Trouble bringing Power Mac G5 back to life

So I just bought a bare Power Mac G5 and I'm trying to get it up and running, but I'm having quite the time. After trying a few different things I've basically come to a roadblock in two different places.
1. I tried just installing OS X from a DVD burned from a backup ISO image I made. the G5 will boot from it, but when It goes to actually install, it says there is a problem with my disc, and to try cleaning it off and reinstalling. the disc seems to work fine though when I use it on my macbook. I dont think thats the problem cause it went straight from my MBP to the Power Mac, and didn't have any time to get scratched. any thoughts?
2. then I tried installing Leopard with the G5 in target disk mode and running the installation on my MBP. it located the G5 hard drive and acted like the install was successful. But when I booted the G5 up again it just gave me the "i cant find a hard drive i like" icon with the finder logo and a question mark in a folder. I booted the G5 up with the install disk again and tried to set the boot drive to the internal hard drive which supposedly has Leopard installed on it, but the "Startup Disk" utility only shoes the OS install DVD and "network startup" as options. "Disk Utility" shows the Hard drive just I would expect, and even shows 8 gigs (taken up by system files i assume). Is there something I can do to get the computer to recognize the hard drive as an option to boot from?
any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm determined to get this Power Mac up and running

I think I can answer part of your question. I assume the version of the OS X you burnt came with your Macbook. Lets say I'm correct. Well, you've installed the OS X on your Macbook. Now your trying to install it on a G5. It won't work unless you have a "family" pack.
In other words, you can't load a OS X program on one computer... then try to load it on another.
Regardless if it's the original DVD or a burnt copy.
Apple's software will not allow you to install multiple copies of one OS X on two different computers.
Unless you purchased a family pack... The "family" DVD would allows you to install the same OS X on 4 or 5 different computers.
Your going to have to purchase a new OS X DVD.
Keep in mind... You can't install anything higher than Leopard 10.5.8 on a PowerMac G5 .... Unless the G5 "guts" are "intel" ... Lots of G5 computers have Unix "guts". If your G5 has "Unix" guts, 10.5.8 is the highest you can go.

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If those are original Apple brand batteries, you are beating a dead horse.
Expected life is only about three years -- much less if not kept at least half charged.
If you have a local Batteries Plus franchise, they may be able to replace the cells for a bit cheaper than a new battery.

Trouble sum Power Mac, can you help?

Im really not sure what the issue is on this Mac
If your using something like Firefox its seems OK, stable
If you start using Photoshop and other apps that require a lot of moving around in folders for finding and saving files it will lock up
Its not instant, so with a large PS file you might get 10-20mins then it will hang the OS as your saving and requires a 'button press' restart
The mac will not close down manaully at this point, I need to force background applications to quit and then it will go to light grey blank screen but doesn't shut down
I've replaced the hard disc and reinstalled the OS and get the same result
Any clues?
Its a 2 x 2.66Ghz Dual-core Intel Xeon
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Does that hardware test still live on the OS install DVD's
Only on the original-issue DVDs that shipped in the box with your new Mac Pro. The label will say something like, "to run Apple Hardware Test, Insert this disc and hold down the D key as you restart." If not labelled that way, it does not contain the diagnostic.
I've swapped out the Ram for a set I had just in case
The indicator of memory failure for MacPro is that memory will not be shown at its correct size (or not be shown at all) in System Profiler. Or you will get a kernel Panic.
Kernel Panics leave a log entry that can be read out later to determine the cause.

I I have a late 2005 power PC G5 that I want to bring back to life. I need to replace the original hard drive, a Maxtor 250 GB Sata. Can I replace it with modern drives, SATA 5-6 etc?

I have a late 2005 power PC G5 that I want to bring back to life. I need to replace the original hard drive, a Maxtor 250 GB Sata. Can I replace it with modern drives, SATA 5-6 etc?

I knew I should never get rid of my old G5's. By the way, there is a browser still supported for the PPC, TenFourFox, if you're not using it already. Go to the Floodgap website (they author it) download it for free. The only thing it doesn't support is the Flash plugin, but the browser works great. Other video types are supported. It's based on Firefox, and runs most of the plugins and add-ons. It's very fast, and beats all other browsers on the browser compatibility and speed test. That's now my default on my G5's. Firefox and Safari are no longer supported. As far as the OS, both Tiger and Leopard were solid for me. The reason, as I stated before, was iMovie. The version in Tiger with iLife was far superior to what Apple changed it to. They 'dumbed it down' for the masses. Even the newest iLife 11 on my Mac Pro quad isn't is good, in my opinion. So Leopard should be fine for you. It's a much larger browser in terms of sheer megabytes and disk space, but it's fine. As far as getting an OS disc, I'm seeing Tiger for about $45.00, Leopard for $50 - 60.00 on that famous auction site. As far as RAM, I have 8GB in my G5 2.3, but you should check Activity Monitor when you are running your apps. See how much green slice you have left (unused RAM). You might find you don't need eight. A Mac Pro will grab more free RAM than a PPC machine will. I have a hard time maxing out use of my 8 on the PPC. Not true with the eight on my Mac Pro. The OS doesn't hesitate to grab and use it. You might be OK with 6GB on your PPC. More will not make you faster, as long as you still have free RAM available. As far as backup on your resurrected machine: look for a firewire enabled backup if can. Use CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner) and make a clone backup. Next time your PPC machine wipes out the hard drive, just take your Firewire drive and plug it into another PPC machine, and you can select it as your boot drive. You'll be back and running in five minutes. You can also take the physical drive out of your enclosure, and put it in your tower to replace the failed drive, and you'll be back to where you were in less than ten minutes, OS and all. The PowerMac has an 800 port, so you can do the 800 on the machine to an 800 port on your backup. A firewire 800 to 800 cable is only about $8.00. It runs nice and fast through the 800 port. I like the OWC Mercury Extreme enclosures. They use USB, Firewire 800, and eSATA, so all your options are open.

How do I back up files and reinstall original disks on my Power Mac G-4 (2000)

How do I back up files and reinstall original disks on my Power Mac G-4 (yr. 2000). I know that sounds basic but I have very few techno skills. So please "talk down" to me. I had a newer PC (2005) but the hard drive crashed and I am trying to resuscitate this old mac until I can afford to buy a new one. I am in the middle of writing a book (based on Steve Job's life) and must have SOMETHING to write with. Anyone have a better one they can loan me? I am in Maine on the coast. BTW this machine seems to have trouble reading or formatting most CD-disks. Can anyone recommend a type and brand that works well with this model? Thanks for any assistance anyone can render. Here is what I have:
Machine Name:          Power Mac G4
Machine Model:          PowerMac3,4
CPU Type:          PowerPC G4 (2.9)
Number Of CPUs:          1
CPU Speed:          467 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU):          1 MB
Memory:          768 MB
Bus Speed:          133 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          4.2.8f1

Why do you want to reformat the drive? Is it because the machine is running slow?
Be sure to backup you important files, like the book, daily.
The cheapest approach would be to try to figure out why the machine is running slow. Be sure to try safe boot.
You may want to run these "standard" fixes if the problem persists.
1) Check the amount of free space on your harddrive. You should have a several gigs free.
2) You should run disk utility
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      b) update your permissions.
3) Try a safe boot.
     Shutdown your machine. Hold down the shift key. Poweron. Wait awhile; wait awhile while you harddrive
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     http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455
4) Another way to correct filesystem problems is into single use mode.
     This page will tell you how to get into single user mode.
     http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492
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4) You may want to run applejack to clean up your machine.
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6) Run hardware diagnostics. It's good for a sanity check.
The older versions of ccc were donationware.
Here are two utilities for making a complete backup of your internal hard drive. I've recommend using one of these so that you can create a bootable system on your external hard drive. ( PPC require a firewire connected drive. ) Once created, you can run your system from the external drive. Hold down the option key on your keyboard then power on your machine. This will bring you in startup manager click on the drive image you wish to boot then click on the arrow key to the right.
"Clone, synchronize, backup. Schedule and forget it."
http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
"SuperDuper is the wildly acclaimed program that makes recovery painless, because it makes creating a fully bootable backup painless."
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

ITunes7 corrupted your iPod? Here's how to bring it back to life:

Here is the only thing I have found that brings mine back to life:
Find a LiveCD Linux distro that has gparted on it. I have been using Puppy Linux, but found that the gparted project has also built a streamelined LiveCD image. (Check it out at http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php. Next time I will try it instead.)
Once I connect the iPod under Linux, I can run gparted and display the drive and partition configuration. I have found that when the iPod is corrupted, gparted does not recognize any partitions on it. When I go to create a partition, it instead prompts me to set the disklabel (say whether THE DRIVE ITSELF, NOT THE PARTITION, is msdos, mac, etc.). If I choose msdos (what it should be), nothing happens. If I choose mac, then it sets the disklabel accordingly and I am allowed to create a new partition.
Instead, I then change the disklabel back to msdos and recreate the FAT32 partition, shutdown, reboot to Windows, and presto the iPod is now properly read by Windows and iTunes.
When the iPod fails again, rinse and repeat.
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Hope this helps you bring your iPod back to life!
For further explanation:
A disklabel is a file at the beginning of the disk that indicates where each partition begins and how many disk sectors it occupies.
It appears as though iTunes 7 is corrupting the disklabel, and this procedure allows you to rebuild it. The problem with the formatting utilities under Windows is that they are dependent upon that preexisting disklabel and can't properly reformat the partition because the corrupted disklabel incorrectly offsets the partition.
Perhaps someone at Apple can confirm this and/or use this information to help fix the problem...

Try a compete restore:
"Eric Hermanson
Posts: 14
Registered: 18-Nov-2003
Re: iphone 3G is as good as dead
Posted: 15-Aug-2008 9:33 PM in response to: FH Person
Solved
Reply Email
To enter recover mode:
1. Turn your phone OFF. If you can't turn it off, FORCE a turn off by holding down the Power and the Home buttons together for 5 seconds.
2. While your phone is turned OFF, HOLD DOWN the Home button. Keep it held down.
3. Connect your phone to the USB cable on your computer. KEEP the Home button held down during all this time.
4. Keep holding the Home button down until you see the iTunes/restore screens appear on your computer and your iPhone.
Apple needs to fix this application installation/upgrade thing ASAP! I've had to restore my phone FIVE times after installing applications and/or updating. This is nuts. I really love the iPhone, but come on Apple! Fix this terrible problem!"

Firewire 800 Port back to life after power shutdown?

I experienced a strange event and would like to share it with you for feedback and comments.
During several days the external hard disk connected to the Firewire 800 port of my IMAC caused me increasingly problems, and eventually the disk would not mount at all on the desktop. I connected the disk to the FW800 port of my portable and the disk worked quite fine. I concluded that the FW800 port of the IMAC was damaged. I was preparing myself to contact Apple to get the IMAC repaired.
Then recently we had a general shutdown of power in our town, for several hours.
When the power came back, I had the idea to reconnect the external disk to the FW800 port, and miracle, the disk mounted immediately and has been working fine since.
Is is possible that the ports of the computer come back to life after a power shutdown? How is this possible?
Can I conclude that it is recommended to disconnect a computer from time to time, just to reset some parameters?

Yep, both USB and Firewire ports can get in into a "bad state" and only complete removal of power will reset those chip sets.
Unfortunately, when you power down the computer there is always a bit of power still applied to the motherboard to keep things alive and this usually includes powering the ports to do stuff like detect when a device is plugged in or wants to wake up the computer. The downside of this is when a bus/port chipset goes into a weird state, locks up, etc., simply power cycling (shutdown & restart) the computer won't work.
So first thing to try is resetting the chipset and to do this you have to power down the computer and completely unplug the computer from the wall power (unplug the power cord to your Mac). Also unplug everything from the Mac's ports (USB, FW, Ethernet, etc.) to make sure no parasitic power is still there to keep the chipset alive. Now let it sit for a minute (give those big power caps in there time to discharge). Now plug stuff back in & start up the Mac. Now see if your USB or Firewire ports work any better.
Even Apple acknowledges this occasional issue...
What to do if your computer won't recognize a FireWire or USB device
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1317?viewlocale=en_US
Best of luck!
Patrick

I have a power mac G5, and now that I've updated my iphone 4s to ios6 I can no longer sync it or back it up to the computer. what can I do?

I have a power mac G5, and now that I've updated my iphone 4s to ios6 I can no longer sync it or back it up to the computer. what can I do?

Click here and install the software.
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I have a power Mac G4 mirror front running 10.4.9. How current of an OS can I run on this machine? I want to put it back into use but need to upgrade the software so that I can run the newest version of Quickbooks amoung other things.

I have a power Mac G4 with a mirror front running 10.4.9. How current of an OS can I run on this machine? I want to put it back into use but need to upgrade the OS so that I can run the newest version of Quickbooks amoung other things.

I think you're out of luck...
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How can i bring my mac back to factory condition?

how can i bring my mac back to factory condition?

Insert its original install DVD, restart with the C key held down, use the Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and install a new OS on it. If you're going to be selling or giving away the computer, throw any files which may contain sensitive data in the Trash and securely empty it first, and include the disks with it.
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My macbook pro won't sleep - if I select sleep it does so initially, then the disc-drive appears to kick in and it comes back to life. It also won't turn off (again, the disc drive kicks in) unless you hold the power-button down for a long period.

My macbook pro won't sleep - if I select sleep it does so initially, then the disc-drive appears to kick in and it comes back to life. It also won't turn off (again, the disc-drive kicks in) unless you hold the power-button down for a long period. Help?

Hi a,
Try an SMC Reset: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964

Mac mini firewire vs Mac pro firewire, trouble with medium format digital back

Hi
I'm trying to use a Mac Mini to run a medium format digital back, I have problems with the connection between the digital back and Mac mini dropping out randomly meaning I have to unplug the firewire and restart the back, sometimes restart the software.
Manufacturer says it is due to Mac mini firewire not supplying enough stable power to the back and to use a powered firewire repeater.
I've tried that it hasn't really made much of a difference.
Manufactuer now says the Mac Mini's are just not up to the job they are significantly diferent to the Mac pro range.
Is this correct?
So I can't use a small form factor mac mini to do a single task - tether to a camera and run camera software. Doesn't really seem that big an ask?
thanks in advance.
Nigel.

you may think it's a single task, but that's on top of the underlying OS processes. also, i'm assuming that your mini is only running a single hard drive, which means your software is competing against the OS for access to the write heads on your drive. have you confirmed that your system memory isn't generating too many page outs? if you're in activity monitor and you see that count increasing, you need more RAM.
you could also try to install a second hard drive in your mini, and designate that drive as your write target for the camera software.
is this for video, or stills?

My power mac g4 was working fine i hit a key and it shut down and now it has the symble of the firewire slot floting around the screen and i can not get it to start back up

my power mac g4 was working fine i hit a key and it shut down and know it has a symble floting around the screen like the firewirs symble and ot wont turn back on how do i fix it

It does sound like the T key is stuck.
One way to test to see if the keyboard is at fault is to disconnect the keyboard, then start up the Mac.
Note - on that model, you can force a shutdown by holding in the power button (the one on the front panel of the machine) for 8 to 10 seconds.
You can also force a restart by pressing the small convex (bulges out slightly) button under the power button on the front panel (it's the one on the left).

Trouble migrating from Power Mac G4 to iMac

Hi,
I have a Power Mac G4 MDD (Mirrored Drive Door) with Leopard (10.5.8) installed. I'm trying to migrating my info on the G4 to a new iMac (mid 2011) with Lion.
I first attempted to transfer my info via Migration assistant and a firewire cable. The computers saw each other and started the process, but hung at "5 hours remaining" for over 24 hours. I tried a second time with same results. I then tried reinstalling Lion on the new iMac and attempted migration via Setup Assistant instead. This time the iMac would not see the G4. I then did some research and downloaded the Migration assistant update for Leopard. Definitely thought this would be the solution and was stunned that the iMac will still not see the G4. Went back to Migration assistant again and no luck there either. Lastly, tried booting the G4 into Firewire target disk mode (no problem), but the iMac still does not see the G4.
I'm so frustrated at this point. Am REALLY trying to avoid having to manually transfer everything over and would just quit and do that at this point, but am confused by the fact that both machines were initially able to communicate (which did not result in sucessful migration, but at least the two machines saw each other at one time).
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Setup Assistant & Migration Assistant: iMac does not see the G4, but G4 DOES see iMac
Firewire Target disk mode: G4 goes into tdm no problem, but iMac continually looks for G4 and will not connect.
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~Michelle

Hi Michelle,
I first attempted to transfer my info via Migration assistant and a firewire cable. The computers saw each other and started the process, but hung at "5 hours remaining" for over 24 hours.
Hmmm, was this FW Network it sounds like?
The best way is to put the G4 in Target mode...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
Then only the new iMac needs to run Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant, but you don't choose from another computer, you choose from a Time Machine or other Disk, because now the G4 is only a Big FW Hard Drive.

G4 Power Mac (MDD) - has trouble booting after shutdown

I have a Power Mac G4 MDD (1.25Ghz) that is having issues when it is shut down. The power button on the front of the machine does not start the computer every time. Sometimes it works, sometimes I need to wait a while before it will work. When the button is pressed, it does not light up or anything.
I have noticed that if I sleep the computer it always seems to wakeup when the front button is pressed. But if I shut down the G4, is does not always bootup.
I have also performed multiple restarts when performing software updates, and they always seemed to work fine.
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I have performed a CUDA/PMU reset using the button on the motherboard, and followed the Apple procedure. (disconnect power, and accesories, press reset button, wait 10 seconds, reconnect, restart) It did not restart right away, had to wait 20 minutes or so.
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With the "sometimes" nature of the problem, it could be the front panel board, a much cheaper replacement than a PSU. An Apple tech told me that one way to test the front panel board was to find one of the first Apple USB keyboards for the original iMac. The early ones have a power button like the old ADB boards that overrides the internal board/button. He said that, should the Mac start reliably from the old keyboard, then there is trouble with the front panel board. The Apple model number for the USB board with power button is M2452.
Very helpful forum member japamac has a test procedure for the MDD PSU on his site here:
http://jcsenterprises.com/Japamacs_Page/Blog/D275729F-09DA-4FBB-96B3-BEEEB2C0461 9.html
You'll need a multimeter to check the voltage levels.

Trouble bringing Power Mac G5 back to life

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