IBook G4 has to be tilted 90º backwards to boot - is it HDD or Logic Board?

I have a client's G4 iBook 12" 1GHz - that has to be tilted a full 90º for it to start-up/boot ...
The machine hangs on the grey start-up screen when positioned on a desk normally and won't boot - it chimes, display the grey screen - but i f I turn and rest it back on the screen - with the Apple Logo resting on my desk and the iBook positioned vertically - straight up - it works ...
It's hard to get a feeling for this fault ... obviously, something is loose or disengaged. It's almost like a sudden-motion sensor error - like with the G4 Powerbooks - but I don't recall the iBook G4's having them ... I can't really tell if it's the logic board - or the HDD ... - does anyone know - exactly what this issue is ?
The screen doesn't dip in & out when it's moved - like the terrible 'logic board' video issue that plagued the G3 iBooks ... this machine works fine - but only when it's resting on the back of its display ...
I have exhaustingly searched the posts for key words - such as 'tilt' - '90º' - 'grey/gray screen' - 'backwards' - 'turn' etc ... and have found quite a few posts with the same problem - but none with an absolute diagnosis ... and most posts are from last year ...
I know it needs repairing by a Mac genius - I just need to know what we're in for - a new HDD, or a new board ... - or maybe it's something loose that just needs to be repositioned or adjusted ???
I have also re-seated the ram module - and tested with & without. 'fsck' came back fine - DiskWarrior has updated the volumes etc - The PRAM & PMU have all been reset - everything ...
PS - thankfully - whilst in the 90º angle - I have targeted it to another drive and done a full back up.
Any ideas are welcomed ...

the last iBooks had the sudden motion sensor but the 1Ghz model did not so this is most likely the hard drive

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Has anyone ever been quoted more than $500 to replace a failed logic board?

Has anyone ever been quoted more than $500 to replace a failed logic board? A Genius buddy of mine swears that it'll never be over $500 but I' convinced he's high out of his mind.

I doubt it. They don't even take the same kind of RAM.
What makes you think a replacement "will most likely go bad in the future"? Some have had to go back more than once; many haven't. (And many have not gone in at all.) There are many iBook users out there, happily iBooking away without any knowledge of the iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program because they've never had a problem.
Get it replaced, free, NOW, and worry about the future when it gets here.
http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/
P.S. When you make an error in a post, there is a little edit-pencil icon next to the "Reply" icon in your post. The edit pencil stays there for about 15 minutes to allow you to edit your post. Just click on it, and it takes you back to your message box so you can edit it to your heart's content.

IBook G4 logic board repair

iBook G3 had a logicboard repair program
http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/
Many iBook G4 purchasers have the same problem and "Apple accepts fault for defective iBooks in Denmark"
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/09/21/brieflyipod_estimates_top_10m_ibook_payout_korean_iphonetalks.html
Can other customers expect any extention program for iBooks G4 bought since 2004?
Thanks

Well that chip in question is on the logic board.
The steady deluge of complaints, and a subsequent investigation by the independent >lab Delta, led the Board to discover an easily repeatable flaw: a solder joint for >a mainboard chip would loosen with each press of the power button, invariably >causing a break in an important connection that would effectively kill the system
This is not the only bad solder connection on these boards. U28 is another one that has problems for example.
Richard

Getting New iBook Logic Board -- help? :)

Well I wasn't sure which forum to post this in, so I also put it in the 'Peripherals' forum.
Ok, here is my problem. I bought a G4 iBook 1.07ghz with a bad logic board from someone on craigslist. I am wanting to put a G4 1.33ghz logic board in it now. I found one on pbfixit.com for $550, but I also spoke with someone on ebay that said he thinks he has some 1.33's laying around. I am wanting a logic board with the two-finger-scrolling and the 'shock detection' features; also Bluetooth2.0edr and Airport Extreme. Well I asked the guy on eBay if he knew if his 1.33 boards had these features or not and he wasn't sure. Is there something he can check (model number/serial number/something physically on the board/etc) to see if he has any of the boards that's new enough to have these features? I'm not as worried about the Bluetooth+Airport Extreme because I found a module board on pbfixit with both of these in one.
Thanks!
-matt

Hi, abburke. Welcome to Apple Discussions.
(I have lots of Burke cousins, since my cousin in Wichita had six sons.)
If the iBook is circa 2001 like the iPod, chances are that's the reason the tech says you're out of luck. There's a three-year limit on the program.
Enough dual USB G3 iBooks suffered from this problem that Apple began the iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program in January of 2004. Check out the FAQ page and if the symptoms look familiar, give Apple a call. If your iBook qualifies, it's a free fix.
If you are past the three-year time limit, try calling and asking for Customer Relations. Ask them to please make an exception to the three-year limit in your case. They have been making some exceptions to the three-year rule, but the criteria upon which they make an exception is not public knowledge. It could be how nice you are to them on the phone; it could be which tech you get; it could be which side of the bed the tech got out of on the morning that you call.
Good luck!

Logic Board Problem on 1.2Ghz G4 iBook?

My G4 iBook (14inch, 1.2 Ghz) has been giving me problems in the last two weeks.
At first I thought it had something to do with the latest update to OS X 10.4.11, but after doing an archive and install and checking things out with Disk Warrior, I'm thinking it's the logic board.
The main problem is that the machine has a tendency to freeze while I'm working with it. Sometimes it happens when I'm just doing work with Word or Appleworks. Sometimes it happens when I'm trying to access an electronic gradebook where I teach. It DEFINITELY freezes when I attempt to pick up the machine from the lower left corner where the hard drive is located.
I thought it might be a hard drive issue, so I actually replaced it, but the problem of freezing remains.
The freezing is weird, however. What happens is that the cursor can move around on the screen, but that's all that works. I can't access any menus or anything on the dock. At times the dock will freeze in middle of enlarging as the cursor passes over it.
After doing some research, it seems that this might be a logic board issue.
My machine isn't under warranty since I bought it secondhand off eBay and I've been using it quite a bit for the last year with no problems whatsoever. Is there a fix to this or am I going to have to replace the logic board? I'm seeing prices that are running in the $350 - $500 range.

Actually, there are a couple of things you can do that cost a lot less than a new logic board.
First of all, run the Apple Hardware Test to verify that all of your chips are OK. They probably are.
What is probably wrong is that the ball grid arrays that holds the chips to the logic board have started to fail. This will cause freezing, particularly as the board heats up.
The cheapest thing to do is to make and install some home made shims which press on the chips and enable them to make better contact with the logic board. Here is a site which shows how to do this:
ibookG4 logic board fix:
http://www.coreyarnold.org/ibook/
However, there is also a more permanent solution, which is to send the logic board to a specialist to be reballed. I did this recently, and I can highly recommend the following specialist:
http://www.superiorreball.com/
The cost to reball my iBook logic board was just $75.
You will have to remove the logic board and send it off, but since you already replaced the hard drive, you probably are already familiar with the ifixit site.
Good luck!

Is CPU part of logic board in iBook?

I'm having my logic board replaced on my iBook G3 by apple and I'm hoping the CPU is part of the logic board so I can maybe have it upgraded to a G4. Am I dreaming agian? thanks
h

If you're machine is in for logic board repair, Apple replaces it with it's corresponding Logic Board, therefore you will not be upgraded to a G4 CPU in your G3 machine.
Example: My 900MHz iBook went in for LB repair, and it came back a 900MHz G3 just like it went in, same case with any iBook.

IBook G4 (Jun 2005 model) Logic Board Problem (No Display and HDD noise)

Hello All
I have been using my iBook G4 (1.2 GHz) with no problems since I purchased it in June 05. But over the past 2 days, I have been noticing this weird incident of "no display" when booted and I was hearing a loud fan noise at times and I can hear my HDD spinning etc. When I tried to restart pressing CTRL+OPTION and POWER after shutting it down, it booted up but reverted my PMU to a date in 2001 (resetting all my email, music etc). But when I tried shutting it down again and restarted normally, I heard the bootup chime but no display. Again, I could hear the fan and the HDD spinning.
I took my laptop to the Apple Store here in Boca, FL today and was told that its a logic board problem.
I know there was a Logic Board Repair Initiative from Apple for the G3's and early G4's. Does anyone know such a thing for the fairly recent iBook G4's??.
Any help is immensely appreciated.
Thanks
Karthik
[email protected]
[email protected]
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

How do I verify that my issue is a logic board issue. Recently, computer froze. Tried a hard reboot but no luck. It either shows a blank blue screen or I'll get the grey screen and apple with the start-up spinner but it'll stop spinning.
That's it. I'm able to browse the contents of the iBook's harddrive when I connect it to my Ti Powerbook via Target Disk mode. I even lauched Disk Utility from the powerbook and verified the iBook's drive and it found no problems.
Could it be the same logic board issues that you guys are having? How do I verify this? Is it worth paying to repair an 800mhz G4 iBook (applecare expired April '06)?
I've heard about kernal panic issues with the macbooks so I'm apprehensive about getting one of those right now too. Getting frustrated. Actually considered copping an inexpensive PC laptop... ugghhh.

HT4059 ibook app has the wrong apple id. can i change it to correct one?

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Anything Downloaded with a Particular Apple ID is tied to that Apple ID and Cannot be Merged or Transferred to a Different Apple ID.

Ibooks author has a widget called scrolling side bar, does Pages have this or can an add on be downloaded please?

ibooks author has a widget called scrolling side bar, does Pages have this or can an add on be downloaded please?

No and No.
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Has anyone ever installed a G4 logic board into a G3 iBook?

I was just wondering if it was at all possible to install a G4 logic board in a G3 iBook. To be specific, I have an iBook G3 900MHz with a faulty logic board. I could have it replaced under the Apple Logic Board Replacement Program, but I'd hate to replace a bad part with a part that will most likely go bad in the future. Also, trying to find an affordable (in the $100 range) replacement logic board on eBay or anywhere else is proving impossible.
So, could I buy a 1GHz or similar G4 logic board and swap it into the G3 iBook? I'm sure someone out there has tried something like this, right?
I'm intrigued by the possability.

I doubt it. They don't even take the same kind of RAM.
What makes you think a replacement "will most likely go bad in the future"? Some have had to go back more than once; many haven't. (And many have not gone in at all.) There are many iBook users out there, happily iBooking away without any knowledge of the iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program because they've never had a problem.
Get it replaced, free, NOW, and worry about the future when it gets here.
http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/faq/
P.S. When you make an error in a post, there is a little edit-pencil icon next to the "Reply" icon in your post. The edit pencil stays there for about 15 minutes to allow you to edit your post. Just click on it, and it takes you back to your message box so you can edit it to your heart's content.

My iBook G4 has died . . .

Hi, I think I know the answer to this, or fear I do, but here is my query. I've had my iBook about four and a half years and it's always worked great. Just recently the optical drive packed in. Then when I tried to boot up it would freeze. Now I just get the blue screen of death. I had a local computer guy look at it and he was quoting me £700 to fix it (new superdrive, new logic board) and told me to throw it away and get a new one. I'd rather not do that because it's got loads of stuff on the hard drive and I really like using it. Has he quoted me the right amount? Or is there anything else I can do?
Thanks in advance.

If your screen is flickering, it could be the inverter board or cable instead of the logic board. Try an external display and see if the problem persists. If it does, run the Apple Hardware Test and see if you get an error code which would indicate a failing video chip on the logic board. If this is the case, it would require a replacement chip as well as a reball to fix.
However, if the external display is fine, then the video chip is likely OK. But there could still be a problem with the internal display in the form of a problem with the inverter cable or board.
Chips are held to the logic board by a ball grid array, which can fail over time. Reballing means sending the board to a specialist to have the ball grid array replaced. I sent my logic board to Superior Reball last fall for a reball, and got it back and it has worked perfectly ever since.
http://www.superiorreball.com/
The best thing to do is to research "logic board shim" on this forum, as there is a great deal written about making a home made shim which will exert pressure on the chip in question and cause it to make better contact and work again. If the shim makes the problem go away, then the logic board will be a good candidate for a reball. Making and installing the shim is a good way to test that the chip itself is working, but that it is not well connected to the logic board.
However, if your display problems are actually caused by the inverter cable or board, fixing the logic board with a reball won't necessarily fix the display problems.
It's also possible that when you replaced the hard drive, you didn't seat one of the connectors fully. That would be something to check before doing anything else.
Good luck!

Can i transfer iTunes library from my pc to old iBook which has firewire connection?

can i transfer iTunes library from my pc to old iBook which has firewire connectivity? thanks

Yes. See here: iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
B-rock

IBook G3 has "clicking" noise, won't start up!!

So I have had MANY problems with my iBook G3 ever since i purchased it in 2003. I have already had the hard drive replaced in it before, i've had memory added to it,etc. but since August of this year i've tried to solve this one and I can't. I don't know what to do!
First whenever I turn it on, a clicking sound comes from where the hard drive is, about 15 clicks usually i guess, which I'm sure means it is broken or not in good shape. If the screen turns on (otherwise it just stays black after the startup chime and clicking) then an icon of a question mark on a folder flashes, which I've learned it can't "find" the hard drive in one way or another, correct?
So i've been able to start it up in Target Disk Mode and connect it via FireWire to my iMac G4. the FireWire logo for Target Disk mode appears on the screen (otherwise the screen stays black like when I try to normally startup) like it should when it is started up in Target Disk Mode. However, it will not appear on my iMac. is it not mounting somehow? i'm not totally familiar with accessing files off messed up Hard Drives but I would love to know what I can try because I had my life of music and pictures on my iBook. it has also had a lot of motherboard problems over the years and this might just be part of that problem too.
Is there anything else I can try to get my files off my iBook? i don't care about it never working again... i just want what's on it. is there anything Apple can do? I'd LOVE to be able to do this myself but I'll take it to Apple if I know they can help me somehow...
Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Try booting into Safe Mode. This will take quite awhile longer than a normal startup because it does a file check and repair of the hard disk.
If this works you will see your normal desktop. Once completely started up in Safe Mode, try to restart normally, and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Click on the top hard drive icon in the left sidebar and note the S.M.A.R.T. status at the bottom right of the pane. What does it say?
Select the named boot volume in the left sidebar, ("Macintosh HD" unless you've renamed it). What is the hard drive capacity and how much space remains available on it? Repair permissions on it.
If Safe Mode doesn't work for you, try starting up from the Mac OS X Install Disc by inserting the disc and restarting your computer, holding down the C key as the startup chime is ending. Then click 'Next' at the language screen and choose Utilities > Disk Utility and select the hard drive in the left column. Choose the First Aid tab. Click Repair Disk to test and repair the hard drive.
Once you have repaired the hard drive with either Safe Mode or the Install disc's Disk Utility, then start up normally and repair permissions from Disk Utility in the Utilities folder on the hard drive. Again, take note of (and please report back here on) S.M.A.R.T. status and available hard drive space.
See if you are able to do a little hard drive maintenance to help things out.
Good luck.

Ibook screen has gone dark

I'm helping a friend with a G4 i-book, about 3 years old I think. Today, while working on it, the screen went black. I think it may have gone to sleep but I cannot know for sure. I pressed the F2 key checking to see if he had somehow turned down the brightness but no change. I took it to the window and can see the computer is awake. Using the light, and turning the laptop at a side angle, I can see folders, etc. I went to the dock and found system preferences and clicked on display. The brightness was about half way so I turned it up but the screen stayed just as dark, almost impossoble to see anything. We shut it down and restarted it and while I can see it is on and awake, the screen is so dark you cannot possibly use it or see what is there without holding it up to light with an odd angle.
I did do a search by many of the posts were about flickering or flashing dark. His screen has gone dark and while I can see things if I 'peer' carefully, the screen is black all the time.
Any suggestions?
michelle

Hey Michelle,
Most certainly this is a inverter cable issue. Usually they open up near the hinge point. I've repaired two that this happened to. I have also seen two that shorted to ground and took out a tiny fuse on the logic board so after I repaired the short I had to bridge the fuse w/ a fuse link.
Try moving the display up and down while it's on. If it comes on it's most certainly that cable.
Richard

Performing a system restore on iBook that has had its logic board replaced

I want ot do a system restore on my iBook G3. I had to send it in for a logic board replacement and received new install discs when it was returned to me. My problem is that I would like to have my iPhoto software and iMovie software that was installed on my computer when I purchased it. I have to do a clean install with the Mac OS X 10.3 disks that were shipped with the replacement of the logic board I will lose this. I want to use the system restore disks that came with my iBook when I originally purchased it. Is this possible since I have had my logic board replaced?

The simplest way to reinstall iPhoto and iMovie is to download Pacifist and then extract the relevant applications from the Software Restore Discs.
Pacifist comes with instructions; this is not a difficult operation and there is no need for erase & install to recover the applications.
Pacifist is Shareware, but you need not pay the fee in order to use it. Every time that you open Pacifist you will be prompted to purchase a licence. If you feel that Pacifist is worth the money (and I think that it is), you can purchase a licence at any stage.
If you're a plonker like me, then purchasing a licence will provide justification for third party developers like CharlesSoft to save the day for the rest of us.
Good luck!

IBook G4 has to be tilted 90º backwards to boot - is it HDD or Logic Board?

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