My powerbook won't start up

my powerbook won't start up propperly. instead i can heer 5 beeps and the power indicator flashes. screen stays black. nothing! i tried to connect to an other mac with firewire but my powerbook doesn't respond. i also tried to use the startup disc but again...nothing. what next?
does anyone have an answer to this disaster?
powerbook g4 15' Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
Sorry to hear about your startup problems. 5 beeps is bad...per this Apple note, it says the processor is unavailable: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58442

Similar Messages

Powerbook won't start up past grey screen

PB G4 17inch
10.4
Did a software update and now powerbook won't restart.
Stops at grey screen with Apple on it (no spinning icon underneath)
Here's what I've tried :
Inserted Tiger upgrade DVD
Started up holding down option
Both DVD and Hard Drive show up - I selected DVD and finished starting up
I ran Disk Utility / Repair Disk
At first it found a problem with a Cache count (didn't get the exact message)
It continued and fixed the problem
I repaired permissions
Tried restarting - stopped at same point
I ran the installer and reinstalled the OS
Still wouldn't start and stopped at same point
I have repeated the Disk Utility process several times - it obviously sees the hard drive, but won't start up from it...
Any ideas ?

I would not trash anything. Instead I would backup everything you can see to another hard disk. Once you have done that, let us know, and we can proceed with better troubleshooting methods. Some methods may be risky with data, but if successful then you won't have to recover anything.
It is important to always remember to backup your data:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
Disclaimer: Reference to links I make to my Macmaps.com website are a for your information only type reference. I do not get any profit from this page, and it is open to the public.

Powerbook won't start - Disk Utility error "Invalid Key Length" - help plz!

Hello
I am having problem with my Titanium powerbook. Since it was refurbished I have only been using it for internet browsing and email and I don't know why it suddenly started freezing. After a couple of freezes it stopped starting up. I don't know why, as I wasn't doing anything unusual. I have run a few checks and don't know how to proceed. Please help.
This is what I have done so far:
1. Tried to start up in Safemode. Made the startup sound but then went dead.
2. I tried Single User Mode and did fsck -fy and the results were:
** /dev/rdisk0s10
** Root file system
** Checking HFS Plus volume
** Checking Extents Overflow file.
** Checking catalogue file
Invalid key length
(4, 135)
** volume check failed
localhost:/ root# Firewire (OHCI) Apple ID 18 built-in: no valid self IDs for more than 2 minutes after bus reset.
3. No problems were detected by the Hardware Test disk.
But the powerbook still won't start up properly. I can't get past the blue screen with the 'thinking' (rotating) circle icon (pinwheel?).
4. When I try to access the computer using a firewire cable the hard disk doesn't appear on the host computer.
5. I tried Disk repair Utility from startup using a disk but got the same result as with fsck -fy.
Any ideas?

Hi, Can't. Your hard drive's directory is damaged in a way that exceeds the limited repair capabilities of Disk Utility or fsck. DiskWarrior can fix "invalid key length" errors, as this short FAQ explains. If you have DiskWarrior, use it to make the repair. If you don't, you can either buy DW, or reformat the hard drive with Disk Utility and start over. Note that reformatting the drive will erase everything on it, so if there's any important, un-backed-up data on it that you can't afford to lose, buying DW will be the better option for you.
Message was edited by: eww

G4 powerbook won't start up

I have a G4 powerbook model a1104 and it won't start up. It will turn on but only go to the big white apple and it has a lined circle spinning at the bottom and just keeps spinning. Any suggestions?

Hi-
Welcome to Discussions!
You might try a safe boot.
To start up into Safe Mode (to "Safe Boot"), do this:
-Be sure the computer is shut down.
-Press the power button.
-Immediately after you hear the startup tone, press and hold the Shift key.
Tip: The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not before.
-Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple and progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
If successful, you will have forced a check and repair of your hard drive. Try a normal boot after the safe boot and login (restart from safe boot). If no further problems, you are done. If you still have problems, further troubleshooting will be necessary.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107392
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
By the way, this is the forum for Power Mac's- though the above still applies, next time, you might try the Powerbook forum:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=120
Will be looking for your results. Good Luck!
G4AGP(450)Sawtooth, 2ghz PowerLogix, 2gbRAM, 300gbSATA+160gbATA, ATI Radeon 9800 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Pioneer DVR-109, ExtHD 160gb x2, 23"Cinema Display, Ratoc USB2.0, Nikon Coolscan

PowerBook Won't Start with Extra Gig Of Ram

Hello World,
Well...so much for do it yourself. God knows I've done it before but here's the story. I just bought a used Powerbook G4 with OX 10.5.8 running at 1.5 Ghz with one Gig DDRSDRAM. I bought another gig stick of ram...put both of them in to night and the Powerbook will not start. So in the interest of trouble shooting...I installed each gig of ram individually. They each said...individually...that they were 1gig DDR SDRAM stick. The computer started with each stick of ram so I know they both work. I was under the impression that the G4 Powerbook could take 2 gig of ram max in configuration of 2---1 gig sticks.
OK....There it is. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated. Thank you Dave R

AFAIK you are correct that the 2GB configuration should work. There is a history of one DIMM slot going bad, but then the computer should still start, just not show the bad slot in the total RAM. You might still try running with one stick in one slot, then the other slot as a check.
Some users anecdotally seem to find the machines fussy about RAM, although usually manifested in erratic operation, not failure to start.
What exactly happens when you try to start with 2GB? Nothing at all? No start sound? No optical or HD drive noise? No screen light/response? No sleep light blinks?

PowerBook won't start, possible font issue?

I was having a problem with the fonts on my PowerBook. Several fonts in my web browser were showing as gibberish. I figured out that a sub set of my times font was loading (I think it was times symbol or something like that). So I deleted my times in fontbook and left it in the trash can. The correct font loaded in my browser and all was well. Until I shut it down for a few hours. When I restarted it, it loaded up to the user login. After I entered my password, it loaded my wallpaper and just the Spotlight corner of the top tool bar. Then it just sat there. It won't finish loading. I suspect that by moving the times system font (or even part of it) into the trash, the system won't load.
I recently got a LaCie firewire external HD. I installed the SilverKeeper back-up software and ran it so everything from my PowerBook is now sitting on my ExtHD. However, I can't start the PowerBook up and I don't know how to restore from the ExtHD.
I've tried booting up from the install DVD, but it only gives me the option to reinstall or run the Disk Utility.
What I want is to boot from a CD or DVD that will let me access the PowerBook's HD and put the fonts back in the system folder. Or run a restore from the ExtHD.
I know I have an option to reinstall the software from the install DVD, but it's 10.4.0 or 1 and I have 10.4.7 on the PowerBook. Will that screw with any of my settings if I restore back to the early version and then update to 10.4.7?
And is my font theory even right? It's just the last thing I remember doing that might have caused this.
One more resource at my disposal is my Mac Mini that I'm on right now. Can I force the PowerBook to load in firewire disk mode just as a disk and not as a networked system?
Thanks in advance,
Jake

Greg, thanks for your suggestions. I did try to boot up in safe mode, but it froze on the system loading screen and never made it to login. Restarting after that just brought it back to the original problem.
I was using FontBook to locate and delete the Times symbols sub-font.
Is there a way to make a CD or DVD on my MacMini that I can use as a start up disk on the PowerBook and access the hard drive? The system installer DVD won't let me touch the HD when I boot from it.

Help!,Powerbook Won't Start Up/No Power

My 15" Titanium Powerbook, 400mz will not power up, I hadn't used it in several months. I took it to a Mac software/network tech, who determined it was getting no power by connecting an adapter that has a green lighted ring on the plug, that did'nt light when plugged into mine, but lit up when pugged into his identical machine. After determining this, I received a pat on the back, a bill for $42.00, and he told me to go to the Apple Store in Durham, 45 minutes away.
I read in this forum that lack of use can cause the internal battery problems, but that unlit green plug suggests that it won't take a charge. Should I plug it in a wait anyway, try to take the battery out, Or should I just take it to the Apple Store? Thanks alot for any help.

Hi, Mark, and welcome to Apple Discussions. Sorry to hear about your accident.
I did drop the machine and haven't been able to start it up since.
This is sort of like saying, "Gee, I just can't understand it. My car was going fine until I drove it into that bridge abutment at 50MPH, but now it doesn't run worth a darn. What could be wrong?" You know perfectly well what the problem is, but you can't bear to acknowledge it.
In case there's enough left of your PB to benefit from a PMU reset, see this article for instructions. You'll need to know exactly which Powerbook model you have to locate the right directions for your PB.
Failing that, you're due for a trip to the repair shop if the PB still won't boot at all.

Powerbook won't start, got message i don't understand in single-user mode

PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)
About a week ago my powerbook (purchased in Dec '03, running 10.3.9) froze while I was using it. I had to manually shut it off, and then it would not restart (got stuck on grey screen with gear). I was able to start it up again once in Safe Mode, at which point I downloaded and ran Macaroni. Upon reboot, it wouldn't start up at all, staying on the grey screen for 15-20 minutes before I gave up. Now, I've tried starting it in Single-user mode. At the command I typed "fsck -fy" and the following message was returned:
"Singleuser boot -- fsck not done
Root device is mounted read-only
If you want to make modifications to files,
run ' /sbin/fsck -y' first and then '/sbin/mount -uw /'
localhost:/ root# "
Does anyone have any idea what this means?
I am expecting the worse, I made a bootable back up in august, but was hoping to get it to start at least once more so i could update that back up or email myself some files. The only other possibly relevant info is that when it froze last week it started making really really loud repetitive noises (as if the hard drive was stuck?). For a while there I was also hearing an odd humming noise whenever i plugged in the AC adapter.
Well, any help would be truly appreciated.
thanks in advance..
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

The two observations may be related. It is possible that the power adapter has developed a fray or short, and is giving insufficient power for the hard drive to operate properly. Do you have another Mac you can connect the machine to via Target Disk Mode after getting a replacement power adapter?
I would also get a copy of Prosoft Data Rescue and an external hard drive that is Firewire at least as big as the internal hard drive. That will give you a chance to recover information if it is at all reachable.
If the directory is damaged Alsoft Disk Warrior may be able to repair it, but I'd only run that after determining Prosoft Data Rescue is unable to rescue any usable data.
I would not attempt to run any norton utilities on it, and if you have in the past don't do it again, as Disk Doctor and Speed Disk have been known to damage Mac OS X more than fix it.

Powerbook Won't Start Up or is Very, Very Slow

On Tuesday night, I noticed that my Powerbook was very slow in loading pages in Safari (it took ten seconds to be able to enter text in a field). I had to restart several times.
On Wednesday night, I could get the chime, the startup screen with Apple and wheel, then it went to a blue screen with nothing on it. After many attempts, it finally started up, but Safari was very slow again (in fact it quitted every time I clicked a link).
Tonight, it gets to the grey startup screen, shows the wheel for a bit then completely shuts down!
I tried to use Migration Assistant to move across files to my new Mac Pro, before it dies, but it never got further than "Waiting for Disks to Appear" even after an hour or so.
Any plans?

You might try getting Disk Warrior to try and repair/recover your hard drive. DW has a much better success rate than does Disk Utility.
You should get an an actual Disk from a retail store instead of downloading. Must also be sure on your make/model/v10.x.x
I have never run it, but do a search on these boards and you will get a feel for how people swear by it.
Good Luck.
Joe

Powerbook Won't Start Up

I've had my PowerBook for approximately 3 years now. Yesterday, while working on it, it froze up completely. Mouse would not move, no spinning wheel, nothing. I reset via the power button. As it launches, I get the gray screen and the apple, but all it does is sit there as if processing an attempted startup. It will not advance past this screen.
I have zapped PRAM. No help.
I ran Disk Utilities. I get the following message: "Error: the underlying task reported failure on exit."
Also: "1 volume could not be repaired because of an error."
Does this sound like a hard disk crash?
Amazingly, I tried starting up this AM and it started up successfully. I ran a Software Update session to see if this might help. But when it attempted to restart after installing software, that locked up. I ended up having to power down again.
Now when I power up, same problem I originally had. I cannot advance past the "thinking apple" gray screen at launch. Any thoughts?

Assume you ran disk utility from your OS X CD, since you can't test the drive you're booted from.
When disk utility can't repair something and reports a failure on exit, there are a few options. First, using a program like Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro may fix the problem, and in many cases does fix the problem. If, however, one of those programs can't fix the problem, you can try wiping the disk clean and writing zero's on the disk, then reload from backup. Or, just replace the hard drive.

PowerBook Won't start-up: Eternally Spinning Clock at Apple Icon

Hi. I have a G4 PowerBook (details below). During a business trip last week it started acting funny so I used DiskUtility (running from the start-up internal system hard drive on the PowerBook) to attempt to repair permissions. This repair attempt froze about ¾ of the way through (despite an overnight trial) so I had to do a hard reboot. At that point I could not get the computer to work. Specifically, when I attempt to start, I get to the gray screen with the Apple logo on it and the spinning clock. This spinning symbolic clock will run all night without getting to the log-in screen.
What I’ve tried:
1. Applejack. The Command-S key combo still gets me into single user mode and I can type “applejack auto restart” and everything will run, but at the end of it all I am again left with the Apple icon and the eternally spinning clock logo.
2. DiskWarrior v3.03: I start with the DiskWarrior CD in and repair my hard drive directory just fine.
3. Tiger DVD installer: DiskUtility runs fine from here and I’ve repaired the internal hard drive and permissions several times. This also tells me that S.M.A.R.T. status is verified.
I’m completely out of ideas. Any suggestions as to how to get my PowerBook back up and running would be most appreciated. If I can’t get it up and running, is there any way I can grab the data from the last week of work off of it using target mode or some other trick (unfortunately, FileValut is enabled on the PowerBook)?
Thank you very much!!!
1.25 GHz G4 15” PowerBook with 1GB factory RAM running OS 10.4.6

Go to this post at the MacFixIt forums:
here
Many kind people gave good advice; however, as detailed in that post, I had to eventually just reinstall software. You might try some of the other suggestions posted by folks there before reinstalling the system. Hope this helps.
G5 1.6GHz
[ Edited by Apple Discussions Moderator; href URL ]

PowerBook won't start...

Hi folks,
Wondering if anyone can help me here. I came in to work this morning with my 17" PowerBook (I'm not sure exactly which one it is, but it's the first 17" model; I got it in 2003) and it wouldn't wake up from sleep. This has happened a few times in the computer's history, so I just restarted it (as usual). But, when I restarted, instead of hearing the normal reboot noise, I heard a series of about 4 loud beeps and then nothing happened. Then the power light that usually "breathes" when the computer is asleep started flashing more erratically than I've ever seen it do (and then stopped).
Then, my co-worker started to smell an electrical burning smell. I unplugged the computer and removed the battery. I didn't see anything wrong with the battery (nothing appeared to be melting, etc), so I put it back in and tried to restart (the burning smell seemed to have gone away by this point). The computer started to boot but then just sat there on the gray screen with the apple and the status wheel wasn't even appearing. So I restarted again. This time the status wheel moved, but it still just sat there. Restart #3 and it brought up a gray screen that said "insufficient memory access" and told me I could type "mac-boot" to continue with restart or "shut-down" to shut down.
So, I typed shut-down, went away and left it for a while just sitting there to "cool off," so to speak, and came back about 20 minutes later and tried restarting it again. It brought up the same dialogue screen. Then I got on an iMac in the office and started looking up troubleshooting issues on this site. I tried restarting the PRAM (pressing option command P R) and then the computer came up with a folder icon with a flashing question mark and the MacOs logo. Then I restarted again (using control command power) and this time it booted all the way to the blue screen but then just hung there and wouldn't load the desktop. I then tried restarting the PMU (shift control option power) and that hasn't worked either. As of this point it'll boot to the blue screen and then just freeze there.
I'm going to take it in to my local Apple store this evening but I figured I'd post this here in case anyone can help me solve this before then (I'm at work now and can't just leave to go to the Apple store and see about my computer). Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated...

I waited a few days, and still the same problems. Am I going to have to send it in for a repair?
Did you do a thorough job cleaning up the beer? Sticky, gooey can still conduct electricity long after distilled water is completely dissipated.
If you have more than one RAM module installed, I would try one at a time, in each slot.
If you have other compatible RAM available, I would try that.
If you have an external HD enclosure, I would try your HD in that.
Do you have a different HD to try in your PB? If not, and if, based on the spill/looks of your HD, and you think you may need a new HD and/or cable, either of those parts is likely much cheaper than a repair person doing virtually anything. Of course, there's no guarantee that either part is the culprit, so you'll have to make a judgment call.
You've never explained how much beer, where, how widespread, etc, so no one here can make much of a guess.
If you have another Mac available and a FireWire cable, and you need to try to back up files and/or see if the HD works in another mode, I would try to access the HD via FireWire Target Disk Mode.
Beyond those thoughts, if you want to spend the money and don't want to find the parts/do the work, a repair person may be your answer.
Good luck.

My Powerbook won't start!!

I've had my powerbook G4 for 18 months, and today - for the first time ever - the screen froze and stopped working. I ended up holding the power button down to force shut down. However, when I tried to turn it back on the fan started whirring LOUD, much louder than it has ever before. And it just stays like that; no gong, no grey start up screen, no sound of the optical drive. Just a blank screen and the fan whirring LOUD continuously, until I force it to shut down again. I've tried resetting the PMU but it doesn't make any difference. Whats happened??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I'm not sure what happened, but I would experiment and see if you can boot it as an external Firewire drive on another Mac. just plug a firewire cable between your computer (with it turned off) to the other mac, hold down the 'T' key, and then have it start up (still holding down the key) until you see the firewire symbol on your machine's screen or you see it mounted on the other mac. See if you can at least get your drive to mount that way, then you know its a hardware issue.
Hope that helps.

My PowerBook won't start up all the way

When I turn on my PPC PowerBook it brings me to a gray screen that says
BAD DEPTH= 1 0
here= (some combo of letters and numbers)
(another combo of letters and numbers)
BYTE-LOAD-FILE: failed, unknown word, HERE= (combo of letters and numbers)
Apple PowerBook (date, time, etc.)
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Welcome to Open Firmware, the system time and date is (date, time)
To continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press enter.
To shut down, type "shut-down"
So that's what happens when I turn it on. When I type in shut-down, it shuts down. When I type in "mac-boot" it brings me to a new screen with a picture of a folder symbol that flashes and alternates between a picture of the 'Finder' smiley face icon and a question mark.
So I press the power button and it shuts off.
I saw on a troubleshooting guide on the Apple site that you should put in the install disk and press and hold the C button upon restarting the computer. I did this, but that didn't do anything and my computer doesn't respond when I press and hold the "C" button. And now it seems like the install disk is stuck in there because it doesn't eject the disk no matter the screen.
I've tried other things like resetting my computer's PRAM and resetting the computer's PMU. But that doesn't work. If anything, it seems that when I do that my computer doesn't even open with the Open Firmware screen I mentioned above...it just makes the startup chime, I can here the fan, but the screen remains black.
Any other advice? I remember this happening to my computer about a year ago, and I know I used to install disc to fix it, but I can't remember the steps I took.
Thanks for any and all help.

Not sure what your Mac issues are but they're not good. Try these commands in Open Firmware if you have not already.
1. If the Mac no longer boots to Open Firmware then force it to Open Firmware:
Command-Option-O-F
2. Once in Open Firmware try resetting the PRAM from there:
reset-nvram
reset-all
3. while you are in Open Firmware you can attempt to eject the DVD with:
eject cd

PowerBook won't start up or read HD

whenever i start up my computer, a finder folder flashes with a question mark. i tried runing it from the installation disk and using disk utility, its not mounting the hard drive at all. i tried resettin the PRAM, still no hard drive detection. i need hel asap because i have a lot of important files on my harddrive that i don't want to lose.

Hi Kalikuya --
Welcome to Apple's Discussions forums!
Have you taken a look at this thread? http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=441972&tstart=0 Sounds like the user there was experiencing some of the same symptoms as you. Try the fixes suggested there by me and EddieC and report back how it goes.
Good luck!
-- JDee

My powerbook won't start up

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