Power Mac G4 will not start up

Friends I have a Power Mac G4 MDD Dual 1Ghz/ 10.5.8 /2 GB Ram. For the past several months the only way for me to start the Mac was to un plug the power cord, then plug it back in. Computer behaved fine in every aspect. At times the Mac would shut down instead of going to sleep or shut down after several days of sleep. However the last several days it would not start up at all. I press the button on the MAC, fan would start and light would glow for about a second, then die. I read on the net to un plug everything, remove the battery, press the reset button inside the mac, hold in for 5 seconds, then press the start button for 5 seconds. Let it alone for 1/2 hour.... Unit still did not respond. So, I repeated the procedure and let it alone overnight. It started with no problems the next morning!! It would even restart.... no problems. It would even start up after shut down, ( I now know it must be within minutes). Thinking I had fixed the problem I shut down the computer again. Returned that night.. would not restart. Repeated the above procedure and this morning it started back up...... Could it be the power supply? It's currently asleep but wakes up... no problem. Computer works... except if I shut down for any length of time.... What could be wrong? Can I do any other procedure while it's alive and running? Any test I could perform? Can power supplies act like this? Any suggestions? Why does it start up after the above procedure?
Thanks in advance for your time...........
Mike

I would first replacve the internal PRAM memory battery. Check this site for battery part numbers and sources. https://sites.google.com/site/macpram/mac-pram-nvram-cuda-pmu-battery-tutorial Mac PRAM, NVRAM, CUDA/PMU & Battery Tutorial
Some things to try.
* Reset the PMU http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1939
* Resetting the Logic Board - Resetting the logic board can resolve many system problems. Whenever you have a unit that fails to power up, you should follow this procedure before replacing any modules.
1 Unplug the computer.
2 Press the Power On button on the front of the unit.
3 Open the side access panel.
4 Remove the battery from the logic board.
5 Wait at least 10 minutes before replacing the battery.
6 Make sure the battery is installed in the correct +/-
direction.
7 Reassemble the computer and test the unit.
Note:
This procedure resets the computer’s PRAM. Be sure to
check the computer’s time/date and other system parameter settings
* Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
* Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300552
* Power Mac G4: Computer Does Not Power On, No Fan Movement
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95038
 Cheers, Tom

Similar Messages

Power mac g5 will not start

please help me !power mac g5 a1047 will not start!

A1047 refered to all PowerMac G5 towers, as this page explains. What you need is the EMC#. That will tell you if you have a liquid cooling G5 tower, and if you do, that's another reason many fail to start because the coolent can leak.

Power Mac G5 will not start up

My Power Mac G5 had been left in sleep mode under my desk for about a month. I would use for a few minutes a day to check e-mails and then it would go back to sleep. The last time I checked it, it was off, when I tried to start it up nothing happened. I unplugged it and tried a new outlet, but nothing happened.
Do you think since it was under my desk for so long the power supply burnt out? If so how would I go about replacing it and how much would it cost? Could it be something else?
Any help is much appreciated.

Hi Dylan, and a warm welcome to the forums!
How to reset the SMU on a Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) or Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436
Earlier G3, G4, G5 models...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1939
PM G5 won't start...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2173

My power mac G5 will not start up normally

I have done everything i can think of to get video from it and dont know what else to do.
1) I unplugged all ext drives and speakers. Restarted this worked the first time I tried it hasn't worked since.
2) Plugged in ext drives one at a time untill one worked to identify the drive causing the problem (never really got a culprit computer would only start up with one in, it didnt matter which one)
3) Went into system preferrences remove all items except OS from start up (everything worked until next start up)
4) Resest button SMU (no change)
5) Cleaned out the dust from the board (no change)
6) Unplugged Power cord from the back of CPU (no change)
7) Check monitor settings(no change)
8) Switched monitors completely (no change)
Whats happening now
Turns on, start up chime, fans run. (I get nothing on the monitor, no apple logo, and no blue, grey or black screen)

ashnicrum0927 wrote:
the power is on, not flashing, and the fans run normal for a few minutes and then full speed
OK, so that indicates no POST (power on self-test) problems, but either the OS is not loading or something is crashing. The PMU/SMU will eventually cause the fans to firewall their speed when the OS doesn't tickle the fans watchdog timer in the SMU/PMU.
Are you getting any video or monitor flash when this is going on? No grey screen at power up?
We can even get very fundamental by trying an open firmware boot, holding down the cmd-option-O-F key combination at boot and seeing if you get the white O-F terminal screen. This doesn't involve any boot device at all, just the boot code coming out of the firmware itself. If, perchance, you do get the O-F terminal screen, then you might try the following two commands to see what happens:
reset-nvram <enter>
reset-all <enter>
which will cause the machine to try to reboot completely after having the NVRAM contents set to their default values. Of course, if you don't get to the terminal screen with an O-F boot, you have some serious problems, like a failed video card or a hosed CPU or logic board. Let's hope it's not that.

TS4088 I have a MacBook pro that has power issues and will not start but the hardrive is fine. I do not want to lose all of my files so I was wondering if it's possible to transfer my hardrive from a older Macbook pro to a new one if I were to purchase o

I have a MacBook pro that has power issues and will not start but the hardrive is fine. I do not want to lose all of my files so I was wondering if it's possible to transfer my hardrive from a older Macbook pro to a new one if I were to purchase a new one? Also, the software is not updated as the computer hasn't worked for about 2 months.
Also, if it is possible to transfer the hardrive, would my iTunes music transfer as well? It is not saved in the cloud.
Thanks for your help, it is much appreciated.

You computer is probably perfectly repairable, but if you want a new one anyway, it is perfectly possible to transfer the data from the faulty one.
But it would be a mistake to simply put the old HD in the new computer.
These are the steps:
Remove Hard drive from faulty computer. (very easy on Unibody MBPs, do-able but not so easy on older MBPs)
Put it in a cheap enclosure
Connect it the new computer
Boot up new computer.
If the new computer has never been run before the Setup Assistant will ask if you want to import your apps, data, settings etc from either another mac, another HD connected to the Mac or a Time Machine back up.
Obviously chose the second option (another HD connected to this Mac) and follow prompts.
If the new computer has already been run (so Setup Assistant doesn't run when you boot it up), you will need to use Migration Assistant...or run the installer again so that Setup Assistant runs again.
Message was edited by: Mike Boreham...added sec on line

Help, my Mac mini will not start up, only keeps thinking on first page( white screen with apple emblem)

Help, my Mac mini will not start properly. Only goes to the white screen with thinking. Will not go to the password section

Are you sure about your hard disk health, any clicking noice recently?
Go to boot menu (press option button or button left to your space bar while booting) > Select Recovery drive > Disk utility > Verify the volume on which OS X is installed.

HT1436 My Power Mac G5 will not fully boot without safe mode, it only comes to a blue screen where my cursor duplicates in to 2, (one is frozen, one can move by moving the mouse). What is my problem, and how do I fix it?

My Power Mac G5 will not fully boot without safe mode, it only comes to a blue screen where my cursor duplicates in to 2, (one is frozen, one can move by moving the mouse). What is my problem, and how do I fix it?

Great clue Lukas...
One way to test is to Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, Test for problem in Safe Mode...
PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive
Reboot, test again.
If it only does it in Regular Boot, then it could be some hardware problem like Video card, (Quartz is turned off in Safe Mode), or Airport, or some USB or Firewire device, or 3rd party add-on, Check System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items window to see if it or something relevant is listed.
Check the System Preferences>Other Row, for 3rd party Pref Panes.
Also look in these if they exist, some are invisible...
/private/var/run/StartupItems
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/LaunchDaemons

My Desktop Mac Duo will not start up.

My Desktop Mac Duo will not start up. I keep getting a grey screen with the 'no entry' symbol. It can't find the srtat up disk. I cannot get it to start from the original system software CD either.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except keyboard, mouse, and monitor, whichever is applicable. Remove any aftermarket expansion cards. Check the installation DVD for dirt or scratches. Run a cleaning disc through the optical drive. Try again to boot from the DVD. If you can't, you have a hardware fault.

My Power Mac G5 Will Not Turn ON

My Power Mac G5 will not turn on. WOrked fine, then I went away for 7 weeks and now it doesnt turn on. Power/cord all fine. What can I do?
Thanks.

Same thing happened to my G5 dual (late 2004 model). Just did a quick search to find out "power supply unit failure" is most likely the cause.
Here are some useful links:
This guy replaced the PSU and documented the process:
http://damntechnology.blogspot.com/2009/02/rebuilding-powermac-g5-power-supply.h tml
Taking out the heat sinks to get to the PSU is a challenge. This link shows how:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=1476640#post1476640
This repair shop in Fremont CA seems to have pretty reasonable price to do the repair:
http://www.dttservice.com/powermacg5.html
I have owned many Macs for the last 15 years. This is my first bad experience with Apple's product.

Power mac G5 will not stay asleep

Hi, My power mac G5 will not stay asleep--it goes to sleep for several seconds then wakes up again = what to do?

Hi Al,
Most likely cause is a PCI card, or some attached USB or Firewire device, but possiblt 3rd party SW.
Have you done a PRAM reset, CMD+Option+p+r...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
In fact, do 3 in a row, takes a bit of time.
How to reset the SMU/PMU on a Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) or Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1436
Earlier G3, G4, G5 models...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1939
One way to test is to Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, Test for Sleep problem in Safe Mode...
PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive
Reboot, test again.
If it only does it in Regular Boot, then it could be some hardware problem like Video card, (Quartz is turned off in Safe Mode), or Airport, or some USB or Firewire device, or 3rd party add-on, Check System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items window to see if it or something relevant is listed.
Check the System Preferences>Other Row, for 3rd party Pref Panes.
Also look in these if they exist, some are invisible...
/private/var/run/StartupItems
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Power Mac G5 will not power on

Ok a little background:
Bought this (June 2004, dual 2.0 ghz) from a friend. Was fully working at the time. I took apart the computer to clean all the parts, it was quite dusty after 4 years of service. Now when I put everything back together, it won't power up!
I was quite extensive in my disassembly (I took out logic board, PSU, HD cage, all fans), and made sure everything was back in order. I am quite experienced at working with computers, so I am not inclined to say it was my fault that I probably statically discharged any components or damaged it when disassembling (I have built and serviced many computers before).
I am guessing it is the PRAM battery that is at fault? I have read a dead battery will cause the machine to not power up at all, and it is after all a 4 year old computer, so battery life was probably reached, so could it be just a wierd coincidence that after I cleaned it out it failed to start? PSU doesn't seem to be broken because there are two clicks whenever I plug it in.
One thing I did notice was that when I took out the battery and plugged it in, the power LED blinks once quickly, but when I put the battery back in and plug it in, the power LED doesn't blink. That is the only indicator that there is some life in the system (are there other diagnostic LEDs in the logic board I am not aware of?). Resetting the PMU does not fix anything, nor is leaving the battery out for an extended amount of time.
Any ideas Mac Gurus?
Thanks!

RAM stores certain system and device settings in a location that Mac OS X can access quickly. Exactly which settings are stored in the computer's PRAM varies depending on the type of computer as well as the types of devices and drives connected to the computer. Parameter RAM is a small area of non-volatile RAM (NVRAM).
Some information stored in PRAM includes:
Display and video settings such as refresh rate, screen resolution, number of colors
Startup volume choice
Speaker volume
Recent kernel panic information, if any
DVD region setting
If you battery is bad this info is not available and your Mac will not start up>
Message was edited by: macbig

Mac CF8 will not start with Java 1.6

I was reading a bit yesterday on problems with calling web
services on CF8 Mac using Java 1.5.x (in short, you can't use web
services). The proposed solution was to upgrade to Java 6/1.6 and
make that the default JDK on Mac OS X Leopard (10.5.4). I have Java
1.6 installed but when I make it the default JDK (I can verify this
is the correct JDK in Terminal), CF8 (8.0.1) will not start (from a
Terminal command or the CF Launcher). It says it cannot initialize
the JVM.
I understand that Java 1.6 will dramatically slow down CF8 on
a Mac but I do need to get web services going for local development
on an application. I'm thinking my 1.6 install is not good but
before going through the headaches to uninstall and install it
again, I wanted to check if anyone else has this issue and, if so,
how they got around it.
Thanks!!

I am experiencing the same issue. About 500 users are using Analyzer 7.0. When Java 1.6 is installed on their machine, the loading screen hangs, and never shows the login screen.

Mac pro will not start keeps getting password window

My mac pro will not startup keep getting startup login window

I keep getting the login window and user ID each time I put in the correct password it starts and immediately return to the login window.
I have rebooted with the installation DVD and still getting the same responses. Please help. Do I need to take it apple. My MacPro is only five months old.

HT1338 White Mac book will not start up just shows gray screen with apple logo

White Mac book will not boot up gray screen only

There are some recovery steps for this condition outlined in the below article.
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

My Mac book will not start

My Macbook Pro will not start . I have apple logo anh the circle. Any one halp me please

Start your MacBook with the original DVDs that came with your system. Then repair your hard drive with disk utility, also repair permissions. http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417

Power Mac G4 will not start up

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for