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chevychase

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 26, 2008
42
3
I have an iBook G4 1.33 14". The computer all the sudden wont boot anymore and the file/smiley blinks. I tried the Apple Hardware Test CD and got the Invalid Memory Access Error:

%SRRO: 00032ed8 %SRR1: 0003030

I tried to boot from the startup CD and once the CD kicked in the screen froze, and other times it says the computer needs to be restated.

I removed the ram under the keyboard and still got the same error. I also Zapped the PRAM, Reset the PMU and still no luck.

Any suggestions? I love this Mac and currently can't go out and buy a new one.
 

chevychase

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 26, 2008
42
3
Have you tried installing one ram module at a time? To me it sound like bad ram.

My iBook has a 256 ram chip soldered onto the board which of course I can't remove. I removed the only other ram stick and still have the same error. Makes me think the soldered ram may be the culprit or the logic board.
 

kongster

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2008
6
0
chevychase, have you found a solution?
I have the EXACT same symptoms and error message.
...is opening up the ibook g4 the next step? Bad logic board? Bad HD?
 

kongster

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2008
6
0
my next step is to open the ibook (a real pain) and disconnect the HD, and then try to boot the install cds.
has anyone out there (with the same symptoms) been successful booting from cd after unplugging the HD (but not before)?
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
my next step is to open the ibook (a real pain) and disconnect the HD, and then try to boot the install cds.
has anyone out there (with the same symptoms) been successful booting from cd after unplugging the HD (but not before)?

Just change the hard drive or remove it. the flashing question mark icon indicates no hard drive detected.
 

kongster

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2008
6
0
update. I just hated the idea of opening up the ibook g4, so I decided to try some other suggestions gleaned from other forums..

I used another ibook g3 and was successful in connecting to my problem ibook g4 in Target Disk Mode. The Disk Utility on the g3 showed the hard drive on the g4, but could not read it. So, I initialized it and gave it a new volume name. It seems the hard drive works.

Then I tried again to boot from CD... no go. (I was using the install CDs from the g3 ) I wouldn't have access to the g4 CDs 'til next week.

Then it occurred to me to try the install DVDs from my new MacBook...
Voila! Success, I think... the apple icon popped up...the starry sky background and the Mac OS X installation splash screen... Preparing Installation .... it's slow.... the DVD is churping away... I only hope 256mb
onboard memory is enough to install this version of OS X...

I don't know if the Target Disk Mode exercise made any difference, other than to confirm to me that the hard drive was still working.

Maybe the g4 just couldnt read the g3 CDs?

that's it for now. I'll probably go out and buy or borrow more RAM.
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
You were trying to put G3 installation cds in a G4? You did not indicate this in your first post at all.

Will never work. G4s came with Panther or Tiger OS. G3s came with either 10.1 Puma or 10.2 Jaguar. You cannot make their processors backtrack to an older OS.

As a matter of fact, your G4 should not work with your MacBook dvds either, unless it was a retail version of Leopard and you will need 512mb of ram AT LEAST. You should not be able to go from an INTEL build of Leopard to a PPC PowerPC G4.

But good luck.
 

kongster

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2008
6
0
thanks California. you are right about the CDs and DVDs working only with the computers they came with.
I'm a total mac newbie, so I tried all the things that work on PCs and windows reflexively. Gotta stop and research better.
I'll probably get my hands on the original install disks for the g4 today.

chevychase,
are you using the original CDs? Have you determined that you hard drive is working? Have you tried to access via Target Disk Mode?
 

kongster

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2008
6
0
...making progress
don't have the original g4 disks yet, but couldn't leave it alone, so
I downloaded Ubuntu 6.06 LiveCD for PowerPc and burned a bootable CD.

Popped the CD in. It boots up and runs and all the devices show up, including the hard drive. Ran some sample programs - all good.

Have high hopes that the install with the original CDs will succeed.

So I think my original problem was just a corrupt OS and the wrong CDs.
 

kongster

macrumors newbie
Dec 11, 2008
6
0
success - final entry

finally got mac os x tiger (retail DVD); booted up and installed new os.

the end.:)
 
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