Intel iMac will not turn on

So here's the deal: The other day I noticed things were acting buggy on my Intel Core Duo iMac (the white, matte-screen one). Performing simple tasks like opening a folder or window caused the spinning beach ball for at least 30 seconds or more. Email wouldn't open without the spinning beach ball going on for at least a minute or two. Also, there is an intermittent click coming from inside the computer. Maybe every minute or two--click.
So I restart. Things seem fine. But then the hang ups start again. So I boot from my Snow Leopard disks and run Disk Utility. Verifying permissions takes a very long time but I finally get to repair permissions. Then I try to verify the disk and repair but I get an error message in red saying something like "this disk cannot be repaired". So I shut down and try to start up from Disk Warrior. Once the Disk Warrior window comes up the iMac shuts down. I try this a couple of times.
I check the forum and try the suggestions of holding down P and R (or something like that), unplugging and pressing the "on" button before plugging it back in. Nothing works. I get to the gray screen and it shuts itself off.
After that I try to start it up as usual and when the gray screen comes up I have an apple logo and beneath that a status bar and as soon as the status bar is complete the computer shuts off. I try this a couple of times. Finally it won't even start up at all. It's as if it's not even plugged in. No chime, no internal noise, no "on" indicator light, nothing.
If my hard drive has failed, does this mean my computer will not even turn on? If my hard drive has failed and I could turn my computer on, what would I typically see? A blank screen? A question mark?
Any ideas or suggestions?

Update: So I took my iMac to the Apple store and they ordered a power supply and a new hard drive. The plan was to install the power supply and see if that's all it needed. If the hard drive was dead they would then install the drive. The wanted about $95 for the power supply, which isn't bad, and $248 for a 320 GB hard drive. Installation was going to be around $85. After I placed the order I went home and checked prices online and found I could get a 1TB hard drive for less than $120! And a 500 GB for around $60! Why would Apple charge me $248 for a 320 GB drive? During this time I also found a local Mac repair shop that was willing to install the power supply for me and, if needed, a new hard drive that I could purchase much less than Apple's price. So the parts came in and I went to the Apple store thinking I could purchase the power supply and walk out. No dice. Apple would not sell the power supply to me. They insisted they can only sell it to me if they swap it out for the one in my iMac. I told the guy, "that's okay, I only want to buy the power supply". He sort of apologized and said they can not do that. ***? Why wouldn't they sell something to a customer willing to buy it?
Long story short, all of my business is now going to the local Mac repair shop and not the Apple store. I'll never take anything that's not in warranty to the Apple store again. And I'm sure they couldn't care less.

Similar Messages

Intel iMac will not turn on. Won't boot up from install disc either.

The last couple of weeks I have been noticing lag, freeze and graphical issues with my Intel iMac -- ever since I installed a video game called Warcraft 3. My computer's specs are way beyond the recommended specs of the game (it was released in 2002) but even when playing the game I would have graphic and freeze issues. It would get to the point where I would have to power off my computer and power it back on to get out of the freeze.
Tonight when it froze my computer, my whole screen was given a "digital green" tint. I can't figure out any other way to describe it. I powered the computer off, turned it back on and the usual Apple that pops up when the computer starts up had the same "digital green" lines through it. After that it goes to a grey screen and sits there.
I put in the install discs that came with the computer and powered it back on -- same scenario would play out. It was like it wasn't reading the discs. I turned it off again and held down "Option" when powering it on and it asked me what I wanted to boot from: the hard drive or the install disc (the green tint was gone). I chose hard drive and my computer booted up like normal finally, but once the desktop screen finished loading, the whole screen turned green and froze again. I powered down, turned it on with "option" again and chose to boot from the install disc (now the hard drive and install disc labels had the green tint too). Nothing happened. The computer went right back to a grey screen and stayed there.
Any ideas what the problem could be and how I might fix this?

Hello fallingisfunny
As described in the link below, run the Apple Hardware Test a and see if it detects a hardware issue! If a hardware problem is found then you will need to take the iMac in for service!
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509
Apple support will probably have you do an *Archive and Install* or *Erase and Install* from the OS X Install Disk. If you have everything backed-up, you might give that a run as per the article in the next link!
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1544?viewlocale=en_US
Message was edited by: den.thed
Man the forum is acting funky tonight, I've bee trying to get in and post a reply for 20 min's.
Dennis

My iMac will not turn on, the screen stays black, makes a whistling sound 3 short, 3 long, 3 short, well maintained while keeping on, what solution do you have?

My iMac will not turn on, the screen stays black, makes a whistling sound 3 short, 3 long, 3 short, well maintained while keeping on, what solution do you have?

For some reason its firmware seems to have been corrupted. Read:
About the Firmware Restoration CD (Intel-based Macs)
iMac (Mid 2007) and later models: About startup tones

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen

Intel iMac will not boot past gray screen
my system:
new (month old) 24" intel imac, 2.8 ghz, 4 gb ram.
running: leopard (upgraded from tiger, which was pre-installed at purchase), installed 10.5.1 update right before this huge problem occurred.
install discs on-hand: two-disc tiget set, single leopard upgrade disc.
what led to this:
i wanted to install windows using bootcamp on a 50 gb partition.
at this point i was running leopard 10.5
i followed all bootcamp instructions, printing out the guide, as well. once i got into the windows setup, i was prompted to choose a partition to install windows. unlike the bootcamp guide, which showed three partitions, one clearly labeled "bootcamp", i saw only one partition. not wanting to risk writing over my mac partition, i quit the setup and rebooted the mac os. after some googling around, i looked for firmware updates (didn't need any), and then software updates. i decided to try updating to 10.5.1.
i then ran through boot camp again, deleting my previous windows partition, creating a new one, and moving forward as before. once again, i was only shown one partition to choose from in the windows setup. i exited the setup again to reboot through the mac os, but this time, i was only given a blank gray screen.
here's what i have tried so far:
booting from a CD, holding down the C or D keys: no response (in fact, i have to restart the computer holding down the mouse button to be able to eject the CD)
booting with option key held down: gray screen
booting with option key held down with external bootable firewire drive attached: the firewire drive appears as a boot icon, and i can click on it within a five second window, but then the screen freezes after that time period, and nothing changes
booting into target mode while attached to another mac: gray screen (no firewire icon, and drive never shows up on other mac)
resetting NVRAM: i'm able to hear the boot chimes, but no difference in performance. gray screen every time
Safe boot: nothing but a gray screen
Verbose mode: gray screen
Single user mode: gray screen
Single user mode with firewire drive attached: occasionally (not every time), i am able to get the white on black terminal to show up. from here, i'm able to run fsck, but it appears to only be checking the firewire drive. i have tried several times to boot from here, and once it took me to a blue screen with movable arrow cursor, but it never went beyond this.
is there anything else left to try before taking it to apple?
any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Casey Burns
Casey Burns Illustration and Design
http://CaseyBurns.com

I'd call Apple support at this point. You'll need
to put this issue on the record.
Call U.S. iPod and Mac technical support: 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273)
The wait may be long for an agent to come on the line
so expect that and have some other stuff to do in the meantime.
If you have the applecare protection plan, I'd ask about "onsite"
service.
I like your work ! Good luck !
Slim
Message was edited by: slimpikkunz

Imac will not turn back on after being unplugged. Is there something I can do?

imac will not turn back on after being unplugged. Is there something I can do?

SMC RESET
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
Wait 15 seconds.
Attach the computers power cable.
Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
The 5 second timing is important to a successful reset.

G5 iMac Will Not Turn On - Power Supply Diagnosis?

My A1145 20" iSight PPC G5 iMac will not turn on - it doesn't respond to the power button. It had been shut down for a few days, I turned on the power and it booted up as normal, the desktop appeared and I was about to open the web browser when it suddenly went dead; the screen immediately turned off with no warning or noise. There is no fan or disk noise coming from it when the power lead is plugged in, just a very, very faint electronic hum from inside.
From reading various webpages, it seems possible that the power supply could have failed. Is there a simple way that I can diagnose this before deciding whether to attempt to replace it myself or not? I understand that there should be some diagnostic LEDs which could help identify a problem - I've removed the surround from the iMac and peeled back the black EMI film below the display but I'm not sure for what or where I should be looking (they seem to be easier to find on the 17" models).
Whilst I know a repair might not be cost-effective on such an old machine, I have 220GB of photographs, documents and music on it - none of which is backed-up - so I am very keen to get it working and backed-up as soon as possible.
Could anyone suggest how to diagnose the problem?

Hi there:
My experience with Macintosh computers has not included the G5 iMac even though I almost got one to replace a failed-under-AppleCare iMac G4 17" 1.25GHz after three/four major failures and no local support.
...So, I think you may be able to pull the hard disk drive out of that computer and see if an external enclosure could allow you access those files IF the drive spins up at all. Sometimes odd things happen, and the G5 iMac had some history of capacitor and other failures that could be a problem. I see there are a few free information guides here that may be helpful: http://www.ifixit.com/Device/iMac_G5
If the battery on the logic board was dead, but the computer kept in running condition by leaving it plugged in, once the computer was left unplugged for a time then the device may fail to start. There is a way to reset the power management chip (different names for same idea as technology moved forward) and that could help in the process of troubleshooting most power related issues in the PPC Macs of later G3/G4/G5 design.
There are troubleshooting items of interest in here http://www.apple.com/support/imac/g5/ ie: what to do when your computer won't turn on...
Sorry to not be of direct help in this matter.
Good luck & happy computing!

My imac will not turn over, what should I do

my imac will not turn over, what should I do

Just FYI,
You are not addressing Apple here.
People here who help troubleshoot and attempt to correctly answer technical questions in these Apple Support Communities are Apple users just like yourself.
There are two initial things you can try.
An NVRAM reset.
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.
After resetting NVRAM or PRAM, you may need to reconfigure your settings for speaker volume, screen resolution, startup disk selection, and time zone information. The logic board battery helps retain NVRAM/PRAM settings when your computer is shut down.
IF this fails to help reboot your iMac, you could try an SMC reset.
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
Check back if neither one of these solves your iMac's issues.

IMac Will Not Turn On (Even When Cool and SMC Reset)

Hi all.
I have recently had a VERY ANNOYING problem with my iMac. It will not turn on. No matter what. I have reset the SMC (unplug, wait whatever, plug back in etc.) and have cooled it down with time and a battery fan held up to the case, but it still will not turn on.
I am really getting sick of this iMac and feel like sending it back, but I know that there is some sort of easy fix out there somewhere. I do not want to take it to the Apple Store again (2 times in the 5 days Ive had it already).
I read somewhere else that the older iMacs have stuffed up logic boards, which causes the computer's 'max operating temperature' to be much lower than usual, causing unnecessary 'overheating'. Is there some way to disable auto-shutdowns because of temperature, or raise the maximum allowed?
Please help, I just need to upgrade my Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 (from 10.6.3) to fix some software problems!
Thank you so much!
-Michael
Oh yes, iMac stats:
1.5GB of RAM
2.0GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo processor
Early 2006 20" White iMac
Anything else you need to know about it, just ask!

Ok, the Snow Leopard disc did not have the AHT thingy on it, but the Tiger one did. Currently running extended test. Had to reset the SMC to get the thing to turn on. I will do the test twice, then reset the PRAM and give you the results.
I have come to a conclusion about one thing: Old iMacs are very fussy and take a lot of work to keep them going, but are very satisfying to use.

27" imac will not turn disply on after waking up from sleeping

I have 27" imac with 2nd monitor attached. when in sleep mode the 2nd monitor will wake up but the imac itself will not turn the screen on. (what is funny is that i can log in but the only monitor i can actually see is my 2nd one.) i must play with the power button several times to either get the imac to reboot or to wake up. any fix out there?

I have had this same problem with my mid 27inch mac 2011. I recently yesterday took it to the genuis bar so they could try to give me a solution. I showed the technicians many threads with my same problem and they acted as if I was crazy and the issue was absurd/ non valid. This problem only started happening when I upgraded to lion. I suppose to get the coputer back in a couple of days. The onl god thing I had going was all the kernal panics that were listed because of the machine having to be restarted everytime. I will provide any informatio they give me.

My 2010 iMac Will Not Turn On

Like the title says it will not turn on, no liquid spilled or anything, I had used it as a computer for some years but as of 2013 I got a great macbook that was faster so I have only been using it as an external monitor for my Macbook(target display), and one night I powered off my laptop, and the iMac went black and never turned back on. It just stays black, no audible sounds through the speaker, no fans turning on, it just is completely dead like.
That only things I have tried is pressing the power button, and pressing and holding the power button, I have unplugged it for a minute and tried again, I have also left it unplugged overnight and tried with still nothing.
Since I have been using my macbook I can't remember what OS i was on, but I think it was just Mountain Lion.
SAVE ME BARRY!!!
Thanks Much
KickinWolf

If it makes no noise or has no graphics that show on the display this indicates it may be a power supply failure. Take it into an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) to be fixed.

IMacs will not turn on.

I have 2 iMacs.. One is a Rev B Bondi Blue 233.. And the other is an Orange 333.. They both will not turn on at all. My Dad is an electrician but he says he cant do anything without a schematic.. Does anyone have any advice? I would like to see them working once again. Or should I just forget it altogether?

Were they both plugged in and working recently, or were they disconnected and stored in a closet?
If they were disconnected from power for an extended time, it is possible that the PRAM battery is weak or dead. They look like this and are located on the main logic board.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/
Sounds like your dad would have a voltmeter, so you can test them to see if they still read 3.3 to 3.7 volts. Weak or dead PRAM batteries have been known to cause odd startup issues. If they are bad, you can try it with the battery removed, which I've read in a few reports as being better than having a weak battery in place.
If the iMac is absolutely dead when the power button is pressed, you can also try pressing the Cuda button (sometimes referred to as the PMU button). This image shows where it is located.
http://mrjcd.com/junk/CUDA.jpg
IMPORTANT: Only press it ONE TIME between startup attempts. Press and release.
I've had a tray-loader go dead on me, and pressing the Cuda button got it working again.

I clicked all the buttons in the file sharing window and now my iMac will not turn on.

I really goofed. I clicked all the buttons in the file sharing window (Screen sharing;File Sharing...Remote Login; Remote Management...Internet sharing) but I did not write down the IP address and now the computer will not turn on at all. Is there a way to roll back my stupidity and get this thing to turn on again?

There's only one thing you can do: make an appointment with Apple genius at the Apple retail store for a out of warranty replacement.

Intel IMac will not boot OSX Tiger

Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that I am reading and trying to do my home work on why my Intel I-Mac will not boot. It all started after running Windows Vista using Apple Boot Camp. I just wanted to list a few things I have tried after getting replies from posting in some other forums. I will try here since a few people are having similar issues. Any tips would be appreciated. Please no flames
1. If I hold the C button while booting to boot from CD-ROM I get a panic alert.(panic alert meaning lockup, I have to restart or press and hold power button)
2. Holding down D button upon startup will run Apple Hardware test just fine, but no errors found.
3. I can press Option-Command-P-R to reset NVRAM successfully.
4. I can press Option during startup to start the Startup Manager. I can see my Macintosh Hard Drive and CD-ROM, but get a panic alert if I click on either icon. I’m not sure what happened with the Windows Vista hard drive Icon.
5. I can press N during startup to start up from a compatible network server. I see a flashing globe and then a panic alert. Not sure what this function is for.
6. If I press T during startup for Start up in FireWire Target Disk mode, I get a weird symbol that looks like a Y floating around the screen. I have no idea what target disk mode means.
7. If I press Shift during startup to boot in Safe Boot mode, I get a panic alert.
8. If I press Command V during startup for Verbose mode, it appears that I am at a Unix style Command Prompt that hangs.
9. If I press Command S during startup for Single-User mode, I am at the Unix Command prompt which works, but I do not know any commands except fsck –fy which I guess is like a DOS CHKDSK command that tells me my Volume appears OK.
10. Pressing Option-N during startup to start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image gives me the flashing globe icon again, and then hangs.
11. I tried resetting the System Management Unit thanks to the Unix forum guys, but still have the same problems.
12. My next step is to find a Mac friend to burn the Firmware Restoration CD file I downloaded thanks to Michael from the Unix forum. If that does not work I will try whatever you ask.
13. I can boot my I-Mac using a Linux Live CD called Slax and surf the net and play with the software. It runs just great; I just don’t think this 200MB version has the capabilities to format the hard drive or Install to hard disk like Fedora Live does. By the way, the Fedora Live version of Linux hangs after booting from the CD. It boots just fine on my PC.

Greetings,
Somehow or other you will need to be able to boot to the Installation Disk #1 that came with your computer - as you know they are specific to each machine model. After a successful boot to that disk, you can use Disk Utility to remove all of the partitions, wipe that puppy clean, then repartition and make sure you use the GUID partition scheme - you really only need the Bootcamp Assistant if you have multiple drives, internally, and since you have an iMac, your good to go.
When you booted to your Linux disk, could you see the internal hard disk? If so you should be able to open one or two of the folders just to be sure that the disk is OK.
A worst case scenario would be to have to install a fresh hard drive. Do you have any way of borrowing another install DVD for that model to try to get it to boot? That's the key to this whole project.
Try this - Go back into single user mode and issue these two commands in this order:
/sbin/fsck -fy
/sbin/mount -uw /
Watch the spaces and then issue a "reboot" at the prompt.
During this, the fans will likely come on at a high speed and may stay on for a while and maybe until you do a shutdown and reboot.
I hope this helps a little, and once you get the machine booting to the Installation Disk #1, again, you'll be all set.
You don't say, but is this unit under warranty - I know it may be a stupid question on my part, but if it is, give them (Apple) a call and get some advice on the waranty actions.
Good Luck my friend.
Cheers,
M.

IMac will not turn on after a few days use. Interesting Solution, sort of :P

I've posted about this before. When it is working, it's perfectly normal, when it's not, pressing the power button will only result in optical drive spinning, no chime, no boot.
Well, here's what I found out. If i leave the computer plugged in/out and try to start it every 12 hours or so, the machine will not boot. I tried this continuously for about 10 days. I got fed up trying and was about to sell it to a repair shop and I unplug it from the wall for about 24 hours and vola, it works now.
I am thinking that maybe if I unplug it after use everyday, it will be a fine computer. I am suspecting that there's some kind of "discharge" taking place when i unplug it which in turn cause it to work fine. The "charge" get built up when I plug it in (whether I use the computer or not) and that's causing the no boot problem. I am also guessing that it takes about 20+ hours to complete "discharge" to a level that is workable for the machine to boot.
Any idea?
Just wanna share my experience and maybe someone can provide me with a better solution.
Thanks.

It worked fine after that. Before I got it, the previous owner had left it in a closet for 3 months. I assumed the PRAM battery was dead and that's why it wouldn't boot. So it seems like it needed a new battery and a deep power discharge/reset.
As for your computer there's a bunch of things I would try more or less in this order: Reset SMC, reset PRAM/NVRAM, check RAM seating, run the extended hardware test (if it can boot), reinstall the OS, replace PRAM battery, try running the computer with a UPS, replace internal hard drive, replace RAM, replace power supply. As you can see it gets more expensive as you run down the list. It sound like a hardware problem but I can't even guess the cause since I've never seen that problem. If nothing comes up in the hardware test, I would begin to suspect the power supply.

HT3988 imac power button pulses but imac will not turn on

imac power button will turn on

Hi and Welcome,
On my old G5 when I saw the red light through the front grill it meant that the machine was not going to boot. I just turned it off in the front, a hard shutdown, when I saw it. For me, I was able to wait for for a while and usually it would start up with no trouble again. But that Mac also had heat issues and sometimes running a small fan through the grill would allow me to start up sooner.
One thing that might be adding to your problem might be the amount of RAM you have, it's a very small amount.
Is your Hard Drive almost full? That can be a problem.
Can you start from one of the OS disks and use the app Disk Utility?
If you have the Discs that came with the Mac (originally), on one should be The Apple Hardware Test. That might help you diagnose the issue.
A PMU reset might get you started again. It's a bit model specific, for some it's just pulling the cord out (sound familiar?) and that resets the NVRAM. For other models this is a good reference: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436
Quicktime likes RAM, so does your Mac in general, the amount you have is just sliding by.
Take a look inside your Mac to see if it's very dusty inside. That can cause a host of problems.
Good luck.

Intel iMac will not turn on

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