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iMac G5 in cardiac arrest

I

iMacZealot

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 11, 2005
2,237
3
My three year old iMac G5 was working fine all day until a few minutes ago. I was waking it up from sleep, and it worked fine for ninety seconds, but as I was reading a thread on here, the screen went blank. It was still on, but blank, and the computer was unresponsive. I had to do a hard shutdown. When I tried to poweron again, I'd hear the startup sound, but the scren never turned on, and the G5 grew from a quiet whisper to a loud roar. Resetting the PRAM didn't work.

Help!
 
iMacZealot said:
Nope. Mine is the second revision (Ambient Light Sensor).
Click to expand...

Well, don't feel bad about the G5 warranty extension because yours would not have qualified anyway if it is 3 years old now.

If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) determines that your iMac G5 computer is eligible as part of the program, the repair will be covered by Apple for up to three years from the original date of purchase even if your iMac G5 is out of warranty.
Click to expand...

Do you not see anything at all on the screen from any angle even in bright lighting? I was thinking perhaps the backlight went bad on your LCD but I'm not sure what the roaring fans are all about.
 
when the problem first occured, I could tell that the display was still on, for there was some light coming from it, but the display was showing nothing. Now, when I turn the iMac on, the display won't even turn on, and the abnormal fan behaviour implies that there's more to the problem than the display.
 
iMacZealot said:
when the problem first occured, I could tell that the display was still on, for there was some light coming from it, but the display was showing nothing. Now, when I turn the iMac on, the display won't even turn on, and the abnormal fan behaviour implies that there's more to the problem than the display.
Click to expand...

Try resetting the SMU.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301733

and then boot in "Safe Mode" to clear the hardware cache.
 
merl1n said:
Try resetting the SMU.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301733

and then boot in "Safe Mode" to clear the hardware cache.
Click to expand...

From the Apple Doc:

"Resetting the SMU can resolve some computer issues such as not starting up, not displaying video, sleep issues, fan noise issues, and so on. If your computer still exhibits these types of issues even after you've restarted the computer, try resetting the SMU."
 
run apple hardware test by inserting Disc 1that came with your Imac and hold option button down when you boot it.

This will tell you where the problem is and please post back ASAP.


--Eric
 
I tried inserting one of the installation/hardware test disks, but there was already a disk in my drive, and starting up with the mouse button down didn't eject it.

I never had a chance to reset the SMU.

I took it to the Genius Bar today, and the Genius claimed that my iMac was eligible for that logic board and power supply replacement programme, even though mine is an ALS model and I didn't think those were applicable for it. Nonetheless, he still took it, and I should have it fully repaired within two days for no charge.

The only thing I can complain about is that I must use my 500 MHz iMac G3 in the meantime with Panther, which is so slow. As I'm typing this, the screen is about two characters behind the keys I type. I really want to replace my G5 with a MacBook Pro soon before I leave for Asia at the end of May.
 
iMacZealot said:
<snip> I really want to replace my G5 with a MacBook Pro soon before I leave for Asia at the end of May.
Click to expand...

I am sorry to hear about your misfortune, but it seems Apple did you a favour in repairing it for free!

Now for some serious business: if you do get a MacBook Pro instead of your usual iMacs may I remind you to rename yourslef to MacBookProZealot.
:p
 
Plop some ram in the old iMac G3 if you can. Those old babies should run fast on Panther with maxed ram. Love those old machines.

My mom has the 20" iMac 2.0ghz and it sometimes does that fan thing. But I just reset the PMU and it flies again. (She used to have your exact old iMac 500 btw, great machines)
 
I bought a 512 MB stick for it about a year ago when I switched my mom to it from her Gateway, and it runs pretty well. It's not that slow, and they are great machines. Running Panther and OS 9.1 on 640 MB RAM, I use it in the television studio I built in my basement as a teleprompter, and it gets the job done.

I'm actually surprised it's still working, seeing as it was originally my sister's in college, and she dropped a diamond necklace down through the vents at the top. :eek:
 
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