Cube G4 won't boot from good HDD, target mode or CD

[TheNorthWaves]

Cube G4-500 here. I cannot get it to boot at all. I get the gray screen with flashing folder/question mark/face. I tried to boot from the HDD, CD, and using target disk mode. Nothing can get me out of this, and I know the HDD is good because I pulled it out and re-imaged it on another machine just fine. The power button on the cube and studio display shut the machine off and turn it on just fine. I am perplexed.

 

[Intell]

Did you reattach the IDE cable when putting it the new HDD in? How are you trying to start it up from a disc, pressing C or Option? Try holding down Option, it works every time. I've found the C button doesn't always force it to boot to the optical drive on older Macs.

 

[TheNorthWaves]

Did you reattach the IDE cable when putting it the new HDD in? How are you trying to start it up from a disc, pressing C or Option? Try holding down Option, it works every time. I've found the C button doesn't always force it to boot to the optical drive on older Macs.

I did all of this

 

[666sheep]

Check jumper setting on HDD. If it's correct (Master or CS) try reset PRAM.

 

[TheNorthWaves]

already reset PRAM - however, I didn't notice if there was a jumper on the HDD, good call. I will check that out after work tonight.

 

[TheNorthWaves]

swapped out the cube HDD for a known working HDD with OS 10.4 on it (from my powermac G4 which was running perfectly) and jumper was in place. It started to boot with the gray screen and apple, then "starting mac os x" and immediately afterward I got a bunch of vertical white and gray columns on the screen that I could only describe as a zebra.

Now what?

 

[Intell]

Failing video card or screen perhaps? Could also be slightly corrupt installation of OS X that is only triggered by something only present in the Cube.