iMac G3 won't turn on

I recently purchased a supposedly broken computer from a couple. When i got home and plugged it in it still worked. I took it apart to see what a computer looked like on the inside. When i was finally done and had put it back together and i tried to turn it on all that would happen was the little tink that you usually hear when you first turn it on, the screen stays black and the power on button stays orange. I can hear the fan and what i think is the hard drive running. If i turn it on the fan and the hard drive continue to run until i unplug it from the wall. I have tried leaving it on hoping that they were like ipods and just needed time to boot up again because the hard drive had been taken out but that didn't work. I have tried taking it back apart again and making sure that all the cables were connected good and that i didn't leave one unplugged and everything looks good but the problem proceeds. I really want to get this computer running so that i can mess around with it. If you think that you know the solution to this problem please tell me. I am desperate

I think the power button being orange and not green means something if i remember correctly? Not sure though. This happened to me and my old iMac g3 sometimes, but after i unplugged it and plugged it back in it booted. I never took mine apart though.....too scared.
Sorry i couldnt help.
Good Luck!

First that comes to mind is internal battery problems.

Have a look at this and consider replacving the internal battery and doing a reset of the PRAM.

http://www.academ.com/info/macintosh/

I already replaced that battery but it still doesn't work

Did you reset the PRAM? Replacing battery sets PRAM to zero from that link?

and you would reset the PRAM by pressing and holding command+option+P+R. Right?

Yes boot and immediately hold down the four buttons Command (Apple Logo) Option P and R keys before the gray screen illuminates.

Ok. Well first off, there is no grey screen that comes on so ya. And second I tried to do it and it didn't work. Do you think you have to use the keyboard that came with the computer? If so then I can't really do anything because the people didn't give me the original keyboard. They gave me a PC keyboard. I'm thinking about just taking it somewhere and asking them what's wrong with it and seeing how much it would be to fix.

imac G3 video cable

I recently took my imac G3 apart and then tried putting it back together only to find that it doesn't work. In the process of taking it apart again and looking at every thing i came across the video cable and start looking at it. i found that one of the holes was empty. There are only 9 grey wires but it looks like there should be 10. I was just wondering if that's how they all are or what. There is no cut wire on it and i cannot find any grey wires around my house that could be it. If it is supposed to have 10 grey wires please tell me!!

*Merged threads for continuity's sake*

if you have an open firmware password on, you have to take it off before zapping the PRAM. Try holding Command+Option+O+F until a grey open firmware screen pops up, type in "reset-nvram", then type in the firmware password (if you know it). then type "shut-down", turn back on, and try zapping PRAM again.

Hope it helps.

Joe52684 said:

if you have an open firmware password on, you have to take it off before zapping the PRAM. Try holding Command+Option+O+F until a grey open firmware screen pops up, type in "reset-nvram", then type in the firmware password (if you know it). then type "shut-down", turn back on, and try zapping PRAM again.

Hope it helps.

Click to expand...

I don't know if there's an open firmware password on. I tried it and it didn't work. I tried reseting the PRAM on my macbook to see if it worked and it does but it won't work on this computer. I'm sure it would work if the monitor was working but it isn't so ya. Do you think if i got a monitor and tried hooking it up to it it might work because it seems like it's just the monitor that's not working because I can hear everything running like the fan and the hard drive and everything. What do you think?

hmmm. sorry that didn't help. That might be a good thing to try, hooking up an external monitor to see if you get video. But, you said that the power button stays orange, so there might be something wrong with the RAM. Have you tried reseating the RAM on the board? I would try that first before you bother with another monitor.

Or it could be that the analog board fried. The iMac G3 had that weakness in a few generations.

MacHeadCase said:

Or it could be that the analog board fried. The iMac G3 had that weakness in a few generations.

Click to expand...

Is the analog board the thing that connects the hard drive and CD drive and all that stuff?

Joe52684 said:

hmmm. sorry that didn't help. That might be a good thing to try, hooking up an external monitor to see if you get video. But, you said that the power button stays orange, so there might be something wrong with the RAM. Have you tried reseating the RAM on the board? I would try that first before you bother with another monitor.

Click to expand...

Do you mean like put in a new RAM or what?

lithium641 said:

Do you mean like put in a new RAM or what?

Click to expand...

No, like try taking the RAM out and putting it back in. Make sure it's in tightly.

I would also take out the power cable, hold down the power button for 30 seconds or so, plug it back in, and try again.

If you happen to have different RAM, you can try that too if that doesn't work.

Ok. Well I tried it and I'm pretty sure that I got the RAM in there pretty good and that didn't work and then I tried holding the button for 30 seconds and that didn't work so I think that I'm going to just take it to a mac store and ask them what's wrong with it. Thanks for all the help

Ok... never mind. It would cost 75 dollars just for them to take it apart. So I'm back on trying to fix it. I had a dream last night that I replaced the RAM and it worked... I'm not one to usually go by his dreams but I'm desperate here. Any ideas on where I can get a new RAM for it?

I dont know about buying new RAM, it might not help you any. Have you tried reseting the PMU (Power Management Unit)?

1.) Unplug it and press the power button to discharge the computer.
2.) open up the RAM cover thingy and remove the PRAM battery.
3.) There should be a little black reset button next to where the PRAM battery was, press it ONCE and not a second time.
4.) Wait about 10 minutes, put the PRAM battery back in, and try turning it on again.