My iBook died today. It had been exhibiting some slightly odd behavior for about a day, but I didn't think anything of it, because, after all it is a computer, and they often are a bit quirky. I had originally felt that I was safe from the horrible problems that plagued the world of the iBook G3s, thinking that Apple had fixed their issues in this department. Apparently, I was wrong. Today, I was using my computer, when, all of a sudden, it appeared as if someone was pulling a blue (cyan really) shade down my screen. The panel, if you will, was splotched with blocks of yellow and red. I took a picture, thinking I would show people what happened. Seeing as I had no mouse or way of using the computer any longer, I force shut it down, and tried to restart it. No such luck. The computer sat, without a sound, for about 5 seconds, and then proceeded to blast its fan at maximum speed. At this point, the only thing that 'functions' on my iBook are the num lock and caps lock lights. I tried everything that one tries when their computer fails them, resetting the PRAM, swapping out the RAM, firewire target disk mode, (starting from a CD won't work, there's no chime), charging the battery all the way, taking the battery out, and unplugging it to no avail. As a last ditch effort to find people out there who had the same problem as I did, I did a quick google search, (available here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=ibook+dead+fan&btnG=Search), which, to my complete and utter surprise, revealed many other people with my exact problem, on their iBook G4s. Now, I am very slow to accuse apple for this problem, but I feel that it is more than just a simple failure, like the many that happen to computers each month, when many people report having the exact same symptoms. You must agree with me in saying that these are not normal symptoms of computer failure. The fan running at full speed, in many other iBook G4s, indicates (to me, at least) that there is something more going on than a random failure. It smells like there is something in the design of the computer that predisposes it for this type of failure. Now, anger about my 'insult to apple' aside, I am somewhat at a loss as to what to do from here. I'm interested in getting a little input in a couple things: a) Any ideas how much a logic board replacement will cost? (warranty conveniently expired 2 months ago) b) Will I get to keep my files? I am usually quite good at keeping good backups, but the ~7,000 odd photographs that I had stored on it hadn't been backed up, and cannot be lost. c) Should I go over the phone or to the local Apple guy? Apple stores are ~45 min. away from here and not convenient to go to. d) Seeing as it is out of warranty, I'm considering doing a complete take-apart to preserve the data on the hard drive (It's within my skills - but I don't know if I should do it). Any advice on some of my questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance if I don't get to thank you soon, as I have to use other people's computers. 
