powerbook g4 -rip

[RainDog]

as I noted in my recent post here - when I have a problem, it's generally catastrophic.

I backed up and backed up before using the install disk to run disk utilties. it couldn't repair my hd. not only couldn't it repair my hard drive, it seems that it made my computer so unhappy that I can no longer start it up - or do anything else.

My computer was working just fine before I decided to use the disk utilities. now it's dead.

this is the same thing that happened to me when my last computer died. I guess it was just a matter of time.

Five years is a long time in computer usage - to me, it still seems wasteful. oh well.

I can't even get the disk out of the computer.

[struggle4progress]

1. Dead dead dead? No chime, no fan, no sign of light at all?

Not just a dead battery?

[Elwood P Dowd]

2. If her PRAM battery is 5 years old, that could be the problem.

I've had to replace two of them in my old iMac slot-loader that I still use on occasion. It's almost 10 years old, so two is about normal. On another occasion, DiskWarrior brought my iBook G4 back to life when I thought it was gone.

[struggle4progress]

3. I dunno how hard the g4 pram is to replace, but OWC seems to have them

in the $25-30 range, with detailed replacement instructions

[RainDog]

4. no, it's not the battery. it will start up

- and I can try to run disk utilities - and it runs the utility and then stops before it's done and says it cannot complete the task because of some something - I'm not trying to do it anymore. I tried multiple times and it will not work.

if I try to restart from the computer rather than the disk, the computer screen flashes black, then flashes the old face icon, then just sits there loading and loading and that's it. From prior experience, that means the hd is not available, it seems.

Before I tried to use the disk utility, the computer worked - tho, as I mentioned, it has been crashing a lot and the onyx thing said I needed to repair my start-up disk. The computer was only totally disabled AFTER I tried to run disk utilities.

I tried to re-install the OS and it won't do that, either.

(I'm using someone else's computer right now, btw.)

[alfredo]

5. As in my discussion above, Target Mode was suggested.

You should look into that to do an erase and reinstall using firewire and the windows computer.

[RainDog]

6. I just ran disk utilities again.

it said there was no problem - I verified and then ran a repair.

but when I tried to restart using the hd - it does the black screen (with flashing globe, then folder face, then goes right back to the cd.

I'll have to look up how to start from target mode.

[RainDog]

7. why do I want to start up in target mode?

I just read about it - I have to use my son's pc - for what purpose? to get to info on the hd?

I want the computer to work - not take stuff off the hd. If it doesn't repair the computer, it's not useful to me.

obviously I am not a computer geek - I don't understand the use of this.

[alfredo]

12. It mounts your hard drive on an external computer and

allows you to rescue files It's been a few years so I can't remember much about what I did with my G4.

[alfredo]

8. It can't find the boot disk. Could be permissions.

I lost access once after running repair permissions.


Target mode instructions:

Tks to struggle4progress.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=233x8786#8787

Look at others through Google.

[RainDog]

9. I don't have another mac in the house. my son is on a pc

or rather, the only other mac computer I have is an old tower that isn't even hooked up - can't run anything above x - it's old.

oh, I do still have my clamshell - I'm saving it for my personal smithsonian. :/

[alfredo]

10. I believe you can use a PC as long as it has firewire.

All you are doing is turning your Mac into something akin to an external drive for the purpose of diagnosis and repair. Maybe you need to "bless" your hard drive. Look it up on Google.

[RainDog]

11. thanks. i'll check it out

at this moment I'm reinstalling the OS - we'll see if that takes today since it didn't last night.

[RainDog]

13. i found this

it explains what's going on with my computer and various fixes

so, posting it here if it might help anyone else at some point

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570

[alfredo]

14. Let's hope that works. An erase and clean install might be

the way to go.

[RainDog]

15. woohoo! the first disk just ejected and it's asking for the second one

I will sacrifice a virgin if this works. okay, I won't but...

[RainDog]

16. I believe in miracles! it's baaaaack

I partioned the old hd.

everything is new. have to reinstall this and that.

but it's back for now.

I still need to upgrade - but trying to put it off as long as is possible and look for the best deal I can find - and this makes that possible.

thank you, hugs, kisses, a thousand blessed sunshiny days with temps in the mid 70s and low humidity to you here. :)

[tomm2thumbs]

18. congrats - i've know that feeling of mac resurrection many times

(once too many in a few instances!)

[struggle4progress]

17. Some g4 machines have an emergency disk eject button than can be useful