08-06-2011, 02:22 PM

So we just bought this iBook G4 on eBay. Trying to set it up for my mom-in-law who we bought it for, and suddenly the battery is at 23%, down from 75% within 45 minutes, and I have the adaptor plugged in. Then it shuts down. Can't get it to power back up. The adaptor is very warm so it's getting current from the outlet. Could it be the adaptor AND the battery are bad? I'm new to laptops (but not Mac's).....please help someone!! Thanks!

08-06-2011, 03:50 PM

Can you remove the battery from your MacBook?

If so remove the battery and then plug it the mains adaptor in to your MacBook and see if you can power it on. If you can power it on then your power supply is OK, if you can't power it on then there is something wrong with either you power cable or the charging circuit inside your MacBook.

08-06-2011, 08:07 PM

OK I took out the battery and tried to power it up with the ac adapter but still nothing. I think it should power up with or without the battery as long as I have it plugged in though, right? I would think the battery would be charging then too. Yep it's either the plug or the computer. Makes me wonder just how the seller got the ibook charged, as it had an 80% charge when I first got it and turned it on....hmmm. My stepdaughter has the same ibook and we are going to see if her adapter works on this ibook tomorrow. Then we'll know for sure where the problem is. Thanks for your help!

08-06-2011, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by lindy62

So we just bought this iBook G4 on eBay.

What sort of info did the e-Bay seller give regarding this iBooks condition?

If it was supposed to be fully operational (and it isn't)...sounds like it's time to contact the seller ASAP...to discuss a solution (i.e time to return the computer to the seller for a full refund)!!!

- Nick

08-07-2011, 06:04 AM

Without the battery plugged in the MacBook should still power on - this is how you can see if it's the battery causing your issue or not.

If the seller had more than one MacBook then they may have used another charger to charge the laptop.

Check the description of the MacBook your purchased on eBay and see if it mentions any problems with it and if not get in touch with the seller ASAP - if you paid with PayPal they have a system where you can try and get your money back and they tend to be in favour of the buyer and not the seller so it would be in the best interests of the Seller to help resolve your issue.