iMac 2008 doesn't start, black screen

[guicord]

Hi all, since yesterday our beloved iMac 24" 2008 doesn't start anymore. It started with crashes every time we would leave it alone for a few hours.

Then last night, it stopped starting up again. Screen stays black, but we can hear the superdrive trying to do something, in a loop. Only unplugging the power will stop it.

We've got a Logitech wireless Apple keyboard, so I'm not sure I can hit the Option key.

Thanks for any help!
Guillaume

 

[bmcgrath]

Does it make the Apple chime when you power it up?

One option is to hold the power button down for about 10 seconds when you first turn it on.

Failing that, it might be bad RAM. You might need to take one stick of RAM out and try the different modules to see if it boots.

 

[guicord]

Thanks, I'll try to check the RAM. I've never opened the iMac before, I'll look it up on youtube. But I won't do that today because of the storm in the North East and the risk of evacuation...

No, it doesn't chime at all. The CD drive just seems to loop as if trying to load the disk.

I've just tried to push the power button for 10s (15s actually) and it didn't do anything. CD player still is making funny noise.

 

[barnyard]

That happened to mine about 3 months ago. It was the logic board, and was $700 or more to replace. I ended up pulling the hard drive and selling everything else for parts.

 

[guicord]

Oh shoot, I'm afraid of that... just a question, should I bring the machine to a Apple store for diagnosis?

Thanks,

 

[bmcgrath]

Oh shoot, I'm afraid of that... just a question, should I bring the machine to a Apple store for diagnosis?

Thanks,

Prob the best bet! Are you out of warranty?