iMac G5 (Blank gray screen)

[stiloverx]

Hello everyone:

This is my very first post in this forum so please bare with me. So i have a iMac G5, and every time i boot up the machine i get blank gray screen for about 3 minutes and after that, a small icon of a folder with a question mark.

I downloaded Mac OSX Leopard to preform a clean OS install, then i burned it to a DL-DVD as an image (.iso) and finally, tried booting the iMac using the "C" key but it only reads the disc, ejects it and goes to the same screen with small folder icon.

What i did next was, took out the hard drive and plug it into my macbook (via USB) and erase all the content using disk utility. At that point, my macbook recognize the hard drive so i thought that i would work if i put it back into the iMac. However, i keep getting this black gray screen and a folder with questions mark right after.

I'm not really sure what to do next, should i replace the hard drive? or should i format the hard drive to an specific file system?

Please advice

Thanks a lot.

 

[Fishrrman]

It could be a failing hard drive, but it could also just be a software problem.

The "?" icon means that the computer can't find a "good" System folder from which to boot. The System folder may still be -there-, but something isn't right because the computer can't find the right files in the normal boot process.

The long delay -before- the "?" may mean that the computer doesn't know where to look to find a bootable volume. Try this:
1. Shut down, all the way off
2. Press the power-on button
3. As soon as you hear the startup sound, hold down the option key and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN.
4. Normally, you should get the "startup manager", which will display icons for any and all volumes that can boot the computer.
5. When you do this, what do you see?

Aside: this is why it helps to have a BOOTABLE backup volume nearby. They are not expensive, and can save you lots of trouble at times like these. If you happen to have a bare "SATA" drive around, or perhaps know someone who has a "leftover", you can create a backup for about $25....