Power Mac G4 (AGP) Problems booting up.

When I turn on my Mac it starts normally but when it gets to the apple logo screen it stays there for about 5 minutes then transitions into a blue screen where I can see my mouse in the upper left hand corner but not move it. My Mac never gets past the blue screen. I'm new to Macs, so any input would be helpful.
Thanks,

Hi-
Try starting in Safe Mode. Hold the Shift key while starting. If successfully booted to Safe mode, restart, and the machine should start normally.
If not, there are possible Startup or Login item problems.
Troubleshooting Startup and Login Items
The startup problem could also be caused by directory problems on the hard drive. Boot to the OS X install disc (hold C while starting) and open Disk Utility in the Menu bar in the pane after the language selection pane. In Disk Utility, select your Startup drive, and select "Repair Disk".

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Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics), os x 10.3.9 - want to upgrade to leopard

Hi,
I have a G4 running 10.3.9 and would like to upgrade the os so I can get a new ipod and just because I want to. Is this possible with my configuration? I also want to upgrade to Creative Suite CS3 which also requires Leopard. Thanks
Mac OS X - 10.3.9
Machine Model: Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics)
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 256 KB
L3 Cache (per CPU): 2 MB
Memory: 1.38 GB
Bus Speed: 100 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.2.8f1
ATA-4 Bus:
ST3120026A:
Capacity: 111.79 GB
Model: ST3120026A
Revision: 8.54
Serial Number: 5JS2RBAW
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk1
Protocol: ATA
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
OS9 Drivers: Yes
seagate:
Capacity: 111.66 GB
Available: 76.52 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s10
Mount Point: /
Maxtor 51024U2:
Capacity: 9.54 GB
Model: Maxtor 51024U2
Revision: DA620XS0
Serial Number: K214AB5C
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Protocol: ATA
Unit Number: 1
Socket Type: Internal
OS9 Drivers: Yes
Macintosh HD:
Capacity: 9.54 GB
Available: 1.34 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s5
Mount Point: /Volumes/Macintosh HD

plunked down WAY TOO MUCH on upgrades to Beige/Yosemite/MDD over the years, enough that "penny wise, pound foolish" I could have had Starbucks instead and gotten a new Mac.
Hello Hatter, you wrote:
I don't like to work on a system that pegs cpu @ 100%, I want it to run smooth and graceful. I don't need $5000 to get there. And you can have a LOT of fun upgrading Mac Pro and gradually add what you want to. And if you are adventurous... get yrs out of it in the process.
Software and OS upgrades have always helped market new hardware.
Number one: I don't come anywhere near 100 percent cpu usage at all when I am using my MDD. Though, I don't use Apple's complex software, once in a blue moon I will burn DVD's or CD's, but this is fast enough for me.
Secondly: You have owned an MDD far longer than I have. I just recently got this MDD which is a 2003 dual 1.25 - the VERY VERY last one before the G5 came out. I am happy with this machine as it is doing everything that my digital audio did, but faster. I don't need windows, though if emulation of TI-99/4A, MAME, and MESS become a problem, I might consider a MAC MINI alongside my MDD. I am in no way shape of form going to get rid of the G4. Plus, I have so much fun with the powerpc processor and its capabilities. I know, the bus speed is 167, but consider this. I came from a digital audio to this MDD and it only cost me 400 dollars on craigslist. The condition:
Brand spanking new! The owner told me he had never had any problems with it. No over heating problems, nothing! The only problem I had with it was a bad front panel board - but thats all in the past.
True, I personally wouldn't plunk down any more money as far as CPU upgrades go since the 1.8 and 1.6 duals don't offer L3 cache. If anything, I would get at low price a 1.42 board to put in this machine and make it dual 1.42, though 10 percent increase is really miniscule.
Which brings me to the next point - of course, upgrading a Beige, Yosemite was a waste of money because for what those systems were worth they ran on a G3 processor. But, we are talking about a dual 1.25/1.42 MDD, not G3.
I do like the Intel macs, though from what you heard about me spewing hatred towards them and the architecture, I was just plainly upset that day for no reason and decided to take it out on others. For that, I am deeply sorry. However, I plan to get a Mac intel mini to be networked alongside my MDD. I just realized that really for what I use my MAC for, I wouldn't need a mac pro or anything remotely expensive, given right now that I am just starting a new job in a few weeks.
Finally, I am still at odds of whether to upgrade to Leopard, since most of my software is all tiger oriented. I originally had Panther 2 years ago and I was hesitant about going to Tiger, but I did and I am glad I did since I see the performance it is giving me.
So, the MDD is not a bad machine and really isn't as slow as one would think - at least for what I use my system for. Explain to me why you are getting 100 percent cpu on yours?
Nadav

Power Mac G5 won't boot with Lion?

After installing Lion, my early Intel 2010 Power Mac G5 won't boot. There were no problems for the first 2 days. The third day my G5 wouldn't boot at all. Not using Lion's recovery function, many attempts to boot from a previous system disk, and firewire target mode. The keyboard seems to be dead after attempting to boot except for the DVD eject key. All I get is a grey screen with an icon of a folder with a question mark within the folder. This icon blinks on and off continuously. Since the keyboard isn't working, I can't reset the PRAM, start in safe mode, or any other keyboard commands. The failed boot doesn't even get far enough for the Apple window to open. I replaced the hard drive and accomplished nothing except for spending even more money and time.
This is VERY frustrating! Has anyone else had a similar problem with booting after Lion't installation??
Thanks.

1) you have a Mac pro Early 2009, remember this. It avoids confusion here in forum
2) you're HDD's OS cannot be found by the firmware of the Mac hence it results to a question mark
perform the following(recommended to use a USB keyboard)
a) startup manager
press and hold option on startup. Do u see your HDD?
b) if you have a back up of your data then you can boot to the install disk and perform an erase and install
repairing the permission will not work since the disc's OS is different from the HDD's OS.

Power mac g4 Agp ''sawtooth'' wont install 10.4.11

hi
i have a power mac g4 (AGP 400 mhz)
i boot into the 10.4 install dvd about 1/5 th into the install it says please try installing agian.
when i restart without the disk in it shows the flashing no os floder.about 5 seconds after that it shows the white screen with the can't boot icon.
it has no os's onit and i plan to dual boot 10.4 and linux.
thanks.
also im not going to buying a new mac unless its dead because i love it! + im broke if its dead my budget is £75

Has this Mac ever had OS X installed? If not, it needs a firmware update prior to installing OS X.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1395 The firmware update is installed while booted into OS 9.
Is your install DVD black or gray? A black installer is a retail version that you need. A gray installer is Mac model specific & will only work on the Mac that it came with.
 Cheers, Tom
After you install the base 10.4.x, update to the final Tiger version 10.4.11. Here's the link for the 10.4.11 combo update http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24901?viewlocale=en_US
Look at this link Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger Installing Software Support Page
http://www.apple.com/support/tiger/install/
You can also download the Tiger Installation and Setup Guide
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/Tiger_Install_Setup_Guide.pdf
Message was edited by: Texas Mac Man

Power Mac g5 hangs on boot up when hot

My Power Mac G5 hangs on boot up when hot, such as after I have been using it a while. It won't get through the boot up process and I have a blank (dark) screen- no picture. Sometimes the little Mac chime sound doesn't even complete, and it quits abruptly 1/2 way through the sound.
Once the machine cools it does start... at least so far.
Any thoughts?
keith

Any Extra Ram, Extra Peripherals, Aftermarket Video Card?
Will it boot with a CD?
When was the last time you checked the RAM in "About this Mac?"
Can you monitor internal temps thru software ?
Possible bad ram, bad power supply, bad video card.
Try removing an extra add-on components and see if that helps.
Also, I've found startup freezes can corrupt HD start-up files badly.
Just had similar issue in my single processor, ancient 1.6 Gig G-5.
Bad Radeon Card. Put the original back in and it works fine.
Google "G-5 Power Supplies" and check out the information....known issue.
Good Luck

Dual G5 2.0 Power Mac (June 2004) referb - booting problem

Hi all - my dual G5 2.0 Power Mac (June 2004) decided to rev its fans and boot no more. When I push the power button in front, the white light comes on while pushing it, then goes off, yet I hear the fans starting, the hard drive spinning etc. The key board isn't getting power (the caps light doesn't go on) and after a few minutes the fans rev like a jet engine...starting slow then gaining speed. I can't open the DVD from the key board (have tried all usb ports). Have also looked through this discussion area and tried many of the solutions provided (reset the PMU, unplug, try different outlets etc.) Any help would be appreciated. I do have Applecare but they are closed for the night.
Thanks for you help
Dual G5 2.0 (June 2004) referb from Apple Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Your OS is not loading and the fans default into a speed up mode.
Power up and hold down the mouse button, the cd tray will spit. Insert Tiger/install disk and power boot holding c. (note: use a wired keyboard/mouse directly to the machine and nothing else for now)
In the Installer, select Disk Utility from the menu>Repair disk/permissions. note any errors you see.
If you can't access the drive, it might be dead. I hope you backed up files.
All you need to do is get a new drive and reinstall Tiger etc.
If you can get a 6 pin firewire 400 cable to each Mac and t boot the problem Mac. the hard drive should appear on the other which you can recover files.
If the OS is fried you can do a archive and install too.

Power Mac G4 AGP (Sawtooth) - PSU cable not working, all the time

Power Mac G4 Friends
P1 is connected to the motherboard and working.
P2 and P3 are connected to hard drives and working.
P4 is connected to a hard drive and working.
P6 is connected to optical and Zip drives and working.
P5 may not be working.
It was recently that I observed the length of P5. P5 is actually long enough to power an AGP 2x, 4x, ATI or GeForce, 12.v power supply connection required, graphics card.
Formally, I used P5 to power the hard drive in the front drive bay. For years no problem occurred. Suddenly, on occasion, the hard drive would not boot. When I connected the hard drive to P4, the problem was solved.
Questions
Since P5's length extends to the AGP slot, should P5 only be used for an AGP, power supply required, graphics card?
Is it possible for one PSU cable to not work?
Is the P5 cable broken?
Can the P5 cable be replaced?
Thank you

Hello, no idea if this helps, but...
You can convert an ATX PSU for use on a G4...
http://atxg4.com/sawtooth.html http://atxg4.com/gige-da.html
http://atxg4.com/quicksilver.html
http://atxg4.com/mdd.html
http://atxg4.com/

Power Mac G4 Display Problem

I own a Power Mac G4 Digital Audio 733MHz model, and an Apple Flat Panel monitor.
The monitor connects using ADC. Sometimes when I boot my Power Mac the power light appears on the display, but the display screen does not turn on. Rebooting the Power Mac will make the display come back to life.
A while back someone in the Apple Forums suggested replacing the PRAM battery.
I tested the PRAM battery, and it is fine.
I opened up the Power Mac case, and see that the AGP card is properly seated.
What would most likely be the problem? Would it be the display, the video card, or the logic board?
Thanks!

Just an update, I tried a different LCD Display with a VGA connector and it works fine.
It must be the Apple Display.

Power MAC G4 doesn't boot up, keeps shutting down.

I have a Power MAC G4 dual 1.25 GHZ with mirrored bay doors. When I start the computer and it begins to rev up it shuts down. After several tries it eventually boots up, but when i go to restart, it shuts down. Any Feedback is this a major problem ?

Stevink, welcome to Apple Discussions.
Is this a new occurance? Are you using any wireless devices? After it eventually boots up, does it stay up for a long time?
Some USB devices can cause the opposite - restart instead of shutdown. Don't know if your case could be caused by a USB device. What USB devices do you have connected? Disconnect all external devices except your monitor, keyboard & mouse. Now does it startup OK?
 Cheers, Tom

Power Mac G4 MDD Intermittent Boot from Internal HD?

I have a Power Mac G4 MDD with a 1.42G Dual Processor, 2GB Ram using a 500GB HD operating OS 10.5.8 The problem I am having is that my computer will boot just fine for a week or so then all of a sudden it won’t boot up at all from the internal HD. Here are the symptoms; I get the ‘chime’, then the grey screen appears with the black apple logo and I see the ‘spinning gear’. The spinning gear stops (after about 15 secs) then it goes to a light blue screen and just sits there forever. I usually see this ‘blue screen’ for about 2 seconds just before my desktop appears on the screen during a normal boot. I could go home tonight and it might boot up just fine, I don’t know, but it’s very frustrating. Things I have tried – ( I have two MDD’s so it’s pretty easy to troubleshoot) but still no successful boot sequence.
1. Reset PRAM
2. Changed MOB battery
3. Attempted a boot from another known good HD
4. Removed the 500 GB HD and installed in another MDD and it boots every time.
5. Replaced Motherboard with a known good spare I have.
6. Swapped out RAM modules
I’m not sure what’s next? Processor?, Power Supply??, Video Card??
Maybe someone out there has seen or witnessed this strange occurrence on their MDD?

I have not reseated ALL the connectors but I will try that first tonight. I removed the AC last night so when I get home I will power it up and try again. When I can get it to boot reliably, it's usually been following an AC outage overnight or a couple of days.
Thanks,

Power mac g5--won't boot, and I can't sleep

Hi all,
I'm hoping someone is awake and can help. My power mac g5, circa 2005, has always come with some problems, specifically, kernal panics. It's not bad RAM, but I have never tested the video card. Oddly enough, it seems to go down most often in the most in simple internet applications.
Today, it froze in Firefox and I cannot get it to reboot. It stalls/freezes in the gray apple screen. Called my IT friend, and he said to zap the PRAM. That brought it back up for a second, and then it froze again. I replaced the battery, no results.
I can't get it to boot in safe mode or even single-user- it freezes up as well. I certainly can't get it up long enough to load the boot disk.
It may be garbage...I can accept that...but it is holding hours of work. Will I be able to retrieve this??
Help
Message was edited by: nigelsupercat

Hi, I'm having same problem. G5 1.8 dual processor purchased March '05, won't boot. Not from cd either.
Took it to the apple geniuses and first was told it might be a bad board or processor and that I might as well just buy a new system. Well, I can't, because I still need to run some classic applications for business reasons, and because of that I'm stuck at Mac OS X 10.3.9. Anyway... I left my system with the apple geniuses and got a call 3 days later saying it was fixed @ no charge and that the 3rd party USB card was bad. They pulled it and said all was well.Great!, saving me $800 charge for a new board and over $430 for a new processor. So on the way home I buy a new USB hub get home start up and nothing! No change. Back to the Apple Store and after some testing this time I'm told it's definitely a bad hard drive. So, on the way home I buy a new hard drive. Get back, install the new HD and, you guessed it, can't format the disk, system won't boot from CD. BACK TO THE APPLE GENIUSES AGAIN! Now they tell me it's definitely the logic board. After 5 days I'm back where I started... except I have an old USB card that is most likely fine and new USB hub and a new HD I purchased because the Apple Geniuses told me they were bad! I asked them if they would apply a credit of some sort for the unnecessary purchases and my time (The closest Apple Store is 30 miles away), They politely said we appologize for the inconvenience, but no, we can't do that. I've been using Macs of all kinds since the early 1980's. And have never had one fail! Since I started looking into G5 problems, I've found many others with this startup issue. I feel there is a known issue with this series that apple is intentionally sweeping under the rug instead of issuing a recall or credit.

Power mac g5 doesn't boot

Dear Apple Users,
I use an old power mac g5 and for some weeks I had prolbems loading all the fonts and some other hints of an coming breakdown.
This morning I startet the g5 and everything worked fine. After trying to restart it, the g5 wasn't able to boot again. I'm not sure whether it's an software or hardware-problem. Unfortunately I cannot find my system-dvd anymore. Do you have any hints whether it's usefull to buy another DVD or do you recommend to look for another hard drive (it isn't intell-baded, PPD). Do you have any experiences which could help me solving that problem?
Thank you for your help,
utomred

Hello,
Couple of things to try...
Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive & clear caches.)
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
You may need a new Hard Drive, but it wouldn't be any use without an Install Disc.

My power mac G5 won't boot up but has red flashing light and intense fan noise.

I Have a Power Mac G5 that flashes a red light that I've never seen before. There is nothing on the monitor and the fan noise is incredible.
HAs anyone ever had this problem?

Hi Michael,
It's normal for the fans to go full speed if the OS won't load to handle them.
Where is this red light, on the logic board, or front panel?
Can you count the beeps or flashes?
1 beep = no RAM installed
2 beeps = incompatible RAM types
3 beeps = no good banks
4 beeps = no good boot images in the boot ROM (and/or bad sys config block)
5 beeps = processor is not usable
In addition to the beeps, on some computers the power LED will flash a corresponding number of times plus one. The LED will repeat the sequence after approximately a 5-second pause. The tones are only played once.
Note: In this case, a flash is considered to be 1/4 second or 250 ms or greater in length.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1547
LED 1—CPU A: red—contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
LED 2—Overtemp: red—contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
LED 3—Power On: red—the main power is on
LED 4—Trickle: yellow—Power Mac G5 is plugged into the wall correctly
LED 5—Open Firmware good: green—no problem
LED 6—CPU B: red—contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
LED 7—Checkstop: red—contact Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider

Power Mac G5 does not boot up, just grey apple on white screen?

Power Mac G5 does not finish starting. The monitor screen turns white and the grey small apple appears. Then the fan motor starts running fast on the G5 so shut system down. Is this a video or G5 problem?

Hi, so many thngs it could be!
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
If perchance you can't find your install Disc, at least try it from the Safe Boot part onward.
Any of that work?

Power Mac G4 Won't Boot...New RAM Installed...

Hey there,
I was just given a Power Mac G5, QuickSilver. It looked relatively clean inside, and had all the neccessary components already installed except for the RAM. I went ahead and bought 3 PC133 SDRAM modules, but when I put them in, I hear one loud beep and it appears nothing is happening. I can hear the fans blowing inside, but I don't get anything displayed.
I know this one beep means the computer doesn't see the RAM, but could my battery be dead? Would that also cause the sound?
Anyone have any other tips or tricks?
Thanks in advance for any info. I'd like to salvage this bad boy if at all possible.
Cheers

Hi-
Apparently it was one of the launch models for the Quicksilver, or at least that's what I'm told.
That'll be this one:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg4/stats/powermac_g4_733qs.html
do you know if there are limitations to how high I can go with hard drives?
That model/series (QS 2001) only supports up to 137 GB drives (128GB formatted).
You can use a 160GB drive with no worries regarding the "unused" portion.
I was kind of wondering if I could purchase a Serial ATA PCI controller card that would allow me to use SATA hard drives.
Of course you can.
This will also get rid of the capacity limit.
However, if you want to boot to the connected drives, not all support boot.
The best, hands down, controller that also supports boot is the Firmtek Seritek line.
The 1S2 is as cheap as they come:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Firmtek/FTST1S2/
I was also given an AGP G4 (400MHz) that was missing the hard drives, RAM, and battery.
All those parts are basically the same for the QS and the Sawtooth (AGP G4).
You can try a stick of your new RAM and any ATA hard drive (up to the same limits as the 733 QS) and see if you can get it going.
Order a new PRAM battery (or 2) from OWC while your at it.
Always nice to have a fresh one.
BTW, ALL QS processors are interchangeable.
That is to say, if you find a deal on any other QS processor (and heatsink), even a dual processor, it is a straight swap.
Look around my website, as there is a bunch of information that you might find interesting:
http://www.jcsenterprises.com/JapamacsPage/All_ThingsPPC.html

Power Mac G4 (AGP) Problems booting up.

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