iBook problem, please help! (LA/SANFRAN help!)

[trix03]

Okay, so my gf is in LA and her ibook appears to have broken down. here are the symptoms in her words via text: "finder won't open when I click on toolbar, nothing shows up on desktop any more, and any screen i open will flash open/close, and minimizes and maximizes every 20 seconds."

I'm no computer guru but I use a mac as well and simple stuff i can fix. but this, i have no idea. could it be a virus or something that she can do to fix it? One more thing is a week ago, she spilled a lil orange juice on the enter key, could that have anything to do with it? (from my knowledge, it wasn't a very bigt spill

her's is a G4 ibook w/ combo drive.

also, if anybody knows any repair/inspection mac shops aroudn the LA/SF area, it would be great to pop by here. Any help would be much appeciated. Macrumors hasn't failed me in the past and i don't expect them to here either! thanks guys. (and girls)

 

[iBookG4user]

Try going to System Preferences>Accounts and create a new account, if it continues to happen then it is most likely a hardware problem, if it doesn't then its a software problem.

 

[DoFoT9]

can she check if the harddrive / ram are full?? that might be clogging it down.

 

[CanadaRAM]

1) It's not a virus
2) It only takes a drop of orange juice to short out a keyboard contact. The repetitive Open Close thing sounds very much like the keyboard sending a constant stream of characters to the OS on its own. I wonder, can this machine run on an external USB keyboard with the built in one disconnected? (It;s relatively easy to remove the keyboard) What do you think, MR Gang?
3) Creating a new user would test for a problem with preferences and user settings, but would not eliminate OS or application software issues
4) An Archive and Install would be a more definitive way to eliminate OS software problems.
5) But before you do that, has she booted from the OSX CD and run a Disk Utility Repair Disk and Repair Permissions? What was the result.
6) I still don't like the leetle peench of orange juice. Is bad thing, is not be going away if you eegnore it.

 

[janey]

also, if anybody knows any repair/inspection mac shops aroudn the LA/SF area, it would be great to pop by here.)

There's a ton in la. macenthusiasts on the westside, melrose mac, ...I dunno, just search around. There's also probably about a dozen apple stores within ~10-20min driving distance around LA as well - century city, grove, beverly center, pasadena... I suggest the apple stores, they'd probably help you out for free.

 

[trix03]

i'll try and answer the most of what i can. im actually on vacation as well (we're from canada) and that's why its all so confusing.

4) An Archive and Install would be a more definitive way to eliminate OS software problems.

how exactly do u do that? She's not the greatest with macs. (or computers in general)

5) But before you do that, has she booted from the OSX CD and run a Disk Utility Repair Disk and Repair Permissions? What was the result.

the problem only occured after she got to sanfrancisco. she doens't have a boot disc with her.

can she check if the harddrive / ram are full?? that might be clogging it down.

im pretty sure her hd and ram (how do u check if ram is full btw) are okay, but i will confirm that after i ask her)

Try going to System Preferences>Accounts and create a new account

i will tell her to do that.

i am also aware that its most likely not a virus, i just thought there might be a tiny chance since macs have become more popular, that they may be new targets of virus creators.

the most likely cause is sth to do with the oj, but unfortantely, that doesn't help her solve it.

THANKS A LOT FOR THE UBER FAST REPLIES GUYS, you've helped a lot. plz keep up the good posts, i'll update when something occurs.

 

[DoFoT9]

im pretty sure her hd and ram (how do u check if ram is full btw) are okay, but i will confirm that after i ask her)


THANKS A LOT FOR THE UBER FAST REPLIES GUYS, you've helped a lot. plz keep up the good posts, i'll update when something occurs.

to check RAM just go to activity monitor, there might be something in there that has hung??

hope you can figure it out, troubles while you are on holidays can be quite frustrating.

 

[trix03]

here is the problem in the words of my gal.

* I first noticed the problem when I was on finder, and the sidebar where
the HD, desktop, and applications, etc stuff are listed disappeared. So
after checking the preferences/toolbars stuff..i thought maybe the color was
on white--so that it blended in with the background (b/c when i press on the
positions of where those things are, it did go to the respective things ie.
HD, desktop, etc.). So, I made the "label color" or sth like that on the
desktop (since it wouldnt let me change the thing in sidebar) blue, or some
color. BUT THEN, the desktop completely disappeared, finder wouldn't open
from the taskbar, and the screen flash thing started happening... It doesn't
physically max/minimize..instead, while im on a screen... it will "flash
away", in that... it won't let me type on it and i will have to physically
re click on my screen so that i can type on it again. So its as if ive
minimized it and gone to another screen or sth. the top bar where it says
your Webpage title will flash and turn a lighter color when i cant type on
it anymore.