help!!! powerbook g3!!! dead?

[Joe K]

hey guys i need help big time, my powerbook g3 doesn't start when you turn it on the screen turns white and then a diskette icon apears after a few minutes the machine turns itself off again, the machine has never given me any trouble and was working fine till two days ago when this started happening

can you give me a hint on whats wrong?

Thank you

 

[tangerineyum]

I have no idea whats wrong, but given its age, maybe its just time to let it go... time to move in to the os x era.

 

[ITASOR]

Typically means it cannot find an OS. This could be that your OS is corrupt, or your HD went bad and therefor cannot find an OS. I think it's time to get a new computer.

 

[xsedrinam]

Hi Joe,
There are lots of questions, unanswered before getting rid of your computer.
1-What kind of PB G3? RAM? OS are you running? (You can enter this information in your personal profile or Sig (see other threads).
2-On some G3 models you can boot up, holding down the Option Key to see if it gives you the option to select a HD to boot on. Have you tried this?
3-Have you (two days ago) installed anything new or tried to?
4-Do you have DiskWarrior? If so, try booting from DW (holding down C with DW Disk inserted, and run DW to repair Directory.
There are other things to try, but this for a start. Again, it's helpful to know what model and OS you're running.
X

 

[Lord Blackadder]

LIke ITASOR said, the machine is failing to find an OS on any local disks.

You need to boot off the CD-ROM with your original OS install CDs (you may need to hold down the "C" key when booting to force the computer to boot from the CD). If the machine boots successfully, then the problem is either some corruption of the OS or a bad hard drive. You'll know which because if the hard drive is still visible on the desktop it is probably OK. Run "Disk First Aid" (in the utlities folder) to check the hard drive.

IF the hard disk seems OK, back up your data (on a floppy, an external HD, Zip, network drive or whatever) and try reinstalling the OS (I'd recommend the "clean install" option). If that works, and the computer boots off the hard drive, put your data back and go on your merry way.

If the machine boots off the CD but can't see your hard drive, try running Drive Setup and Disk First Aid (both in the utilities folder, I'm assuming you're running OS 8.x.x-9.x.x) to repair/reformat your hard drive. Then reinstall the OS.

If you can't reformat the drive and still can't see it, you may have a dead hard drive.

EDIT: xsedrinam has a good point - if you have or can get Disk Warrior I recommend you use it. It has saved my butt a few times, and may be able to fix your problem.