Cost of fixing PowerBook G4 ?

[Intelligent]

I have a lovely PowerBook G4 17". My dad bought it in 2003 and it was so great for that time, it had awesome specs. But when i started it for the first time since like 2009, i noticed the hard drive was broken, this was in 2013 december. Later on (February 2014) i decided to fix it, i opened it up, took the old hard drive out, and put a new one in there. Now it suddenly won't start and i think i placed some of the screws in the wrong place. It made me very sad as i loved the machine. Where can i find someone to repair it for me and how much will it cost (do you think). If someone could actually fix it for me i would be very happy, it wouldn't cost that much right ? I dont know what the problem is/what is broken but i guess someone could diagnose that.

 

[eyoungren]

You probably have the A1013, based on your description. Unless you are a real fumbler I don't see how "placing screws in the wrong place" would affect any thing. The hard drive bay is isolated from the logicboard. Unless you maybe put a screw through the logicboard or something I don't see it.

The A1013s are 11 years old. Your logicboard has probably just died. Is there a chime at all, or is there nothing, not even the light on the CAPS lock key?

I just got done replacing the logicboard on my A1013. Cost me $24 on eBay with free shipping. Took about an hour to swap it out following the instructions on iFixit.com. I have replaced DC-Inverter boards three times, a sound ribbon cable, a soundboard, an LCVD cable, an LCD, the optical drive and the optical drive cable. I'd say about 20% of the parts are still original from when I bought the Mac in 2009.

I don't know of anyone who'd repair this for you. I usually just do my own repairs. iFixit isn't hard to follow. You just have to score the right parts when they come up. I mainly use eBay, but I suppose CL and other places offer parts as well.

Tonight I will be swapping out my 100GB HD for a 120GB HD. I've opened the top case so many times I can almost do it in my sleep.

 

[Intelligent]

You probably have the A1013, based on your description. Unless you are a real fumbler I don't see how "placing screws in the wrong place" would affect any thing. The hard drive bay is isolated from the logicboard. Unless you maybe put a screw through the logicboard or something I don't see it.

The A1013s are 11 years old. Your logicboard has probably just died. Is there a chime at all, or is there nothing, not even the light on the CAPS lock key?

I just got done replacing the logicboard on my A1013. Cost me $24 on eBay with free shipping. Took about an hour to swap it out following the instructions on iFixit.com. I have replaced DC-Inverter boards three times, a sound ribbon cable, a soundboard, an LCVD cable, an LCD, the optical drive and the optical drive cable. I'd say about 20% of the parts are still original from when I bought the Mac in 2009.

I don't know of anyone who'd repair this for you. I usually just do my own repairs. iFixit isn't hard to follow. You just have to score the right parts when they come up. I mainly use eBay, but I suppose CL and other places offer parts as well.

Tonight I will be swapping out my 100GB HD for a 120GB HD. I've opened the top case so many times I can almost do it in my sleep.

Its actually a A1015 1.33GHZ, maybe the logic card died, but it would be a big coincidence that it just died when i opened it up. I usually feel comfortable with fixing computers on my own, but since i messed this one up, it would feel better if someone else fixed it for me. And i can't use iFixit because i dont even know what the problem is.

 

[eyoungren]

Its actually a A1015 1.33GHZ, maybe the logic card died, but it would be a big coincidence that it just died when i opened it up. I usually feel comfortable with fixing computers on my own, but since i messed this one up, it would feel better if someone else fixed it for me. And i can't use iFixit because i dont even know what the problem is.

OK, A1015 then. Coincidences like this happen all the time. I have had multiple parts fail in a line. I've had other parts indicate failure but take ages to die. I had one USB 2.0 card fail and it caused kernel panics and font issues! Just the way it goes.

But for your peace of mind then, check your connections. Open the PB back up and go through iFixit's guide for hard drive replacement and check that you have everything right. If you're confident that it's all correct and the Mac still refuses to boot then it's another issue.

There's nothing in that area that would cause problems. The only ribbon cable close to the drive ribbon cable is the one for the sound board. There is another ribbon cable that's higher up next to the left speaker but that's for the DC-Inverter board. I suppose if that was disconnected there may be a failure to boot, but that cable is quite a ways away from the HD bay.

Even if you had a screw rolling around loose, unless you are a person who has REALLY bad luck it would not affect things.

But mainly, any issues with the HD would result in either the drive not being readable, disappearing on you or otherwise being inaccessible within the OS. It would not stop a boot.

Perhaps, and I am speculating, part of the previous HD issue was actually triggered from the logicboard?

I say thing because I have an iBook G4 1.33Ghz that was a friends. At one point he thought he had a bad HD, so he replaced it with one I sent him. When he gave me the iBook I experienced freezing and a disappearing hard drive from the desktop. He took a look at it and the connector for the HD on the logicboard was damaged. The only fix here is a new logicboard.

However, all of this said, if this is still something you'd rather trust to someone else, then the only thing I can suggest is looking up Apple service providers in your area. There's bound to be a shop somewhere. It'll be expensive though.

 

[2984839]

My guess is that you forgot to plug something back in or didn't plug it in far enough. Putting the screws back incorrectly would be very unlikely to do that, unless you rammed one through the board.

 

[Asuriyan]

Betcha you forgot to reconnect the keyboard. Power button doesn't work without it.

 

[jrsx]

Betcha you forgot to reconnect the keyboard. Power button doesn't work without it.

I'm not familiar with the 17" PB, does the keyboard connecter have the power lead too as well as any other cables attached to the palmrest? iFixit's guides look like the palmrest comes off without any connectors, which doesn't seem likely...

 

[eyoungren]

I'm not familiar with the 17" PB, does the keyboard connecter have the power lead too as well as any other cables attached to the palmrest? iFixit's guides look like the palmrest comes off without any connectors, which doesn't seem likely...

The 17"s route everything through the trackpad connector. AND, as I found out today, if you do NOT have the locking bar locked down on to the connector, the Mac will not boot!

I swapped drives today and that little piece came off. Didn't think much of it until I got the Mac back together and it would not start! I managed to find the piece undamaged on the floor. Once I put it back in and locked the ribbon connector in place I had no further problems.

 

[jrsx]

The 17"s route everything through the trackpad connector. AND, as I found out today, if you do NOT have the locking bar locked down on to the connector, the Mac will not boot!

I swapped drives today and that little piece came off. Didn't think much of it until I got the Mac back together and it would not start! I managed to find the piece undamaged on the floor. Once I put it back in and locked the ribbon connector in place I had no further problems.

I'll bet that's the OP's issue, seems like a simple mistake easily made.

 

[Intelligent]

But the S, Z and X keys are bumped up like a small small mountain .
Found out what caused that, i had put a screw way to large right to the memory card.

 

[eyoungren]

But the S, Z and X keys are bumped up like a small small mountain .

I'm not understanding what you mean by that…Can you give us some more detail?

 

[Intelligent]

I'm not understanding what you mean by that…Can you give us some more detail?

Haha i fixed it anyways its like something pushed these 3 keys up because they were raised a bit higher than the other keys. I have opened it up now and will try a second fix.

 

[reco2011]

I'm not understanding what you mean by that…Can you give us some more detail?

I suspect what he means is one of the screws he reinstalled was of the wrong length and therefore it protruded through whatever it was screwed into and thus pushed up the keyboard around those keys.

 

[Intelligent]

My trackpad connector is not long enough to connect it to the trackpad..

 

[eyoungren]

My trackpad connector is not long enough to connect it to the trackpad..

I'm sorry, but that makes no sense.

Make sure you push the ribbon entirely through the slot it goes through in the bottom case. I usually use a screwdriver to push the ribbon vertical (through the slot in the bottom case) so it will slip through the slot and then push the top case flush to the bottom case.

If the ribbon is too "short" you have not pushed it all the way through the slot.

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I suspect what he means is one of the screws he reinstalled was of the wrong length and therefore it protruded through whatever it was screwed into and thus pushed up the keyboard around those keys.

You are probably right. The HD chassis on the 17"s have one short screw that goes on the bottom right (towards the front of the case).

 

[Intelligent]

YES! I fixed it not all screws are in its right places but its starts!! D

 

[TacticalDesire]

Learning computers is all about trial and error.

 

[eyoungren]

Learning computers is all about trial and error.

Absolutely. And the more money you lose because of your error the faster you learn!