PowerBook G4 15" 1.5GHz LCD thinks its a VGA Display

I have a PowerBook G4 15" 1.5GHz (the later BT2.0 one) which I bought with a display that I thought was bad because it was black with a thin horizontal blue line across it with a tiny bit of color. It turns out the LCD is fine--its resolution has been set to something like 14 x 854 pixels, hence what I saw was the entire displayed imaged compressed into this line. When connected/discronnected/reconnected up to an external monitor a few times, the LCD began to display at first the resolution of the external VGA monitor (1024 x 768). Then it began to display at 1280 x 960 but the Displays pane of Sys Prefs for the LCD now said "VGA display" and no where in the liist of resolutions is the correct one for this computer (the current 1280 x 960 looks fine until you realize the Dock is about an inch below the screen. How can I get this thing to remember its the Color LCD and not the VGA display it was once hooked up to?

Both the diversity and inverter board cables had gotten chewed up in previous disassemblies and enclosure had a big dent on the side pinching AirPort antenna. Once cables and enclosure were replaced, all was well.

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Concerning: VGA monitors using an Aluminum Powerbook G4 PowerPC 2004 15"-screen 1.5Ghz The DVI (converted to VGA) video output stopped working on this computer after 9 years of service. This raises question 1: Is there any way of fixing this? I've tried

Concerning: VGA monitors using an Aluminum Powerbook G4 PowerPC 2004 15"-screen 1.5Ghz
The DVI (converted to VGA) video output stopped working on this computer after 9 years of service. This raises question 1:
Is there any way of fixing this? I've tried the usual: triple checked all vga cables & devices through trial & error. Bought a new DVI-VGA adapter. Reset PRAM, PMU, etc. Nothing works. Something is probably damaged, because my KVM switch was not working unless I hot-reseated the vga cable into it, leading to this DVI port, and that is pretty rough stuff.
Question 2 (related):
This dovetails into this: Can I drive a VGA monitor with the s-video output port on this computer. It would take an s-video (male)-to-15-pin-VGA adapter. Has anyone does this? So far, I haven't even found the adapter mentioned anywhere.
Thanks for reading this.
el7

Thanks for the useful feedback, Knucklesmac. I agree. I must have blown something on the logic board -- because I had a faulty old KVM switch that would not switch between computers without some nasty hot-plugging/unplugging the VGA video cables. (wince!). It's like when Dizzy Dean ruined his arm because a line drive hit him in the foot and he readjusted his mechanics around the injury. I take the blame because this has been a great computer, and does not deserve any blame.
If it will help anyone else reading this thread, C2G (née Cables to Go) has some interesting ideas for still getting external video out of this computer:
-USB-to-VGA
http://www.cablestogo.com/product/30545
-Convert s-video or composite video signals to high resolution VGA
http://www.cablestogo.com/product/40971
The price range is $75-$85, which doesn't make horse sense to me for such an old computer -- which has a lot of life in it anyway, because its own 15" monitor is not chopped liver.
el7

PowerBook G4 17" 1.5GHz & Linksys WCG200 Gateway

Summary
My Mac won't get the full downstream bandwidth (9 Mbits) with either wireless or wired ethernet, but my roommate's Windows computer gets the full amount (and then some) with his wired ethernet connection. My ISP and Linksys both report that everything is working fine. What's going on with my Mac?
Full Description
I recently got a Linksys WCG200 v.2 Gateway (cable modem/router in one device) and set it up with my ISP (Cox Communications). Our service is supposed to be 9 megabits downstream, and 1 megabit upstream. I connected to the router via wireless and wired, and have been to four different speed test sites only to discover that my downstream speed is never faster than 3.5 megabits. The upstream is still getting up to as fast as 1.3 megabits.
I called Cox to ask them if perhaps they had not provisioned the proper amount for our account, and he verified that he had in fact dedicated 10 megabits to our account and that it was in fact being delivered to the modem at 10 megabits downstream and 1 megabit upstream.
Next, I called Linksys to ask if there was something wrong with the WCG200 gateway and they suggested the standard reboot and reset options which didn't do anything to solve the problem. They suggested that the device may be defective and I should return it to the store where I purchased it. Before I did that, though, I tried two more things.
My roommate has a Dell with WinXP on it, so he fired it up and tested the speed at a few different speed sites to notice that he was receiving between 9 and 12 megabits downstream and 1 megabits upstream. He was hard wired to the gateway, so I tried it again on my PowerBook, but still I was getting no faster than 3.5 megabits downstream.
I tried calling Apple, but they just said that it was probably the gateway or Cox, but I know that's not true because if either of those weren't working/configured properly, then my roommates Dell wouldn't have been able to get the full (and then some) downstream speed. The agent simply had me remove my SystemConfiguration folder and then reinstall Tiger, which neither did anything to fix the problem. What a waste of the AppleCare Protection Plan!
I'm pretty convinced that my last test has narrowed down the possible cause of the problem. I inserted my Cisco 350 Aironet PCMCIA wireless card to test to see if there might be a problem with either my AirPort Extreme card or the ethernet controller on the PowerBook, and to my surprise, I was able to get 5.5 megabits downstream consistently. The Cisco card is 802.11b.
I ran one other test by jumping on my neighbor's wireless network which is rated at 4 megabits downstream, and I was able to get the full 4 megabits downstream with my AirPort Extreme card as well as with my Cisco card.
Due to the improved functionality of the Cisco card and the fact that my roommate's Windows computer was able to get the full amount, I'm pretty convinced that there must be a problem with the way my Mac is communicating with this particular Linksys gateway device which is causing it to not receive the full downstream amount. However, I have no clue where to go from here as far as more troubleshooting techniques or possible fixes for this problem.
Please help!
PowerBook G4 17" 1.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.7) AirPort Extreme Wireless Card
PowerBook G4 17" 1.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.7)

I don't know the answer but am curious--do you need to make the upgrade because your 1.5G board is dead, or because you'd like a little more speed?
If the latter, I think you'd be disappointed. In doing a number of upgrades on desktop machines, I've found that, although calculated benchmarks may look better with any upgrade, you need a 20-30% boost in processor speed for the increase to be noticeable in normal use. When I upgraded an old G3 from 300 to 500 mhz --a 40 percent increase--that benefit was crystal-clear. When I compare my 1.0G PowerBook G4 to my 1.25G PowerMac G4 tower (same OS, bus speed, RAM, and VRAM), I see little if any difference in day-to-day computer use from the 25 percent advantage in speed in the desktop model
If the need is for speed, you could end up with a costly upgrade that doesn't "feel" any faster.
As to you real question, it might be better to contact a company selling PowerBook parts to see if they can shed light on the logic board interchangeability. I've bought parts from this firm:
http://www.powerbookguy.com/xcart/catalog/index.html
and found him to be an excellent vendor. Call and ask--the toll-free number is on the main page.

RAM - Memory issues powerbook G4 aluminium 1.5ghz 15"

Hi,
I have just purchased a powerbook g4 alluminium 1.5ghz 15" A1095 from Ebay and it's fantastic! I have done all the research for upgrading ram and have successfully upgraded to 1gb in the upper/lower slot (I have intermittent lower slot issues but usually ok). It appears from the internet sites and from advice from "those who know" that this machine doesn't need identical memory in each slot, and yet it only reads the upper slot when I install 1gb and 512mb either way. I have established that this is not the known lower slot issue as the machine ticks along happily with either in the lower slot alone. I am wondering if I have been misinformed, and that perhaps I do need 1gb in both slots for the lower slot to be read. I'm loathed to shell out for another gig only to find it doesn't resolve the issue. What do you think?
Thanks,
Kelly

I've been down this road TWO times with Aluminum Powerbooks. The lower RAM slot has a tendency to die. It has nothing to do with the RAM configuration installed - - the slot just dies....
It is a hardware problem.
There are only two options I know of:
1. Send it back to Apple for a replacement board.. I was quoted $650 the first time.
2. Send it to Wegener Media in SC for a board-level repair.
[caveat--there may be other companies doing this repair-I don't know]
It was a flawless repair (aside from $250 out of my pocket), and the laptop has continued to provide excellent service. The second Powerbook with the issue was a temporary laptop we had here, and they repaired it as well.
I called Apple about it when the second unit died. The service person (after a lot of prodding) told me that if you ordered a repair from Apple, you generally get a used/rebuilt board. Apparently they don't have NEW boards. So effectively, you're getting someone else's old problem board, most likely with the same issue. Doesn't seem like a real winning situation, especially at 3x's the price as Wegener's repair.
I ordered a few extra toys for it at the same time (RAM, larger HDD, and a region-free burner).. Worked great, and turned the Aluminum into a real usable tool again...
I know they have a page about the ram slot repair but you could just check their home page: http://www.wegenermedia.com
Hope this helps!
John

I have some dts cd's that I want to import into itunes on a windows pc and then play back on my apple tv 3 (i think its 3, about 9 months old) to listen to through my onkyo amp via hdmi as dts, when I play back I just get white noise.

I have some dts cd's that I want to import into itunes on a windows pc and then play back on my apple tv 3 (i think its 3, about 9 months old) to listen to through my onkyo amp via hdmi as dts, when I play back I just get white noise. I have seen lots of old posts which go on about converting files but am wondering wherher at the current time with the latest versions of itunes and apple tv whether this should by now be a virtual play out of the box solution.
I have tried connecting my atv to the amp by optical cable but that didnt produce anything better and am assuming that a hdmi cable should be able to reproduce everything an optical cable does.
Is this something I should be able to achieve without having to recode the files?
Tracks are imported to itunes as apple lossless, have tried setting the atv audio settings to auto and 16 bit, neither works yet I was told some time ago by an apple rep that the atv shoud be able to handle any type of audio as it just passes it to the amp to decode. I am not stupid but not that technical when it comes to audio and bitrates etc so any explaination would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any help

Willy, the procdedure you describe works perfectly for AppleTV G1. In fact, I frequently play DTS music discs ripped to my iTunes library as Apple Lossless (ALAC) and synched to the ATV. What happens is that, as far as iTunes and the ATV are concerned, a conventional stereo 16/44 audio file is being played; however my reciever detects the DTS data stream, and instead of outputting static, it decodes the 5.1 channels correctly. This process parallels the way DTS discs were designed to be played back: a conventional CD player is connceted, via digital out, to a DTS-aware reciever/pre-amp and the two channels of static are recognized as 6 channels of DTS-encoded audio.
However this process will only work if the player (CD, ATV, PC, etc.) sends a "bit-perfect" 16 bit/44.1 khz data stream to the decoding device. In the case of ATV G2 and G3, as has been discussed elsewhere, the unit resmaples all audio - including 16/44 PCM (Redbook CD) - to 16/48. While this is not a big deal for conventional audio CDs, MP3s, and AAC files, it mangles the fragile DTS datastream and renders it undecodable. The resulting static that you hear is just like the static you would hear if you played a DTS CD on a non-DTS capable system.
Sadly, I'm not aware of any easy way around this. You could use a program like Foobar (and the DTS plugin) to convert your DTS CDs to 6-ch .wav or .flac file. From there you could transcode the file to AC-3 and then mux it into a video container that ATV supports. You may need add a dummy video track, for iTunes/AppleTV to be ok with the file, though I'm not sure. This may be a lot of work.
Sorry for the bad news. I wish that the iTunes/ATV ecosystem had better multi-channel audio support.
Steven

I can't access iCloud, i keep getting a message to try again later. This is the first time i have tried to log into icloud. I know my account is working, i want to access it from my macbook. I think its looking for my old icloud email, what to do?

I can't access iCloud, i keep getting a message to try again later. This is the first time i have tried to log into icloud. I know my account is working, i want to access it from my macbook. I think its looking for my old icloud email, what to do? I have a working apple id, i dont understand, could it be linked to an old account iD?

Hi smccarrison,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
You may find the steps in this article helpful with troubleshooting signing into iCloud:
iCloud: Account troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3988
All the best,
Jeremy

I am able to see my ipod touch 5th geneneratio in find my iphone on icloud but it is showing offline.... i think its stolen but i have locked it with a passcode and the person who i suspect doesnt know it... i wana get it back what should i do??

i am able to see my ipod touch 5th geneneration in find my iphone on icloud but it is showing offline.... i think its stolen but i have locked it with a passcode and the person who i suspect doesnt know it... i wana get it back what should i do??

lost/stolen
No app on the iPod is required.
- If you previously turned on FIndMyiPod on the iPod in Settings>iCloud and wifi is on and connected, on a computer browser go to iCloud: Find My iPhone, sign in and go to FIndMyiPhone. If the iPod has been restored it will never show up or conbtinue to show off-line.
- You can also wipe/erase the iPod and have the iPod play a sound via iCloud.
iCloud: Erase your device
iCloud: Use Lost Mode
- If not shown/shown off, then you will have to use the old fashioned way, like if you lost a wallet or purse.
- Change the passwords for all accounts used on the iPod and report to police
- There is no way to prevent someone from restoring the iPod (it erases it) using it unless you had iOS 7 on the device. With iOS 7, one has to enter the Apple ID and password to restore the device.
- Apple will do nothing without a court order
Reporting a lost or stolen Apple product
- iOS: How to find the serial number, IMEI, MEID, CDN, and ICCID number

I have a firefox update 27.0.1 that keeps popping up and I think its a fake and I need it removed please.

Im running vista here. A firefox 27.0.1 update notice keeps popping up by my toolbar on bottom right side of my screen.. and goes away. Moments later a big EMPTY firefox update box appears in the middle of my screen. All it lets me do is close it, but it always comes back about 2 hours later.
I think its an empty fake !!!
How do I get rid of it .... please help me.

Normally warnings are fakes but in your case I am not sure.
Your sytem info aside is indicating you are using Firefox 21, so either you are using an out of date and unsupported version of Firefox, or something is going wrong and Firefox is not reporting the correct information.
When you use the Firefox button and the help option you should get an option about firefox that confirms the version you are using.
Possibly you have security software preventing updates. Have a look at these articles then please post back and confirm what version you are using.
*[[Update Firefox to the latest version]]
*[[How to fix the Update Failed error message when updating Firefox]]

Hello, I have a 5min. part of a piece of meditation music (I think its from the 1970-80s) is there a website that can upload my sample and tell me who it is ? I want to get a new version....Thanks

Hello, I have a 5min. part of a piece of meditation music (I think its from the 1970-80s) is there a website that can upload my sample and tell me who it is ? I want to get a new version....Thanks............Its in Mp3 format

Well... it's not actually an iTunes or even an Apple question is it? But you can use either Shazam or Soundhound.
If you do a search for both of them, you will find the various options available to you, which include apps for portable devices and in the case of Shazam, a work-round that allows you to use an online option using your computer's microphone on either a PC or Mac.
There may be other services as well, but I know these two.
I do not receive any reward (financial or otherwise) as a result of mentioning either Shazam or Soundhound.

Want to change my16giga byte ipad mini with retina display to the 32giga one because i think its capacity is insufficient. So could i change to 32giga by giving an extra charge. I bought 16giga ipad mini on thanksgivingday, maybe 30. November

I want to change my16giga byte ipad mini with retina display to the 32giga one because i think its capacity is insufficient. So could i change to 32giga by giving an extra charge. I bought 16giga ipad mini on thanksgivingday, maybe 30. November

If bought directly from an Apple Retail store or Apple Online store, and is still within the 14 day return period Apple Offers you can take it back and get a full refund which you can then use towards buying the other version.
If its already past the 14 day period then you won't be able to return it for a refund no.
If you did not buy it from an Apple Retail store or Apple Online Store you will have to consult with the store you bought it from about their return policies.

Connecting 15" PowerBook to Dell 24 inch lcd

Anyone connected 15" PowerBook to Dell 24 inch lcd? Any feedback on your experience is appreciated.
PowerBook 15" G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Anyone connected 15" PowerBook to Dell 24 inch lcd? Any feedback on your experience is appreciated.
PowerBook 15" G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Iphone 3gs? do u think its gonna be haveing the same issues?

do u think its gonna be haveing the same issues?...
i am thinking about changeing to at&t for the iphone...
is it wroth it?
should i wait forthe bugs to be fixed with the 3gs?
or will there be any issusee?

i have a ipod touch...with lots of apps songs all my phonenumbers i use in my phone now...?

My Iphone 4 sends emails before I am finished.. think its the space bar?

My Iphone 4 sends emails before I am finished.. i think its the space bar? How do u fix?

Hi Aza Din,
To re-enable a disabled iPhone, follow this article:
iOS: Forgotten passcode or device disabled after entering wrong passcode
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1212
Take care,
- Ari

I just bought MacPro 15", i7, Quad-Core, upgraded to 8GB RAM. Its responding to slow to poen applications e.g. word, ppt, chrome etc. reboot is too slow. Dont think its working so fast. Dosenot seems to be worth to money paid. What to do?

I just bought MacPro 15", i7, Quad-Core, upgraded to 8GB RAM. Its responding to slow to poen any applications e.g. word, ppt, chrome etc. reboot is too slow. Dont think its working so fast. Dosenot seems to be worth to money paid. What to do? Not happy with Mac.

Sandeep Goyal
Jul 8, 2012 2:26 AM
Is is possible to install Win 2007 in MacPro (retina display) with USB (2.0 or 3.0) as new Mac retina display lacks DVD.
MacBook Pro with Retina display, Windows 7
They have been calling their notebook a MacPro for a year. Or is it this?
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4463661

I have recently started a solaris. I have a solaris using 64x and 86x systems and have java. The machine is very active and is very quick. I am happy so far with its performance and think its worthwhile to continue with my projects. That's all I have to s

I have recently started a solaris. I have a solaris using 64x and 86x systems and have java. The machine is very active and is very quick. I am happy so far with its performance and think its worthwhile to continue with my projects. That's all I have to say.
John Lupton

I have recently started a solaris. I have a solaris using 64x and 86x systems and have java. The machine is very active and is very quick. I am happy so far with its performance and think its worthwhile to continue with my projects. That's all I have to say.
John Lupton

PowerBook G4 15" 1.5GHz LCD thinks its a VGA Display

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