Powerbook G4 Help!! Wont Boot?!?!?

I just recently purchased a powerbook g4 (1.33 12 inch) from PowerON Services. I turned it on for the first time and I was prompted to update to stuff ( osX being one of them) It then froze while installing the updates.

Now It wont boot, it is stuck on the grey screen. I tried loading from a tiger disc that I have but that didnt work. I just get a funky message saying to hold the restart button. Any words of wisdom??????

also note i tried resetting PRAM

monkey194545 said:

I just recently purchased a powerbook g4 (1.33 12 inch) from PowerON Services. I turned it on for the first time and I was prompted to update to stuff ( osX being one of them) It then froze while installing the updates.

Now It wont boot, it is stuck on the grey screen. I tried loading from a tiger disc that I have but that didnt work. I just get a funky message saying to hold the restart button. Any words of wisdom??????

also note i tried resetting PRAM

Click to expand...

Was this laptop supposed to be a 100% operating computer...or was it purchased "as is"?

If it was supposed to be working 100%...have you tried contacting "PowerON Services" about it?

- Nick

Wow... I have to say that really simply stinks. I hope you didn't buy it "as is" because if you did, there's a fairly good chance they knew it had problems. I wonder if resetting the OS would help. I wonder if this would do anything.

#1. Reboot
#2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
#3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):

* mount -uw /
* rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
* shutdown -h now

This is usually used to create a new admin account... As what it will do with a Non-booting computer I don't have the slightest idea. Although it gives the intro movie after so I would assume it resets the OS to a certain point. Before they try this, anybody else have any ideas on what this'll do, if it works at all? 0_o

pigoo - it was supposed to be a 100% working machine. They are evidently a legitimate company so I shouldn't have any problems with a return/exchange.

macdude- i will try that when i get home from work today.

Thanks!

monkey194545 said:

pigoo - it was supposed to be a 100% working machine. They are evidently a legitimate company so I shouldn't have any problems with a return/exchange.

macdude- i will try that when i get home from work today.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Personally I wouldn't try to fix this computer...you should have gotten a 100% working computer from the folks that sold it. I know that it's a hassle to return the computer (and maybe get another one from them)...but you really shouldn't have to figure out how to fix the computer when you paid good money for it & it has had problems the very first time you booted it.

By the way...what's the deal with the Tiger disk you have? Is this an original set of CD's or single DVD that has a big "X" on it...or is it a gray disk? If it's a gray disk...I'm going to bet that it's not from this computer you bought.

The grey disks are model specific...and won't work with this computer. And that's why you can't boot from it.

- Nick

the tiger cd(s) came with a intel macbook i have. that is probably why they didnt work.
I did email the company, if I dont get a response by noon est I will call.
Thanks.

monkey194545 said:

the tiger cd(s) came with a intel macbook i have. that is probably why they didnt work.

Click to expand...

You got it...those disks DEFINITELY won't work in a Powerbook (only with the Macbook model they were meant for).

It's very possible all you need is the correct Tiger 10.4 or Leopard 10.5...OS install disk to be able to run Disk Utility to examine & maybe repair the hard drive...or simply install a fresh version of the OS.

Certainly a good idea to do this before having to return the computer to the folks you purchased it from. Of course if they only have a 7-14 day return policy...you got to get that disk soon!

Please keep us updated!

- Nick

The powerbook was sent be and is going to be exchanged for a different one or repaired. Hopefully I'll get it back by the end of next week. Now I wait...

monkey194545 said:

The powerbook was sent be and is going to be exchanged for a different one or repaired. Hopefully I'll get it back by the end of next week. Now I wait...

Click to expand...

Did the "PowerON Services" folks give you any hassle about returning it?

Good luck!

- Nick

p.s. By the way...I went to their website...and they're prices are not exactly what I would call inexpensive. I've purchased a 2 year-old Macbook for as little as $350 (and it had 11 months of Applecare remaining on it).