G5 Quad - Cannot Install OS X - Red LED 806

[Sepultura]

Well I am starting to think it is the motherboard.

I just tested all the ram on my test bench which is a PC mobo using DDR2 ram.
All the sticks were recognized and I was able to pull the information off them. No beeps or problems booting. I didn't run memtest, but I don't think the ram is the problem.

So I can try to get a heat gun and try the ram sockets again. I don't think that is it though.

Talk about frustrating.

 

[California]

Well I am starting to think it is the motherboard.

I just tested all the ram on my test bench which is a PC mobo using DDR2 ram.
All the sticks were recognized and I was able to pull the information off them. No beeps or problems booting. I didn't run memtest, but I don't think the ram is the problem.

So I can try to get a heat gun and try the ram sockets again. I don't think that is it though.

Talk about frustrating.

Just an odd thought, when a hard drive in a G5 PM goes bad, it really messes up the whole system. This is a new or nearly new hard drive, right?

Don't trust what a PC tells you about ram. on the G5's, they were extremely picky about the ram.

Get a new hard drive. also clean your video card and sockets.

 

[Sepultura]

Just an odd thought, when a hard drive in a G5 PM goes bad, it really messes up the whole system. This is a new or nearly new hard drive, right?

Don't trust what a PC tells you about ram. on the G5's, they were extremely picky about the ram.

Get a new hard drive. also clean your video card and sockets.

The entire computer was cleaned as I said on page 2.

The hard drive is a brand new SSD.

 

[California]

The entire computer was cleaned as I said on page 2.

The hard drive is a brand new SSD.

Make sure your SSD is compatible with PPC SATA standards.

Personally, I'd just get a 2 TB new HDD and a small SSD if I owned a Quad today and I owned three or four in my time. But I recall the newer HDDs and SDDs are not directly compatible, can't remember the specifics.

Also make sure the wiring to the air deflector connection is in good condition, sometimes just a wiring issue like that could be giving you the red lights.

 

[rabidz7]

What SSD are you are using?

 

[Sepultura]

The Air deflector is not the problem. LED #3-4-5 are to do with Air Deflector. My LED has always been #7.

My SSD is a new Sandisk SATA 3 6GB drive. After some research it seems only some (none named) SATA 3 SSD's work in the G5. They also only seem to work in the top tray. Regardless I tried the top and bottom and it didn't work.

I tried a SATA 2 Western Digital Scorpio Blue drive, same thing. It doesn't work and LED is on. Leave it for longer, fans go loud.

I tried no hard drive and got the 'no symbol.'

Interestingly enough I left both the SSD and the normal HD at the Apple logo and there was some pixelation above it and some gray mark to the left.

Here is a screenshot of no hard drive and then with hard drives. I never saw this pixelation before. The fans eventually go loud, but I am not sure if it kernal panics anymore. Maybe I didn't leave it long enough for kernal panic to happen. It did happen much earlier (before the roaring fans) when I made this topic.

 

[rabidz7]

You need to try an HDD that is known to work in the G5.

 

[Sepultura]

You need to try an HDD that is known to work in the G5.

I had a Seagate 320gb SATA 1 drive but it's dead. Put it in the G5 and it doesn't even turn on. Tried it another computer and the same results.

SATA 3 is backwards compatible with SATA 2 and 1, but the G5 is just picky and doesn't like most SATA 3 drives.

Unfortunately I don't have any empty SATA 2 drives to try right now.

I don't understand that pixelation and gray mark in the picture though. 😕

 

[rabidz7]

I had a Seagate 320gb SATA 1 drive but it's dead. Put it in the G5 and it doesn't even turn on. Tried it another computer and the same results.

SATA 3 is backwards compatible with SATA 2 and 1, but the G5 is just picky and doesn't like most SATA 3 drives.

Unfortunately I don't have any empty SATA 2 drives to try right now.

I don't understand that pixelation and gray mark in the picture though. 😕

G5s can also have issues with SATA II drives, it is caused by the SATA controller not being able to aggregate link bandwidth with the HDD.

 

[Sepultura]

SATA 2 seem to have no problems from the posts I have seen.

Not easy to find a cheap SATA 1 drive.

Funny the old stuff is always more expensive.

 

[666sheep]

What verbose mode says? I.e. on what it stalls?
Did you try removing bottom CPU already? Try it.

 

[Sepultura]

What verbose mode says? I.e. on what it stalls?
Did you try removing bottom CPU already? Try it.

Put SATA 2 hard drive back just for tests...

Tried to enter verbose mode - command V.

Gray screen, then flashes black, then goes back to the happy mac ? folder indicating no OS installed.

Tried to enter single user mode - command S.

Same thing.

Tried to enter Safemode - shift.

Same thing.