When I turned on my Powermac G4 earlier, I expected it to spring to life. Instead, all I got was 3 beeps. No video, the drives spin up, etc. But it doesnt do anything, none of the chips get hot at all. x.x I think I'm gonna cry... :'(
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HELP!! My Powermac G4 is DEAD!!
- Thread starter ReanimationLP
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When I turned on my Powermac G4 earlier, I expected it to spring to life. Instead, all I got was 3 beeps. No video, the drives spin up, etc. But it doesnt do anything, none of the chips get hot at all. x.x I think I'm gonna cry... :'(Try resetting the PMU... it's a little button the size of a cookie crumb located on your motherboard.
> Try resetting the PMU
Also known as the Cuda chip. It's a round button about 2mm diameter on a square swith about 5mm square, it'll be soldered onto your motherboard. Press this for 5 seconds -- only do this but once, however.
If that doesn't help you may be in line for a new PRAM battery - 1/2 AA 3.6 V Lithium, available at better stocked Radio Shacks and electronic stores, about $8.00. Plan on a new one every 3 - 6 years depending on the Mac model and how much time you leave it turned off.
Three beeps means a problem with RAM, or the motherboard. Try removing all but your original Apple RAM, and put that RAM into a different socket, and boot again.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95052
Thanks
Trevor
Also known as the Cuda chip. It's a round button about 2mm diameter on a square swith about 5mm square, it'll be soldered onto your motherboard. Press this for 5 seconds -- only do this but once, however.
If that doesn't help you may be in line for a new PRAM battery - 1/2 AA 3.6 V Lithium, available at better stocked Radio Shacks and electronic stores, about $8.00. Plan on a new one every 3 - 6 years depending on the Mac model and how much time you leave it turned off.
Three beeps means a problem with RAM, or the motherboard. Try removing all but your original Apple RAM, and put that RAM into a different socket, and boot again.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=95052
Thanks
Trevor
Thank you for the help. Its not beeping anymore, but it wont send the video signals too. I've tried all the PCI slots. x.x
Reanimation_LP said:
Hold Command+Option+P+R while starting up. This time, after 3 chimes, let go. The chimes are good.
This will zap your PRAM and, in theory, display at correct levels for your monitor so that you can see stuff again. Then you change it later.
Reanimation_LP said:
Keep holding command + option + P + R, it will give you the "startup" chime, but keep holding that key combination through three cycles of the chime. It takes a while.
Thanks everyone ^-^ Its back up and running, had to hold down the keys for a REALLY LONG TIME. Never chimed, but all of a sudden it gave me video.
Reanimation_LP said:
YAY... glad to hear that. I had that happen to me about 2 years ago. very scary for us who have no idea whats going on. Good thing for places like this!
Yeah. Thank god for Macrumors. I have been using a mac for about 2 years now, but this is the first time I've ever had a hardware problem like that.
I have the same problem with my powermac g4 yikes as well and resetting the pram doesn't give me a picture.. I upgraded the rage 128 to a radeon 7000 32mb card and... no picture on either of my monitors.. I also pressed the button on the motherboard and removed the battery same problem continues :-(
Does the video card have to be a mac version? My brother in-law said no since he installed radeon 7500s in quicksilvers
Does the video card have to be a mac version? My brother in-law said no since he installed radeon 7500s in quicksilvers