iMac G4 won't boot

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I bought an iMac g4 (my favorite, and first, Mac ever) last night on Craigslist. The ad said that the system wouldn't keep the date and time and would prompt you to enter it each time it booted up, but aside from that, ran fine. I got the machine home and it booted up fine the first time, but when I moved it and tried to boot it again, I got nothing. No fans, nothing on the screen, nothing.

The internet leads me to believe that the PRAM battery has died and is now preventing the Mac from booting. You guys and gals think that is right? Or would it be something else?

For as little as I paid, I'm okay with owning this just for the industrial design, but if I can get it to work again cheaply, I'd like to do it.

Thoughts?

 

[velocityg4]

Since you moved it. Verify everything is plugged in. Also plug something else into the power outlet to make sure it works.

As for the date and time. You definitely need a new battery. As I recall you'll need to take out the motherboard for that. So, have some thermal paste ready and redo the heatsink while you are at it. It could probably use some new paste by now. If it's never been redone before.

It's also a good time to do any cleaning and check the capacitors are all in good shape. Including in the PSU. Be sure to discharge the PSU before fiddling with the PSU. Which I think can take 20-30 minutes after disconnecting from power.

 

[z970]

Just be very careful with the (I think) gray display cable when you close it back up...

Too much crimping its side and reconnecting it to the LoBo a certain way messed my display up.