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raysfan81

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 6, 2009
601
4
Is it worth buying one if its a good price? I understand a lot of the problems can be resolved by reinstalling the OS.
 
Run a hardware test (using the original restore discs) and you can find out if it's a hardware problem.

Unless you've got a good reason for it, though, think twice about buying a G4. They don't have much in the way of current support/speed for many modern tasks, unless it's a maxed-out model. I personally wouldn't buy any G4s anymore, and certainly not a single-processor model (i.e. any PowerPC laptop).
 
Run a hardware test (using the original restore discs) and you can find out if it's a hardware problem.

Unless you've got a good reason for it, though, think twice about buying a G4. They don't have much in the way of current support/speed for many modern tasks, unless it's a maxed-out model. I personally wouldn't buy any G4s anymore, and certainly not a single-processor model (i.e. any PowerPC laptop).

I know but I just want one for some reason. And how am I supposed to run the hardware test when I buy something from ebay?
 
I probably wouldn't buy it, if you really want one keep looking and you should be able to find a cheap working one somewhere.
 
If this PB will go for cheap, you can risk. KP is mostly hardware related. If it'll be RAM or HDD - not too bad. Any logic board/CPU issue will make this deal senseless... but you'd know when you'll get it in your hands...
These PowerBooks had one common problem: RAM slot failure http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2164
Decision is up to you :)
 
If this PB will go for cheap, you can risk. KP is mostly hardware related. If it'll be RAM or HDD - not too bad. Any logic board/CPU issue will make this deal senseless... but you'd know when you'll get it in your hands...
These PowerBooks had one common problem: RAM slot failure http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2164
Decision is up to you :)

Would I be able to tell the problem by asking the seller what shows up on the screen when it happens. Like, would it be very specific or general?

if you really want one keep looking and you should be able to find a cheap working one somewhere.

Yes I REALLY want one, but I don't know where to look to find a good one at a low price. People really seem to overvalue them. :(
 
Would I be able to tell the problem by asking the seller what shows up on the screen when it happens. Like, would it be very specific or general?



Yes I REALLY want one, but I don't know where to look to find a good one at a low price. People really seem to overvalue them. :(

wait a bit like i do ,they are coming down in price now , at the moment is bad ebay time as christmas is soon so prices are up , wait after christmas and you will find one
 
I'd stay away. Often, kernel panics are a sign of hardware problems no amount of clean OS re-installations you do will resolve it.

You're better off taking the money you were going to spend on it and bet it on a hand of blackjack.
 
I wouldn't bother. Kernel panics are often caused by hardware issues, like bad RAM, motherboards or graphics cards. There are occasionally KPs that come from software, but buying a Mac that had constant KPs is like buying a Windows PC with constant blue screens—a bad idea.
 
I say go ahead, and that's only because it'll probably end up in my hands for free. :p. And I'LL fix it.

If you really want one that bad, go for it, try and see if it's a software problem, PRAM/etc it and see what happens. A Kernel Panic can simply be something that lasts a few reboots, or is a sign of a reinstall needed. Buying the parts yourself overtime to fix it would be like buying a used one, except you'd have the benefit of knowing they were okay in the first place.

And by the way, here's the lower half of that PB: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...fda098e&itemid=370335692898&ff4=263602_263622
 
This appears to avoid the kernel panics on restart. It's primarily used for doing diagnostics.
 
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