Emac Crashes on startup

jimmy20029 · Oct 10, 2009

Hi

I'm new to this forum so hi to all and apoligies if i have posted in the wrong place,

Heres the problem:

I own a Emac which i bought around 2005/2006 (can't really remeber) it has been working no problems to recently were i cant get it started. When booting up the Emac i get as far as the desktop and it crash's. The dock half pops up but thats far as i get. and just get a frozen beach ball.

I have tried many thinks to sort this i have used the restore disks that came with mac using both disk check, reinstall OS x, repair disk all have been no help.

I have been looking around on the net trying to find the answer came across some things like press the PSU (i think thats the right word) button by the ram i have done that but no look some say it could be faulty ram or have installed new ram recently which i havn't

I tried booting the Emac in safe mode at that works a treat it runs brill in safe mode not a problem

Any help would be great its driving me nuts

Thanks for the Help
Jimmy

Collin Bl · Oct 10, 2009

Hi Jimmy - welcome to the forum - have you looked here http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/93819-basic-os-x-mac-troubleshooting.html

pigoo3 · Oct 10, 2009

jimmy20029 said:
Hi

I'm new to this forum so hi to all and apoligies if i have posted in the wrong place,

Heres the problem:

I own a Emac which i bought around 2005/2006 (can't really remeber) it has been working no problems to recently were i cant get it started. When booting up the Emac i get as far as the desktop and it crash's. The dock half pops up but thats far as i get. and just get a frozen beach ball.

I have tried many thinks to sort this i have used the restore disks that came with mac using both disk check, reinstall OS x, repair disk all have been no help.

I have been looking around on the net trying to find the answer came across some things like press the PSU (i think thats the right word) button by the ram i have done that but no look some say it could be faulty ram or have installed new ram recently which i havn't

I tried booting the Emac in safe mode at that works a treat it runs brill in safe mode not a problem

Any help would be great its driving me nuts

Thanks for the Help
Jimmy

It could be a dead PRAM battery. I have had the exact same thing happen on an older Mac of mine. It would boot to the desktop, and then lock up.

Here's what you need if you decide to buy:

3.6v Newer Technology Lithium 1/2 AA PRAM Com... (3.6VPRAM) at OWC

No guarantee that it is the PRAM battery...but it would only be a ~$10.00 experiment.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

harryb2448 · Oct 10, 2009

Got the system install DVD? Boot from that holding down 'C' after the chimes, go to Utilities > Disk Utility > Repair Disk and see what is reported.

manymanymacs · Oct 10, 2009

Pigoo is right: The Emac i'm typing this on (I found it and restored it) had a dead PRAM battery. Just open the expansion slot, and you'll see a battery about the size of a digital camera battery (about half of a AA). Unplug your computer, remove the battery, and go to the store and buy a new one. Specifications for which type of battery you need are on the Apple Website. P.S: Don't go to Radioshack! They'll charge you $21 or more for it!

jimmy20029 · Oct 12, 2009

Cheers for the advice guys i have order a new one 2day so should be here ina couple of days will let know how i get on sounds like it could be it as i have the mac since 2006 and never changed how long do they avagely last?

Jimmy

deus_ex_machina · Oct 12, 2009

2-3 years

harryb2448 · Oct 12, 2009

And jimmy be aware that the 1.25GHz model eMac did have big problems with leaqking capacitors which caused boot and freeze problems. If your machine is that model have a look at this link, and finger crossed it is the battery:-

1.25 Ghz eMacs Plagued By Capacitor Problems | Cult Of Mac

jimmy20029 · Oct 12, 2009

Hi harryb2448 thanks for the advice this morning i was looking around the web and came across this leaqking capacitors (Plagued by capacitor) i opend up my mac and had a look at the mother boread and by the looks of things i seem to have that exact problem i have 8 capacitors in there that seem to have raised tops which apparently is a sign of a faulty capactiors and 1 out of the 8 has a little tiny brown mark on the top so i am guessing is starting to leak

It seems that a lot of people have had this problem and have manged to over come it there selves so am going to buy some new caps off the net & have a go at installing new ones i have already removed the mother board now just got to hunt down some new caps and solder them in, wish me luck ;D

If any one experience the same problems as i have i recomend just checking your caps to see what state there in

Jimmy

harryb2448 · Oct 12, 2009

Well here is a kit and I am sure you will find how-to's on the net:-

eMac G4 MotherBoard Capacitor Repair Replacement kit - eBay (item 300340892527 end time Oct-21-09 06:28:07 PDT)

jimmy20029 · Oct 14, 2009

ok so i bought some new caps off the net yesturday but because i live in the UK it was hard for to find a dealer but found 1 and there should be here in a week or so

I was doing so research on the net to see if i could find some one who has already replaced there caps befor for advice and to see how it went. I came across this forum eMac keeps freezing for no reason. - The macosxhints Forums where some one posted this:

The reason the Emac 1.2ghz freezes is because there are 8 capacitors that go bad on the motherboard. A lot of computer makers bought a bunch of these that went bad on their motherboards and Apple knows this and if your machine is within 3 years of the dates it was made... it is free repair. If it is not then you have to repair it yourself. I JUST DID. The bad caps are 1800 microferrets 6.3volts BUT you should put in the 2200UF 10volts and make sure they are the thin ones. You can see one of the caps when you take off the plate for the memory cause it is right by the slot with a bulging head. If your computer just started doing this the caps are just bulging so don't let it go until they "POP". If you can't de-solder and then solder you might want someone with electronic experience do it for you. I bought the caps at a local electronics shop for $1.00 each. Hopes this helps.

He states he used 2200UF 10volts caps?? but most other sites iv looked at say stick to the same uf its ok to go for a higher voltage if u wish

Just wonderd if anyone here has chage caps in a emac befor or if anyone here can advise me on what caps i should used i have ordered 1800uf 6.3v (same as orginal) and some 2200UF 10volts caps but which should i use?

Cheers
Jimmy

Emac Crashes on startup

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