I bought a Power Mac G4 off of craigslist for $25.00 DIRT CHEAP!!! Single 1.25ghz processor, no hard drive, no keyboard, no mouse. The guy bought it off a freind and said it wouldn't display on his monitor so he bought another graphics card for it (ATI RAGE 128 Pro). I have an iMac already and know how to work with Macs and all but when plugging it into a monitor at the guys house the monitor stayed blank, no boot up screen or anything. I'm thinking it could be just because there is no hard drive in with Mac OS but still I would expect to see the grey screen with the flashing System Folder icon. I just brought it home its 2:30 in the morning and i'm going to try adding a ATI Radeon 9250 or my 9800 in it and see if it works. When you plug it in and turn it on the Macintosh start up Chime goes off and it clearly works as you can hear all the fans and the main case one startup so I know its not blown or anything but i'm a bit puzzled on it. I'm going to work on it tomorrow and check this posting for any advice after I try out my own stuff to see if I can get it to work. If anyone has any advice though that would be very helpful =)
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Power Mac G4 Mirroed Drive Doors not booting up
- Thread starter Mkrajenke
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Try it with some low-density HD and attempt a PPC linux install.
I'm not too hip on booting w/out an HD, but the gray screen you mention might only come up if there's OSX on the HDD....
Just a thought.
Other then that, by what you posted, everything should be right and dandy. However, is the ATI RAGE card OpenFirmware or BIOS? That may be a problem...
I'm not too hip on booting w/out an HD, but the gray screen you mention might only come up if there's OSX on the HDD....
Just a thought.
Other then that, by what you posted, everything should be right and dandy. However, is the ATI RAGE card OpenFirmware or BIOS? That may be a problem...
Here's what I have tried as of last night and today
1. Resetting the PMU, I found this on apple's website as a suggestion to fix a lot of comon problems.
2. Booting with the PRAM battery.
3. Resetting the PRAM by removing the battery for 15sec and putting it back in.
4. Using an ATI Rage 128 Pro video card that came with it with a VGA and Apple Display port
5. Using a newly eBay bought ATI Rage 128 Pro video card with a DVI and Apple Display Port
6. Using my ATI Rage 128 Pro All-In-Wonder card
7. Using a ATI Radeon 9250 Pro card from my computer
8. Placing a 80gb hard drive in, which I removed and now have a 30gb in.
9. Also it seems my CD drive does not respond. ON my keyboard pushing the eject key does not open the door and when I force ejected my cd drive and put my os x install disc in I did not seem to hear it reading the cd and force ejected it without the cd spinning as I did it.
All the video cards I have tried work and same with my monitor I hooked it up. I don't know this thing continues to mystify me. I am considering taking it in to my local Apple Store later this week but I really would like to fix the problem my self because I know Apple will charge a large fee probably to just look at the thing.
1. Resetting the PMU, I found this on apple's website as a suggestion to fix a lot of comon problems.
2. Booting with the PRAM battery.
3. Resetting the PRAM by removing the battery for 15sec and putting it back in.
4. Using an ATI Rage 128 Pro video card that came with it with a VGA and Apple Display port
5. Using a newly eBay bought ATI Rage 128 Pro video card with a DVI and Apple Display Port
6. Using my ATI Rage 128 Pro All-In-Wonder card
7. Using a ATI Radeon 9250 Pro card from my computer
8. Placing a 80gb hard drive in, which I removed and now have a 30gb in.
9. Also it seems my CD drive does not respond. ON my keyboard pushing the eject key does not open the door and when I force ejected my cd drive and put my os x install disc in I did not seem to hear it reading the cd and force ejected it without the cd spinning as I did it.
All the video cards I have tried work and same with my monitor I hooked it up. I don't know this thing continues to mystify me. I am considering taking it in to my local Apple Store later this week but I really would like to fix the problem my self because I know Apple will charge a large fee probably to just look at the thing.
OK.. might be really odd and rare, but did it ever occur to you it's onboard IDE might be toast? Or the DVD drive is toast..
If you have another mac, set the other machine to Target Disk mode, plug in the FW cables, press and old the option key while you powerup your MDD, select your mac and see can you boot from that..
If you have another mac, set the other machine to Target Disk mode, plug in the FW cables, press and old the option key while you powerup your MDD, select your mac and see can you boot from that..
lol
Now here's my problem. My other Mac I have is a iMac G3 slot loading and doesn't have Firewire at all. I called Apple Support and the guy mentioned to me something about my monitor might not be configure correctly to work with the Power Mac. I asked him how and he said you'd have to be on the Power Mac and change the settings from the Display control panel. Sounded weird to me I don't know why a regular LCD display would not work but w/e The guy didn't seem like he knew much especially since I told him it was a Power Mac G4 and he kept asking if it was a laptop or desktop. I have an appointment at the Apple Store this Saturday and I called a authorized apple support store by my house. I just find it really weird that if it is the on board IDE its both channels and the cd drive doesn't work but everything else does. The guy who sold it to me apparently bought it from his friend and they didn't know what they were doing of course but a guy who was there before me who didn't buy it brought his own RAM and was trying it and everything and said he thinks the motherboard is blown but the processor is ok. I don't know I just want to get it fixed so I can say to my self 'HA I fixed it' and then afterwords put it on my desk and love it even though it sounds like a Soviet jet aircraft taking off with that fan.
Now here's my problem. My other Mac I have is a iMac G3 slot loading and doesn't have Firewire at all. I called Apple Support and the guy mentioned to me something about my monitor might not be configure correctly to work with the Power Mac. I asked him how and he said you'd have to be on the Power Mac and change the settings from the Display control panel. Sounded weird to me I don't know why a regular LCD display would not work but w/e The guy didn't seem like he knew much especially since I told him it was a Power Mac G4 and he kept asking if it was a laptop or desktop. I have an appointment at the Apple Store this Saturday and I called a authorized apple support store by my house. I just find it really weird that if it is the on board IDE its both channels and the cd drive doesn't work but everything else does. The guy who sold it to me apparently bought it from his friend and they didn't know what they were doing of course but a guy who was there before me who didn't buy it brought his own RAM and was trying it and everything and said he thinks the motherboard is blown but the processor is ok. I don't know I just want to get it fixed so I can say to my self 'HA I fixed it' and then afterwords put it on my desk and love it even though it sounds like a Soviet jet aircraft taking off with that fan.
Have you tried the Radeon 9800 yet? I used to own the same model of G4 and can confirm that the 9800 Mac Edition is compatible.
my tries
For some reason my ATI Radeon9800 and 9200 will not work. I try to turn the system on and it simply will not come to life. I Put the ATI Rage 128 pro in it and it starts up. I do not hear a start up chime though the guy that sold it to me did say he herd one. Ive taken the PRAM battery out of the computer and let it sit with out power or the battery for about 5min to reset it to default settings. I've tried the PMU button like Apple says to try with no luck. On Apple Support discussion forms one guy told me that they may not work because they are not mac compatible cards. He thinks that some mac cards might not be compatible across with different mac models. He suggested I replace the PRAM battery, buy a mac compatible video card that works with the model I have and see if I can get the video to work. If not copy my OS from my iMac on an external firewire drive and clone it over that way except I don't have firewire on my imac, bummer lol
Contacting Apple really helped since the guy helping me kept thinking that a Power Mac G4 is a laptop for some odd reason? He sounds like he might not have a job in a few weeks. He did make me an appointment at the Apple Store and said that I can explain my problem and bring it in and see what they can do.
For some reason my ATI Radeon9800 and 9200 will not work. I try to turn the system on and it simply will not come to life. I Put the ATI Rage 128 pro in it and it starts up. I do not hear a start up chime though the guy that sold it to me did say he herd one. Ive taken the PRAM battery out of the computer and let it sit with out power or the battery for about 5min to reset it to default settings. I've tried the PMU button like Apple says to try with no luck. On Apple Support discussion forms one guy told me that they may not work because they are not mac compatible cards. He thinks that some mac cards might not be compatible across with different mac models. He suggested I replace the PRAM battery, buy a mac compatible video card that works with the model I have and see if I can get the video to work. If not copy my OS from my iMac on an external firewire drive and clone it over that way except I don't have firewire on my imac, bummer lol
Contacting Apple really helped since the guy helping me kept thinking that a Power Mac G4 is a laptop for some odd reason? He sounds like he might not have a job in a few weeks. He did make me an appointment at the Apple Store and said that I can explain my problem and bring it in and see what they can do.
How about setting up your machines to do NetBoot? All you need is a network connection and perhaps some software... You do have a Ethernet port right? Or has Apple dropped that too?
I've read somewhere on older mac's having a dead PRAM battery will prevent the system from starting and physically removing it completely will. However, I don't think the OP has a problem starting the machine, more like he/she's having issues getting the optical bay to function... and various other video cards.
BTW OP. Older Mac video cards have slightly different firmware from the current systems, so even if those cards physically fit, there's still a slight possibility that the firmware isn't suited for the older non-EFI based systems.. if they're from a G5.. they still might now work cause it's and AGP 8X having slightly different power requirements to the APG 4X's
I'd just like to check that you're using the "Mac Editions" of these cards. Generic PC cards won't work unless you do some tinkering.
one I know is deffintly a Mac on since it has an Apple Display Connector port and a DVI port. I'm going out to buy a new PRAM battery in a bit and my friend is bringing one of his Mac graphics card over this weekend and we are going to see what we can do, he told me he had a power mac g4 and like you said with a bad pram battery it wouldn't turn on. I'm about to drive to Cupertino and be like 'steve touch it so it will start up'
Power Mac G4 Mirroed Drive Doors not booting up
It most likely is that the Power Supply is failing - it is a common problem in the G4's produced since the G4 Gigabit Ethernet. The fact that the low powered ATI Rage Pro card will almost boost the machine, but the newer, more power-hungry ones are leaving it dead is likely another symptom of the PSU not working right. A number of the newer ATI cards need a separate power connection to the board - I've had this with both an ATI 9000 (64mb) and the flashed ATI 9800 Pro (128mb) I currently use - so this would be even more of a drain (if the video card requires a separate power connection, it will not boost unless it is plugged in that way).
You can buy a MDD PSU on eBay for under $100 - and you'll have yourself a pretty fast machine. But before you go there, I'd check that all the memory is seated correctly (the MDD is really picky about it's memory - just try booting with one piece at a time - troubleshoot the RAM pieces one by one), and that the drives are all plugged in correctly (even if only the cd drive - leave any unused IDE cables unplugged from the board). While the machine is unplugged from the socket, hold down the Power button for about 30 secs (completely drains all charge from the computer) - remove the PRAM battery for about 30 minutes - then while the machine is plugged into the wall, reset the CUDA button (instructions are on Apple's site) - re-insert the battery (some models will not boot with no battery or a dead battery) - then hold down the "Apple key + Option key + P key + R key" combination to zap the PRAM right after you press the power button to startup. Although it might also be the motherboard flaking out (also replaceable for around $50 on eBay). In an extreme case, I've been told to unplug everything from the motherboard (cpu also) and the pram battery - leave it all sit for about 24 hours, then reassemble and do the CUDA reset then try powering up - it worked for a Quicksilver MB I had.
If a friend has an external Firewire CD or DVD drive - or a case you can pop the one from the MDD into, you could try booting from a startup disc there. The same goes for an external FW drive (though you shouldn't run the MDD very long from a drive that's not configured for it's model). I believe OS 9.2.2 is the minimum for the MDD (unless it's the FW800 - no OS9 boot at all, only classic). And the lowest OSX is 10.2.4. Although at this point, it'd be okay to have the wrong disc as long as it booted up far enough to tell you it's the wrong disc.
Search Apple Discussions:
http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?threadID=&q=G4+MDD+won%27t+start+up&objID=&dateRange=all&userID=&numResults=15&rankBy=10001
Power Mac G4: Display Compatibility
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1825
Power Mac G4: Screen is Black, No Startup Tone, Drive Does Not Operate
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2257
Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367
Troubleshooting: My computer displays no video
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573
It most likely is that the Power Supply is failing - it is a common problem in the G4's produced since the G4 Gigabit Ethernet. The fact that the low powered ATI Rage Pro card will almost boost the machine, but the newer, more power-hungry ones are leaving it dead is likely another symptom of the PSU not working right. A number of the newer ATI cards need a separate power connection to the board - I've had this with both an ATI 9000 (64mb) and the flashed ATI 9800 Pro (128mb) I currently use - so this would be even more of a drain (if the video card requires a separate power connection, it will not boost unless it is plugged in that way).
You can buy a MDD PSU on eBay for under $100 - and you'll have yourself a pretty fast machine. But before you go there, I'd check that all the memory is seated correctly (the MDD is really picky about it's memory - just try booting with one piece at a time - troubleshoot the RAM pieces one by one), and that the drives are all plugged in correctly (even if only the cd drive - leave any unused IDE cables unplugged from the board). While the machine is unplugged from the socket, hold down the Power button for about 30 secs (completely drains all charge from the computer) - remove the PRAM battery for about 30 minutes - then while the machine is plugged into the wall, reset the CUDA button (instructions are on Apple's site) - re-insert the battery (some models will not boot with no battery or a dead battery) - then hold down the "Apple key + Option key + P key + R key" combination to zap the PRAM right after you press the power button to startup. Although it might also be the motherboard flaking out (also replaceable for around $50 on eBay). In an extreme case, I've been told to unplug everything from the motherboard (cpu also) and the pram battery - leave it all sit for about 24 hours, then reassemble and do the CUDA reset then try powering up - it worked for a Quicksilver MB I had.
If a friend has an external Firewire CD or DVD drive - or a case you can pop the one from the MDD into, you could try booting from a startup disc there. The same goes for an external FW drive (though you shouldn't run the MDD very long from a drive that's not configured for it's model). I believe OS 9.2.2 is the minimum for the MDD (unless it's the FW800 - no OS9 boot at all, only classic). And the lowest OSX is 10.2.4. Although at this point, it'd be okay to have the wrong disc as long as it booted up far enough to tell you it's the wrong disc.
Search Apple Discussions:
http://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?threadID=&q=G4+MDD+won%27t+start+up&objID=&dateRange=all&userID=&numResults=15&rankBy=10001
Power Mac G4: Display Compatibility
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1825
Power Mac G4: Screen is Black, No Startup Tone, Drive Does Not Operate
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2257
Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367
Troubleshooting: My computer displays no video
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573