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iMac g5 1.6 start-up problem

F

FargoBoyle

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2009
2
0
Dublin
hello there :) ,
I am currently experiencing problems booting up my imac 17-inch, 1.6GHz (2004 model I think). When I hit the power button the machine starts but the screen rmains black and after about 3 mins of this, the fan goes into overdrive!
The only way I can turn the computer on at the moment is to remove the casing and use the on switch located inside the the machine, although this is no guarantee it will work, sometimes it does but the majority of times it will be the same black screen as before. All I am waiting to hear is the part in the top corner (hard drive~?) to click into gear and then it's fine, and the machine seems to work perfectly. But this is not a solution and I fear it is only a matter of time before the machine just explodes altogether:eek:
Any advice on this matter would be appreciated.:confused:

Thanks
 
M

MTI

macrumors 65816
Feb 17, 2009
1,108
6
Scottsdale, AZ
Have you noticed the status of the small green LED lights to the right of the internal power switch? While somewhat crude, following the instructions on the Apple support web site, it may tell you if the issue is with the power supply or the logic board. Have you tried booting with the HD's power cable disconnected?
 
F

FargoBoyle

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 27, 2009
2
0
Dublin
Thanks for the response MTI,

I have observed these LED lights and the seem to be working in accordance with how apple says they should, I have not however tried your second suggestion, and am slightly reluctant to do so... are there no other measures that I could take before his step?

How complicated a process is replacing the hard drive in the iMac? I had a friend of mine price one up for me and apparently they are quite cheap...cheaper than a new iMac anyway!:)
 
S

s3e3

macrumors member
Oct 25, 2009
50
0
I would just boot the computer from the OSX CD instead to see if the PC actually boots up. This will eliminate the hard drive as the source of the problem.

I also have a G5 that won't boot up. It appears to be the logic board.

FargoBoyle said:
Thanks for the response MTI,

I have observed these LED lights and the seem to be working in accordance with how apple says they should, I have not however tried your second suggestion, and am slightly reluctant to do so... are there no other measures that I could take before his step?

How complicated a process is replacing the hard drive in the iMac? I had a friend of mine price one up for me and apparently they are quite cheap...cheaper than a new iMac anyway!:)
Click to expand...
 
S

suburbia

macrumors 6502
Oct 21, 2008
349
29
It's either your logic board, hhd, or power supply; most likely power supply. If you know how to replace it, you can source a new power supply for around $200? If you take it in, it will mostly likely be around $800.
 
M

MTI

macrumors 65816
Feb 17, 2009
1,108
6
Scottsdale, AZ
First of all, disconnecting the power cable from the HD is . . . well as simple as pulling off the plug. If you have the OS disc, you can use the Option-C command to boot from the disc, likewise if you have the Diagnostic disc, try that as well.

As far as changing the HD, the early G5 iMac is probably "the easiest" of all the iMacs ever built to change drives. You should be pretty proficient at opening the back; unplug the 1) data cable and power cable from the back of the drive and 2) the thermal sensor wire that runs from drive frame to the logic board at the logic board connector; unscrew the fan cover at the top of the case; unscrew the remaining fasteners that hold the drive frame to the chassis and lift the drive out.
 
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