Mac Pro Not Booting .....

I was having problems with my MacPro (Nehelem, running Snow Leopard 10.6.8) freezing, so I opened up the case, cleaned the computer with Isopropyl Alcohol and Q-Tips carefully. Also used Spray Air.

When finished the computer does not boo. I do not hear the usual Mac sound when Booting. Power is working.

I opened the case again and checked to make sure the HD, RAM and Mother Board were seated securely and the were. Computer still does not boot.

Could I have damaged something from cleaning? If so, what most likely would be the problem? And how much to fix the computer?

What exactly were you cleaning with the alcohol...that was going to have an impact on the Mac Pro freezing up?

Blowing the Mac Pro out with the canned air was a great idea. I usually like to stay away from using solvents as a cleaner whenever possible.

Was anything disconnected when you were inside the Mac Pro that might have not been reconnected?

- Nick

vja4Him said:

Could I have damaged something from cleaning? If so, what most likely would be the problem? And how much to fix the computer?

Click to expand...

Always possible something got damaged...or disconnected. Whenever someone ventures inside a computer...there's always the possibility of something getting damaged.

vja4Him said:

If so, what most likely would be the problem?

Click to expand...

Absolutely no idea. Have no way of knowing what you did in there, what you cleaned, etc. Would have to be a mind-reader to answer this.

vja4Him said:

And how much to fix the computer?

Click to expand...

Again...no idea. In order to determine how much it will cost to fix something...we have to know what & if something is broken.

- Nick

Go back in, remove graphics card and memory, reseat firmly and try again, as the Irish say, to be sure to be sure. Hopefully the alcohol has not killed the power supply. That is something I would never use in any electronics.

Are you getting the chime and light?

Most common hardware to fail on a MacPro tower===> video card.

If unit powers on but does't chime, OR chimes but no video, then it's likely the vid card.

of course, if someone goes inside with liquid.........

sorry bro, BAD IDEA.

might oughta find a local repair shop, in my opinion....


isopropyl alcohol won't harm your board...AS LONG AS IT IS COMPLETELY EVAPORATED BEFORE YOU BOOT!

the only want to be sure of that is to blow-dry it out and visually inspect.. and based on your description, i'm a bit doubtful you did that.

Cleaning MacPro

I cleaned the board that holds the heat sink. Had to use a toothbrush because the dust was so thick, canned spray would not clean it. Even alcohol and q-tips would not clean it.

The only things that I disconnected were the HD and board with heat sink. There were no wires or cables to disconnect. They just slide out and slide back in.

harryb2448 said:

Go back in, remove graphics card and memory, reseat firmly and try again, as the Irish say, to be sure to be sure. Hopefully the alcohol has not killed the power supply. That is something I would never use in any electronics.

Are you getting the chime and light?

Click to expand...

I don't know how to remove the Graphics Card ... I'm sure it's not difficult, I just need to find a instructional video ....

I did remove the RAM, changed the order. Then put the RAM back in the original order.

I will figure out how to remove the Graphics Card and give that a try ....

There is NO Chime, but there is the usual light, so the power is working. Since there is no Chime, obviously, the computer is not booting.

vja4Him said:

I don't know how to remove the Graphics Card ... I'm sure it's not difficult, I just need to find a instructional video ....

I did remove the RAM, changed the order. Then put the RAM back in the original order.

I will figure out how to remove the Graphics Card and give that a try ....

There is NO Chime, but there is the usual light, so the power is working. Since there is no Chime, obviously, the computer is not booting.

Click to expand...

if you didn't remove the graphics card, don't start now!! geeepers...

1. are any lights coming up on the ram cards? if so, they might be installed incorrectly.
2. check all ram cards for installation.
3. does the powerbutton LED blink or stay on? if so, let us know what it does.. this is a sequence indicator.
4. there are LEDs on the main board which will light up if it's partialy powering.. take the main door off, try to power the system,a dn look around on the main board.. i don't recall where they are specifically, ubut that's the first step..

5. I think you've disassembled/removed the heatsink assembly(s). if so, I think there is a thermal sensor on one fo them.. check for it.. small 2 wire cable.. if it's not connected, the system will think it's overheating, and may not allow power to the procs...

There's possibility that using a tooth brush on the backplane board or the processor tray could have, depending upon how much force was used, damaged an SMD component. Other possibilities are static damage. I'll sometimes use a 'tooth brush', but mine is a black antistatic brush, with isopropyl alcohol, to clean up a pcb after a liquid spillage in the hope of recovering the part, but I also use an earthed static dissipative matt and wrist band.

Here's one basic test to try.

When connecting the Mac Pro to AC power, verify that the LEDs for OVTMP CPUA and OVTMP CPUB briefly flash red (less than 0.5 sec). The LEDs are located under hard drive bay 1 on the backplane board. If they do not illuminate briefly, there is an issue with either the power supply or the backplane board.

Let us know how what result you get, then we can move on.