Intermittent Behavior PowerMac G4 Dual 500

OK Genii: Here is a real PITA problem...
Symptom: Computer does not boot from cold start. Battery recently changed. PMU reset does not help. System remains in this state for days. Then, for no reason, the machine jumps back to life when the power button is pressed... after days of pressing the power button 2-3 times per day. The system will work for several days, and then stop again.
Looking for anyone's bright ideas. I thought it was the power supply, but I don't think intermittent behavior characterizes a dead power supply. Then I thought it was the power switch itself (but don't know how to bypass it). System has 512 MB RAM and a brand new HD with a clean install of 10.4.11. Who's got the answer?

Thanks for the link and advice, Tom.
None of the characteristics of the article seem to be present with my machine. I will look in to the red light on the motherboard. The machine is running now, so I should be able to see it, and also tell whether or not it is still on when the machine stops working again. I have no intent of buying a PS or MB... I can get a whole machine for a lot less than what most retailers are selling these things for.
Are you aware of a way to bypass the switch?

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Boot up intermittent on PowerMac G5 Dual-Core

I have an older G5 PowerMac Dual 2.0 10.4x and just recently it will not start up. I get an apple on screen and no spinning loading icon below it then the fans start to ramp up. I end up having to do a power down with the power button. Other times the computer starts up just fine. I've zapped the PRAM and failed to start from a 10.3 install disc in which it just hangs when using either the "c" key or selecting the CD as a startup disc in the preferences.
Anyone out there have similar experiences? And what possible solutions?
Thanks for the input.

Might be time to replace the PRAM Battery, 4 years is close to their lifespan, far less if ever without AC power, & can cause strange startup problems...
See which one your G5 has...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/CR2032/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/
Another problem is the lead free solder...
If you're sure the RAM is good, try the Hair Dryer trick...
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=13240047#13240047
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15223603#15223603
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15499912#15499912
https://discussions.apple.com/message/15613068#15613068
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3270112
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16053892#16053892
No power light at all...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3692775?tstart=0
It can show on any G5, and even many other computers & electronic devices of the period.
http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/pmg5.html
http://lowendmac.com/ppc/power-macintosh-g5.html
And see this last one in particular...
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16781690#16781690
Heat gun better...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3916312?tstart=0

Serial console of open firmware on G4 dual-500

I have a powermac g4 dual-500 with gigibit ethernet, and I want to setup a serial console on another machine for debugging the firmware and kernel bootup. I cannot find a serial port (the 9pin and 25pin) one? how should I do this? seems that the scca is a serial output, what is this device, the mondem (but I cannot find the mondem)?
I have a PCI serial card and plugged in, but i am not sure that it is supported by the firmware. how to enable such card if it is posibble?
Thanks very much!
Noah
PowerBook G4 533MHz Digital Audio

What that is, is a kernel panic, which can be caused by a variety of issues as my FAQ* explains:
http://www.macmaps.com/kernelpanic.html
* Links to my pages may give me compensation.

I have systems running both OS 9.2.2 and OS X 10.4. My G4 Dual 500 sees OS X shares just fine, but the OEM 9.2.2 installs on my Powerbook 1G Ti and Powermac Dual 1.25 do not. What might be the issue?

I have systems running both OS 9.2.2 and OS X 10.4. My G4 Dual 500 sees OS X shares just fine, but the OEM 9.2.2 installs on my Powerbook 1G Ti and Powermac Dual 1.25 do not (in Network Browser). What might be the issue?

Tutorial: Installing Classic over a current Mac OS X installation
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060621071707921
The only way to install OS 9.2.2 is using the install CD/DVD that came with the Mac, since these are special versions of OS 9.2.2.
If you just want to run classic mode, copy the System Folder from another Mac that has OS 9.1 (or better with 9.2.1 or 9.2.2) installed. A USB thumb dive works great for this. Transfer the folder to your Mac. It won't interfere with your OS X system which is in a folder titled System.
 Cheers, Tom

Fans only run slow, not fast on PowerMac G5 Dual 2.3

I've noticed recently that some occasional kernal panics seem related to the fact that under a heavy load my processor fans are not revving up. This is on my olde PowerMac Dual 2.3 from some time ago. We have the same model at one of our workstations at work and the fans kick in and out as we render, so I know what a healthy PowerMac G5 Dual 2.3 should sound like.
I've checked inside the case... the two fans in front of the processors are running, just really slow. The same with the two rear fans. I can't get them to spin up faster when doing anything processor intensive. Seems like it's been like this for a while, though it was definitely not always like this as I recall a few mornings where I found it in jet engine mode.
The white tab on the clear plastic internal cover is seated correctly... I don't know where any other sensors might be.
I ran the Apple Hardware Test from my original gray install disc... upon booting into the test I was surprised to hear the fans revving up to full speed. On the first run the computer had no problems. After a reboot into the OS and then another reboot back into the test disc, the full speed fans just locked up the OS choice screen and I couldn't get past it.
I see plenty of posts here regarding loud, fast fans that won't spin down... but I don't find too many with this problem.
Can anyone shed any light on this?
Thanks,
Dave

I run BOINC on my Power G5 and it places a full load on the processors for as long as the application is up. I find the fans are not very loud if you have done a proper dust cleaning of the computer. This includes cleaning out the power supply that's located in the very bottom of the case. If you think you have a problem I suggest you look into Istat Pro from http://bjango.com/. This will allow you to look at the fan speed to determine if you have a problem or if things are running normal. Under full load, my fan data looks something like this.
Drive bay 1000 rpm
Backside 1100 rpm
CPU A intake Around 800 rpm
CPU B intake Same as CPU A
CPU A exhaust About 30 RPMs higer that CPU A intake
CPU B exhaust Same as CPU A exaust
Slots Intake 1560 RPM
The only fans that seem to change much based on load are the CPU fans and with no load they may drop to about 500 RPM. Under full load on a warm day and the system in need of having the dust clean out I have seen the fans go up to 950 RPM. The fans that made the most noise were the Power Supply fans when I missed blowing out the power supply for a while.
The G5 processor is able to run at temperatures up to the boiling point of water but it truth I have never seen mine get above 164 degrees fahrenheit.
If you have just done a good cleaning of the system, it's possible you have just returned the system to normal operation and extended it's life instead of having a problem.

Internal Hard Drives for 2003 PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0

I have a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0. Specifications are here: http://support.apple.com/specs/powermac/PowerMacG5.html
It was purchased in October 2003.
The manual says the computer needs drives with blade-type connectors to attach the power and data cables.
Does anyone know of specific drives and their model numbers that will work? I'm thinking of putting into two 300GB drives I could configure as RAID 0 (I have external drives for backups).
Thanks,
-Karen

Go to this link & look at these drives: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Category=15&Brand=1077&N=201015001 41035915133+10353011350001077&Submit=ENE&Manufactory=1077&SubCategory=14 I have 2 of the 500 GB ones in my 2.0 DC G5 & they work great. They are extremely quiet, the price is excellent, & they have a 3 year warranty from Samsung.
G5 2.0 DC/Pismo 400 Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1.5 GB, 16x DL DVD Burner, Nvidia 6600 LE/512 MB, Still going strong

Will my dual 500 go faster? Harddrive & external hard drive issues

I need some advise, please!
I have a Dual 500 MHz PowerPC G4. Memory: 1.38 GB SDRAM. Harddrive 40GB
The memory slots are a follows:
256MB
128MB
512MB
512MB
1. I would like to speed things up as it is sooo slooow! If I replace the 2 smaller cards with 512MB each will that make a substantial difference or not? I work mainly in PhotoshopCS so I am working with big files, and I am begining to get the feeling someone's sneaked OS6 on here when I was asleep - yes its that bad!!!
2. On start up I get a folder with a question mark in it. Not an immediate problem as it always finds the drive. However I have noticed that when I go to the disk utility to repair permissions the name of the drive in the left hand pane doesn't match the name of the drive on my desktop. Is this the cause? If so can you tell me how to solve it. My desktop harddrive is called MAC, the one showing in disk utilities is called disk0s9 ...that's a 0 not an O in disk0s9
3. Finally I shutdown my computer without ejecting the external formac 500GB harddrive first. On reboot this morning it says it doesn't recognise the disk and gives me the options to format, ignore, eject. Obviously I haven't tried formatting. I have tied all reboot senarios including restarting, shut down, both with and without the external drive plugged in, switched on/off to no avail. HOWEVER the external drive DOES work on my powerbook. How do I make it work again on my desktop computer? It seems to me to be the computer at fault not the external drive.
Powerbook G4 Aluminium. G4 dual 500 Mac OS X (10.4.8) epson 1290 Printer Canoscan N1220U Formac 500XTR external harddrive

Hilary-
Here's a doc to explain target mode:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583
Should you not be able to restore DVR or ext. drive access, Target mode is a great option to have.
It sounds like you better get a copy of DiskWarrior FedEx'ed ASAP.
Like I mentioned previously, I think you have directory problems (and possibly worse). That would explain the question mark folder at start up, and the different ID for your internal drive. The internal drive, if the origional, is old, tired and wants a break.
I'm glad to hear you have a possible backup solution with the ext drive.
Don't delay.
Along with back up, I have some things I think you should try.
Because you have possible directory problems, I think it would be good to try a "safe boot". This explains how:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107393
This explains what safe boot is:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107392
Basically, you force the system to look at itself (directory check), and it simplifies the start up items. Note that some things don't work in safe mode, but you can check other items such as drives and FW.
Also, with the various devices not mounting, you might try a PRAM and NVRAM reset
This link explains doing so via the keyboard at start up
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
If that doesn't help, reset the PMU. It's inside the computer, on the motherboard, back by the little battery (that should be replaced every year or so)
This link explains how to reset the PMU manually
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95037
Doing the above may help to restore the DVD drive and the Firewire.
Also, when resetting the PMU, of course, shut down the computer, then, unplug ALL cords- power, USB, FW, etc. Also, don't pace around in stocking feet, or anything that causes static before reaching inside. Before unplugging the power cord from the back of the computer, touch the metal on the computer (this goes to ground) to safely discharge your built up static.
Most of all, don't panic. Be methodical, and you'll get through this.
Good Luck-
Chris
G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-110D,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

Powermac G5 dual 2.5 issues!

I purchased a pre-owned Powermac G5 Dual 2.5 ghz. It has 4gb ram and is running Mac OSX 10.5.8. Very shortly after I purchased the computer I had a crash and couldn't get it to start back up. I tried to re-install software and it would go part of the way thru and crash on the install every time. I started the machine in target mode and hooked it to my old trusty G4. I was able to install the software that way with no issues. I then went back to the G5 and tried installing updates, but part of the way thru the updates it would crash saying the update was possibly corrupt, ( these were straight from apple so I doubt that ) thus leaving my g5 unable to restart because of the partial software update. I did the target mode again, this time installing all of the updates using my G4. After all was said and done, I was back to where i had started when i bought it. I now keep to be getting freeze issue with the machine. I can be online using safari and all of a sudden I get the spinning color wheel. When this happens I can not even force quit the app, it will just sit there spinning away. Tonight i tried opening firefox and it started up and ran for a few minutes before freezing also. A few days ago I had tried to burn a dvd using toast, and that app also froze up and would not let me force quit. I have not had any issues like this from my G4, and after trying resetting the SMU, PRAM and many many hard restarts, I am no closer to knowing what the issue could be. Any help or ideas for me to try would be much appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Have you blown the dust out of it since you got it?
Possibly a temperature problem or bad RAM/RAM slots.
Get Temperature Monitor to see if it's heat related...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12381/temperature-monitor
iStat Menus...
http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
And/or iStat Pro...
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/
If you have any temps in the 70°C/160°F range, that's likely it.
The Memory test can really only be trusted if it finds a problem, not if it doesn't find a problem.
Memtest OS X...
http://www.memtestosx.org/joomla/index.php
Rember is a freeware GUI for the memtest ...
http://tech.kateva.org/2005/10/rember-freeware-memory-test-utility.html

Powermac G5 dual 2.5 won't switch on

my powermac G5 dual 2.5 osx 10.4.11
it was working fine ,I left it switched on while i went for food came back to it a few hours later and it had switched off and it will not power up. i have tried new mains lead and alternative power socket
but alas no power getting to it at all ...help any ideas
thanks
Message was edited by: John Williams17
Message was edited by: John Williams17

Remove the metal side panel. When you press the power button, do you see anything happen? Does the power light flash at all? Do you see a red light on the logic board?
Matt

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 - Only Boots with Side Cover and Fan Guard OFF!!

I have the strangest problem with my PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5. This has been my Pro Tools rig forEVER.
At some point early last year, my Mac wouldn't boot. It would not see the hard drive, and would show that dreaded alternating icon in the middle of the screen indicating as much. I tried resetting, tried power off/on, tried resetting PRAM. Nothing. I took the cover off, and fan guard off to get at the hard drive. Verified the data and power cable were seated in hard drive. Cover still off, I booted up the system. Voila!!! Booted right up like nothing was ever wrong. I put the cover back on, and went about my business, passing it off as a one-off power glitch (the power in my house ***** rocks). Next time I rebooted the Mac, the exact same thing happened.
I can repeat this at will. If I leave the cover on, the system will not ever, ever boot. The minute I take the cover and fan guard off, causing the fans to spin at max speed when turned on, the system boots without issue. So, I reset PRAM and PMU. I even tried replacing that green/white cylindrical battery on the motherboard. Reseated power/data cable on hard drive. ****, I even tried a different hard drive and memory (explained below). No change.
Since then, I have relegated this system to the emergency backup system, and procured Dual 2.7 G5 PowerMac. I transferred the pro tools cards, hard drive (without formatting it) and memory (8 GB) to this new 2.7, and have not had a single, solitary issue with it. So, I know it's not the hard drive, memory, OS install, or Pro Tools cards.
What in the name of the Apple Gods could be causing this issue? Any ideas at all?

Hi Chris,
Good info & work so far, but indeed strange, only thing I can think of is something to do with that little switch for the fan cover... near the bottom as I recall, but it may be some kind of short in it's circuit.

How big of a hardrive can i use in my gigabit ethernet g4 dual 500.

Hi there.
I wanted to now how big of a hard drive can i use in my gigabit ethernet g4 powerpc with a dual 500 processor . at the present time i have one 80 and one 20 gig drive in there now.
So my answer is how big of a drive can i use before i have problems with seting it up. Like i want to use a 500 gig drive in my computer and my old 80 gig too. i want to buy a apple tv and store my dvds on the big 500 hardrive so i have alot of room for the vidio files, for apple t.v . If i can use one as big as one terabite you now the real big one that would be fine. The more room i have the better for me. I will be able to watch the movies i downloaded from the internet and i wont have to burn them at all.
This is of corse if apple tv will handle it.

Hi-
If you need that much storage, and you'll have to buy a controller anyhow, get a SATA controller card, and put one or two 500gb SATA drives in. The enterprise class of SATA drives are made especially for multi media storage, have excellent seek times and fast data transfer rates. A "bargain" on a package can be had at OWC:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAM500GPCI/
or
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAM10TBPCI/
The MaxLine Pro drives have great characteristics, and are reviewed favorably.
I have an OWC SATA card, and the card works perfectly, and is cheaper than other makers cards of equivalent specs.
G4AGP(450)Sawtooth, 2ghz PowerLogix, 2gbRAM, 300gbSATA+160gb HD, ATI Radeon 9800 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Pioneer DVR-109, LaCie 160gb, 23"Cinema Display, Ratoc USB2.0, Nikon Coolscan

Can I install Tiger in a Dual 500 MHz PowerPC G4?

Can I install Tiger in a Dual 500 MHz PowerPC G4, or is it better to stick with 10.3.9? I'm having some problems so I was going to wipe he hard drive and re-build everything from scratch o I was wondering if migrating to OS X 10.4.9 is worthwhile or even compatible with this PCU. Thanks.

Yes you can run 10.4 on your dual 500, I have a dual 450 (I overclocked it to 550...) and it runs pretty fast. You need a minimum 192 MB of RAM to install it and a minimum 128 MB of RAM to run it. I would suggest having at least 512 MB of RAM when running 10.4.
What problems are you experiencing? If it's just lagging and seeming slow it may just be worthwhile to clean some temp files and clean up your disk. IMHO, 10.4 is a much better system than 10.3, and runs much smoother. I can guarantee you that your system will run much smoother if you wipe the disk clean and put a fresh install of 10.4 on there, and also get a decent amount of RAM in there. After I upgraded my RAM to 1.5 GB, I noticed a substantial difference in speed, and got a lot less spinning color wheels. But one thing that you need to always keep in mind is to KEEP YOUR DISK CLEAN!!! Clean the temp files often and limit your internet downloading. If you keep your computer on all of the time, restart it every once in a while. There's a lot of little things you can do to increase speed in OS 10.4. Use spotlight and recent applications. Fill up your dock. Don't clutter the desktop, etc. There's plenty of articles on the net to help increase speed without adding anything else to your system, just navigating through the OS differently.

PowerMac G5 dual core resolution

I'm having problems reaching the native resolution on a 26" Dell W2607C LCD-TV.
Should the factory fitted nvidia 6600LE (PCI Express) be able to support 1366x768 pixels? I've read that the single-link DVI port supports up to 1920x1200.
PowerMac G5 Dual Core 2.0GHz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

been a bit foolish here...
installed switchresx, unable to make custom resolution 1366x768 active. Then realised monitor was connected to DVI-2 so moved it over to DVI-1 and restarted G5. Voila I have a host of new resolutions that fit the bill perfectly.
Just not sure whether it would of worked without switchresx!
Thanks for the advise.

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 Vs iMac Core2Duo 2.16

Just want some help here really.
I would love to upgrade to a Mac Pro but it's not really realistic.
I have at the moment a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5. I only use it really for Logic Pro 7 and Aperture.
I was looking at maybe getting an iMac 24inch one, to slim things down in my small home studio. Is it going to be faster than my G5, the same or slower or what??
Thanks in advance
Points awarded to the most helpful!

found this
http://www.macworld.com/2006/09/firstlooks/imac233bench/index.php
and this
http://www.macworld.com/2006/09/reviews/24inchimac/index.php
I think it will depend on wether your favorite applications are universal or not.

Which is better for Pro Tools LE-PowerMac G5 Dual-Core 2.3Ghz or Dual 2.7Gh

I'm starting a small recording studio and I own a PowerMac G5 Dual-Core 2.3Ghz with 2GB of RAM and a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.7Ghz with 2GB of RAM. I need to keep one of them to run Pro Tools LE. Both G5's have the same hard drives and similar graphics cards..Does anyone know which would do a better job and if so why ??? Thanks..

Hi popped!
You have posted your inquiry, in the Discussions Forum, that is intended for discourse about the use of Apple Discussions.
You will get more attention to your issue, if you select a more appropriate location from this page Discussions Forum Home.
Perhaps posting in one of the Power Mac G4 & G5 Forums, would generate more interest.
Good Luck!
ali b

Intermittent Behavior PowerMac G4 Dual 500

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