imac g5 trouble starting up

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hey guys and gals, I am having some trouble with my imag g5 and as its classed as vintage now, apple will charge me through the roof to repair so wondering if anyone else has had the same problem as me and what the solution was.

right........ when starting up after start up tone the fans kick in almost instantly and the screen is either grey or black for ages. if the key board and mouse have configured with the screen then i can go into safety mode if not im stuck with a noisy mac that wont even turn on.

does anyone have and suggestions as to what is wrong?? please HELP

many thanks
 

pigoo3

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Could be a bad hard drive. Have you tried booting the computer from a OS install DVD or the ORIGINAL gray disks that shipped with it?

- Nick
 
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Hey , No i havent done anything like that as i dont want to loose some of the programmes ive installed on the computer as havent got original disks for them.

if i did get it on and re installed with grey disks would it wipe the whole computer??
 

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Hey , No i havent done anything like that as i dont want to loose some of the programmes ive installed on the computer as havent got original disks for them.

if i did get it on and re installed with grey disks would it wipe the whole computer??

No one said anything about reinstalling (just booting the computer from the disk)...thus you would not loose any files.

Booting from an OS disk can help possibly determine if the computer is suffering from something other than a hard drive issue. If the computer can successfully boot from an OS disk (and it cannot boot from the internal HD)...this could mean that there is a problem with the hard drive.

If (in a worst case scenario) the hard drive is "dead"...then you most likely won't be able to recover your files (unless you want to pay a lot of money to have this done). This is why we are supposed to maintain hard drive backups.

- Nick
 
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just did what you suggested and it booted up straight away with disk 1 insillation, what could the problem be???
 

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just did what you suggested and it booted up straight away with disk 1 insillation, what could the problem be???

Refer to my first post...the hard drive is probably "dead". This sort of thing can happen to computers that are 6-8 years old. If you do not have a backup of your hard drive...then your files & programs are most likely not recoverable...or would be pretty expensive to recover.

On the positive side...replacing the hard drive is not too difficult or expensive.

- Nick
 
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luckily enough i backed them all up a while ago when i took it to apple.
but have it up and running at the mo so am clearing it all off as we speak.
if i replace the hard drive how much could it set me back do you think??
and could this solve my problem???

thaks again for your help its much appreciated
 

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luckily enough i backed them all up a while ago when i took it to apple.

Ahh...very good...I was getting the impression you didn't have a backup!:)

if i replace the hard drive how much could it set me back do you think??
and could this solve my problem???

Are you in Canada or the UK? UK prices are usually higher. And yes...there is a very very good chance that if the hard drive is replaced & OS installed...the problem will be solved.:)

If you were in Canada or the United States...this would cost under $100...maybe under $75. Basically it's just the cost of a hard drive. I know I can get used ones for a little as $15-$20.

- Nick
 
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will have a butchers on the web now and see what i can get my hands on!!

Thank you very much for your help, i really appreciate you taking your time to help!!
 

pigoo3

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will have a butchers on the web now and see what i can get my hands on!!

Thank you very much for your help, i really appreciate you taking your time to help!!

You're very welcome!:)

- Nick
 
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As you're in the UK eBuyer have keen prices, or look on Amazon. Avoid companies such as Maplin.
 

pigoo3

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As you're in the UK eBuyer have keen prices, or look on Amazon. Avoid companies such as Maplin.

Thanks Steve! Always nice when someone "local" can offer suggestions!:)

- Nick
 

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