My PowerMac G5 won't boot, no chime, no nothing

My father got this machine last november, and used it for a couple of months, then simply shut it down and noone used it anymore.
Now he decided to give the machine to me, but when I pressed the power button, nothing happened.
No leds, neither on the front, neither inside.
No startup chime.
No fans starting up.
Just like the power cable was unplugged, but the cable is plugged and in january all worked fine.
I tried to reset the PMU/SMU but nothing changed, it still behaves like it was unplugged.
I have no way to test the power cable (I don't have another one), and now I'm thinking about going where we bought it and ask them to fix it.
Is there a faster way to know if it's only he power cable?
I know that if I take it to the store, they'll give me the machine back in no less than 2 weeks, even if it's only the cable
Please help...
Thanks
Elena.

Hi Elena, and a Warm Welcome to the Power Mac G5
Forum!
Not sure how much of this applies to the dual-core
that you have, but...
You could try wiggling the power cord/cable where it
enters the G5 at the back, in case some corrosion has
built up over the months.
I already tried it, unplugged and replugget the cable, it was a bit hard to unplug and to replug but nothing happened.
There should probably be a relay-click from the PSU,
low-down at the back of the G5, when the mains power
is first connected to the G5.
Tried to press the PSU reset button more than once, both with mains power connected and disconnected and it doesn't make a sound (that's why I pressed it more than once, I didn't realize I was doing it because I heard nothing)
The internal back-up battery is possibly flat if the
G5 was disconnected from the mains for that length of
time.
The machine was not always connected because my father unplugs all cables at night, but at least a couple of hours every day the G5 was connected. Switched off but connected, I don't think being off is enough to kill a battery that should live for more than 5 years, and as I was without battery on my PB (replacement needed), the worse I got was OSX complaining about wrong date/time settings, the PB booted with flat battery.
A somewhat similar story here
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=20
21118#2021118
I could read that thread and I noted a power supply change.
That can be my problem too, hoping logical board and hard drive survived.
I also tried to remove some ram and tested the two "couples" of ram separately (spelling?), nothing with apple's ram, nothing with the kingston expansion I bought with the G5 (this used to work at least until january anyway).
Trust your story will have a happier ending.
I hope it will turn out it's a power supply problem (better would be the cable).
The store is open tomorrow (no assistance until monday anyway), but I hope someone can at least test my battery and cable (they should have some spare ones there I hope), giving me the working ones if it's just a cable or battery problem.
And I hope they can change my power supply in less than 2 weeks (it was a pain when I had my PowerBook logic board and fans replaced, two weeks of waiting for a call...)
Thanks to all and if you have other suggestions they're always welcome.

Similar Messages

Powermac G5 won't boot - but safe mode works fine!!!

[The computer described below is a Powermac G5 dual core 2.7gHz, purchased in late 2005, running OS X 10.4.11]
Here's an odd thing... a few months back, my powermac stopped booting. It wasn't a power supply issue. I would get the white screen with the apple to come up, but when it was time for the blue screen with the user logins, the screen would go black.
I tried swapping out all the RAM, and nothing worked. Was able to get safe mode to work, once, and then never again. Finally I broke down and took my baby to Tekserve.
Tekserve took a MONTH to get it back to me, and they claimed it was a bad RAM set. This sounded really odd to me, since I thought I had correctly tested several sticks of RAM, and even no RAM, without any success. But I'm not one of the experts, so, hey. My computer was running again and that's all I cared about.
Well, now, about 3 weeks later, my computer will not boot. It started with the loud fans. Now I'm not having any fan noise, but it still won't boot. Here's how I've troubleshot it so far:
- The computer boots FINE in safe mode. I verified the disc in safe mode, and everything checks out. Everything also checks out using fsdk -fy in single user mode. So no disc problem, apparently.
- When I reset the PRAM using crtlopt+pr after the chime, the screen resolution changes from 1200x1024 to 800x600. After the white screen, I do get the blue screen, but WITHOUT any user login, and the mouse cursor does not show up.
- When I reset the NVRAM using open firmware (reset-nvram, set-defaults, reset-all), I'm back to my normal problem of white screen followed by black nothingness (and emotional despair).
Tonight I'm going to try swapping out the RAM again, but if that doesn't work, what's next? I don't know where I put the original Hardware Test DVD that came with the powermac... is there a program I can buy to see if this is my logic board, without bringing the powermac back into tekserve? I live in NYC and have no car; bringing this heavy item into Manhattan is a real issue for me!!!
Anyways, any and all info is greatly appreciated. I really hope I'm overlooking something obvious. Natch, neither Apple nor Tekserve want to give me any advice without me shelling over more of my hard-earned cash. And this all went down 3 months after applecare expired... sigh...

Very interesting... they're telling me (at Tekserve) that this problem is caused by bad sectors in my SECONDARY drive. Doesn't make any sense to me at all, but that's what they're saying... pretty sure the RAM and video card are fine. I tried resetting NVRAM and PRAM, and that did nothing... safe mode works fine, as I mentioned... even got it running in normal mode for about 30 seconds one time.
It's the shop now, so we'll see, when I get the computer back, what the real problem was. It makes me flabbergasted that bad sectors in my secondary drive could have any effect whatsoever on boot!

System won't boot-no chime.

Despite repeated attempts and resetting the CUDA button, the system won't boot when start button is pressed. In the first few seconds it seems to make normal sounds; but no chime and settles into simply fan noise. This is true even if using C (with an Install CD). or Shift key. Is there anything else I can try? (I know it's actually a G3 B&W Motherboard; but I had nowhwere else to post it)

I do not remember exactly what was happening when it stopped. It may have been executing something , hung up, and wouldn't respond to the Command-Opt-Esc or I do remember one incident when it was booting up and stopped when it was partly thru "searching for local discs.
I checked the ref. article and tried to measure the voltages on the power connector. I was never quite sure what pin was what, since the colors did not jive with those in the article. At any rate 2 were approx. + 5 V (one was 4.85), the rest were essentially zero (I believe 1 or 2 were about 300 mv). I did notice that when the power connector is reconnected and start up is attempted, 3 little green lights come on on the motherboard. One goes off after a while.
I have tried the old Sonnet upgrade and have tried reseating all the RAM modules. All to no avail.
The Hard drive and all other parts seemed to be working fine prior to the failure.

Powermac G5 won't boot past apple logo screen

I'm trying to repair a Powermac G5 (dual 2.0, the first model I believe, with a new Radeon 9800 graphics card) that won't boot and I'm having some problems that I can't seem to diagnose.
The machine will boot to the openfirmware prompt or target disc mode and will show the 'OS not found' icon if left to boot from the HD (which has been wiped). If I try to boot from either the included restore disc or a retail 10.4 DVD I've tried it will show the boot screen with the Apple logo on it but no spinning status indicator underneath. It just freezes on that screen. Once it showed the status indicator but it just continued to spin for about 30 mins, at which point I gave up. Same issue if I try to boot the hardware test (except it freezes on the hardware test loading icon rather than the Apple icon). The superdrive appears to work as it is accessible in target disc mode.
I've reset the SMU and reset the PRAM via the keyboard shortcut. The one thing that leads me to think it's a firmware fault is that when I run the 'reset-nvram' command it gives an OK, but when I then run 'reset-all' it freezes rather than rebooting. Any ideas anyone?

I am having the same problem with my Power Mac G5. I have had a problem with the machine for the last few months, I just turned it off waiting for Leopard (started using a laptop for projects).
I got Leopard, tried to boot off the DVD, I only get to the grey Apple logo and then after a few minutes the fans kick on high and I just have to shut the machine down.
I didn't want to lose any thing off my hard drive so I went and bought a new one and installed it, when that failed to install to, I bought a new optical drive. It still won't boot off the optical drive. I can go into the firmware and choose which drive to boot from (I choose the optical).
My configuration at this point is a new DVD drive, new unformatted hard drive, I have used a laptop to try to install from using the G5 in target mode, using the laptop in target mode to use as an optical drive. All of these steps have failed.
I have 4 gig of RAM, Pioneer 112D DVD, Maxtor 250 Gig HD, I have reset the SMU, I have the NVidia card (can't remember which model).
Any ideas where else to look for a solution?

SP G5 won't boot, no chime, no LED

I have a single processor G5 that won't boot. I was using it and all of a sudden, everything frooze - the first time in the almost 3 years that I have owned it. As it sat there, the fan started to slowly speed up.
I shut it down with the power button and when I tried to reboot, I did not get a chime or any other sign of life. I think the power LED came on and stayed on. I tried the PMU reset (once) and tried another reboot. This time, it started up again without the chime and the power LED went off after I pressed it and stayed off.
I tried removing and reseating the memory, the video card and I removed an Alchemy TV card. Still no luck. I checked the power to the battery and it is good. I tried removing the battery, waited for five minutes and then I reinstalled. Still no luck. If I leave it on, the fans slowly kicks into high gear.
Sounds pretty serious to me. I think at this point, it requires a service call. Can I try my local PC computer repair, or is Apple the only way to go? I will have to ship it to Apple.
G5 SP Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1 GB RAM

I have a single processor G5 that won't boot. I was
using it and all of a sudden, everything frooze - the
first time in the almost 3 years that I have owned
it. As it sat there, the fan started to slowly speed
up.
I shut it down with the power button and when I tried
to reboot, I did not get a chime or any other sign of
life. I think the power LED came on and stayed on.
I tried the PMU reset (once) and tried another
reboot. This time, it started up again without the
chime and the power LED went off after I pressed it
and stayed off.
I tried removing and reseating the memory, the video
card and I removed an Alchemy TV card. Still no
luck. I checked the power to the battery and it is
good. I tried removing the battery, waited for five
minutes and then I reinstalled. Still no luck. If I
leave it on, the fans slowly kicks into high gear.
Sounds pretty serious to me. I think at this point,
it requires a service call. Can I try my local PC
computer repair, or is Apple the only way to go? I
will have to ship it to Apple.
G5 SP Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1 GB
RAM
Hi Lawrence,
The same thing happened to my dual 2.5 G5 yesterday! I also tried all of the things you tried. After discussing the issue and trying several different steps suggested by the Apple Tech Support person on the telephone, it was suggested that either the power supply, logic board or both were defective. The Apple Tech Support person recommended that I take the machine either to the nearest Apple Store or the Apple Service provider where I purchased the G5. I delivered my machine to my service provider this morning and the initial diagnosis, on the basis of symptoms, is consistent with that of Apple Tech Support. I have confidence in my service provider's capability because they successfully replaced a failed logic board withing two months of my purchasing the machine. I've had no problems until yesterday. Hopefully, they'll have a firm diagnosis in a day or so. I'll let you know how it works out. I'm glad I have Apple Care!
AndyH

PowerMac G4 Won't Boot

I recently got a PowerMac G4, and have had the thing for a month or so. For the entire month, everything seemed to be working fine. A few ownership changes here and there to allow for reading/writing, but nothing major. After shutting down the Mac (something I regularly do) and restarting it, the machine turned itself off. Restarting, I pushed Command+V to show output.
I get the normal boot messages, but then the machine pauses at this:
jnl: unknown-dev: journal start/end pointers reset!
After that, it continues loading for several minutes, then repeats this line approximately 20-30 times within a 1-2 second period before turning off:
USBF OHCI Driver: OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying
I removed my third party USB PCI card, to no avail. The only thing I currently have plugged into the logic board USB port is the Apple keyboard and mouse.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
For the record:
2GB RAM - Reseated and tested
PMU has been reset.
All PCI and video cards have been removed to ensure they aren't the culprit.
Red LED light on motherboard above memory is illuminated.
Machine won't boot off CD.
When the machine is turned on, I do get the Apple boot screen, but when it should switch to the login prompt, the machine powers off.

Update:
Here is the complete output of the boot:
Darwin Kernel Version 9.2.2 Tue Mar 4 21:23:43 PST 2008; root:xnu-1228.4.31~1/RELEASE_PPC
standard timeslicing quantum is 10000 us
vmpagebootstrap: 511099 free pages and 13189 wired pages
migtable_maxdispl = 79
Extension "com.apple.drivier.AppleMacRISC2PE" has immediate dependencies on both com.apple.kernel and com.apple.kpi components; use only one style.
Loading security extension com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet
calling mpopoliciyinit for TMSafetyNet
Security policy loaded: Safety net for Time Machine (TMSafetyNet)
Loading security extension com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall
Loading security extension com.apple.security.seatbelt
calling mpopolicyinit for mb
Seatbelt MACF policy initialized
Security policy loaded: Seatbelt Policy (mb)
Copyright (c) 1982,1986,1989,1991,1993
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Mac Framework successfully initialized
using 10485 biffer headers and 4096 cluster IO buffer headers
Extension "com.apple.driver.ApplePMU has immediate dependencies on both com.apple.kernel and com.apple.kpi components; use only one style.
FireWire (OHCI Apple ID 31 built-in now active, GUID 00a95fffe6a1270; max speed s800
ApplePMU::CLOCK RESET! PMU WAS PROBABLY RESET SOMEHOW!!
mbinit: done
Security auditing service present
BSM auditing present
rooting via boot-uuid from /chosen:39818732-A5D6-33D1-B8CE-701FF43A41F
Wating in <dict ID="0"><key>IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1">IOResources</string><key>IOResourceMatch</key><string ID="2">boot-uuod-media</string></dict>
Got boot device = IOService:/MacRISC2PE/pci@4000000/AppleMacRiscPCI/ata-6@D/AppleKauaiATA/ATADevi ceNub@0/Apple ATADiskDriver/IOATABlockStorageDevice/IOBlockStorageDriver/ST380024A ST380024A/IOApplePartitionScheme/Untitled@9
BSD root: disk0s9, major 14, minor 7
jnl: unknown-dev: journal start/end pointers reset!(jnl 0x3119f00; s 0x29d000 e 0x29d000)
syncing disks... Killing all processes
continuing
done
CPU halted
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
USBF: OHCI driver:OHCIRootHubPortPower bit not sticking (0), Retrying,
*Computer powers off at this point.

PowerMac G5 won't boot, but loads OS X/Linux install CD. Help?

I have a PowerMac G5 with a problem: It won't boot. I tried resetting most things and then finally tried formatting and installing linux (Ubuntu 12.04 PPC). The install appeared to work but on reboot I got a white screen and from there the fans slowly went to full blast.
(The white screen and fans happened before linux, too) The drives work perfectly. The hardware must not be completely dead because it can boot from a cd. Can someone help?
Specs: G5 1.8 ghz(DP), 8GB RAM.

I've not convinced it could not be a harddrive problem.
I'd get an external hd & try installing to the external hd or get another internal hd & try installing to that. You need an external bootable firewire drive.
You need an external Firewire drive to boot a PowerPC Mac computer [ a few G5's will boot from USB ].
I recommend you do a google search on any external harddrive you are looking at.
I bought a low cost external drive enclosure. When I started having trouble with it, I did a google search and found a lot of complaints about the drive enclosure. I ended up buying a new drive enclosure. On my second go around, I decided to buy a drive enclosure with a good history of working with Macs. The chip set seems to be the key ingredient. The Oxford line of chips seems to be good. I got the Oxford 911.
I'd give OWC a call. 1-815-338-8685.
FireWire 800 + USB 3, + eSATA
save a little money interface:
FireWire 400 + USB 2.0
This web page lists both external harddrive types. You may need to scroll to the right to see both.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
     (2) FireWire 800/400 Ports (Up to 100MB/s / 50MB/s)
     (1) USB 3.0 Port (Up to 500MB/s / 60MB/s)
     (1) eSATA Port (Up to 300MB/s)
Has a combo firewire 800/400 port. Not sure what this is. Looks like you will need 400 cable.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ministack
You could run hd diagnostics.
We will be better diagnosing X than Linux.
Does it work from a linux live hd? Ubuntu 6.06 LTS
I recall Ubuntu stopped supporting the PPC in '96 / '97. Anything later is community supported which for my iMac g3 was unreliable. I had to mess around with the x11 configuration to get the display working. Can you get into command line?
Ubuntu 6.06 LTS with x11 configuration changes worked for me.
Ubuntu
The Ubuntu folks stopped supporting the power PC a while back. You will have to install an older version of Ubuntu.
You need to modify xorg.conf. See:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=219532
Mac G3 modem install Howto
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=355205
You will have adjust adjust xorg.conf. See these instructions:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=234437
I was able to get the last official versions of Ubuntu working on my G3 600.
6.10 Edgy Eft,
6.06 Dapper Drake
I used the alternate install and did the alterations noted above.
These versions are listed at the very bottom of the page.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCDownloads
I'd try Debian etc.
Robert

PowerMac G5 won't boot in one location

Here's a strange problem. We have a pair of PowerMac G5's. Second and Third generation. They boot fine from my place of work. But at my new residence, they do not boot at all. I went back and forth between the places 3 times. Yet I can't even get to single user mode (UNIX prompt).
I tried plugging the computers into each grounded circuit in my house. I first tried it with my new 20 amp outlets (20 amp each). I had a qualified electrician come to my house and tell me that the outlets are "clean": well grounded, good voltage (4 volts over "you get what hydro gives you"), etc.
I know that the G5 draws a lot of current when it starts up but according to my electrician, my circuitry should definitely be able to handle that plus a whole lot of other guear.
A G5 iMac works fine. All my PC's work fine. I did discover a dead power supply on one of my routers, but I don't know if it died before or after the move.
I've searched the apple site and web and couldn't find anything on this topic, which is even more baffling. I don't believe in singularities within mass production--I can just assume that anyone who has experienced this has not posted, or applecare might be able to provide an answer.
My next move will be to introduce a UPS, such as the Belkin UPS Line Conditioning And 4 Battery Backup (550VA), e.g.,
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000F S10054425&catid=10446
Needless to say, I'm completely floored by this problem, and so is our IS/IT staff.
So if this is not a question, it's at least a post "for the record".
Thanks,
Luc

Well, I searched the web all over, and Apple's web site, and I even phoned Apple's tech support who took several minutes to research this: I found no solution to my problem. So I'll describe the problem and the solution. (Maybe a better googler would have found the solution, but Apple couldn't help!)
To recap: I moved to a new, older, house recently. I installed 4 20 amp circuits to handle my equipment (over $1,000 for this). I plugged in my PowerMac dual G5 (second gen) and tried to boot it up. Nothing. Wouldn't even get to the command prompt, though the power light was on. Tried every outlet in the house. I brought this computer back and forth to my workplace, making minor modifications as you would expect for debugging (resetting pram, etc., swapping RAM, etc., etc.). Nothing worked. So I tried a different PowerMac G5 (3rd gen). And this one had the same problem. Bizzaro.
I had the electrician come to my house again and he measured several of the outlets and said they were all clean. All within the specs of Apple. Voltage was a bit high but within normal range. He even measured it during the attempted boot up.
I tried a UPS. It idn't work. I phoned APC, and they told me that they have frequently fixed PowerMac G5 users' problems with their:
APC Model SUA1500: line interactive UPS, pure sine wave, list price = $US 519. So that means my original UPS just wasn't good enough--lucky I pursued that further.
So that would be my solution, assuredly. I won't even bother to buy the thing, cause the price is too high and I don't know how long I'll be staying here. So I've been demoted to an iMac 1.8Ghz. Better than using a G4 anyway.
Dual G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3) 2 GB RAM
Dual G5 Mac OS X (10.4.1)

OS 9 Powermac G3 Won't boot from CD

My OS 9 CD won't boot on my B&W G3. I want to install OS 9 and then install OS 10.3 on top of that but I can't get it to boot from the OS9 CD. Any ideas?
Message was edited by: plop1234

The Option key at startup should bring up Startup Manager where you can select from available startup disks. If you have the Mac OS 9 disk in the drive, it should be one of the options. Your Panther system should be another option.
If you are using a non-Apple keyboard, I'm not sure it will work, but the Option key is the Alt key on a Windows keyboard. If you were using the C key at startup to boot the optical drive, maybe that's why it did not work, because it was not an Apple keyboard.
A dead PRAM battery can cause startup problems. If it was very weak, resetting PRAM may have drained it the rest of the way. It looks like this
http://eshop.macsales.com/item-specials/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/
If you have a voltmeter, you can check your battery to see of you get 3.6v.

More on the G5 Won't boot, no chime, no grey screen issue....

OK, so in the last thread, I had taken it to the apple store, where the g5 (DP 2.5) dutifully started up on their firewire drive, whereupon they declared it a faulty hard drive.
I pressed them pretty hard, but it made sense at the time, and certainly never failed while they were there.
So now I have it back home, a new WD SATA drive installed, and guess what?? same thing... boots, no chime, no power LED, just fans.
I have set/reset the SMU, I have removed everything including the batter (which checks good at 3.7 volts BTW)
Here's the weird part - it seems like once per day (always the first time) I do get one good try out of it. By this I mean, it will chime and at least get to the grey screen, and i can eject a CD. However, up till now I have not been prepared with the right thing to give it. Once that opportunity has passed, its back to the old black screen with no chimes for at least 24 hours.
I don't detect any overheating or that sort of problem - anyone ever seen this - where you can only get one good boot out of it for a day?
Thanks,
adam

Hi gB -
Yes I tried without the cover, to no avail. Ended up taking it back to the apple store today where they now are able to see the problem (with a different monitor).
Their gut instinct is logic board, but I am asking them to do a complete test on it (whatever that means) just to make sure it isn't a flaky leg on the power supply, or a bad cable somewhere. I don't have alot of hope, but I will give it a chance.
If it ends up being procs, board, or both, I will probably sell it for parts and put the money into a new one with warranty etc!
Glad yours is up and running.
Adam

Powermac G5 Won't boot

Hello, last night I was using my computer just chatting with people, then all of the sudden it shuts off. Now it won't boot past the apple grey loading screen, and the fans slowly rev up till they are full boar, and I have to shut it off for them to stop.
I've reset the PRAM, the SMU/PMU, tried holding alt and selecting my drive to boot to. None of these did anything, and didn't help at all.
I've heard it's a processer or logic board failure, or a HD failure, or something else. I'm ready to buy a new computer, I'm actually kind of sick of this one, I just want to know if I can fix it or not.
I will probably take it to the apple store just to make sure, but maybe I can get an answer on here to know how to fix it or just to know that it's dead.
Please help, thanks!

You can call the Apple Store and ask.
Last October a year ago when my PM G5 Quad died I called my local Apple Store. It turns out that they had a guy there who knew how to work on the G5. Over the phone he explained to me how to check it out. After doing all of the checks, what he told me was that I had lost one of PowerPC processors. He then told me what it would take to repair it. I thanked him and then explained that I was going to upgrade to a Mac Pro.
Who knows you might get lucky also.
Allan

Powermac G5 won't boot from install dvd.

The hard drive in my Powermac G5 quit, so I put in a new one that was formatted. I put the install DVD (OSX Server 10.4) in and booted. Every time I try I get a kernel panic. Everything else in the computer works. I have tried putting it into target disk mode and installing the OS using another computer, but it won't let me because the computer doesn't run tiger. I have also tried putting the functioning Mac into TDM with the install disk in it, then booting it from that but I still get a kernel panic. The computer was functioning normally before the hard drive crashed.

OK, that's a Late 2005 G5...
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g5/specs/powermac_g5_dual_2.3.htm l
Pre-Installed MacOS:
X 10.4.2 (8E90)
Maximum MacOS:
X 10.5.8
So, If that Install Disc is in fact 10.4.0 as I suspect, then it won't work for your G5... no drivers.
I can only see a couple of options at this point...
1. A newer Install Disc.
2. An older Mac & a Firewire drive to install it to, update to 10.4.11, move FW drive to G5.

PowerMac 5400 won't boot

Someone recently gave me a PowerMac 5400 running Mac OS 9.1. I don't much about Macs, so bear with me please. When I start it up, it chimes, and shows a grey screen with a happy computer, then goes to another screen that says "Welcome to Mac Os" then goes to another screen that says "Your computer did not shut down properly. Disk First Aid is checking....". Says it's verifying "m9i" and shows a task bar that moves along fairly well until it's complete. Once it's done, it tells me verification and repairs completed successfully. I have to hit enter on the keyboard to click the "Done" button because the mouse isn't working at this point. Once I hit done, it goes to another screen that says "Starting Up..." and shows another task bar. This task bar gets about 1/8 of the way across and stops completely. I've let it sit this way since I left for work last night (about 9 hours ago) and it's still in the same spot when I returned this morning. Can you tell me what's wrong and how can I fix it?

Hi, Pinkbadge -
Welcome to Apple's Discussions.
Try starting the machine with Extensions Off. To do that, start it up, immediately press the Shift key, keep it held down. With luck this will also skip the 'you abused me' message. Once the desktop has loaded you can release the Shift key.
If this works, then the problem is almost certainly an extensions conflict of some kind, and you would need to solve for that.
Article #30929 - How to Resolve System Extension Conflicts
There are easier ways to do it than the methods described in that article - please post back if that seems to be the issue.
Be sure the mouse is plugged in - it should work with the Welcome screens and the Repair screen.
Exception - your machine does not have native USB. If the mouse is a USB mouse, then a PCI card has been added to provide a USB connection; many of those will not be available until the OS has loaded. If that is the case, you may need to locate and use an ADB mouse to gain mouse use prior to full loading of the OS, which is often handy for trouble-shooting. You will need to use an ADB mouse when booting the machine to a CD.
The same applies to using a USB keyboard.

Apple won't boot beyond chimes

My Imac 24 inch does not boot beyond the chimes. When I reformatted, it worked but I could not install my Adobe CS3 and on restarting again after 2hrs it did the same thing stopped booting after the chimes. Please I need help to solve this

Hi
When you boot up, you should get a single chime (equiv chord of G apparently). Multiple chimes on startup can signify possible hardware problems. Have you checked your RAM to see if it is correctly seated (may be loose)?
Steve
Oops, didn't see last post, sorry. Please mark your thread as Answered so people know problem is solved. This helps other people with same problem find answers to their problem when using the filters.

Powermac g5 won't boot mac os 10.5 stuck at logo screen

Anyone experience this problem? How do I fix it?
PowerMac G5 wont startup. gets stuck on grey screen with apple logo with no turning gears, then fans start blowing really loud.
Using latest Mac OS 10.5
It will not start up from an install disc, but will run the hardware tests.
All tests pass in G5 hardware test disc.
Hard drives have passed all tests, been rebuilt and repaired permissions.
I have tried starting up in safe mode, holding down the option key to select a drive and holding down the c key to startup with an install disc.
The battery was dead so I replaced it but it still wont boot.
I tried zapping the PRAm still not booting up.
I have attempted to use terminal but get the following message then there is no response.
Darwin Kernel Version 9.8.0: Wed Jul 15 16:57:01 PDT 2009;
root: xnv-1228.15.4~1/Release_PPC
Standard timeslicing quantum is 10000 US
VM_page_bootstrap: 1021219 free pages and 27,357 wired pages
mig_table_max_displ = 79
Extension "com.apple.driver.Apple Mac Risc4PE" has immediate dependencies on both com.apple.kernel and com.apple.kpi components use only one style
Loading security extension com.apple.security. TmSafetyNet
calling mpo_policy_init for TmSafetyNet
Security policy loaded Sfety net for Time Machine (tmSafetyNet)
Loading security extension com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall
Loading security extension com.apple.security seatbelt
calling mpo_policy_init for mb
Seatbelt MACF policy initialized
Security policy loaded: seatbelt policy (mb)
Copyright (c) 1982 1986 1989 1991 1993 The Regents of the University of California. All rights researved
Mac Framework successfully initialized
Using 16384 buffer headers and 4096 cluster 10 buffer headers
DART enabled

Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

My PowerMac G5 won't boot, no chime, no nothing

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