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metwo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 6, 2013
2
0
My Powerbook G4 12" 1.33GHz was running just fine. After a weekend away I turned it on. It started up really slowly, actually after say 5 minutes I force turned it off by pressing the power button. Next try it took some time but actually came up. I logged in and it froze. Nothing happened the screen didn't change a pixel. No matter what. So I decided to force shut down again.
Ever since then I get a lovely blinking folder, signaling that no operation system is found, trying to start from the hard disk.
I ran Apple's hardware test from CD and got the following error code: "25TF/8/3: ATA- 100 ata-6 - Master". Looked that up on the internet. As far as I understood either my HD, HD connector cable or logic board is defect.
So I disassembled the HD checked, that it was properly connected. Nothing. Checked the hard drive via USB to another Computer. Everything. Nothings lost. Even managed to start up another Mac using the HD as an external disk. So hard disk seems fine.
Next I tried the Connector cable. Got contact to every pin BUT the pin 44, so called "Reserved" as in the developers note. No signal coming through there. Don't know what that means. Perhaps you can know or could check if your running powerbook connector cable allows signals through that particular pin.
I tried one more thing. I connected the hard disk using my connector cable to the optical drive adapter on the logic board, which happens to be the same as for the HD. Again nothing even though that part of the logic board is working, since I can use the optical drive to run an live-system and stuff. My question there: Does it usually work to connect a HD to the optical drive connector on the logic board without using some special connector or is it my cable that is broken?
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,660
26,604
Start small.

If the drive has tested as good and you suspect the connector, replace the connector. Check eBay. It shouldn't cost you more than $10 or so, they aren't expensive.

If it's not the cable, i.e. you replace the cable and still have the problem, then it's your logicboard.
 

metwo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 6, 2013
2
0
Thank you for your reply. I decided not to invest on the adapter cable, since shipping to Europe costs 30 something bugs. I just don't think that it's worth the try.
 

Mnowell69

macrumors regular
Jul 4, 2013
246
36
Bedford, UK
Thank you for your reply. I decided not to invest on the adapter cable, since shipping to Europe costs 30 something bugs. I just don't think that it's worth the try.

if you are in UK there is one on ebay that finishes today going for £2 at the moment
 
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