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Hi everybody! I hope a thread for this type of problem doesn't exist, but I thought I'd describe it in as much detail as I could so that nothing is unclear about what's going on for me and my . . . *sniffle* . . . computer.
Prepare for a long read. Or, if you'd just like the basics of what's going on, skip down to the LONG STORY SHORT part.
Okay, so it was 2005; I got my first iMac G5. A 10.3 model. It's been my only Mac since then, only because they're pretty expensive. So it became that myself and my computer were pretty close pals; it was good to me just as I was good to it. It got moved around a lot, but I was always careful.
Then the end of 2007 hit. It began to experience difficulties.
The problem hit like a bolt of lightning, suddenly and without mercy. My computer decided it was going to start refusing to turn on when I pushed the button. Hey, I'll just unplug the power cord, plug it back in, and let's see . . . it works! So this continued for a while; soon, however, that was no longer enough.
My computer was dead.
So I took it in to a Mac shop, where they diagnosed my problem and showed me some sort of metal cylinder which resembled a AA battery, deep within the workings of my computer, only it was leaking this dark, black oily substance. The tech informed me that this is what was causing the problem. My bill would've come to $800.00, but in the spirit of the holidays (and probably because my computer wasn't that old), miraculously they charged me $0.00 and my computer was fixed a few days later.
So I was happy and content with my computer for the next couple of years. Then in the Summer of 2009, trouble arose once more and my computer began to display this same, erratic behavior it had previously. And luckily, removing the power cord, blowing any dust out, and replacing the power cord (as in just plugging it back in) resolved my issue.
Until today.
Now I sit here, alone and disappointed, with no more Mac. I have but my less-than-faithful Windows Vista notebook to sit and spread this desperate plea to the world with, which is an equally faulty machine, in its own quirky way that only a Windows Vista knows how.
I guess the bottom line is, I'd like to save myself some money and maybe get into my Mac to retrieve everything on it that I'd like to keep. With a brand new PC desktop on its way, which cost me less than half what it would've cost to repair my troublesome old Mac, I'm left with only one small problem: what I need from my Mac, I can't get to. If push comes to shove I can always take it in to have a specialist transfer all of my files to discs or flash drives, but I'd prefer to try and get at them myself if possible.
========================LONG STORY SHORT===========================
For those of you who'd like the shorter description, here's basically what happens. I plug my Mac in, and I hear this strange, very very very subtle jarring noise inside, coming from somewhere on the bottom of the computer's inner workings. Nothing happens when I push the power button. I continue to hear this subtle rattling inside, the source of which I cannot determine.
Also, ever since about July of 2009, the computer refuses to go into sleep mode. Instead, the screen saver comes on as is supposed to, the screen dims a little later as is supposed to, and then a little while later . . . the computer simply reboots itself.
Now, I'm sure someone will tell me this was a horrible idea, and I'm prepared for that, but I'll say it anyway; I have not bothered to turn my computer off in about six months, for fear of it not turning back on (what happened today). Instead, I just leave it sitting there to reboot itself over and over. I think this machine is on its last leg, but I hope there's some possibility I can get into it one last time just to retrieve my stuff.
Can anyone give me a suggestion on what I could do to possibly get this bad boy running again, if only one last time so I can snag my stuff from it and rescue my imprisoned data? Thanks in advance, and sorry for the horrendously long read.
Prepare for a long read. Or, if you'd just like the basics of what's going on, skip down to the LONG STORY SHORT part.
Okay, so it was 2005; I got my first iMac G5. A 10.3 model. It's been my only Mac since then, only because they're pretty expensive. So it became that myself and my computer were pretty close pals; it was good to me just as I was good to it. It got moved around a lot, but I was always careful.
Then the end of 2007 hit. It began to experience difficulties.
The problem hit like a bolt of lightning, suddenly and without mercy. My computer decided it was going to start refusing to turn on when I pushed the button. Hey, I'll just unplug the power cord, plug it back in, and let's see . . . it works! So this continued for a while; soon, however, that was no longer enough.
My computer was dead.
So I took it in to a Mac shop, where they diagnosed my problem and showed me some sort of metal cylinder which resembled a AA battery, deep within the workings of my computer, only it was leaking this dark, black oily substance. The tech informed me that this is what was causing the problem. My bill would've come to $800.00, but in the spirit of the holidays (and probably because my computer wasn't that old), miraculously they charged me $0.00 and my computer was fixed a few days later.
So I was happy and content with my computer for the next couple of years. Then in the Summer of 2009, trouble arose once more and my computer began to display this same, erratic behavior it had previously. And luckily, removing the power cord, blowing any dust out, and replacing the power cord (as in just plugging it back in) resolved my issue.
Until today.
Now I sit here, alone and disappointed, with no more Mac. I have but my less-than-faithful Windows Vista notebook to sit and spread this desperate plea to the world with, which is an equally faulty machine, in its own quirky way that only a Windows Vista knows how.
I guess the bottom line is, I'd like to save myself some money and maybe get into my Mac to retrieve everything on it that I'd like to keep. With a brand new PC desktop on its way, which cost me less than half what it would've cost to repair my troublesome old Mac, I'm left with only one small problem: what I need from my Mac, I can't get to. If push comes to shove I can always take it in to have a specialist transfer all of my files to discs or flash drives, but I'd prefer to try and get at them myself if possible.
========================LONG STORY SHORT===========================
For those of you who'd like the shorter description, here's basically what happens. I plug my Mac in, and I hear this strange, very very very subtle jarring noise inside, coming from somewhere on the bottom of the computer's inner workings. Nothing happens when I push the power button. I continue to hear this subtle rattling inside, the source of which I cannot determine.
Also, ever since about July of 2009, the computer refuses to go into sleep mode. Instead, the screen saver comes on as is supposed to, the screen dims a little later as is supposed to, and then a little while later . . . the computer simply reboots itself.
Now, I'm sure someone will tell me this was a horrible idea, and I'm prepared for that, but I'll say it anyway; I have not bothered to turn my computer off in about six months, for fear of it not turning back on (what happened today). Instead, I just leave it sitting there to reboot itself over and over. I think this machine is on its last leg, but I hope there's some possibility I can get into it one last time just to retrieve my stuff.
Can anyone give me a suggestion on what I could do to possibly get this bad boy running again, if only one last time so I can snag my stuff from it and rescue my imprisoned data? Thanks in advance, and sorry for the horrendously long read.
