iMAC Mid2007 won’t boot up to desktop

[phoenixx]

hi folks,

recently a friend asked me for a help - his old iMac is not booting up - it ends up in “grey” screen, before it should show desktop.
I tried to boot up from USB - different OSX - same behavior, if I will leave it for a while it even hibernates.

Disk is OK, RAMs are OK, PRAM reset, SMC reset, no change ...

safe boot works - I strongly suspect either power board or graphic card ( well more it could be graphic card the problem, but power board area is quite hot as well so ... ) - any idea how to get it confirmed before I order spare parts ?

thanks in advance !

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It would help if we knew exactly which iMac your friend has, but honestly i doubt it will help. Since booting into Safe Mode works and nothing else will (you've done everything reasonable to troubleshoot... great job!), I'm guessing there must be a hardware failure with the GPU, and that's not swappable. Replacing the entire motherboard may be an option, but a very expensive one. Don't pull the trigger until someone else chimes in to support me here though.

You could try the Apple Hardware Test (or Apple Diagnostics, depending on which iMac is in use here) to see if it detects anything specific.

http://thexlab.com/faqs/aht.html
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202731

 

[phoenixx]

holding D or Command + D or Alt + D is not working :/

A1225 Model Number, the 2134 EMC Number, and the iMac7,1 Model Identifier.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

holding D or Command + D or Alt + D is not working :/

A1225 Model Number, the 2134 EMC Number, and the iMac7,1 Model Identifier.

Whew... so that's a 2007 iMac according to EveryMac. Quite frankly, is there a GOOD reason to continue trying to salvage something this old?

 

[MacInWin]

safe boot works

If the screen works in safe boot, it's not hardware, has to be some software that is trying to load and doesn't finish. But that machine is almost 14 years old and I wouldn't spend a penny to fix it.

 

[phoenixx]

gents,

it’s about identifying the issue and estimate the price for repair ... if it will be too much, then it’s obvious ...

 

[phoenixx]

If the screen works in safe boot, it's not hardware, has to be some software that is trying to load and doesn't finish. But that machine is almost 14 years old and I wouldn't spend a penny to fix it.

I am not spending anything yet just trying to save old iMac for my friend’s parents - web browsing and so on - if it’s not worth to repair then it will go to rest

and for the software, even with fresh installed OSX it behaves the same ...

 

[MacInWin]

If all they are using it for is web browsing, can they just boot in safe mode and use it that way? It could be the GPU is failing/failed, but with a machine that old, it's really not worth putting any money it it at all.

 

[phoenixx]

that is so far my recommendation as well but it’s not solving the issue, just a workaround ...

I just need to get a log or so that this and that is failing ( just to close the circle for myself ) and maybe check for spare part ... but more or less I am sure that this one already finished his journey here ...

 

[phoenixx]

I’ll make usb bootable key with AHT and will post results later if you are interested

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I’ll make usb bootable key with AHT and will post results later if you are interested

By all means please keep us updated. It always helps to know if our advice was helpful, and it helps us get better at giving advice.

You can try the app EtreCheck. It can scan the system for problems and highlight log entries that warrant attention. Maybe it will help. I am uncertain of what version will work on whatever version of OS X that's installed.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

gents,

it’s about identifying the issue and estimate the price for repair ... if it will be too much, then it’s obvious ...

Assuming it's the logic board, a replacement actually isn't as expensive as I feared it would be. Below are links to PowerBookMedic's parts lists for the two models of iMacs that match that identifier (the difference is the CPU clock speed). I'm also posting a link to iFixIt's list of repair guides. They don't have one specific to the logic board, but what they do have should be helpful.

Service Parts for iMac 24" 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo

Powerbook Medic offers Powerbook Parts & Powerbook Repair as well as Manuals & Upgrades for Apple Macintosh G3 and G4 powerbooks & ibooks as well as iPod parts and iPod Repair.

www.powerbookmedic.com

Service Parts for iMac 24" 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme

Powerbook Medic offers Powerbook Parts & Powerbook Repair as well as Manuals & Upgrades for Apple Macintosh G3 and G4 powerbooks & ibooks as well as iPod parts and iPod Repair.

www.powerbookmedic.com

iMac Intel 24" EMC 2134 and 2211 Repair Help: Learn How to Fix It Yourself.

Model A1225 / Mid 2007 and Early 2008 / 2.4, 2.8, or 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo processor

www.ifixit.com

 

[pm-r]

and for the software, even with fresh installed OSX it behaves the same ...

How clean was the "fresh OS X install" ???

It seems odd to me and I understand that it is booting in Safe Boot Mode but not in a normal boot which would indicate that there is some third-party extension or application that is goofing things up.

I would try again, and use a new clean User Account.

BTW: what macOS version are you using with it???

- Patrick
=======

 

[phoenixx]

How clean was the "fresh OS X install" ???

It seems odd to me and I understand that it is booting in Safe Boot Mode but not in a normal boot which would indicate that there is some third-party extension or application that is goofing things up.

I would try again, and use a new clean User Account.

BTW: what macOS version are you using with it???

- Patrick
=======

Hi Patrick,

it’s as clean as it could be - I install OSX 10.11 (latest one usable for this iMac) and I even cannot get to activation steps ( have to do them via safe mode as well )

so there is no extension or 3rd party software as it’s fresh OSX install ... OSX on HDD is 10.9.5 - there are user data and apps ( you can suspect something is corrupted over there ) but the behavior is the same with both OSXes ....

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Regarding the Apple Hardware Test.... it may not be installed anymore on that iMac due to the clean re-install of OS X, which would explain why you couldn't get it to run. Normally you need the original disc that came with that machine to reinstall it, but GitHub has a repository available. Well actually they link directly to Apple's own repository of these tests. Download the version specific to this model iMac.

GitHub - upekkha/AppleHardwareTest: Apple Hardware Test Download Links

Apple Hardware Test Download Links. Contribute to upekkha/AppleHardwareTest development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[M_T_Mabowels]

Guys

Try Etrecheck. https://etrecheck.com/

Available on Appstore but I prefer the developers version. It's free. Also an inexpensive upgrade available. Probably won't need that though.

 

[MarkAllread]

Hey guys, don't knock the old ones.

-I have a 2007 iMac in my workshop running El Cap so I can look at "how to fix it" vids on Youtube.
-I have a 2008 in my band rehearsal room running El Cap with a multi channel DAW so I can record 8 tracks of my band live.
-Up until a couple of months ago, for years I had a 2007 MacBook Pro running Lion on my kitchen counter to play music and watch youtube vids. I took it to my cottage at weekends for music and recorded vids in case it rained.
They all provide(d) STELLAR service.

BTW, regarding using the OP's iMac in safe mode...on some old Macs, it kills wifi, so you may need to hard wire ethernet.

Also, regarding video cards not working normally, but working in safe mode, I have to say that my 2007 MacBook Pro did just that, even after several installs of different versions of OS, including clean installs.
I could get it to work in normal boots by pulling some of the video drivers, but it ran like cr*p.
Seems to me that it does suggest a h/w issue as it couldn't handle the stress put on it by the normal drivers.

 

[phoenixx]

hi gents,

now I am a little more confused.

Etrecheck shows nothing ( maybe because of safe mode ? ) except obsolete hw, low ram and bla bla ... but nothing like hw failure or so ...

AHT simple check passed
AHT extended check is running ...

I even removed HDD, installed OSX on Usb drive ( 10.9.5 and 10.11 ) - same symptoms ...

so really I am comming to an end of possible checks here ... but I am kinda sure that it’s either power issue ( heat on backside where power board is ) or the VGA, as it cannot boot to normal mode ...

 

[MarkAllread]

.......
so really I am comming to an end of possible checks here ... but I am kinda sure that it's...... the VGA, as it cannot boot to normal mode ...

You and I went down a similar path.
Despite being able to run in safe mode, that's the same conclusion I came to on my 2007 MacBook Pro. It was not fixable by any s/w means. Believe me, I tried everything..so I sadly dumped it.

 

[phoenixx]

I already told my friend that if he has feelings for that old iMac, it will cost few hundreds of euros to bring it back to life - not really cost effective but love is love - so let’s see what his decision will be ... I still think it’s power board issue as it’s very hot on the backside ... I’ll collect the syslogs to have nice reading maybe thanks guys for all valuable advices you gave here, much appreciated !