Dead IMAC

F

frankclancy

Guest
Dead iMAC

For a while my iMAC G3 Blue Slot loading has had a problem with screen flashing then shuts itself down. Now it won't startup at all- not even the light on the power button.
I hear a soft beep when I press the power button, but that's it. Help!! :(
 
OP
M

m1k

Guest
It's iMac, not IMAC, just so you know :). The soft beep means it's definitely plugged in, so it can't be a problem with the power adapter or anything like that. Hmm... Try booting from CD, if that works it's probably a hard drive problem. If it doesn't boot from CD, it's probably a failed logic board :(.

Try it, and let me know. I forget how to boot from CD, but you can easily find it on the Apple support site.

Good luck!
 
OP
F

frankclancy

Guest
I have corrected my spelling :)
Will try. The power light in the button on front isn't even coming on. I tried the PMU button inside. Don't think I pressed it twice, but if so am I dead?
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Messages
497
Reaction score
9
Points
18
Location
California
Your Mac's Specs
iMac 24" 2.66 C2D, 13" MacBook i7 2.9GHz, iPad 3, iPhone 4
frankclancy said:
I have corrected my spelling :)
Will try. The power light in the button on front isn't even coming on. I tried the PMU button inside. Don't think I pressed it twice, but if so am I dead?

Could be the powersupply as well. PowerMac I got on eBay had a bad PS, replaced for $7 and was good to go. Symptom was it would turn on, then shut off after (or during) the start up chime, wouldn't stay running.
 
OP
F

frankclancy

Guest
Well, I replaced the battery and all seemed fine. This morning I started up and the machine shut down in 5 minutes. I press the power button, and again hear a soft beep. The power button light stays on, but nothing happens. If the power supply was bad, would the light remain lit on the power button?
Computer is in a small area and I noticed the inside was very warm. Could overheating cause these symptoms?
 
OP
M

mpolda

Guest
Had the same problem

It would begin the startup process, but die halfway through, usually just as the hard drive was beginning to spin up. Turned out it was something called the P.A.V. board (power, audio, video?). They had problems on the older models. I sent it to a place called Microdoc (microdocusa.com) in Eugene, OR and they fixed it the same day for $129. I highly recommend them. Give them a call at 800-203-5337 and they might be able to diagnose it over the phone. Good luck.
 
OP
S

sawtooth

Guest
Did you do the firmware update? I tried to put it on a friend's slot loader and it totally horked the system. I ran the installer and it told me I needed the firmware update. So I canceled out of it. Turns out that this will mess up your iMac for some reason. If I booted it up it would start but no display. But if I put it to sleep and woke it up it would work fine. But then it got really funky and I had to put a VGA monitor into the plug in the back (under the cover). It took many hours of work, but eventually I got it to where I could run the firmware update and then install panther.
There are websites that tell you all about it so I guess it is a pretty common problem. The documentation with the installer says nothing. Just that if you need update in firmware it will tell you.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top