Why won't my Mac Pro boot?

qw1ks1lv3r · May 20, 2012

pigoo3 said:
The video cards fan starting up & the red LED coming on really means nothing. Any one or more of the circuits on the video card could be bad...thus making it a "bad" card. The important part is what comes out of the video port.

It would be good to know what model this 2nd video card is...but I know many times it's difficult to know just looking at it. Being "Macintosh Friendly" is very important though.

The startup chime is VERY VERY important. No startup chime is your FIRST indication that something is wrong! The startup chime exists for a reason...it's not there just for fun.

I sure hope this didn't happen due to you "poking" around. I would hate to hear that additional issues are created due to the user.

This EVENTUALLY is most definitely important...but it wouldn't be causing no startup chime or display issues at this point.

- Nick

I looked at the video card and couldn't see any model number. I know for sure it's and ATI card, but I have no idea what model it is. I'm pretty sure it's Mac friendly because it has a little plate thing on it that fits perfectly into a guide slot (shown here:

), although that could just be coincidence. I left the computer up at my office for the weekend, otherwise I would be able to check the card out and see what model it is.

I had only just opened the slot for the optical drive and found out the end plug was missing. I had no previous interaction with this part before it the time it started sparking.

pigoo3 said:
I wanted to mention that the "Model No. A1168" is wrong. It's actually A1186. GIGO (garbage in - garbage out)! Please be careful with these sort of details.

It would be good to know EXACTLY what Mac Pro model we are dealing with. The model # A1186 designation was actually used across a number of Mac Pro models...so we need more info.

There is an "EMC" number printed somewhere that would be more helpful. It's usually located on the back near the ports...or after removing the side panel to access the inside of the computer...on the bottom ledge area...there should be a small gray label that lists the original shipping configuration of the computer and the EMC number. Having all this info would help.

- Nick

The EMC number is 2113

pigoo3 said:
This could be a possible issue. According to post #1...this is supposed to be a "2008 Mac Pro". If this computer has 667mhz ram...it could be a 2006 model Mac Pro...or a VERY early 2008 model. All other "2008 Model" Mac Pro's used 800mhz ram.

So let's get this Mac Pro properly identified.

- Nick

I looked up the Mac Pro on everymac.com and there were three different quad-core configurations that showed up that matched the model number and EMC number: a 2.0GHz one, a 2.66GHz one, and a 3.0GHz one. I'm fairly certain that the model I have is the 2.66 GHz one, but as I can't boot it up to check and I'm not able to check on the sticker to see if it has information having to do with the processor, I can't tell. (Heres a link for you: Lookup Mac Specs By Serial Number, Order, Model & EMC Number, Model ID @ EveryMac.com)

I feel so helpless working on this computer. I usually work on Windows, and I can manage to fix those most of the time. But these I just feel like I can't do anything to make it right.

Slydude · May 20, 2012

pigoo3 said:
OP got the Mac Pro from a friend. Great friend!..
- Nick

Say Nick, You and I are friends right? Got a Mac Pro around that you want to pass along? Anything newer than my '06 model is fine

I've got a birthday coming soon.

qw1ks1lv3r · May 20, 2012

pigoo3 said:
The video cards fan starting up & the red LED coming on really means nothing. Any one or more of the circuits on the video card could be bad...thus making it a "bad" card. The important part is what comes out of the video port.

It would be good to know what model this 2nd video card is...but I know many times it's difficult to know just looking at it. Being "Macintosh Friendly" is very important though.

The startup chime is VERY VERY important. No startup chime is your FIRST indication that something is wrong! The startup chime exists for a reason...it's not there just for fun.

I sure hope this didn't happen due to you "poking" around. I would hate to hear that additional issues are created due to the user.

This EVENTUALLY is most definitely important...but it wouldn't be causing no startup chime or display issues at this point.

- Nick

The video card is most likely Mac friendly. It is an ATI model for sure, and it has this plate that slides right into the slots shown here

I understand that "most likely" probably won't cut it for you, but I can't look at the card and tell you what model it is to be sure what kind of card it is. I left the computer at my office over the weekend, so I don't have access to it until Monday.

Also, the computer came with the end of the power plug ripped off. I hadn't touched it before this little incident.

The startup chime hasn't sounded once since I've gotten the computer.

pigoo3 said:
I wanted to mention that the "Model No. A1168" is wrong. It's actually A1186. GIGO (garbage in - garbage out)! Please be careful with these sort of details.

It would be good to know EXACTLY what Mac Pro model we are dealing with. The model # A1186 designation was actually used across a number of Mac Pro models...so we need more info.

There is an "EMC" number printed somewhere that would be more helpful. It's usually located on the back near the ports...or after removing the side panel to access the inside of the computer...on the bottom ledge area...there should be a small gray label that lists the original shipping configuration of the computer and the EMC number. Having all this info would help.

- Nick

The EMC number is 2113. Didn't know that that was so important. It would also help to not be so condescending, please. ("Garbage in garbage out

") I don't want to start a fight or anything, but I'm not some little kid that needs to have their hand held for everything. I understand how to work on and fix computers, just not Apple computers, ok? (although I have owned a Mac for about two or three years now, and I know how to operate the OS fairly well) This is the first Mac I've ever had the pleasure to try and fix, and it would help to not chide me like you're my mother. Please be professional. I'm frustrated enough as it is.

pigoo3 said:
This could be a possible issue. According to post #1...this is supposed to be a "2008 Mac Pro". If this computer has 667mhz ram...it could be a 2006 model Mac Pro...or a VERY early 2008 model. All other "2008 Model" Mac Pro's used 800mhz ram.

So let's get this Mac Pro properly identified.

- Nick

Like I said the EMC is 2113. I went ahead and looked up which model I had, and the search results displayed three different models with Model # A1186 EMC 2113. Each of them are quad-core machines but with different clock speeds: 2.0, 2.66, and 3.0. The search results are found here: Lookup Mac Specs By Serial Number, Order, Model & EMC Number, Model ID @ EveryMac.com

pigoo3 said:
@Slydude...Yes you got it right. That last ram pair installed by the OP does not sound correct (assuming the first two pairs are matching).

@qw1ks1lv3r...The Mac Pro has two riser cards (call them "A" and "B"), with with each card having slot 1, 2, 3, 4. So installing ram would be (A1 + B1), (A2 + B2), etc.

So if your Mac Pro has 6 sticks of ram...each riser card should have 3 slots occupied (and this again is assuming that everything is installed in matched pairs).

- Nick

I'm pretty sure I have the RAM installed the right way. I looked on the inside of the computer cover and it shows exactly how to install it. One pair at a time in the first two slots of each riser card. I also looked up a video of a professional technician installing it, but then again, I could be wrong like most other things I seem to have done with this computer.

pigoo3 · May 20, 2012

qw1ks1lv3r said:
The EMC number is 2113. Didn't know that that was so important. It would also help to not be so condescending, please. ("Garbage in garbage out ") I don't want to start a fight or anything, but I'm not some little kid that needs to have their hand held for everything.

Why was the "EMC" number so important? Because you misidentified the computer since the beginning of the thread!

You said it was a 2008 Mac Pro...but with an EMC of 2113...it's actually the original 2006 model. This makes a BIG difference in "Mac Pro World"....and it makes a big difference how some of the things discussed so far were answered (thus a big waste of time)!!!

Since you misidentified the computers model number...my comment of GIGO actually was totally appropriate. As far as the "hand-holding"...yes...this may be necessary regardless of your experience level...since you did misidentify the computers model...which did lead us down the "wrong path" in a number of instances.

I did have a bunch more ideas to share with you & things for you to try...but when you help folks for free...I have zero tolerance for comments like you made above. Good luck.

- Nick

qw1ks1lv3r · May 20, 2012

pigoo3 said:
Why was the "EMC" number so important? Because you misidentified the computer since the beginning of the thread!

You said it was a 2008 Mac Pro...but with an EMC of 2113...it's actually the original 2006 model. This makes a BIG difference in "Mac Pro World"....and it makes a big difference how some of the things discussed so far were answered (thus a big waste of time)!!!

Since you misidentified the computers model number...my comment of GIGO actually was totally appropriate. As far as the "hand-holding"...yes...this may be necessary regardless of your experience level...since you did misidentify the computers model...which did lead us down the "wrong path" in a number of instances.

I did have a bunch more ideas to share with you & things for you to try...but when you help folks for free...I have zero tolerance for comments like you made above. Good luck.

- Nick

Well, I was wrong. And I didn't understand that the EMC was what truly decided which "model" it was, so really I didn't really mistake the model as much as I just didn't get as specific as I needed to be. Please, let's not let some stupid comment that I decided to post get in between the real issue. I would very much like to get this thing fixed, and I honestly regret making snide comments like I did before. You seem to know your stuff, so I'll just trust what you have to say from now on. Sound good?

dtravis7 · May 20, 2012

It may very well be an issue with the RAM and how you have it installed. I have never worked with a Mac Pro or I would offer more help. There has to be a guide on installing the RAM in your model now that we know what it is.

You say there is a chart inside the pro? Then that should tell you. Have you tried it with just one pair of FB-DIMMS? Maybe some of the RAM is defective.

If it's not RAM, maybe that is why it was retired to the back room. I hope not thought and you get it to come up.

Slydude · May 20, 2012

Lets see if we can start from the beginning. I'd like to ask you to do a few things that you have already tried just so I can clear up some confusion that I have about the results so far.

To do the following you will need a monitor and cable that are "known good". In other words both the monitor and cable are working. Please don't take that as an insult I have spent hours chasing intermittent hardware failures before.

1. Denis has a good idea. Start with one pair of ram chips. Insert one in the first slot of the "top" riser and one in the first lot of the 'bottom' riser. If possible use two chips from the same brand/manufacturer.

2. Insert the graphics card that you think is working and make sure that the card is seated properly before connecting the cable and monitor.

3. Make sure that nothing is plugged into either the headphone jack (front) or speaker jack (rear). Something connected here will mute the system volume and you will have no way to know if the system passed the self test.

Here are the things that we will need to know the results of.

1. What sound, if any, do you hear shortly after the machine is powered up? I believe the "breaking glass" sound indicates faulty/improperly installed memory. If you get that shut things down and try a different pair.

2. As far as the graphics card is concerned it's good to know if any LEDs light up but that alone does not mean the card is working. Are you getting any picture on the screen or any indication the screen is lighting up?

qw1ks1lv3r · May 20, 2012

Slydude said:
Lets see if we can start from the beginning. I'd like to ask you to do a few things that you have already tried just so I can clear up some confusion that I have about the results so far.

To do the following you will need a monitor and cable that are "known good". In other words both the monitor and cable are working. Please don't take that as an insult I have spent hours chasing intermittent hardware failures before.

1. Denis has a good idea. Start with one pair of ram chips. Insert one in the first slot of the "top" riser and one in the first lot of the 'bottom' riser. If possible use two chips from the same brand/manufacturer.

2. Insert the graphics card that you think is working and make sure that the card is seated properly before connecting the cable and monitor.

3. Make sure that nothing is plugged into either the headphone jack (front) or speaker jack (rear). Something connected here will mute the system volume and you will have no way to know if the system passed the self test.

Here are the things that we will need to know the results of.

1. What sound, if any, do you hear shortly after the machine is powered up? I believe the "breaking glass" sound indicates faulty/improperly installed memory. If you get that shut things down and try a different pair.

2. As far as the graphics card is concerned it's good to know if any LEDs light up but that alone does not mean the card is working. Are you getting any picture on the screen or any indication the screen is lighting up?

When I test the computer I always have it connected to an older Apple cinema display like the one pictured here.

It works perfectly with two of my friends' older MacBooks. I haven't tried it yet with my newer MacBook Pro because I don't have an adapter that is compatible with mine. So at least we know that the monitor and cable are known good. The one thing I wasn't sure of was that the DC-AC adapter for the monitor also connects the DVI port, USB ports, and FireWire ports on the monitor, so I wasn't sure if having those other things (USB and FireWire ports) plugged in would not make it work. The adapter is pictured here:

The display with the cords plugged in is shown here:

I have tried all kinds of different combinations for the RAM, each time having them in one pair at a time. And I did go along with the chart on the inside of the case the first time but didn't have any luck.

I was wondering, is there any way to test my graphics cards out to see if they're working before I put it in the machine? I would have no way of knowing if they're truly working or not otherwise. Although, it would probably be pretty weird to have two non-functioning video cards in a row.

Every time I've tested it these are the things that have been plugged into the ports: the DVI cord, the USB and FireWire cord from the display adapter, an Apple keyboard, and a mouse. Nothing else is plugged into any of the other ports.

I can't test it right now for any kind of sound upon startup, but from all the previous times I've started it up the LEDs on the graphics cards (every time I've tested it's with only one card at a time) and the RAM risers has lit up red. I'll be able to try it out tomorrow and get back with you.

Germany_chris · May 21, 2012

Gentlemen if the red diagnostic LED is on that's not a good thing..

My first two guesses are always RAM and Video cards but those not being it I can make some assumptions but..

Do the fans rev up a lot?? or do the spin silently like normal?

qw1ks1lv3r · May 22, 2012

Germany_chris said:
Gentlemen if the red diagnostic LED is on that's not a good thing..

My first two guesses are always RAM and Video cards but those not being it I can make some assumptions but..

Do the fans rev up a lot?? or do the spin silently like normal?

They both have red lights that light up when they're on. But one card (the one that came with it) is really loud and the other (the one that I bought after I got the computer) is completely silent. But they both have red LEDs that show up upon boot, and they stay lighted.

Germany_chris · May 23, 2012

qw1ks1lv3r said:
They both have red lights that light up when they're on. But one card (the one that came with it) is really loud and the other (the one that I bought after I got the computer) is completely silent. But they both have red LEDs that show up upon boot, and they stay lighted.

Not the video card fans the computer fans..

My gueses if you've you've eliminated the to big ones RAM and GPU is you have a toasted processor or logic board..Processors are dirt cheap a logic board on the other hand it about $800..

This computer screams hackintosh to me..

qw1ks1lv3r · May 23, 2012

Germany_chris said:
Not the video card fans the computer fans..

My gueses if you've you've eliminated the to big ones RAM and GPU is you have a toasted processor or logic board..Processors are dirt cheap a logic board on the other hand it about $800..

This computer screams hackintosh to me..

Oh, well no, the computer fans are completely silent. And I haven't really eliminated RAM or GPU. I have no idea what you're talking about a processor or logic board. I know the logic boards are expensive, if that's what you're saying? Even then I have no idea how to open the little box that's there covering the processor/heatsink combo. It's locked down rock-solid.

Germany_chris · May 23, 2012

qw1ks1lv3r said:
Oh, well no, the computer fans are completely silent. And I haven't really eliminated RAM or GPU. I have no idea what you're talking about a processor or logic board. I know the logic boards are expensive, if that's what you're saying? Even then I have no idea how to open the little box that's there covering the processor/heatsink combo. It's locked down rock-solid.

To open the "little box" is a pain, but there is no need to go there..

You need to do more diagnostics, you need known good and a known good video card.

Google the red diagnostics LED's Mac Pro 1,1. If it had a smoke processor the fans should be revving up because it can't get a temp reading from one processor. If the logic board is smoked you'll get the symptoms you have with the red LED indicators, but RAM and RAM riser cards show the same symptoms. Unless trouble shooting this is a pleasant dalliance I'd just run it to Apple repair and see what they say spend the $60 and get it diagnosed. I wouldn't take it to the genius bar go to an apple authorized repair center.

qw1ks1lv3r · May 26, 2012

Germany_chris said:
To open the "little box" is a pain, but there is no need to go there..

You need to do more diagnostics, you need known good and a known good video card.

Google the red diagnostics LED's Mac Pro 1,1. If it had a smoke processor the fans should be revving up because it can't get a temp reading from one processor. If the logic board is smoked you'll get the symptoms you have with the red LED indicators, but RAM and RAM riser cards show the same symptoms. Unless trouble shooting this is a pleasant dalliance I'd just run it to Apple repair and see what they say spend the $60 and get it diagnosed. I wouldn't take it to the genius bar go to an apple authorized repair center.

I found the diagnostic LEDs and the ones that lit up were green for "EFI" and yellow/orange with a label that said "TRICKLE." The "POWER" label has no light next to it. What does that mean? And the one that says "GPU" isn't lit up either. And since the other lights on the row aren't lit up, I think it's safe to say that this problem is most likely not a CPU problem.

Quick recap:
EFI - Green, lit
POWER - dark, not lit
CPU A, OVERHEAT - dark, not lit
CPU B, OVERHEAT - dark, not lit
CPU A, FAIL - dark, not lit
CPU B, FAIL - dark, not lit
TRICKLE - yellow, lit
SLEEP - dark, not lit

Also, I found out that the video cards I have are an ATI Radeon HD4870 and an ATI X1900 XT. I bought the HD4870 after I got the Mac and the X1900 XT was already in the machine when I got it. Somebody earlier was wondering which one I got with the machine. Anyways, upon some investigation this particular card (X1900 XT with serial number ending in V6Z) is part of a recall by Apple that ended in January of 2011, so I think I can just leave this card alone for now.

In other news, when the HD4870 is in the machine and running, there are three of the four diagnostic LEDs constantly illuminated (D1602, D1601, and D1603). With a bit of Googling, I found out that the three LEDs that are lit up are all meant to indicate that there is a lack of power or there is a critical heat error.

These are the LEDs that are lit on the card:
D1601 - critical temperature fault
D1602 - power connector A is disconnected
D1603 - power connector B is disconnected

Both of the power connectors are securely connected to both the logic board and the card, and the card itself is firmly seated in the board.

One last thing: Would anybody happen to know if there is a way to test this card without finding a different Mac Pro to put it in? I don't know of anybody else that has a Mac Pro that I can use.

Oh, and the nearest Apple Store/Genius Bar/Apple Certified Repair shop is over 2 and a half hours away, so I probably won't be able to make it to any of those places soon.

Germany_chris · May 29, 2012

qw1ks1lv3r said:
I found the diagnostic LEDs and the ones that lit up were green for "EFI" and yellow/orange with a label that said "TRICKLE." The "POWER" label has no light next to it. What does that mean? And the one that says "GPU" isn't lit up either. And since the other lights on the row aren't lit up, I think it's safe to say that this problem is most likely not a CPU problem.

Quick recap:
EFI - Green, lit
POWER - dark, not lit
CPU A, OVERHEAT - dark, not lit
CPU B, OVERHEAT - dark, not lit
CPU A, FAIL - dark, not lit
CPU B, FAIL - dark, not lit
TRICKLE - yellow, lit
SLEEP - dark, not lit

Also, I found out that the video cards I have are an ATI Radeon HD4870 and an ATI X1900 XT. I bought the HD4870 after I got the Mac and the X1900 XT was already in the machine when I got it. Somebody earlier was wondering which one I got with the machine. Anyways, upon some investigation this particular card (X1900 XT with serial number ending in V6Z) is part of a recall by Apple that ended in January of 2011, so I think I can just leave this card alone for now.

In other news, when the HD4870 is in the machine and running, there are three of the four diagnostic LEDs constantly illuminated (D1602, D1601, and D1603). With a bit of Googling, I found out that the three LEDs that are lit up are all meant to indicate that there is a lack of power or there is a critical heat error.

These are the LEDs that are lit on the card:
D1601 - critical temperature fault
D1602 - power connector A is disconnected
D1603 - power connector B is disconnected

Both of the power connectors are securely connected to both the logic board and the card, and the card itself is firmly seated in the board.

One last thing: Would anybody happen to know if there is a way to test this card without finding a different Mac Pro to put it in? I don't know of anybody else that has a Mac Pro that I can use.

Oh, and the nearest Apple Store/Genius Bar/Apple Certified Repair shop is over 2 and a half hours away, so I probably won't be able to make it to any of those places soon.

There are more than two power connection on the motherboard..

charliemac · May 30, 2012

Appreciate this is my first post etc, but I have years of Mac hardware experience going back to my Mac Plus days.

I had this exact problem with my 2006 667Mhz Pro, same LED config, and the same symptoms (No display, drives appear to spin up, no start up chime).

I have to say I know how I caused it too, I did it by being careless, causing a short circuit and creating sparks on the optical drive bay (sound familiar?)

Sorry to say, your Logic Board is toast, and no amount of troubleshooting and messing about with this machine is going to change that.

You need a LogicBoard, they are a pain in the butt to change but doable if you are technically minded and use the guides available.

My 2006 MacPro survived the encounter and I am using it to this day, however I no never use the internal bays with customer or unknown hard drives.....

Why won't my Mac Pro boot?

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Slydude

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