iMac G5 issue (random symptoms and more)

Hey guys,

I have a PowerPC (bought around November/December 2005) based 17 inch iMac (iSight included).

I have used this computer for years but the last few months have become progressively annoying. The last week especially.

Around a week ago, the computer began freezing while surfing the internet. I would turn it off via the power switch on the back and reboot. The computer would come on fine but my backup drive (Time Machine enabled) would take forever to backup (I found out about the deep traversal thing Time Machine uses to verify past backups if a crash happens).

The other morning I turned my computer on. It went past the gray Apple screen but stopped at the blue screen that shows before the desktop loads. The cursor would appear in the upper left hand corner but would eventually turn into a non-stop spinning beach ball.

After viewing a few forums, I tried to reset the PRAM. The first time, it worked. My computer loaded fine. I had to go out for the evening. When I returned home, the screen had frozen. I rebooted the Mac and it did the blue screen stall once more. I did the PRAM thing again but no-go. Instead, I held down the C key after the startup chime and it allowed me to access the desktop.

Other miscellaneous symptoms:

1) Random freezing

2) I "entered" Time Machine and the background "galaxy" was severely distorted.

3) A few days ago lines appeared horizontally across the screen. Even rebooting it a few times didn't fix it. It eventually stopped (as I write this, I have no horizontal lines).


I've heard this kind of stuff could be due to a logic board problem. Would anyone on here agree?


I have school starting soon (online classes) and I need to plan the next move so when school begins, I can be ready to go. My computer has just become very unreliable and I need to take the best possible step to get back on track.


Thanks!

-Jacob

Looks like logic board or more likely video card, especially as the background on Time Machine is distorted and you're getting lines on screen.
Try running a hardware test if you can. It's also worth running Disk Utility from the install disc, repairing permissions and verifying the HD.
This may throw some light on things. Let us know how you go.