I think that my old and trusty iBook G4 is dead

[rb6]

hello people,

I have this trusty iBook G4 since 2005, it's the 15" 1,42 GHz model. I think it's the very last iBook they've done before going intel. I have the last lion osx installed and I've doubled the RAM like a year ago.

For the last month I've started being a bit worried because the power supply of my iBook didn't work well. sometimes the battery would be used even if the power is plugged. I've had this kinds of problems but I knew how to deal with it.

Today I was browsing with it unplugged (on battery) and everything was normal. Then, I plugged the power supply while the computer is still on (read: not sleeping). At the moment I've plugged the power, everything went black.

Since then, I've tried all the keys+power button combinations I've found... but it never turns on.

I am honestly pretty scared that it's just... y'know... dead ?!

does this kind of issue is known ?? what should I do ??

thanks everyone for your help,
rb

PS. I know there's another "iBook won't turn on" thread, but didn't want to hijack it since the problem is obviously not the same...

 

[AdrianK]

Sounds like either the DC-in or power lead itself that's the problem, have you tried another power lead?

If it's not the power lead, the DC-in power board looks very easy to replace. Hopefully they aren't too expensive.

Also, just for consistency; your iBook a 14" and the latest OS you can run on a G4 is Leopard.

 

[rb6]

Sounds like either the DC-in or power lead itself that's the problem, have you tried another power lead?

If it's not the power lead, the DC-in power board looks very easy to replace. Hopefully they aren't too expensive.

Also, just for consistency; your iBook a 14" and the latest OS you can run on a G4 is Leopard.

thanks for the infos.

I haven't tried another power cord.... but if it was just the cord, it would be able to turn on because my battery is full ?!?

I'll check what I can do with this DC-in power board replacement...

 

[rb6]

and is there any kind of test that I could do to make sure the motherboard isn't damaged ?!

and does the apple stores could repair it for me ??

 

[tom vilsack]

try these...

-take out battery leave for a hr or so..try to boot (no battery)

-try putting a 50/1000ths-inch aluminum shim between the transfer pad and the heat sink

 

[rb6]

try these...

-take out battery leave for a hr or so..try to boot (no battery)

this worked. thanks for the tips and suggestions !!

but... what does this means ?

can I just... re-plug the battery and continue as it never happened ? will it happen to me again ? is there a way to prevent such behaviour ??

thanks a lot and have a nice day !

 

[tom vilsack]

cool it worked...

this happened to me a while back,and a friend suggested it...wish i knew more.

i would backup all important data just in case....

 

[rb6]

cool it worked...

this happened to me a while back,and a friend suggested it...wish i knew more.

i would backup all important data just in case....

yes I'm happy it worked, thanks a lot.

did you succeed installing the battery back and using your laptop back to normal after that ?!

and yes !! I will backup my files !!

 

[tom vilsack]

i sold it after that....(and yes the person who bought it understood the issue...and i believe was going to use for parts)

 

[rb6]

okay, thanks for the infos and help !!

 

[philipt42]

iBooks are great, but I swear I've had this problem and every other happen to mine! I did eventually buy the DC power cable, with no success.