iMac G5 won't boot

pajdzn · Oct 26, 2008

Help!!!

I have an iMac G5 running OS X 10.4 with 2G RAM that has been working fine until now. It started when I tried to log in to my user account from the login window. It froze up and I had to restart, but it now only goes so far, the apple icon shows, the wheel spins then just stops and the screen goes blue and that's as far as it goes. But it will boot up in safe mode and all appears to be fine, I can't find anything wrong. I have done all the usual things, zap pram, reload OS, reseated the RAM, etc. but nothing works.

Any ideas? I appreciate any input.

thank you

johnwd5 · Oct 26, 2008

can you boot in safe mode then repair disk/permissions ?

harryb2448 · Oct 26, 2008

Try booting from the Tiger install DVD, go to Utilities and run Repair Disk and let us know what is reported? If you cannot get a reboot try zapping the PRAM by booting and holding down Option, Alt (the one with the Apple logo) P and R altogether immediately after the chime.

Hold down until you hear a second chime and release.

pajdzn · Oct 26, 2008

I have done everything possible, reinstall the OS, Run disk utilities and verfiy and repair the disk. I have noticed that the Airport preferences are missing too. I did the repairs using the original system disk to boot and then run the utilities. I have read about the airport card causing boot up problems if it is loose or not installed properly but my iMac doesn't have a user removable card.

pajdzn · Oct 26, 2008

The repair disk didn't report any problems. Zapping didn't help either, I have actually tried everything numerous times. I have been working on this since yesterday. The main thing I find that is suspicious is the fact that I no longer have Airport capability on a machine that I have been using wirelessly from day one. In fact I was amazed at how, when I first unpacked the unit and plugged it in, by the time I unpacked the keyboard it was already connected to the Web.

dtravis7 · Oct 26, 2008

What are the specs on that iMac G5?

Jon Dole · Oct 27, 2008

Hi there! I'm having a similar problem with my iMac G5 except that I get the spinning wheel on the logo page and then the machine just switches off!?! I've tried to get it up and running again and the same thing happens. Reinstalled the original OS discs I got with the machine (Panther) and, upon installing, it said there was a problem with the installation procedure and I'd have to reinstall..again. Went through the motions and Hey Presto! it was running fine with Leopard. Magic thought I..it's fixed itself! Turned it off last night and got up this a.m. to find it was back to the bane behaviour! Long story short..if I want to run my Mac I have to reinstall the OS every time! Failing that..keep it switched on 24/7! Long gone on the warranty and I can't afford Apple Support. Ran a diagnostic and it came up with a error code! Can anyone point me in the right direction as to where I can find out what the error code actually means??? Any help appreciated!

Soulwar · Oct 27, 2008

Jon Dole said:
Hi there! I'm having a similar problem with my iMac G5 except that I get the spinning wheel on the logo page and then the machine just switches off!?! I've tried to get it up and running again and the same thing happens. Reinstalled the original OS discs I got with the machine (Panther) and, upon installing, it said there was a problem with the installation procedure and I'd have to reinstall..again. Went through the motions and Hey Presto! it was running fine with Leopard. Magic thought I..it's fixed itself! Turned it off last night and got up this a.m. to find it was back to the bane behaviour! Long story short..if I want to run my Mac I have to reinstall the OS every time! Failing that..keep it switched on 24/7! Long gone on the warranty and I can't afford Apple Support. Ran a diagnostic and it came up with a error code! Can anyone point me in the right direction as to where I can find out what the error code actually means??? Any help appreciated!

Can you post the error code?

Jon Dole · Oct 27, 2008

Post the Error Code? That I can!

How-do? The Error Code is: 2STF/8/3:S-ATA Bus 0-Master Doesn't mean a thing to me but any aid would be appreciated! Cheers..

Soulwar · Oct 27, 2008

Jon Dole said:
How-do? The Error Code is: 2STF/8/3:S-ATA Bus 0-Master Doesn't mean a thing to me but any aid would be appreciated! Cheers..

From what I can ascertain, I believe your HDD is failing. Try checking the SMART status of the HDD.
You can also try the Apple Hardware test.

Jon Dole · Oct 27, 2008

I'll give it a go!

Cheers Soulwar. ( I'm sure I've gamed wi' you on Xbox Live!) I'll give that a go and see if I have any luck with it! Will keep you posted!

pajdzn · Nov 1, 2008

I ended up taking my iMac to an authorized Apple service center and the diagnosis is a bad logic board, around $900.00 repair cost!!! They agree that it isn't worth the cost. It does come up in Safe mode and seems to work. What would be the downfall to using it in Safe mode until I can afford a new machine? Hard to justify shelling out for another machine after less than 3 years of pretty normal home usage.

Soulwar · Nov 1, 2008

pajdzn said:
I ended up taking my iMac to an authorized Apple service center and the diagnosis is a bad logic board, around $900.00 repair cost!!! They agree that it isn't worth the cost. It does come up in Safe mode and seems to work. What would be the downfall to using it in Safe mode until I can afford a new machine? Hard to justify shelling out for another machine after less than 3 years of pretty normal home usage.

Safe mode is limited in what it can do:
Some features don't work in Safe Mode

Safe Mode can be useful for troubleshooting. However, certain Mac OS X features do not work when you are started up in Safe Mode. For example, you can't use DVD Player, capture video in iMovie, use audio input or output devices, or use an internal or external USB modem. Keep in mind that the behavior of some devices such as the AirPort card may vary depending on computer and Mac OS X version.

And they're right. It's more cost effective to buy a new Mac, than to replace the logic board...