IBook G4 - DEAD?

I know this sort of problem is all over the discussions pages, but I have yet to find an exact answer for this problem.
My wife's iBook G4 (10.3.9), which we use all the time, has suddenly stopped completely. It was running normally right up to the time I shut down last night. When I tried to start it this morning, the only thing that happens is that the fan runs at its highest speed and the screen stays black, in fact other than the fan running, nothing else is happening. Now of course, I can't put my install disc in because the computer hasn't booted and the disc can't be inserted. (it's like trying to insert the CD when the computer is switched off).
Is this the end of an (until now) otherwise perfect iBook?
If this needs a logic board replacement, is that an expensive thing to have done, or am I better off just buying a newer iBook?
This iBook was purchased (brand-new) in late November 2004, so it's only 14 months old, and of course, out of warranty.
Any ideas gratefully accepted!
Thanks to all.
Michael R.
G5 2.0 Ghz DP PowerMac Mac OS X (10.4.1)
G5 2.0 Ghz DP PowerMac Mac OS X (10.4.1)
G5 2.0 Ghz DP PowerMac Mac OS X (10.4.1)

It would appear that the Logic Board repair program
is for G3 iBooks only.
Indeed.
And yet my 12" iBook G4, also purchased in Nov 2004, has just died as well. Coincidence, or programmed obsolescence?
A new logic board plus DC-in board will set me back AUD1350, more than the computer cost me 14 months ago. Clearly, we didn't get the extended AppleCare warranty. I expect a machine that is rarely moved between the home office and work, and never abused, to last longer than this.
We were too stupid to add it to home and contents insurance as a portable possession. And my employer's insurance won't cover 'personal laptops' even though I require it for my work.
So it looks like I'll be trawling the web looking for logic boards in machines with dead hard-drives or LCD displays, because I'll be damned if I'm spending another $1200+ for faulty equipment that Apple doesn't recognise as faulty.

Similar Messages

IBook with dead display (i think)?

Hi, I have an ibook that needs desperate help.
I was having problems with it in October last year with the carbonlib which i posted about here:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=738743#738743
Before i managed to try to update the carbonlib it crashed and since october i have been unable to boot the machine at all. I just bought the Dual G4 Powermac before christmas which was just £250 on eBay (bargain of the year) and added ram and got the PCI USB 2.0 card* from a Windoze box runnning in it. OK so now i can fix the iBook (i hope).
All i get is the startup tone and all the regular noises (hard disk, etc) until it attempts to load the grey apple and the spinning icon when all i get on the screen is a brief flash of some dark grey horizontal bars then back to a black screen.
The iBook seems to keep loading for a few seconds after this but then just goes dead with a black screen. I've also tried booting from my original OS install CDs and from my new Tiger DVD but with the exact same results only with CD drive activity for a short while instead of hard disk.
I've tried loading it using the hardware test CD which gets the Screen to flash a second time onto a more solid looking grey screen but again only for a fraction of a second.
I think it looks like the graphics chip is somehome not responding but the resto the machine is fine. ANY suggestions will help as i'm stumped and don't have applecare anymore so its going to be very expensive i suspect.
Thanks
SEB
*(incidentally it is an ALI chipset with three rear ports (on the card) and three front ones which fit nicely in instead of the zip drive. I had massive problems with the card and atatched devices with the supplied drivers, so i did an archive and install and simply let Tiger deal with the card and now the only problem is my Video iPod wont connect to the USB 2 ports (a common one i've seen), however i am running a d-link DWL-122 wireless adapter, a standard usb bluetooth adapter, a canon i350 printer, a HP635 digital camera, and an external 2.5in USB 2.0 hard disk (the original 30GB disk from my ibook that lost its S.M.A.R.T status but still works) in various combinations and at full speed for each device. Hope thats usefull to someone too)
iBook G4 12in (800mhz, 640MB, 40GB) Mac OS X (10.4.3) Powermac G4 (Dual G4 450mhz, 768 MB, 20GB, PCI USB 2.0)
iBook G4 12in (800mhz, 640MB, 40GB) Mac OS X (10.4.3) Powermac G4 (Dual G4 450mhz, 768 MB, 20GB, PCI USB 2.0)

Wow how stupid do i feel, almost 8 weeks and all i had to do was reset the PRAM properly!!!! I though i was competent with a mac but it just goes to show! - measure twice cut once!! I'm just watching it through an archive and install and we should be operational.
SEB
Still... i've got a powermac now that i probably wouldn't have got if my ibook hadn't been out of service.
iBook G4 12in (800mhz, 640MB, 40GB) Mac OS X (10.4.3) Powermac G4 (Dual G4 450mhz, 768 MB, 20GB, PCI USB 2.0)

Can't get ibook with dead screen to display on a TV

My G3 ibook has a dead screen. I want to make it work like a desktop by using a TV as an external monitor. I have a video output to TV connection adapter cord. I can power up the ibook and I can hear the music CD playing... that makes me think everything is working except for the screen. But no picture comes on the TV after boot up. I have a feeling that a setting called "Video Mirroring" needs to be activated, or no output will go to the TV through the combo S-video/composite adapter cord. But without the ability to see any display on the ibook, how can I activate this setting?, is there an apple command that can be made without seeing any display on the ibook? Please help with any ideas.

I have a video output to TV connection adapter cord. I can power up the ibook and I can hear the music CD playing...
Just to be absolutely clear, which "adapter cord" do you have? If you have the Apple A/V Cable or an iPod A/V Cable plugged into your headphone port, you won't get video through if you have an 800MHz G3 iBook. You will need the Apple Video Adapter (and an s-video or composite video cable). As you've discovered, you can keep your "cord" to get the audio from your headphone port to the TV, though.
-Doug

I think my iBook is dead...

This really burns me up. I've owned two Apple laptops now, and both died within a few weeks of having them. I thought that Apples were the most reliable computers out there?
Anyway, up until about ten minutes ago, this iBook hasn't given me any trouble at all, aside from a battery issue. Anyway I was just casually perusing the internet for maybe 10 minutes. I then had put the iBook down for 2 minutes to help my girlfriend do something. When I went back, the computer was kind of frozen; I could move the mouse around but couldn't do anything else. I then closed the lid to try to put it to sleep--no luck. When I opened it, the screen kind of flickered and some lines flickered across the screen. It did that for maybe 5 seconds and then the screen went blank. I tried to put the comptuer to sleep by closing the lid, but no luck. I then shut it down by holding the power button. Now I can't get it to turn on again.
So is this a dead logic board? This stinks. It was already replaced once; why would it die again? I was just starting to like Apples again after the last failure...

You may want to calling (800) 767-2775 and ask for Customer Relations (NOT Customer Service--they can't help you) and ask them to please make an exception to the three-year limit in your case.
It has been suggested by a couple of engineers who posted in the Displays Forum that picking it up by the left front corner alone can cause enough flexing of the case to make the solder of the graphics chip come loose from the logic board, causing this failure. The recommendation is to never pick it up by the left front corner alone. If you're picking it up with your left hand, pick it up in the center of the trackpad.
Other Apple laptops have logic board failures, but not in as great numbers as the iBook G3 (Dual USB).
If you are unwilling to pay to have it fixed, and Apple won't fix it, you may want to try John Sawyer's do-it-yourself fix:
http://discussions.apple.com/messageview.jspa?messageID=1033473
Instructions for removing the lower case can be found here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/50.5.0.html
PowerBook Tech buys non-working iBooks and parts them out, but I have no idea what they pay for them.
Whatever you decide, good luck.

Retrieving info off ibook with dead logic board

our ibook's logic board died, so we bought a new macbook. now we are trying to retrieve stuff off the harddrive of the ibook with firewire.
i followed the steps to use target disk mode, but the ibook starts up with a blue screen and a floating firewire symbol, and nothing shows up on the macbook at all.
the repair guy said nothing was wrong with the hard drive, so why can't i access it?
please help!

jayson,
The C clamp method works for some units because of an open circuit short on the logic board isolated at the video card chip in the lower left hand corner of the unit, about dead center 1.25 inch approx. away from the left/bottom edge of the iBook. By appling pressure to that area the chip is forced back down into the logic board, closing the circuit, and enabling the computer to startup, use the display and not go into kernal panic from a open circuit short. As far as getting data off of the HD, the local tech claimed my HD was erased and there was nothing viewable on it. I took it home, applied some pressure with my my hand and viola all my data, user account etc like nothing had happened...its sad but I am sitting next to my old computer clamped to the table with some cardboard shims for protection. Guess its a desktop now until I get it fixed!

IBook G4 Dead HDD and No OS?

Hey guys thanks for checking out this post and helping me out, so long story short I've got a iBook G4, ( Last model Apple made (14 inch, 1.4 GHz) ) and I got it with a dead HDD and since the HDD was dead there is no OS in it. Im aware that you can buy Leopard or Tiger at eBay or Amazon but for a big price tag, and the HDD is a pain to get to in the iBooks, I changed a HDD in a 2008 Macbook and it was so easy compared to this. So the question I really have is that where can i buy leopard really cheap or if i took it to a local computer repair shop how much would you think they'd charge me for a HDD repair + Leopard installation? I know the G4 is basically obselete but I always loved the White Computers Apple made so I'd love to restore it.
Thanks, JP.

To follow this question at your second posting in its new thread:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5612603?tstart=0
Not sure what else may be a repair on the unit should the symptom be caused by a failed connection on the logic board or a solder joint on either a CPU or GPU module. Companies who specialize can do this kind of re-solder repair, some are better set to do this on a regular basis and have modern facilities to re-solder boards.
I see where wegenermedia.com says they can do these, too.
Good luck & happy computing!

Power surge - ibook g4 DEAD!

Hi, my whole block had a power outage last night. Now my g4 is dead. The battery lights up green and so does the ring around the charger, but it will not start up at all. I've taken the battery out, unplugged the charger, let it sit for a while and then plugged
I understand the next step is to find the CUDA button and reset it, but how do I find this? Seriously, I've looked it up on a million different sites and no explanations are given. Do I need to open up the iBook g4 with screws??! someone please explain to me how to do this, as I have no time to go to the mac store and am illegally posting this from my job.
Thanks!

Hey Userplan9 (From Outer Space?) and Welcome to Apple Discussions,
I understand the next step is to find the CUDA button and reset it, but how do I find this?
In the iBook this function is called the PMU. Here's Apples site on how to reset it:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1431
Richard
Message was edited by: spudnuty

My iBook is dead PLEASE HELP ME OUT!

Hello, i need help pronto! my iBook G4, i always thought it was the best computer ever, i've had Mac for several years now and they always work just fine, but the other day i left my iBook sleeping while it charge the battery and when i came back i tried to turn it on and i notice that the computer was off not sleeping, i wierd smell was comming out of the left down corner of the computer and the computer dont work at all, and the battery never charged! i think that the problem is the power supply, but i can be wrong! im clueless and i really mis my laptop! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi Dead (kinda strange name, especially when you iBook is running again)
Welcome to Apple Discussions
Alright take a deep breath everything is going to be fine. First off what kind of smell? I have noticed over the years that all Macs, when they get hot have a scent. When you try to turn your computer on any vital signs? Sounds? Lights? Anything? You might want to take your computer to your local Apple Store to get an evaluation from a Mac Genius. Respond with specifics about everything, you get better responces. I wouldn't be surprised if you fried it. Maybe surge, but its hard to tell.
I hope that helps,
Jon
PS Everything will be fine!

My iBook is dead

iBook doesn't response my tapping anymore.

Try closing the iBooks app completely and then re-open it and see if it works : from the home screen (i.e.not with the iBooks app 'open' on-screen) double-click the home button to bring up the taskbar, then press and hold any of the apps on the taskbar for a couple of seconds or so until they start shaking, then press the '-' in the top left of the iBooks app to close it, and touch any part of the screen above the taskbar so as to stop the shaking and close the taskbar.
If that doesn't work then you could try a reset : press and hold both the sleep and home buttons for about 10 to 15 seconds (ignore the red slider), after which the Apple logo should appear - you won't lose any content, it's the iPad equivalent of a reboot.

Is my iBook REALLY dead?

G4 iBook 1.33 (mid-2005) 12"
Suddenly within 2 - 10 minutes of booting perfectly, I'd get the 4-language gray translucent alert telling me to hold down the Power button and shut down. Through testing I determined it was some sort of hardware problem. I took it to a Mac store (not an Apple Store) to have a diagnosis. The guy just called and said it's a bad logic board. He said that the reason it works perfectly and then crashes after a few minutes is that once the iBook heats up, whatever is wrong with the logic board is triggered. He said I need to replace the logic board. I don't know squat about logic boards but my intuition tells me that either they work or don't; can it really be that a logic board works perfectly until it reaches a certain temperature and then it doesn't work at all?
iMac G5; iBook G4; Mac Mini G4 Mac OS X (10.4.9)

As I mentioned in my own thread, the best price I
could find on the repair was at DT &
T Computer Services in Fremont, California.
They will fix it for what you would pay for just the
logic board, and they have a six-month warranty on
the repair.
I'd be afraid of buying a used one for fear it would
be the same story.
I think I'm just going to sell it for parts. I could probably get $250 for it. For that plus $550 more, you can get from the Apple Store a refurbished MacBook 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo - White
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
512MB memory
60GB hard drive
Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nplm=FA 254LL/A
I think the money is much better spent here than on a repaired 2005 iBook.

IBOOK IS DEAD!! HELP PLEASE!!

My iBook G4 crashed while I was surfing MySpace. It wouldn't turn off, so I had to take the battery out to get the power off. When I turned on again, the screen went black , but I got the tone you normally hear at startup. Once or twice it has come up with the white screen with the Apple logo... but crashed seconds into it.
I don't have my OS X CD's because they were stolen (along with my 3 year iCare warranty) when my dads car was nicked a few months back. Everything I own is on there - all my music, all the music I created, my only (legit) copy of Pro Tools (those CDs were nicked with the car also)... and so much more.
Please please please someone help me.

Everything was taken from the car... all my driver CDs, all my packaging, a load of studio equipment (over £150's worth of leads alone), my double bed... my gold game boy, clothes... everything.
The only reason I still have the actual machine is because I was writing stuff on it when the car was nicked.
Am I really screwed?
Is it worth trying to get ahold of another OSX CD and seeing if theres anyway I can do an OS reinstall?

Ibook is dead (not a repeat of my other topic)

just for anyone who noticed, i posted another topic similar to this one. I have two ibook g4's and this is a different computer with a different problem. I have an iBook G4 with 1.25 gb of RAM, 1.33 mhz processor, and running the latest version of Leopard. When I try to turn it on, i get to the apple logo and then it gives me the "you must restart your computer" box and is completely frozen. I've booted from the install disk and run the disk utility to repair the disk and repair permissions with no luck. i've reset the pram. it will boot into target disk mode but I haven't been able to test if it will transfer files. any ideas?

Hi Adam,
Hmm, sounds like your drive is failing. Just a hunch.
That is very odd, I just read your previous post and it seems like the drive on your other iBook is also acting up. Were you in a lightning storm or some strong magnetic field lately. Did you take your computers to an MRI machine? Odd to have both drives fail or have issues like this at the same time.
Sounds like your partition might have been corrupted and after the repair it is not readable. If you have access to Disk Warrior or Tech Tool pro you can try to save the data on the disk and then reformat it.
John

IBook Appears 'Dead"

Hi All,
I've an iBook 800MHz G3 14.1 dual USB, about 2002.
It won't start up. I haven't used it in a over a month and when I turned it on yesterday with mains connected it took several attempts start up. I got to the login screen, logged on, the desktop appeared and all seemed normal. I opened Safari then all of a sudden I got random horizontal lines across the screen. OMG!. The whole machine froze. I had to hold down the power button to shut it down. I once again had difficulty restarting and when it finally did the screen misbehaved at the login sceen. I left the iBook to charge for an hour and attempted to start it agin. Same things happened. When I left it last night it was showing 4 lights on the battery. Tonight (24hrs later) and the last battery light is flashing continously. I have reset the PMU (I think) but am unsure about how to reset the PRAM (so many different iBook models). I'm hoping either of these might cure my problem.
Has anyone encountered the same symptoms - better still has anyone a solution.
Thanks,
Seán.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions QTMacGrl. I tried both and still no luck, unfortunately. The only difference is that I now hear the startup sound - so obviuosly the PRAM has been succesfully reset.
When I restart the HD spins up as 'sounds' normal but I've nothing on the display. I'm thinking now that the graphics card is faulty, or more probably the ribbon cable that runs through the hinge is damaged in some way. I've attempted to start from my OS X Tiger DVD and the screen works then but if I move the screen the horizontal lines appear as it is moved - hence my thinking with possible damage to the ribbon cable.
I think the first think to is to connect the iBook to my PowerBook via ethernet or AirPort to see if the iBook is working as normal which, if it is, will condemn the display and then I'm into opening the iBook up - not a prospect I relish but if it has to be done then I'll do it!
If anyone has any further suggestions then I'd be glad to hear them.
Cheers,
Seán.

IBook G3 dead video

The iBook G3 900Mhz that I have was a victim of the iBook logic board issue, the syptoms at the time being scrambled video and intermittent lines on the screen. About a year ago (perhaps a little more, I'll have to check the dates) it was sent in for repair by Apple, out of warranty, under their Expanded Logic Board Replacement Program (http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/).
When it came back, the video problem was gone, however I was not overly impressed with the work done on the ibook, as the shell was now warped, apparently re-assembled incorrectly. I then had to bring it into a local repair shop which managed to re-assembled the casing properly.
Now, the other week the iBook's video just stopped working. Turn it on, it chimes away, and appears to go through the standard boot procedure, however no video. I hooked it up to my Powerbook via Firewire, set the iBook to target disk mode and booted the Powerbook off of the iBook's hard drive, and it boots fine, everything seems to run fine, just no video on the iBook's screen.
So, I got my hands on an external display, and hooked that up to the iBook, and still no video. Then I followed Apple's support page, which suggested resetting the PMU and zapping the PRAM. I did that, and still no video. However, it was shortly after those last two steps that I noticed an odd smell coming from the iBook. As soon as I realized that it was a burning/melting smell, I quickly yanked the power cable and removed the battery. As I removed the battery (which incidentilly had not been removed ever since it last came back from service) a loose screw fell out, I assume from somewhere in the battery compartment, although I could not locate any empty screw holes.
So, now, the question is, has anyone else had any similar experiences, and what are the odds of Apple ponying up to repair this now twice defective iBook?
Thanks,
Tim
iMac Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8) PB G4 500, PB G4 400, iBook G3 900
Update: The original purchase date was June 2003, which is outside of their 3 year window for the faulty logic board replacement program, however it has already been sent in once, so I'm not sure how long they would guaratnee their work for.

Hi, Tim. Welcome to Apple Discussions.
The bad news is that Apple only warrants their repairs for 90 days.
The (maybe) good news is that they sometimes have been making an exception to the three-year rule on the iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program. The FAQ page lists one of the symptoms as "Computer starts up to blank screen," so that may be what you're looking at again.
Since it is past the three-year time limit, try calling Apple and ask for Customer Relations (NOT Customer Service--they can't help you) and ask them to please make an exception to the three-year limit in your case, especially since your iBook was apparently serviced poorly the first time. Keep the tone polite and disappointed. That seems to get you further than indignant anger, although I know it's a bit difficult not to be indignantly angry. Your tone here leads me to believe that you have the correct approach.
Some people have told me that it shouldn't matter what your tone is, but Apple's Customer Relations people are humans, too, and, as such, they seem to usually respond in a human way. Mama always told me, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," and that is nearly always true.
If the answer from Apple is absolutely, positively, "NO!" DT & T Computer Services in Fremont, California offers the cheapest repair I've found. They have a six-month warranty on the repair.
You may want to consider trying the shim fix suggested by John Sawyer elsewhere here in the Displays Forum:
[Y]ou can often fix this yourself by removing the iBook's bottom housing, and placing a shim of any sort, about 1mm to 1.5mm thick, onto the raised square on the bottom shield. I use a Scotch mounting square--you can get them in hardware stores and many grocery stores. When you reinstall the bottom case, it will press against this shim, which will press against the graphics chip, and may allow the chip to come into better contact with the logic board.
John Sawyer
CJS Macintosh Repair
Instructions for removing the lower case:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/50.5.0.html
Once you get it fixed, try never to pick it up by the left front corner alone. Rumor has it that can contribute to logic board failure when the case flexes, causing the graphics chip to come loose from the logic board. If you're picking it up in your left hand (as I often do mine), pick it up in the center under the trackpad.
Good luck. Let us know how things go.

Ibook 12' inch dead

In the end of August my ibook went dead. When i turned it off, the screen is black and i can hear only my hard drive and the dvd drive which has a cd-rom inside which i can not eject. I have tried to eject the cd whith every option Apple's website suggests and also i have tried whith and without the battery on to start the ibook. What can i do now? The ibook hasn't closed a year from the date i bought it. Should i take it back to fix it or buy a new one?

. Should i take it back to fix it or buy a new one?
Have it fixed if it is still under warranty, but then I would seriously consider selling it afterwards. If you scan this help forum you will find a very high number of people who have to return their ibook to Apple many times for reapir after the first time. It seems very strange that once you have had a logic board replaced that you would ever need to have it replaced again, but this is quite common. The same applies to hard drives, keyboards etc.

IBook G4 - DEAD?

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