Powerbook g4 won't boot - long beep

Hi,
My powerbook g4 (fw800 1.25Ghz 15") won't boot any more. Symptoms: after hitting the power button, it takes a while before it emits a long beep and flashes the sleep led a large number of times (I cannot count exactly how many times). This is different from the POST beeps mentioned on apple's web site: these beeps are shorter. This long beep also has nothing to do with the firmware upgrade procedures on other powerbook models.
When I remove RAM memory, it first beeps and flashes as already mentioned, and then, after a while, gives one short beep and two flashes (this indeed corresponds to the POST messages published by apple). Reseating RAM does not solve the long beep/boot problem.
I also tried the following: resetting pmu, resetting pram, without luck.
Then I opened it, and verified that all cables were seated correctly, unplugged the backup battery (which still has the correct voltage), reassembled everything, also without luck. With/without hard disk or optical drive: makes no difference. Also using it with either or both battery or AC power makes no difference.
Does anyone know what the long beep means? Is the logic board fried? Is there anything that I can try myself (I am somewhat experienced in fixing defective hardware in desktops and laptops). I probably have nothing to loose. I don't want to send it in for repair or spend money on a replacement board.
Thanks in advance
Patrick
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hi pwambacq,
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
You're much more likely to get the help you need in the Aluminum PB folder, which is what you own (this is the Titanium folder).
FWIW, you've tried most of what I can think of. Not sure if you've done this or not, but give it a try if you haven't: in case one of the RAM modules is bad, try just one module at a time, and try it in both slots.
Will it boot to the install disc?
If it's not RAM, HD, or connections, seems likely it's the LB.
Good luck.

Similar Messages

Pb g4 won't boot - long beep?

Hi,
I mistakenly posted this message in the titanium folder, while it belongs here. So this is a repost - now in the correct forum.
My powerbook g4 (fw800 1.25Ghz 15") won't boot any more. Symptoms: after hitting the power button, it takes a while before it emits a long beep and flashes the sleep led a large number of times (I cannot count exactly how many times). This is different from the POST beeps mentioned on apple's web site: these beeps are shorter. This long beep also has nothing to do with the firmware upgrade procedures on other powerbook models.
When I remove RAM memory, it first beeps and flashes as already mentioned, and then, after a while, gives one short beep and two flashes (this indeed corresponds to the POST messages published by apple). Reseating RAM does not solve the long beep/boot problem.
I also tried the following: resetting pmu, resetting pram, without luck.
Then I opened it, and verified that all cables were seated correctly, unplugged the backup battery (which still has the correct voltage), reassembled everything, also without luck. With/without hard disk or optical drive: makes no difference. Also using it with either or both battery or AC power makes no difference.
Does anyone know what the long beep means? Is the logic board fried? Is there anything that I can try myself (I am somewhat experienced in fixing defective hardware in desktops and laptops). I probably have nothing to loose. I don't want to send it in for repair or spend money on a replacement board.
Thanks in advance
Patrick
powerbook g4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Wondering if your Light pulses accordingly with the beep?
The power on self-test resides in the ROM of the computer. This test runs whenever the computer is turned on after being fully shut down (the power-on self-test does not run if the computer is only restarted).
If a fault is detected during the test, you will not hear a normal startup chime. Instead, the system will beep as explained below. If you experience one of these beeps, you may call your Apple Authorized Service Provider for additional troubleshooting assistance.
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.
Joe

MSI MegaPC 651 - System Won't Boot (Long Beep)

When I attempt to power on the PC I recieve a continuous beep signal.
The Beep is approx. 8 seconds long, followed by 5 seconds of silence. The signal keeps repeating itself until I turn off the power.
Obviously, the system is not passing POST so I can't get any video or access the bios.
The cpu is a P4 2.4ghz 533fsb.
The memory is a single 512mb DDR 333 chip.
I've plugged the CPU into a second motherboard and it appears to work fine. I've tested the ram in the second mother board and it appears to work fine.
I tried a stick of DDR400 ram from a known-working system and that did not seem to correct the issue.
One thing I noticed in another similar thread is someone mentioned that i should make sure my CPU fan is plugged in.
~ My Fan is plugged in (came with MSI Barebone), but it doesn't spin. I've tried plugging in the fan that came with my CPU and that one doesn't spin either. My Intel Board that i use for my desktop allows me to boot without a system fan plugged in, I've never heard of a mobo that doesn't. The system isn't even on long enough for the CPU to be over heating.
Please Advise.
-Josh

It is a memory issue. There is something weird about this motherboard...
I got the system working, and i couldn't figure out what i had done differently. I then installed windows.
I let it run for a few days until i realized that the RAM that was in there was the DDR 400 ram from my other desktop, instead of the DDR 333 that I had intended to use.
I took the DDR400 out, and put the DDR333 in and again.... BEEEEEEP. (8 seconds)
I put the DDR400 back in and still... BEEEEEEP. (8 seconds)
I know neither stick of RAM is bad because they have both been used successfully in my other desktop system upon the first try. Its like the MSI has some sort of connection problem in the memory bank, and I lucked out on one try and got all the connections to line up.
If anyone has any suggestions, please advise, because I'm back to square one again.

New HDD installed in PowerBook G3, won't boot from installation disk.

I just installed a new hard drive in my G3 Wallstreet and I can't get it to boot from the original Apple CD.
I've tried holding the C key as well as +⌥+⇧+⌫, but to no avail.
The CD tests fine in my old iMac G4, so maybe the culprit is the optical drive, but then again, I'm not so sure.
Is there a way to either boot my PowerBook or install OSX from my iMac G4?
Message was edited by: rick268 Also, I can boot into Open Firmware just fine.

Thanks for your help.
WeLoveMacs wanted $50, but I just scored an entire topcase on eBay for $15, shipped. We'll see what happens.
Allan Jones wrote:
I maintatined three Wallstreets for a friend for years. They stayed in regular service from new until he replaced them with MacBook Pros last summer!
In the years of keeping the old soldiers almost relavent, I ran into a "won't boot from a system disk" issue on two of them. In both cases, replacing a dead PRAM battery fixed the issue. Don't ask me why but that was the only thing that fixed them.
When I was supporting those, you could still get new Wallstreet batteries from Other World Computing. Today they no longer show them. I'm not sure where to steer your for a new one. USed batteries are like used chewing gum, IMHO.
You can try disconecting the wire from the PRAM battery to the logic board. That might help. Requires some take-down:
http://www.ifixit.com/Device/PowerBook_G3_Wallstreet

My powerbook G3 won't boot

I was just given a Powerbook G3 because it won't boot. When I start the computer I get a folder icon with a question mark in it. What does that mean and what do I do about it? Please help me. This is driving me nuts.

Welcome To  Discussions ReRick!
The original version of OS, that was pre-installed on the PowerBook G3 Pismo Firewire / 500, was Mac OS 9.0.2, and can be upgraded to Tiger 10.4.x.
If you do not have the system discs, I suggest that you call Apple Customer Service at 1-800-767-2775, furnish the Serial Number and specifications of the PowerBook, and request to purchase a set of replacement system discs.
However, the discs will be for the original Mac OS 9, so you also need to purchase, a Full Retail Version, of whichever version of OS X, that you wish to upgrade to.
If the Pismo, has never been upgraded from the original OS, there will also be some preparatory work, such as a possible Firmware Update.
If one is required, you must start the computer from a Mac OS 8 or Mac OS 9 System Folder on the computer's hard disk, not from a CD, in order to install it.
That is why I suggest that you order the original system install discs.
Without an installed system, there is no means of determining, if the Firmware has been updated.
ali b

HT203176 17" 1.5 GHZ PowerBook G4 Won't Boot

I have a 17" 1.5GHZ PowerBook G4 with I think OS X 10.3. It won't boot past the apple logo gray screen. I have tried to safe boot, boot in single user mode and a myriad other fixes and can't get the machine to boot no matter what. The only thing that works so far on this machine is the Open Firmware command line utility, and as far as I can find, there's no disk check that can be done from it. No install disks were shipped with this machine. I only have access to a Windows PC to download a boot utility and create a boot disk from so that I can run a disk utility of some kind. Is it possible to create a cd or thumb drive from a PC that a Mac will boot from? Or do you have any other suggestions for someone that doesn't have some other media to boot from?

Well, you could buy a copy of OS X 10.5. The DVD needs to look like this:
Some users have also reported success calling Apple and requesting install disks.

Powerbook G4 won't boot after 10.4.10 update

Hi,
Looking for help with the following problem. Last week, I updated my Powerbook G4 to 10.4.10 and since then the system fails to boot. The failure may or may not be linked to the update, but the timing is suspicious.
When I attempt to book the system, it hangs with the spinning daisy wheel at the gray screen with the apple logo. It won't boot from the Tiger install DVD; doesn't seem to get as far as looking for the DVD.
If I boot into single user mode and run fsck -fy, the command reports a number of block count errors when checking the catalog file and then fails while a "disk0s3: I/O error. Invalid key length (4, 20821).
I don't want to lose the data in disk if at all possible and I'd like to know;
(a) can this be repaired using a more powerful disk utility such as DiskWarrior?
(b) is this worth taking to the Genuis Bar for further work?
Thanks.

*Invalid key length* indicates a disk directory problem that should be fixable with DiskWarrior. To boot with the install DVD, pop it in, restart, holding down the C key. If that doesn't boot the machine, leave it in, restart, holding down the OPTION key, and see if it shows up when the Startup Manager finishes loading. If so, click on the DVD icon and click the right-hand arrow. The left=hand arrow will search for bootable disks, which it already did.

H67MA-E45(B3) won't boot, no beeps. BIOS?

It won't boot. The power LED comes on and fans spin, but I get no monitor activity and no beeps.
I'm theorizing this is BIOS related. My BIOS sticker says E7678 IMS170. I'm using a Core i3-2100 3.1GHz. The website says I need 7678v17.zip. Do I have this already? I can't make the connection between the BIOS sticker and the 7678v17 file.
I actually have two MB's, and two CPU's, and two sets of ram and a different power supply. No combination of MB, RAM, CPU, power supply, works. I went down to 1 stick of ram, no video card, and no peripherals. To my thinking it HAS to be the BIOS at this point.
Thoughts?

Yeah, I've got the 4pin plugged in.
MSI H67MA-E45 (B3) LGA1155 Intel H67(B3) DDR3 SATA3 A&GbE MATX Motherboard
Intel Core i3-2100 Processor 3.1GHz 3 MB Cache Socket LGA1155
Kingston Technology HyperX Blu 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM (Kit of 2) KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G
Simplified loadout, so no fans but CPU, no HD, no CD, etc.
Corsair T650 power supply (known good)
I've tried it with and without the Sapphire HD 6850 PCIE Video Card.
I've got two sets of everything, one for each of my kids. Any help is appreciated to turn these xmas gifts around.

P35 NEO-2 FR won't boot just beep beep every 10 seconds

What's wrong with my system, My system won't boot and I get a beep beep every 10 seconds. I was updating my bios using the approved USB flash drive procedure, all I got was a blinking cursor. I rebooted and now my computer won't boot. Is my motherboard dead? I have successfully used the bios flashing tool in the past.

Quote from: Hans Gruber on 11-March-08, 21:47:41
That's a good question.
Another problem has come up. I get CMOS bad check sum error. Press F1 for "can't remember" but it sends me to bios or F2 for default settings. Basically, I can't overclock because of this bad checksum error. Everything runs at stock speed. How do I fix this? On the bright side, I now have bios version 1.8
On a side note for Remus, I never made it to the load new bios screen. The cursor "_" was blinking non stop for several minutes. According to the admins, another user in Germany had the exact same problem that had.
Now, how do I fix the CMOS bad checksum error message?
"Another problem has come up. I get CMOS bad check sum error. Press F1 for "can't remember" but it sends me to bios or F2 for default settings. Basically, I can't overclock because of this bad checksum error. Everything runs at stock speed. How do I fix this? On the bright side, I now have bios version 1.8"
Enter in BIOS and "LOAD BIOS OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS", then "SAVE AND EXIT"
If you still get "CMOS bad checksum error" at next reboot, do this:
Login in your windows, then adjust USB key geometry. Do this:
Quote from: Jack the Newbie on 11-December-07, 05:41:45
Format your USB Flash Drive with >>this<< tool and then retry with "MSI Forum HQ USB Flashing Tool".
And update BIOS via Forum Tool (Re-flash with the same BIOS 1.8) will fix the problem.

Very BIG problem with my powerbook G4, won't boot!

Hi nice people here,
This is the most serious problem I have for my powerbook G4 1.67GHz...
When I turn it on, it has the start up sound as usual.
However, the apple logo is not on the display, in fact, i doubt the display is not even turned on because it's all black and no light.
Also, the keyboard is not working either, the numlock and capslock are both not lit up when I push them.
Also I notice that the USB is not powered either, because I have a USB cooling pad and it was usually turned on as the computer is turn on. Now it's not turning on so I think the USB plug is not powered either.
I have tried reseting the Power Management, doesn't help.
I have a weird idea, maybe the computer was turned on as usual, but because the screen is not on, the keyboard is not on, and the usb is not on, so it feels like it won't boot?
The powerbook was fine before this happened....
Anyone has any clue about this? I will be very grateful if you can help...
Thanks a lot!!

I think it's time for an appointment at a Genius Bar. The only other thing I might try is to put in your original OS install DVD and see if it will boot off there, but it does sound like there might be a hardware issue.

Older iMac hard drive in enclosure won't boot long to new iMac?

I have just received my new iMac i7 with the THIN case.....it is pretty awesome! I removed the hard drive from my previous iMac (2006 Intel core 2 duo) and put it into an enclosure hoping to retreive my old files. Here is the problem.....the old hard drive (250GB) will not stay booted long enough to transfer my files. The enclosure is a Sabrent 3.5" SATA hard drive USB 3.0 enclosure. It will appear for approx. 20-30 seconds, and then the message:
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It will disappear from the desktop and I am unable to access it any longer. I am able to open the older hard drive and can open older folders, etc. while it is mounted on the desktop.
A little background on the older iMac.....it quit working completely, would not turn on, no fan noise, no hard drive spinning, NOTHING. I ordered a replacement power supply and installed it......but still nothing. I can only assume the logic board is dead. Since it was what the genious at the Apple store called "vintage", we deicided to upgrade, hence the new iMac. (And it was 7 years old after all!!)
What can I do to get the info I need from the older hard drive? Like I said, it's 7 years old and has a LOT of info. I WAS able to backup pictures, music, and some misc. work to an external hard drive before it died....but I need the "little" things like my address book, calendar, old emails, bookmarks, etc.
Thanks in advance for any help in this matter!

If this is an enclosure that is USB powered that may be the problem. Mac are notorious for not putting out enough power from the USB port to properly power these USB powered drives. I suggest you get a SATA to USB Adapter that has it own AC power supply to power the drive.

PowerBook G4 won't boot past blue screen

I've read a couple of posts with similar problems. The jist is, I did a security update/restart earlier and now my laptop won't boot past the blue screen after the white screen with the gray apple. I think I'm on Mac OS 10.4.11 but I had it on auto-update so that could be incorrect.
I've booted from the install disk and run a diagnostic from the First Aid bit in the Disk Utility. It says that there are no errors found and the S.M.A.R.T. status says "verified" as well. It won't let me boot into Safe Mode (although, I could be doing that wrong as I'm not exactly clear on how to do it - pressing S doesn't seem to do anything, but if I press Command + S it takes me to a text listy thing and I've run the "fsck -f" system check (which seems like the same as the disk utility check?) from there and also gotten the "volume is ok" message. There was also a suggestion to run some kind of diagnostic after booting with the D key from the install disk, but I was never able to get the disk to boot from the D key, only the C key.
I'm sure that this is kind of the "same song, different verse," kind of post, but I've not read about volumes registering as okay. I'm a little wary of a archive-and-reinstall as I've not ever done that before (so, if that's the suggestion you have, I would really appreciate loads of specifics on how that works so I don't mess up!)
I've read in several instances suspicion of a hard drive problem but I've not had any slow downs or any crashing. I did travel to the UK for about 10 days, but I didn't even change the time zone on my laptop while there, so I don't think that's it (but I suppose it could be.)
Lastly, I did recently replace my keyboard. A few keys had become non-responsive so I replaced it and have had the new keyboard for a bit over a month.
Suggestions? Ideas? Sorry if it's a repeat post -- just felt like the circumstance was a teensy bit different. And also, thanks very much for any info you can give.

Linsey:
If you can boot your computer into Firewire Target Disk Mode and you have access to a second Mac that supports firewire, you may be able to back up items that have not been backed up previously.
If you are able to back everything up successfully, and you have tested your backup to be sure it is sound, then we can proceed with re-installation of the OS. The best option is to completely reformat and erase the HDD and then install the OS from disk. (I will post complete step by step directions). This will enable you to start with a clean slate/HDD. Your other option would be to use the Archive and Install option. Think it over and let me know how you want to proceed.
cornelius

My PowerBook G4 won't boot up.

I have a PowerBook G4, 17 inch, 80gb, 512 mb RAM (it's old :P). I dropped it about a foot, it landed flat on its bottom, and now it won't start up. It gets to the gray screen with the apple and the little spinning indication underneath, and stays there. I've tried starting it up in safe mode and with the original Leopard disc, but the only difference is that I don't get the spinning indication, just the apple. I also tried resetting the PMU, which also didn't work (obviously, because I'm still posting this question). The battery is fully charged, and I have no idea what to try next, because nothing seems to get me past the gray screen.
Thanks for your help.

pbk-g4-17:
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
It means that your directory is scrambled, and, very likely, that your internal HDD is no longer serviceable. If you can lay your hands on an install disk you can see if the HDD shows up in Disk Utility. Or you can pull it, place it in an external firewire HDD and connect it to your PB and see if it shows up. For my money I would have it replaced. Your profile does not give us much information about your PB G4 17-inch, but I suspect that it is at least three years old. Since the life of a drive is 3 to 5 years, and with the accident your computer sustained, replacing that HDD may be a good plan. I hope you have a current backup, as your data may not be recoverable if you disk is badly damaged.
cornelius

PowerBook G4 won't boot from install disc, kernel error

Hello all,
I have a PowerBook G4 that I am trying to wipe/restore before I try to sell it. Here are the basic specs:
1.67 GHz PowerPC
512 MB DDR2 SDRAM
OS X v10.4.11
I have the original Mac OS X install discs, v10.4.4--AND I have a set of install discs from a different computer, Mac OS X v10.4.10.
I can press the power button and boot normally without any problem. If I put in disc 1 of the install disc set and hold down the C key when powering up, I get a kernal panic message. If I eject the disc and try rebooting, it boots normally again. I've tried booting from disc 1 of both sets of install discs (v10.4.4 and v10.4.10) and get the same kernal panic message when I hold down the C key.
Other than the battery not holding a charge very well, the computer works fine (that is, the CD drive is in good working condition). Does anyone have any ideas as to why I can't boot from the install disc?
Thank you in advance for any help!

Hello,
First of all, are these restore disk you have specifically for your model of PowerBook? This are not any other Mac other than a PowerBook?
If they are for your PowerBook G4, then try first putting the disk in the drive and holding down the option key.
This will bring up a menu. This menu will show you the hard drive and CD drive. You should see an icon with a CD with 'Mac OS X Install' Select it. See if that boot from the disk.
If that fails then try resetting the PMU. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1431
Which I believe should be taking the battery and power off the machine and holding down the power button for five seconds. Placing the battery back in and power adapter, then rebooting.
Best of luck

Computer won't boot - Long DST : FAILED

Computer won't start.
When I run HD Diagnostic I get:
SMART CHECK : PASSED
Long DST : FAILED
FAILURE ID : OU7ALM-0007KT-X87T1F-61A003
PRODUCT ID : B7J37EA#UUW
The computer was bought in dec 2012 so I guess no warranty left.

Computer won't start.
When I run HD Diagnostic I get:
SMART CHECK : PASSED
Long DST : FAILED
FAILURE ID : OU7ALM-0007KT-X87T1F-61A003
PRODUCT ID : B7J37EA#UUW
The computer was bought in dec 2012 so I guess no warranty left.

Powerbook g4 won't boot - long beep

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