drive and on to macbook?

Howdy,
My trusty old ibook has finally died (which is understandable; it is some six years old and has been around the world with me, and has served me well)... however, i didn't have the foresight to get some very important files (my thesis among them) backed up elsewhere...
When I attempt to turn on the ibook, the screen stays black, i hear one or two chirps, and then nothing... if i put my ear close, i can hear the extremely soft sound of something spinning (the harddrive, i assume).
I have attempted to access the ibook harddrive by connecting it to my new macbook via firewire and starting up the ibook while pressing "T", but to no avail; it does not appear on the macbook as a disk, or anything at all.
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Dewfall:
Ronda's suggestion to try Disk Warrior is a good idea. Actually there are three excellent directory maintenance and repair utilities (including Disk Warrior): Tech Tool Pro, Disk Warrior and DriveGenius
These all do a great job of repairing directories and have revived many a seemingly dead HDD. TechTool Pro and DriveGenius do a number of other things, and even they you purchase one of these and it does not work, it is a good tool to have in your toolkit. I own both TechTool Pro and Disk Warrior and use one or the other at least monthly.
However, your main concern at the moment is to rescue your data, and if the drive is viable at all, placing it in an enclosure and connecting to another mac will help. The directions linked in my earlier post are very explicit and helpful. The enclosure linked there is the best price I have seen anywhere, and it does have the more reliable Oxford 911+ chipset. If you decide to remove the HDD here are few tips you may find helpful:
• Print out the ifixit directions as well as the screw guide ahead of time.
• Be sure you have the right tools. You don't want to damage the screw heads or you may never get them out. And the Torx 8 screw driver is critical.
• I use small medicine cups one for the screws in each step. I nest them so that the last ones out and the first to go back in are on top. You can use an ice cube tray, egg carton, dixie cups etc. (Some users report cutting up the screw guide and placing the applicable section in each container.)
• Be very careful pulling out leads. Hold the lead as close to the plug as possible and wiggle (the plug ) to loosen its grip. Don’t hold the wires and pull as that can damage the cable, or worse, in some instances pull the wires out of the plug. Use needle nose pliers if you can access the plug, or nudge the plug with a small instrument to help loosen its grip.
• Use force gently in removing parts. Separating upper and lower case takes some doing. Use a plastic tool (spudge) so as not to leave marks.
• Refer to the screw guide when reassembling computer. Putting longer screws in the wrong place can perforate the circuit board.
Please do post back should you have further questions or comments.
Cheers
cornelius

=( My iBook is still dead!!! (with included symptoms of a dying iBook)

I bought my iBook last May2004. I loved my iBook and took really good care of it. After one year of usage, all of a sudden my iBook stopped working -- a month after my warranty had expired... It all started with the "sleeping problem" -- when it didn't want to go to sleep even after my lid was already down... there were even times when it got really hot in my bag because it didn't sleep... then sooner the problem got worst... it wouldn't boot normaly -- it would boot 1 out of 4 times of trying to boot-it-up... I also got the weird screen with different funky colors... then one day, all I hear is my iBooks fan when I press the power button... I brought it to the Mac Shop in the Philippines and they are charging me about P30,000 ($555-US) because they said it "might" be the logic board. I decided not to get it fixed here because I couldn't afford such amount... when I went to pick it up and got their invoice, their invoice mentioned "probable logic board failure"... the word "probable" kinda smells fishy... did they really check what was the problem?... ANYWAYS,... 5 after I took it back from the shop I decided to remove the battery and let it sit there for awhile...3 months after, I used my power cord to power up my laptop and used my boot cd to boot up my iBook...supprisingly, it worked... then I decided to shut my laptop off and get my battery charging... after my battery was fully charged, i turned my laptop on again and it was still working... , i unplugged my power cord and left my laptop running on battery and it still worked...BUT,... when I got tired of enjoying my again working iBook, I put my laptop in a sleep mode by closing its lid... then its LCD lights didn't automaticaly turn-off like usual even if the lid was already down... so I opened it again and pressed my space button to try to get it running but now it just went to a blank screen... again, all I hear is a fan when I turn it on and that was the last of it working... what's up with my beloved iBook?... I personaly know 7 other people (friends)experiencing the problem -- not including those I've meet in the internet -- you don't wanna know how many they are. PLEASE HELP! MY iBOOK is still DEAD!!!!!!
Note: Phrases that are underlined and are in bold letters are the usual symptoms of a dying iBook G4. Believe me. I've search all over this discussion board since 2005 and all I see are people expressing their deep sorrow and grief about their dead iBook G4. I miss me iBook so much and all that is in it. It is still sitting in my bag waiting to be resurrected. A few days ago I planned to get a MacBook because I really missed my iBook, but upon stumbling upon this Discussion Board again, I still feel much dissatisfaction from both old and new users of iBooks and MacBooks -- from the same logic board issues. I dare you find it out yourself by surfing around this Discussion Board.
To those who are in my shoes: "I feel your agony"
To those who's iBook still works: "You're one of the lucky few...but just wait...huh."
To those who are planning to buy one: "True. iBooks and MacBooks are really cool with very cool design and very good OS. But my friend, think it over plenty of times. Im not telling you to not buy one but its really painful to wake-up one day and your beloved iBook/MacBook is DEAD and its now just as useful as a paperweight or probably a doorjam or maybe even a cutting board. Believe me, I know."
Unless APPLE would decide to backup their systems with a 3year warranty(WHY NOT?), I wouldn't....
Mr. Steve Jobs, Sir, with full respect, that's my dare to you.
ilogboy
Feb. 21, 2007
iBook G4:1064MHZ/256MB/40GB/COMBO Mac OS X (10.3)

on some G4 iBooks similar problems could be caused by display cables - they wear out and can cause electric short
or color issues.
in any case it supposed to be diagnosed properly.

My iBook is dying?

Hi, I have an iBook G4. In the last month, it has been having some issues. First of all it started to shutdown randomly, and when it is off, it doesn't start unless I take out the battery.
Also the display when off the other day, but the computer was still on.
Is muy iBook dying?
How can I fix it? If I erase all the data and start all over, would that help?

Tom:
Since you do not specify which iBook you have click here and navigate to your iBook, the click on HD replacement for step by step directions.
In terms of tools, you can get the tools from ifixit. Look in the right sidebar under required tools.
Here are few tips you may find helpful:
• Print out the ifixit directions as well as the screw guide ahead of time.
• Be sure you have the right tools. You don't want to damage the screw heads or you may never get them out. And the Torx screw driver is critical. For a spudge I use the handle of an old toothbrush (choose one made of hard plastic), cut off the brush and bevelled the handle end like a flat blade screw driver).
• Picking up on one user’s suggestion, I clicked on the pages of each step which involved removing screws to enlarge, then printed out the pages. I poked holes in the paper where the screws were removed, poked the screws in the holes and stacked the pages in order in which there were removed. Reassembling was a lot easier. No cups to tip over and spill. No guessing. Each screw was exactly in the right place. You can use an ice cube tray, egg carton, dixie cups etc. I previously used small medicine cups one for the screws in each step. I nested them so that the last ones out and the first to go back in are on top. (Some users report cutting up the screw guide and placing the applicable section in each container.)
• Be very careful pulling out leads. Hold the lead as close to the plug as possible and wiggle (the plug ) to loosen its grip. Don’t hold the wires and pull as that can damage the cable, or worse, in some instances pull the wires out of the plug. Indeed, some users have pulled the socket off the logic board! Use needle nose pliers or tweezers if you can access the plug, or nudge the plug with a small instrument to help loosen its grip.
• Use force gently in removing parts. Separating upper and lower case takes some doing. Use a plastic tool (spudge) so as not to leave marks.
• Refer to the screw guide when reassembling computer. Putting longer screws in the wrong place can perforate the circuit board.
cornelius

Ibook g4 has died with a dvd inside. How can I get the dvd out?

Have an ibook G4 at work. The computer will no longer turn on. Seems like the hard drive has died because the battery is still lighting up. I have a dvd in the computer, though. How can I get it out when the computer won't boot up?

HI,
Even though the iBook won't boot, try the suggestions here just in case.
How to eject your disc
If you have another Mac and a Firewire cable, you may be able to use Target Disk Mode to eject the disc in the iBook. How to use and troubleshoot FireWire target disk mode
Carolyn

Ibook g4s / dying out?

is it just me or does there seem to be a noticeably greater number of 'ibook, blue or black screen, hard drive dying, cold restart, etc ...' posts lately? i wonder because my 5 year old machine just gave up the ghost on the weekend. (yes, it was due to that mentioned above.) (i type this from a nice and new and shiny macbook.) are we witnessing a 'critical mass' of faulty parts? i must note however, i replaced my machine gladly because, a. the repairs were too costly, (@$400) and b. i felt that since the g4 has given me nothing but stellar service over the past half decade, i couldn't complain. raymond.

raymond:
Congratulations on your new MacBook! Five happy years with an iBook G4 is great!
iBooks, both G3 and G4 have been plagued with hardware issues, notably a variety of logic board issues. Yes, you see quite a few of them in these forums. Unfortunately the millions of iBook users who have not had issues and are happily computing on their iBooks don't post here, so we hear only of the problems experienced with iBooks, but not of those who are perfectly happy with them.
One of my sons-in-law has an iBook G4 14" 1.33 GHz, and he ran into serious issues with his iBook. After swapping out the HDD a couple of times he passed it to me to see if I could help. I soon found that the ATA Controller failed. The computer works perfectly fine for him booting from an external firewire HDD. On the other hand one of my other daughters also has iBook G4 of the same vintage. Apart from some occasional OS maintenance I do for her, she is perfectly happy with her iBook G4 1.33 GHz. I have a long thread about my son's-in-law iBook in this forum, but not a word about my daughter's. That by way of illustration.
Donating your iBook to be repaired and recycled will extend the happy years you had with it to someone else. What a deal!
cornelius

_ (Help, my iBook is dying)

<html>
<title>
Help
</title>
<body>
I think my iBook contracted an STD after playing with his buddy, the iMac G5.
(N.B. the iMac is not relevant to the problem, just like the <html> codes[I'm bored!?])
But anyways, my iBook is a 1.33 14 inch. I got it in December 2004 (X-Mas) I use it every single day of my life! But now my battery is dying, it dies at a rate of 1% per minute ± Therefore MAX operating time is ±1.4 Hours. I do not turn off my iBook ever, I sleep it.
But anyways in XRG (X Resource Graph) my current is given as about 1400 mAh. Less then half from december last year (2900). My iBook is no longer under warranty and I have no money for a new battery. I'm wondering if anyone else has dead battery issues?
If so can anyone help me get over my iBook's Terminal illness?
</body>
</html>

Why! My poor iBook's life has been shortened by so long. It's still a young computer. Better save up for a new battery for X-mas. By then I'll probably get a new one for the same price!
Why Are iBook batteries quoted to last so long? Are people expected to only use their batteries for a month then replace them? I just think that the rate of deterioration is far to great! Just say, If I had applecare, which I don't, would I get a new battery or replacement of some type?

IBook died. Panthr. Can to save/transfr info to another Mac? with Tiger?

Let's say a person for some reason didn't have a back up.
And then his iBook G4 stopped working and was advised not worth fixing cuz could buy a better, upgraded, but used Mac computer.
Can his info, all his docs and bookmarks and favorites, etc., everything, still be transfered from broke iBook to another Mac (a better mac, tho used.)?
Just take out the hard disc with all the info and somehow transfer that to a better mac?
And could he do that even tho his old Mac was Panther, and if a replacement mac had Tiger or Leopard on it? Would that work? Or would he have to remove Tiger or Leopard from the newer Mac and replace it with Panther to accept transfer of his older contents. And then assume he would have to go through normal upgrade procedures from Panther.
Oh, he's so confused.
But so thankful for your help.

Some of the answers depends upon the "better mac". The other big question is why did the other computer die? Was it the drive that failed, in which case there is no point?
To keep it simple, in all likelihood you couldn't just swap the drives and expect it to boot another computer unless the new one happened to be identical to the first. What would be easy would be to put that drive into an external enclosure, or get one of those adapter things that don't need an enclosure, and copy off all your files, or just turn it into an external drive for backup, etc. Since this drive is coming from a laptop I don't think it will fit in a desktop without an adapter, and laptops don't have room for two drives (I don't think, never having owned one myself). You can have two drives attached to a computer, or even in a computer. The format of your old drive is compatible with Tiger and Leopard for the purposes of reading files, but as I said before I wouldn't try to boot from it, especially not if the new computer is a new Intel machine.
If it were me, I would get an external firewire enclosure, and put the drive in it. I would then attach it to my new computer and copy off my data files. I would then wipe the old drive and use it for backup or data storage. Some of this will also depend upon the size of the old drive. If it is a 20GB drive it is hardly worth the trouble of continuing to use it and the expense of an enclosure and I would just find (maybe borrow) a suitable enclosure for long enough to copy off data files.

Hard drive on my mac died, installed new hard drive. When I try to sync my phone for the first time, will the computer wipe all the songs, photos, ibooks from my phone?

hard drive on my mac died, installed new hard drive. When I try to sync my phone for the first time, will the computer wipe all the songs, photos, ibooks from my phone?

Yes because that information is not located on the hard-drive of your new mac! If it is purchased content from the store, than this issue isn't as bad as it looks!
Here is a link explaining how to get your previously purchased content back:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
You also want to authorize your Apple ID account on the computer by following these instructions as well:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH1730
Basically this link explains to go to the top left corner of your screen where you will see file, edit, view etc! Click on Store in that section and click on authorize this computer, also you want to make sure that the computer will not automatically sync by going to iTunes in the top left corner, just to the right of the apple symbol if iTunes is selected, and go to prefrences, and here you will see back up! Right under the back-ups has an option explaining to prevent devices from automatically syncing which is good cause you may be able to transfer your purchases from there which will put your content into the computer, and if that happens than we don't lose anything
Hopefully I was of some help:)

IBook G4 died.... what to do?

My iBook G4 1.2GHz died, presumably because of a small machine screw I discovered that had shaken loose from inside.
At first the computer would just lock randomly, and the display would freeze up with vertical lines. The freezing became more frequent over a couple of days, until finally the computer just refused to power up at all. I attempted to reset PRAM and PMU to no effect.
Now when I attempt to power on there is no chime. I hear the optical drive crank and hard drive spin up, but the screen does not light and there is no further drive activity. The machine is then totally unresponsive unless I reset the PMU again, which then only lets me try to power up again with the same results.
I pulled the hard drive and placed it into an enclosure, it works fine.
Power is getting to the hard drive, optical drive, and keyboard (caps lock light toggles).
Neither the LCD nor external display will show anything
The AC adapter and battery are known to be working, and the symptoms are the same from either power source.
I figured the logic board must have went bad, presumably thanks to that loose screw bouncing around and causing havoc. I can do my own repairs, so I ordered a replacement logic board off eBay. However, after a smooth replacement the iBook exhibited the EXACT same symptoms, except that occasionally the LCD backlight would power up with the replacement logic board.
It appears I have a lemon replacement board from my eBay seller, but my question is whether anything else could caused these symptoms. I can't imagine what that would be though. Any ideas?
Thanks,
-Dan

Dan,
Of course it is possible that you're right about the screw. Where did it come from?
It's a 12"... does this mean both logic boards have fried graphics chips then?
Not necessarily
I never got the chance to see the vertical lines problem with the replacement board since the machine won't boot... no matter which logic board I try now it won't boot.
OK let's look at one at a time
Is the inability to boot, no chime, etc also symptomatic of the failed chip?
Yes but the other problem is possibly U28 on the bottom of the board. Examine that chip carefully with a strong magnifier. Does the soldering look good?
Here Corey does a shim fix:
http://www.coreyarnold.org/ibook/
OK let's go back to the first one and try to boot it with a shim placed on the
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 4x AGP graphics processor chip.
When you put the book back together it's the one under the heat sink with ATI written on it. It's the last of the three down. Put a piece of cardboard between the heat sink and the chip. Better a thermal pad but for this test the chip doesn't put out that much heat.
The ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 4x AGP has a known failure rate and is infamous in Dell, Sony, IBM and Compaq notebooks. Since you saw lines at one point we're trying to find out if it's the ball grid array that has failed.
Does anyone know if Apple covers this flaw out of warranty?
No they did on the G3s but so far nothing on the G4s except in Denmark.
Richard

IBook-always amber, always calculating, always dying!

About a week ago I gave up and went to buy a new adapter because mine basically got ripped apart with use. I got the new one, and it wouldn't charge. It stayed "calculating" all the while decreasing in power left and the amber light was on. Computer died, and my husband jiggled everything around, and somehow it charged. Now for about a week it will randomly start flashing between calculating and battery power. When the battery dies the adapter does not keep my laptop on. I have remedied it in the past week by unplugging the adapter from my laptop for a few moments, then plugging it back in. That usually set it right and back to charging. It's not working this time. Suggestions? I can't really afford to buy a new battery if that's not the problem. :/

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
When you mention that "jiggling around" will help it to work intermittantly, it may be that the DC In Board has gone bad. This is the place where you plug the power adaptor into the iBook--does it seem loose or have the pins bent? If the power adaptor is not making good contact here, this could result in the type of problems you are having. The DC In Board can be replaced.
If the contact is good and the DC In Board is good, then you can run the iBook as long as you like, even with no battery present. It sounds like yours is mostly running off the battery and it's getting to where the battery won't charge.
You could try resetting the PMU and see if this helps, but if the problem is with the DC In board, it will still be there.
If you have access to an Apple Store, you might be able to take it in and see if a genius can confirm that this is what it needs. I have heard of this repair costing a little over $100 at some places. Or you could even do it yourself --you can go to the following site and see what is involved:
http://www.ifixit.com/
Good luck!

Ibook 1.2Ghz suddenly died - help please.

The machine is 18 months old, has a new battery and i've never had any problems with it. While using it this morning the machine just died. It restarted again with no ill effects, bar the clock resetting. However, thirty minutes later the same thing happened. This time, grey vertical lines preceded the shutdown.
Now, approximately one in three times the machine will start up normally - only to shut down after one or two minutes. All files and folders appear present and correct during this time. The rest of the time, the fans spin up to full speed and nothing else happens.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi Padraig,
Welcome to Apple Discussions
Was the menu bar blinking? Have you deleted anything recently, maybe a font/language? You may want to try starting up in Safe Mode (Knowledge Base Document #107393 on How to Startup In Safe Mode). Do you have another user account? If so try logging into that one and see if you run into the same problem. Do you have the original install disc that came with your computer? Have you tried booting from it? You may want to look at..
Knowledge Base Document #106214 on Troubleshooting Startup Issues
Knowledge Base Document #301170 about The utilities available on the Mac OS X 10.4 Install DVD
Checking the S.M.A.R.T. status of your hard disk (Disk Utility 10.5)
With Disk Utility you can also verify and repair the disk. Do you have an external monitor that you could hook you iBook up to? You may also want to look at Knowledge Base Document #300552 on My computer won't turn on (Display troubleshooting.
Jon
Mac Mini 1.42Ghz, iPod (All), Airport (Graphite & Express), G4 1.33Ghz iBook, G4 iMac 1Ghz, G3 500Mhz, iBook iMac 233Mhz, eMate, Power Mac 5400 LC, PowerBook 540c, Macintosh 128K, Apple //e, Apple //, and some more... Mac OS X (10.4.5) Moto Razr, iLife '06, SmartDisk 160Gb, Apple BT Mouse, Sight..

IBook G4 HD sudden DYing after 18 month.. Apple Times It????

My iBook G4 1 Mhz 12 inch worked perfectly for about 17 month....
All of a sudden i few days ago i started to hear some slight noeses in HD
and today it startet to sound like a Motobike engine!!
After restart same Motobike engine HD noise and no go beyond Apple Logo...
my good friend bought the same iBook at the same time and his HD died two weeks before Warranty end , so Apple replaced it.
What am i to do to safe my Harddisk or Data?
Is Apple times this that we all go and by new product each 2 years ...?
any tips ideas - much, much appreciated
milka

Hi Milka,
...but i got iMac G4 running Tiger, is there a way i could back up my failed iBook HD in FW target mode?
1. With both Macs switched off, connect them together with a firewire cable.
2. Switch on the iMac and hold the "T" key until it goes into FWTDM
3. Switch on the iBook and hold down the Option(alt) key. Within the Startup Manager screen select the iMac hd and click on the arrow.
Dependant on the damage you may not see the iBook's hd on the desktop and it may take several restarts using the above procedure. It's your only way though, given what you currently have, in retrieving the data from your iBook's hd. No guarantees and I genuinely do wish you success in retrieving your data.
There are companies out there who specialise in data retrieval. They charge a lot of money though and give no guarantees of success. I suppose it depends on what value you place on your data as to whether you go down this route or not.
On a wider issue, hard drives do fail regardless of whether they are installed in a Mac or a PC. This is an innescapable fact. Some last months others years but at some point they will fail. This is why it is so important to backup on a regular basis.
I backup religiously on a daily basis... sometimes twice daily. A couple of months ago the internal hd in my PowerBook decided to go "belly up". No problem... I just connected the external firewire hd where I keep an up to date clone of the internal hd and continued working almost virtually from where I left off. When time allowed, I bought an 80 GB hd, installed it in my PowerBook and re-cloned everything from the external hd back to the new internal hd.
Backup, Backup, Backup, Backup, Backup, Backup, Backup, Backup!!!

Dying G4 iBook

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