iBook fails to boot

[BlastingFonda]

My girlfriend has an iBook, 12" screen and 700 Mhz G3. It suddenly will not boot or even POST - it produces a beep instead of the normal reassuring startup chime and the display won't even come on.

I searched Apple's site and found this beep to be symptomatic of bad or nonexistent RAM. Problem is, her iBook has 128 MB of SDRAM soldered onto the logic board. It's possible this chip is dead.

I had her reset the PRAM and that unfortunately didn't do anything.

Another possibility is that this iBook is experiencing the screen issues that Apple is offering the Logic Board Repair / Replacement program for. When I looked up details of the program, however, there was no mention of a startup beep instead of the familiar chime. The defective logic boards seem to go through the entire boot process fine - it's just the display adapter chipset that's out of whack.

Has anyone experienced this beep issue? Before I have my girlfriend bring it into a shop (and charge her $99 just to look at it), I want to determine if popping a RAM chip into the slot may fix it. If the onboard RAM dies, is it even possible to get the iBook to see the additional RAM or am I barking up the wrong tree? If the display dies, would it produce the regular startup chime or would it beep?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AoWolf]

I would think it would make the chime but it may still be the logic bored. If I were you I would call apple and tell them what is going on they should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[wdlove]

I second the recommendation to call Apple. They would be the best to assist in diagnosing the problem and getting the needed fix.

 

[840quadra]

sounds like what my 600Mhz logic board on my iBook was doing. That board would sometimes boot normally, other times beep, just play the startup chime, or lock up in the middle of booting. That board is currently on a shelf under the monitor for my G5, and the iBook has an ebay purchased 600 Mhz board I installed myself.

If she is the first owner of this iBook, there may be hope for replacement by apple. I believe they extended the board replacement warranty, however it appears to have expired. She may be able to sweet talk her way into getting it replaced.

Otherwise, you may need to find an other way (pay) to get it replaced.

 

[BlastingFonda]

sounds like what my 600Mhz logic board on my iBook was doing. That board would sometimes boot normally, other times beep, just play the startup chime, or lock up in the middle of booting. That board is currently on a shelf under the monitor for my G5, and the iBook has an ebay purchased 600 Mhz board I installed myself.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Yeah, I'm not adverse to buying something off ebay for her if Apple won't fix it without charging us an arm and a leg for it.

Is installing the logic board a big deal? I have a lot of experience building PCs from scratch and replacing motherboards, but laptops can be tricky, and cracking open an iBooks may be a beast unto itself.

 

[yenko]

Is installing the logic board a big deal? I have a lot of experience building PCs from scratch and replacing motherboards, but laptops can be tricky, and cracking open an iBooks may be a beast unto itself.

YES!

I think building PC's and working on a Laptop are a bit different. If you're comfortable with the level of skill required, I'd say, go ahead. Otherwise, let the pros handle it. Just my opinion .

You could just pop open the keyboard and insert the correct RAM stick in there and see if that solves the problem !!