Is resetting the PRAM what I need?

Question

After a power failure, my Power Mac (G4 1.25 GHz Dual Processor) will not go to sleep on command even though the System Preferences are set correctly. Other symptoms of the problem include getting the spinning wheel when I try to modify the System Preferences and it won't recognize my digital camera at ll when I plug it into any USB.
Is resetting the PRAM what I need to do? Is the only way to do it by going into the actual computer and pressing the button?
Right now I am in the middle of summer classes for school. Am I risking ANYTHING at all by resetting the PRAM? I CANNOT be without this machine right now.
Help is much appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

You said correct the "beachball"? What did you mean by that?
Because you said
Other symptoms of the problem include getting the spinning wheel when I try to modify the System Preferences
So, spinning wheel = beachball. Because you had a power failure, there is possibly damage to the hard drive directory, thus the spinning wheels.
How do I start up from the OS install disk?
Insert the disc into the optical drive, restart the machine, and hold down the C key on the keyboard while starting. In the window after you select the language, in the Menu Bar/Utilities, open Disk Utility. In Disk Utility, select your start up drive, and then select "Repair Disk". When done, close Disk Utility, and click Restart from the Menu bar. The machine will return to normal boot.
Do I do that before or after resetting the PMU?
No particular order, but you could run the Disk Utility first.
If after running Disk Utility the sleep command still doesn't work, the reset the PMU.