I Got my new iMac G5 1.8 GHz, 17" w/Superdrive in mid-January. Everything had been working fine until 2 weeks ago. A message appeared on-screen stating that your computer must be restarted. When it restarted, the gray screen with the Apple logo and the little spinning gear was fuzzy (like a TV with no antenna). After going thru the whole "checking & correcting permissions" process, I was able to get to the desktop. The icons on the desktop started to shudder periodically. I ran the Apple Hardware Test disk. As the test ran, the shuddering became constant & more violent. The result was an error code for the video card. I took the machine to the Apple Store. The gentleman @ the "Genious Bar" in the Apple Store couldn't get any video at all. He said that it needed a new Logic Board & that it would take a week to 10 day to repair. After 10 days, I contacted them & the part has still not come in. I was told that it could take another week. I have contacted the Apple Store as well as Apple Customer Support. No one has been able to help me get my iMac fixed. Has anyone else had a similar issue with their iMac? Is this long wait for a repair common for Apple? Are there any steps that I can take to expedite the repair process?
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iMac G5 Logic Board
- Thread starter switcher'05
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I have a very similar problem. 17 inch imac w/ superdrive purchased back in january. started telling me to restart the computer periodically, eventually got to the point where i couldn't start it up at all. I ran the hardware test and it told me the hard drive, logic board, airport were all fine, but crashed while testing the ram and that's the last time i had it running. brought it into the genius 2 weeks ago and he told me i need a new logic board and i'm stilling waiting to hear from them.
I bought a refurbished 17" PB 1GHz in March 2004. It ended up having logic board problems. After having my PB for a month (and the part never coming in) Apple Customer Relations agreed to send me a 512MB stick of RAM (to double my RAM) and then sent me a Brand New (not refurbished) 17" 1.33GHz PB (upgraded to the newer model that had been released) with a larger hard drive.
I would suggest being firm with Customer Relations and getting either yours fixed or requesting a new one to replace it. Several weeks is unacceptable.
I would suggest being firm with Customer Relations and getting either yours fixed or requesting a new one to replace it. Several weeks is unacceptable.
Update to iMac G5 Logic Board Issue
As of June 7th., the technican @ the local Apple Store informed me that, even after replacement of the logic board, diagnostic test were still returning error codes. He recommended replacement of the entire computer. Apple Customer Relations agreed & has started the process for issuing a replacement. Bad news is that since I had ordered the computer via the website vs. the Apple Store, I could not get a replacement from the store's inventory but had to wait 7 to 10 business days to have one shipped from the online store to the local Apple Store & have the data transfered from the old machine to the new one. That will mean that I will have been without my iMac for almost a month.
As of June 7th., the technican @ the local Apple Store informed me that, even after replacement of the logic board, diagnostic test were still returning error codes. He recommended replacement of the entire computer. Apple Customer Relations agreed & has started the process for issuing a replacement. Bad news is that since I had ordered the computer via the website vs. the Apple Store, I could not get a replacement from the store's inventory but had to wait 7 to 10 business days to have one shipped from the online store to the local Apple Store & have the data transfered from the old machine to the new one. That will mean that I will have been without my iMac for almost a month.
switcher'05 said:
I've been having the exact same problems for about two weeks now, the comp (Rev A 20") is getting worse and barely hanging on i know, but with exams and all i just don't have time to get it fixed. I should head to an apple store in the next few days and get things fixed. What are the chances of them replacing the logic board with the rev B version with the 128m graphics? Hmmmmi hope they would.
Eug
this is what happened with mine, they replaced it with the old motherboard (i think there are some compatibility issues). but when they did that it didn't work so they ordered me a whole new one (rev b). is suspect they'll do the same thing with yours.
Update to iMac Logic Board Issue
Eight days after Customer Relations approved issuing a replacement machine, I contacted the Apple Store to see if they had received it. They had not. I left a message for the Customer Relations rep. She left me a reply voicemail that the unit would ship out from overseas in about 48 hours. She also mentioned that they were shipping a 1.8 Ghz combo drive replacement. My old iMac was a superdrive model. Upon hearing the message, I contacted customer relations the next day to tell them that they were shipping the wrong machine. The person that I spoke to this time, contacted my local Apple Store & arranged to have a superdrive model issued from the store inventory. The customer relations rep told me that I could go to the store immediately & pick up my new computer. After driving the 17+ miles to the store, I found out that it wouldn't be ready until today. So today I drove back to the Apple Store & I got my new 17" iMac G5 2 Ghz Superdrive.
Eight days after Customer Relations approved issuing a replacement machine, I contacted the Apple Store to see if they had received it. They had not. I left a message for the Customer Relations rep. She left me a reply voicemail that the unit would ship out from overseas in about 48 hours. She also mentioned that they were shipping a 1.8 Ghz combo drive replacement. My old iMac was a superdrive model. Upon hearing the message, I contacted customer relations the next day to tell them that they were shipping the wrong machine. The person that I spoke to this time, contacted my local Apple Store & arranged to have a superdrive model issued from the store inventory. The customer relations rep told me that I could go to the store immediately & pick up my new computer. After driving the 17+ miles to the store, I found out that it wouldn't be ready until today. So today I drove back to the Apple Store & I got my new 17" iMac G5 2 Ghz Superdrive.
See that, you ended up with a much better machine than you originally bought.switcher'05 said:Eight days after Customer Relations approved issuing a replacement machine, I contacted the Apple Store to see if they had received it. They had not. I left a message for the Customer Relations rep. She left me a reply voicemail that the unit would ship out from overseas in about 48 hours. She also mentioned that they were shipping a 1.8 Ghz combo drive replacement. My old iMac was a superdrive model. Upon hearing the message, I contacted customer relations the next day to tell them that they were shipping the wrong machine. The person that I spoke to this time, contacted my local Apple Store & arranged to have a superdrive model issued from the store inventory. The customer relations rep told me that I could go to the store immediately & pick up my new computer. After driving the 17+ miles to the store, I found out that it wouldn't be ready until today. So today I drove back to the Apple Store & I got my new 17" iMac G5 2 Ghz Superdrive.
Great deal for you, all at no cost. Not bad, huh? Well, of course, it cost you some time and some travel to the store, but I think it's worth it for the new machine you got. 
I'm having exactly the same issue, and I'm bringing my system in this weekend. I called and they told me it would be 7-10 days to have the repair done, but after all the people here and on the Apple support forums saying that either they couldn't get the parts in stock within a month or that it didn't fix the problem they were being given a new RevB, I'm hopefull I can get one too. The extra RAM, bigger HD, and of course faster CPU/BUS, GPU, and double the VRAM would be a great upgrade.
Either way, I hope a new logic board or a replacement computer will quiet mine down, it annoyingly loud.
Either way, I hope a new logic board or a replacement computer will quiet mine down, it annoyingly loud.
Funny, my iMac's been running pretty much incident-free since I got it, aside from some Finder preferences corruption.
Now, all of a sudden in the last two days I've had 8 kernel panics, some not even showing the official kernel panic screen - just lines of black code over top of my desktop until it freezes. Most of these occur right after booting up too - with only the Finder running.
I haven't installed any RAM or anything, and the only apps I've installed are the Sims 2 and a demo for Power Game Factory, so I don't think they're causing it.
I don't have an Apple authorized reseller in my city, so I guess I'll have to get in touch with Apple if it continues. I'd rather have the problems stop, but if worse comes to worse I wouldn't hate the 2Ghz/128 Radeon/8x Dual Drive upgrade.
What would you guys reccommend troubleshooting though? Erase and reinstall Tiger? I guess not, kernel panics are hardware-related, aren't they? *Sigh* Out of my league
Now, all of a sudden in the last two days I've had 8 kernel panics, some not even showing the official kernel panic screen - just lines of black code over top of my desktop until it freezes. Most of these occur right after booting up too - with only the Finder running.
I haven't installed any RAM or anything, and the only apps I've installed are the Sims 2 and a demo for Power Game Factory, so I don't think they're causing it.
I don't have an Apple authorized reseller in my city, so I guess I'll have to get in touch with Apple if it continues. I'd rather have the problems stop, but if worse comes to worse I wouldn't hate the 2Ghz/128 Radeon/8x Dual Drive upgrade.
What would you guys reccommend troubleshooting though? Erase and reinstall Tiger? I guess not, kernel panics are hardware-related, aren't they? *Sigh* Out of my league
The problems won't just go away, they'll probably just get worse until the Mac refuses to boot. It seems to be symptomatic of the iMacs when the Capacitors are going and start causing all sorts of weirdness. I'd call Apple straight away and see what can be done whilst it's under Warranty.
Not a major enhancement
Actually, the only differences are the processor is 0.2 GHz faster (not noticable), I got Blue Tooth (don't have any devices that use it), Tiger (dashborad & spotlight) & iLife '05 (vs. '04). I had already opted for the 512 RAM, Airport Extreme card & 160 gig HD with my original iMac.
I still feel that 3.5 weeks is too long & the extent of my required involvement in the process is disappointing. I will be writing a letter to Apple expressing my disappointment.
SteveC said:See that, you ended up with a much better machine than you originally bought.
Actually, the only differences are the processor is 0.2 GHz faster (not noticable), I got Blue Tooth (don't have any devices that use it), Tiger (dashborad & spotlight) & iLife '05 (vs. '04). I had already opted for the 512 RAM, Airport Extreme card & 160 gig HD with my original iMac.
I still feel that 3.5 weeks is too long & the extent of my required involvement in the process is disappointing. I will be writing a letter to Apple expressing my disappointment.
switcher'05 said:
Don't forget the improved GPU and VRAM! That was the biggest update in my opinion, 5200 -> 9600 is a nice improvement, and 64 -> 128mb is also a huge jump that wasn't available at all for the RevA machines.
I agree that 3.5 weeks is entirely too long and you shouldn't have to do anything other than bring the machine in and pick it up in a reasonably short time frame when there is warranty work to be done.
You Got Me!
Forgot about the video card upgrade. Haven't really noticed a difference though.
mrgreen4242 said:
Forgot about the video card upgrade. Haven't really noticed a difference though.
I just ran the Apple Hardware test and got this error code:
2STF/8/3: S-ATA Bus o - Master
For under the Mass Storage section. However I only got it in the extended test, the standard tests did not pick up anything wrong.
Needless to say, I have backed up all of my files now onto my iPod and DVDs. I have yet to have any kernel panics today, but I still would like to find out what this error code means. Does Apple have a directory of error code explanations for the Hardware Test?
Also, given there is no Apple Authorized Repairer in my area, what would be the best way of contacting Apple to resolve my potential issue?
2STF/8/3: S-ATA Bus o - Master
For under the Mass Storage section. However I only got it in the extended test, the standard tests did not pick up anything wrong.
Needless to say, I have backed up all of my files now onto my iPod and DVDs. I have yet to have any kernel panics today, but I still would like to find out what this error code means. Does Apple have a directory of error code explanations for the Hardware Test?
Also, given there is no Apple Authorized Repairer in my area, what would be the best way of contacting Apple to resolve my potential issue?
Well, hoping all would be well with an erase and install (despite my gut feelingit wouldn't be), I went ahead and did it (information all backed up nicely mind you). And the first thing I did afterwards was install iLife '05. Surprise! I got a kernel panic mid-install.
This tells me it is definitely a hardware issue. I just found this post:
on Apple discussions
where a user with the same behaviour (I've had the freezing up issues too) got the same harddrive error code, but ended up needing a new Logic Board like you.
EDIT:
Here's another Apple discussion thread. Doesn't sound like any of the Rev A iMacs are too happy.
So I guess I have a couple of questions:
1. There is no Apple Authorized Repairer in my area. Would I phone Apple to communicate this issue, and then have to ship my computer to them, have them swap the logic board, mail it back to me and then possibly have to mail me a whole new iMac?
2. I will be travelling to Minneapolis next week, and to the Mall of America Apple store. Would I be able to take my computer into a Genius, have them diagnose it and repair the problem in a three day period? Is there any way to prepare them so they can have the necessary parts waiting? And does it matter that I'm from Canada and this genius bar is in the US?
*SIGH* Why do I think there'll be a recall in a couple of months.
This tells me it is definitely a hardware issue. I just found this post:
on Apple discussions
where a user with the same behaviour (I've had the freezing up issues too) got the same harddrive error code, but ended up needing a new Logic Board like you.
EDIT:
Here's another Apple discussion thread. Doesn't sound like any of the Rev A iMacs are too happy.
So I guess I have a couple of questions:
1. There is no Apple Authorized Repairer in my area. Would I phone Apple to communicate this issue, and then have to ship my computer to them, have them swap the logic board, mail it back to me and then possibly have to mail me a whole new iMac?
2. I will be travelling to Minneapolis next week, and to the Mall of America Apple store. Would I be able to take my computer into a Genius, have them diagnose it and repair the problem in a three day period? Is there any way to prepare them so they can have the necessary parts waiting? And does it matter that I'm from Canada and this genius bar is in the US?
*SIGH* Why do I think there'll be a recall in a couple of months.
Deja Vu
Call Tech Support. They'll take care of it. It may take a few weeks, but it's not as bad as it could be.
When my Rev. A Cube started crapping out, the symptoms were very similar to what is being described in this thread- plus I had phantom shutdowns and startups caused one time by faulty switch, then by the main board slowing roasting in the heat of its own innards.
Heat, heat, heat. It's the enemy. I've come across talk of people adding heat sinks to the hard drives in their iMacs to help with cooling. According to the articles, seems a sensor measures that part of the case's ambient temperature and not the drive's actual temperature.
Over a year I was without a computer for 3 entire months. It took all of that before they replaced my Cube with a Quicksilver. I was thankful they did, but really pissed I had to send the machine to the factory 3 times (the monitor had to be replaced once, too). 3 and a half weeks and a new machine doesn't seems too bad to me, considering
I haven't seen the same kind of support from Dell (via my friends who have Dells with problems, mostly laptops that get so hot they shut down at least once a day).
Call Tech Support. They'll take care of it. It may take a few weeks, but it's not as bad as it could be.
When my Rev. A Cube started crapping out, the symptoms were very similar to what is being described in this thread- plus I had phantom shutdowns and startups caused one time by faulty switch, then by the main board slowing roasting in the heat of its own innards.
Heat, heat, heat. It's the enemy. I've come across talk of people adding heat sinks to the hard drives in their iMacs to help with cooling. According to the articles, seems a sensor measures that part of the case's ambient temperature and not the drive's actual temperature.
Over a year I was without a computer for 3 entire months. It took all of that before they replaced my Cube with a Quicksilver. I was thankful they did, but really pissed I had to send the machine to the factory 3 times (the monitor had to be replaced once, too). 3 and a half weeks and a new machine doesn't seems too bad to me, considering
I haven't seen the same kind of support from Dell (via my friends who have Dells with problems, mostly laptops that get so hot they shut down at least once a day).