09-20-2010, 03:23 PM

My daughter was given an older IMac. It worked fine when she brought it home, however it was on the living room couch and we moved it to a table instead. Now it will not come on at all. We've tried every outlet and different cords, still nothing. Surely, it just didn't die after working a few minutes prior. What kind of troubleshooting can I try with it? I am new to Macs and don't know where to begin.

09-20-2010, 07:57 PM

When you say it won't come on, you need to be a bit more descriptive. Does the screen light? Can you hear the fans spinning inside? Any noise at all?

Also, please provide year and model of the iMac and operating system if possible.

09-21-2010, 12:24 AM

Ok, It's an older IMac 1998-2000 (I think). I believe it's the Imac G3 series. Yeah the screen doesn't flicker, no beeps, no fans running, nothing running, Just a bunch of nothing. Maybe the Power supply went out, but if that's the case how can I replace it and how would I know that was the culprit? thanks for the reply.

09-21-2010, 01:14 AM

A G3 machine that old quite frankly is not worth much. And investing in parts to repair it might be an expensive effort. There are several on line Mac specialists who might be able to come up with a power supply, if in fact that's the problem. It could also be something as simple as the PRAM battery being dead. Hopefully, one of our older Mac experts will chime in to help. But in the meantime here are the links:

Powerbookmedic

ifixit

09-21-2010, 06:09 PM

thanks you for the links. The IMac was given to her so, as long as it's not expensive if I have to spend a little to get it started, I think it'd be worth it.

09-21-2010, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by williams1030

thanks you for the links. The IMac was given to her so, as long as it's not expensive if I have to spend a little to get it started, I think it'd be worth it.

The old G3 iMacs are realistically worth about $10-$25 bucks...and that's if they're working 100%. You'll see people trying to sell them for more...but they're just crazy!

Usually the CRT display will be one of the first things to go...so you should be really sure that the display is working properly before attempting any repairs. Otherwise if you spend money & fix other components in the computer...then find out that the display is on the "fritz"...the money spent on the repairs might be a waste.

So use this as a guide when spending money to fix this computer. Many times the money needed to fix an old computer like this can be better spent on a newer & much faster model.

Good luck,

- Nick

p.s. By the way...I don't know what the specs are on this iMac...but if you wanted to add just 256meg of ram to it...that will cost you $28.99 + shipping! Basically more than the computer is worth! You could try & find used ram on e-Bay as well.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple..._266MHz_333MHz

09-21-2010, 11:50 PM

Oh wow, ok. I didn't realize that I could get on for just 10-30 dollars. Where could I purchase one for that? I'd rather do that than put in money and labor into something that I'm not positive will work at all. Thanks so much for your advice.

09-23-2010, 04:03 PM

I got my G3 off Craigslist. I'd check there first as you can pick it up in person as opposed to having it shipped to you. Usually good prices cause some people are practically giving these computers away nowadays.

09-23-2010, 11:01 PM

Thank You!!!