Powerbook freaky wierd issue

Okay, my 17" is about 2 years old, have had the screen replaced once. Now, the screen has started freaking out, with colours, lines going black etc when the unit is moved. I have a feeling it is something "touching" something inside because if i start to apply pressure to the side or "bend" the main part of the unit when the screen is up the problem will subside, only to come back on. It ranges from black screen to multiple moving colours and an oily look. The computer keeps running, so music will keep playing etc when this freezes so it can't be the hard disk or anything thats allowing the computer to function. I have had an ongoing problem with the CD drive making noises when pressure is applied to it, and am wondering if this has led to something becoming dislodged or moved and therefore causing the screen to do really wierd things.
The problem has gotten worse and is now rendering the computer usable only when lots of pressure is applied to certain places in the body.
Anyone got any clues as to what this can be??? I need to decide whether cost to fix or buy a new powerbook is the best option.

Buying a new machine is quite an expensive fix! Particularly when you have just had the screen replaced. The pixel issue could well be a loose connection. But could be related to the other problems you are having. You should get the people who did the repair to re-seat the connections. Attach the machine to an external monitor. That will show you if it if a faulty display. But by the sound of it there are a few issues that need to be checked.

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Powerbook G4 fax issue

question: how to troubleshoot powerbook G4 fax issue, recently upgraded to 10.4.6 from 10.3.x and can no longer fax a document using internl modem. After selecting doco/comand print (as part of faxing procedure) generates a "preparing" window, as well as a error printing window.

I don't have a ready answer for the faxing. but suggest first doing the free upgrade to OS10.4.11, which is the last version. Perhaps that fixed it. Software Update should do it.

Wierd issues with creative champion pcie

hi,
i just spent a few bucks on this awesome new soundcard and i've had nothing but problems after i bought it, it worked the first day after 3 driver reinstalls and by using windows update i finaly got it working! but the problems are not finished, i have cracking sounds and noises all the time when i play games and hear music, sometimes the music levels drop so it sound like music phases out, i dont have these problems with my stock motherboard sound, i also turned off the feedback thing for mic so it wont interfer with my speakers, so i have no idea what im doing wrong, i've tried disabling the stock soundcard (supremexfi) in bios and removed it completely and it didnt fix it the issues at all, i also pushed the cables from card to the I/O as hard as possible without breaking anything and i have the same issues without any changes, so im completely lost now on what to do
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,Re: wierd issues with creative champion pcieRsometimes it can be a bit bugged(in rare occasions noises) and i have to change from gaming mode to entertainment to fix that, and if i play any old title games it seems that sounds crackle all the time and i gotta do a full reboot to fix it.
so i really rounded up what to do and what to prevent(this happens with all drivers and its even worse with the newer ones so im using the very WHQL drivers from windows update)
looks like a RMA soon!
i appreciate the help! but not sure if i wanna make so many adjustments just to get some soundcard working.. just seem too much work for something i bought just to enjoy, sadly enough
creative: useless drivers, either fire the whole department or merge with asus is the only solution i can really predict would be a good change

PowerBook G4 Install Issue - Still waiting for root device

Hello Everyone and thank you for reading this post.
I have a last generation PowerBook G4 which I wanted to give to a family member since I've upgraded to a newer MacBook Pro.
I started by wiping the hard drive on the PB (in Target Disk Mode) using the Disk Utility application on the MBP using a FireWire 400 <-> FireWire 800 cable.
I verified and repaired the PB HD, no issues found... but that's when things started going bad. I'm unable to boot from the Tiger Install DVD when I restart the PB (holding down C). I get as far as selecting the language, at which point the mouse/trackpad work for a second before freezing up. I'm not able to select a language and that's as far as it goes.
I've also reset the ram and pram (ald+cmd+r+p) with no luck
My latest attempt has been to use the MBP's Disk Utility to partition the HD on the PB (over FireWire) and I also created a Image of the Tiger Install DVD on my MBP. I used the Disk Utility option "scan image for restore" and it checked out ok.
After successfully creating 2 partitions on the PB HD and using Disk Utility to Restore the Tiger Install DVD image to the smaller partition (10GB), I booted the PB holding the Alt key. As expected it found the Tiger Install DVD image on the HD, I clicked the arrow to continue.
At that point the grey screen with the apple logo appears and after a while it changes to a "forbidden" sign. Not getting much information from that I rebooted in Verbose mode (Cmd+V) to see what was going on. The attached image is what I see, unfortunately I don't know much about what it is telling me.
Lastly, I thought the RAM might have gone bad and so I removed one of the 2 ram sticks with no luck. I haven't tried the other RAM stick on it's own yet.
I know this community is full of smart people that might have some suggestion as to what is going on. Here is hoping someone has an idea to help me along.
Cheers

Hello Dalstott;
Thanks for your suggestion and apologies for my late reply. You're right, I hadn't been paying attention to the partition scheme.
I repartitoned the hard drive (this time watching out for the partition scheme) and tried again, however I'm not out of the woods yet.
With both partitions properly formatted, I restored to the Tiger install DVD image on the smaller one and booted from it.
I booted in Cmd+V mode to see what was going on and it seemed to be doing ok, then the screen switched from the verbose output over to the language selection (beginning of the operating system install). However it will get stuck there within a few seconds. The mouse is initially responsive, but after 3-5 seconds the cursor (and keyboard inputs) freeze.
I've tried now a couple of times to click through as many menus as possible before the keyboard/mouse inputs freeze. Sometimes, I get as far as selecting the hardrive to install the operating system on before the clock runs out.
Any idea whould could be going on? Could this be a RAM issue?
Thanks for your advice.

Powerbook G3 Display Issue

Dear Forum Mac Guru's,
I know this has been asked a few times before but I thought all the comments I've read so far have not been quite my situation. So here I go...
I was wondering if you are able to help
diagnose a problem I am having with my Pismo Powerbook?
The LCD still has a good crisp colour to it with no dead pixels or dim
spots or bright spots. That is until things start to go wrong. If I leave
the powerbook off and turn it back on again the LCD is fine for a while.
Then it will start to flicker with horizontal white lines in random places
every time. The image that was last on the display freezes and eventually
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image that had previously been there. eventually this white will go a dull
grey colour. This will all happen very quickly. In a matter of about 30
seconds.
Initially it was only intermitant and would go away by pressing the back
of the screen or pushing down on the screen (down dosen't help all that often). This however rarely helps these days.
I initially thought it was the Inverter board but then came to the
conclusion it might be the display cable. After replacing the display
cable (making sure it was the same brand screen) it still started to
flicker and the same things happens.
I have been running an external display for the past year with this problem and the external display runs without an issue. When the laptop display gose blank the external display runs perfectly.
I did a number of test on the computer when the display gose funny. I tried to push pod and poke the main body of the computer but this has no affect on the problem at all. The backlight is not an issue, it remains on. The screen has a number of vertical lines that appear once its grey (these may be there straight away but don't become apparent until the screen is greyish). I have leff the screen in the greyish state for a while and generally a couple of white lines will remain and randomly flicker every now and again. The screen in this state sometimes seems to dim in light intensity, this comes in and out. If the machine has been off for a little while (off not sleep) then the screen generally will last alot longer before going to the bad state. Moving the screen from almost closed to almost open the screen can go to the faded state at any position but will generally change as the screen is moved. The screen is best I feel when the screen is in the full extension open. When the screen dims (properly whilst saving power) it dims correctly but just makes the greyish look darker. If i touch the screen in the right spot it will spring back to life and be as crisp as it ever was. It also seems to have a darker rectangle in the centre of the greyish area. I think that is all?
Other than this problem recently the computers battery died and has been replaced and the cd/dvd drive has been replced. The screen problem was happening before these became and issue though.
Would you have any ideas? Also any suggestions on parts to fix it with?
Thanks in Advance, Tre.

In terms of heat I'm not sure.
It isn't only one spot that you can push to get it to come back. I have to manipulate the screen carefully in a number of different combinations. Also if the screen brightness is down the and screen fully open with an external monitor on the screen can sometimes clear up even after 4 hours plus of use. If I then move the screen up it will take a few minutes to go bad again. Even if the brightness is left down.
I actually have a spare screen from an old 400mhz model which is identical brand. Its just not in as good condition and has to bright spots in the corners and one dull area middle bottom. Its just not in as good nic as the current one when its working. Is there a way to 'tighten' the LCD in case its a pressure problem or is still a heat issue?
Many Thanks, Tre.

PowerBook 800 Audio Issue

Hello. I have a PowerBook 800 DVI. I have owned this computer for several years and have recently noticed that when I press on the bottom case or slightly move the PB the audio usually goes out completely, input and output. However, it does not hinder performance at all. Sometimes, it will make a terrible high pitched sound as well. I have changed MIDI settings and reset pram, PMU, nvram, etc. I tried the HD in a PowerBook 500 and had no issue. I also tried using the speaker connection from the 500 with no avail. I'm assuming it's the logic board. Does anyone have input in this? Thanks.

Hi m,
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
It's obvious this is hardware related, and it's not the HD. Go to ifixit.com and look at the user guide to identify the sound board on your machine. Then open up the bottom panel on your PB and look to see if the panel itself is bent in the area where you press to make the sound. If so, unbend it and don't press on that spot any more. You may also wish to lay a thin piece of insulating material between the bottom cover and the logic board in that area.
If that doesn't do it, with the bottom cover still removed, I would boot the PB and, with a non-conducive instrument (plastic, wood, not metal) carefully and gently poke the area where you notice the issue. If you can ID where two hardware components are flexing to touch each other and causing the issue, you may want to try insulating that point if it is practical (mylar is a good material if you have it available).
If this seems too risky and/or too much work for this issue and you can simply live with the issue, then that may be a good plan for you. Good luck.

Powerbook AC/battery issue

Hi there
wondered if anyone could give advice to this issue. I recently acquired a used Powerbook G4 Aluminum 15" widescreen which I bought knowing it had a dead battery which I'm due to replace, however as I have to leave it plugged in with the ac adapter in the interim I have noticed that there is a low level crackling/squealing emitting from the speakers even during sleep mode - its only noticeable when its quiet and stops when I unplug from the wall but I wondered if this was something to be concerned about? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
regards
Troy

air97 wrote:
I have the 1 Ghz version. and the battery says that the battery is at 75%. very odd.
OK, that's the same as mine. The total capacity number is bizarre, though. The 75 percent on the battery sounds right, as that corresponds to what your reported mAh remaining would be compared to what my System Profiler says about maximum capacity.
Why it's stopping the charge at the point it is is a mystery, but it may simply be a calibration problem. I would recommend again the tactic of running the thing all the way down to sleep or warning, then letting it completely recharge. Apple says at page 9 of this manual (http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/PowerBookG415inch1GHz-867MHzGettingStarted.PDF) that this only need to be done once, but I have found that is not exactly true.
Anyway, it's worth a try. As a final thing to try, a power manager reset might be in order, though I have found that really is a last resort thing on the TiBook.

Need Advice About Powerbook Start-up Issue

Hi all, I've been having issues with my Powerbook recently. First, was the narcoleptic thing that had been going on since November - that was fixed by Apple two weeks ago.
However, when I got it back, the PB would go to sleep early despite the SP settings, and/or shut down if I left my PB on battery power.
Today, the Powerbook will not startup. It will chime, but after that the display just stays black. The fans are running, but that's it.
I tried: the PMU reset, zapping PRAM (it won't do it), booting from the installer disk, booting from the hardware test, T-starting into my G5, etc. I also tried booting AC only and battery only. Still the display stays black, and I have to hold down the power button for it to turn off.
Any suggestions would be great...would like to avoid sending it into Apple again, but maybe that's unavoidable, short of purchasing another laptop?
Thanks!

Sometimes the easiest is the answer, try hitting the F2 key to bring up the brightness.
Hopefully your video is OK, maybe try hooking up an external monitor.
Target Disk Mode would also be in the mix of things to try.
Joe

PowerBook G4 power issues

I found a 2005 15 inch PowerBook G4, so I was eager to charge it and tool around with it. It worked fine the first day I had it, and I could even play HD video without too much of a problem. But the next day, shortly after opening any basic program, like Safari, it would turn itself off without a warning. Immediately after it would turn on without a hitch. Could it be a hard drive failure? I can hear fans running as soon as I turn it on, and they continue running the rest of the time I use it. Or even a logic board failure? Or maybe it's just something stupid.

You could try other specialists whose business centers on repair restore with
parts and services; that would be someone who could repair the computer
after a test of the unit altogether, and also test it after a repair to be sure it is
in working order; then they offer a limited guaranty on their work & the parts.
Several are out there, not sure about powermedic except they offer a limited
guaranty on the parts. However that may be a lot of work to find out if the
part works OK once you install it into your computer; or find other issues after
taking the computer apart & putting it back together again. Other stuff fails.
Sometimes a repaired working guaranteed portable Mac is a fair bet, however
if the kit is missing important (original discs, accessories now rare, etc) you
may have a harder time finding those. Video adapters are also hard to get.
I'd check around to find if other companies such as powermax, welovemacs,
wegenermedia, macsales (owc), and others with a long standing reputation
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experience years ago w/ wegenermedia at great distance, a dualUSB iBook.
So I'd probably try them again if I get my act together and want to commit
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You could look (if you haven't) into the powerbookmedic site, and then ask
them directly about that logic board and how they test them. A tested-good
part by itself sounds OK but once you have the computer taken down to
get that far, a weak original logic board may be suspect on durability. If you
are very good at tedious and detailed projects, $50 is inexpensive... That
is just the cost of admission, to what may be hours of unsatisfactory effort!
Have you studied the online youtube DIY repair videos, and DIY sites to
repair stuff, to see if you are up to all the other details involved? Most of
it looks fairly daunting to me, since my concerns would be what can go
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17-inch PowerBook G4 Display Issues

Hello Everyone!
I'm just posting to voice my concern about the issues with the vertical lines on 17-inch PowerBook G4s. I have a 1.67Ghz PBG4 17 and it was the model right before the last one, it had only a 1440x990 resolution, I want to know if this is involved in the problem or not but I do have one stuck pixel one the right side center of the screen and that has been there almost sense the day I bought it but I didn't notice for a wile and when I did it was too late to do anything about it and I hope that we can get through to apple with our problems and they will provide a replacement because I know that most of you with this problem have it a lot worse than I do.

Your PowerBook is the same generation as the one most people are complaining about, although the majority of affected users that have been reporting the problem have machines that were manufactured around the end of the first quarter of 2005 at the factory described as W8 in Shanghi. There are ways to find out if yours is one of these machines by doing some web searching. Stating site names here my go against Apple's usage policies for this discussion board ... sorry, but info is easy to find with a little searching.
I am glad to hear that you have not as yet experienced the dreaded lines or blanked-out areas. It is still a good idea to call Apple Care and get a case number if you have not already. Explain your problem and they may be able to help. Even if there is nothing they can do, your problem will be registered. This case number may come in handy if heaven forbid your machine starts developing more severe screen problems. Good luck!

Wierd issue with Sound Blaster Z and Windows 8.1

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System Stats:
ASUS P6T Deluxe Motherboard
Intel Core i7 965 CPU
Corsair Dominator 3x2 GB
Intel 520 SSD 120 GB
Samsung Evo 840 SSD 250 GB
WD 500 GB (x2)
XFX Radeon HD 7770 (X2)
Sound Blaster Z
Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
Thank You,
Michael Mastro II

Considering that there is already a ca0132 driver for linux, which was made to support chromebook pixel laptop. It should not be hard for creative to make that driver compatible with discrete cards and motherboards that make use of that chip. But Creative seriously dropped the ball on users and does not care about them. I do not understand this, because all previous creative cards are supported in linux. Steam OS and steam boxes are around the corner and Creative is missing a big opportunity.

Wierd Issue In Approval Policy OIM 11.1.1.5.0 BP03

Folks,
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Hi,
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Hello,
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Your PowerBook is the same generation as the one most people are complaining about, although the majority of affected users that have been reporting the problem have machines that were manufactured around the end of the first quarter of 2005 at the factory described as W8 in Shanghi. There are ways to find out if yours is one of these machines by doing some web searching. Stating site names here my go against Apple's usage policies for this discussion board ... sorry, but info is easy to find with a little searching.
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Hi
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I don't have a ready answer for the faxing. but suggest first doing the free upgrade to OS10.4.11, which is the last version. Perhaps that fixed it. Software Update should do it.

PowerBook G4 Startup Issue

Hi, I did look thorugh the posts, but I can't seem to see anything similar (usuall I guess).
I closed the lid on my laptop this morning (had a DVD in the drive and some photoshop files open.
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Any ideas or further questions?

Well, after some time on the phone with AppleCare rep that gave me a couple of topics to read, I reset my PowerBook (remove battery, keep 5 sec on powr button), then reset NVRAM. That gave me the light on the screen back so I can see what i am doing.
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Powerbook freaky wierd issue

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