iMac G5 constant fuzzy freeze

[fukuchan]

The screen on my 5-month old iMac G5 keeps freezing in a fuzzy way for a second or two. It happens every 5-10 minutes. If I type on the comptuter during that time, the script appears after the fuzziness disappears.

I tried to run a Hardware Test using a CD I got with the computer, but the computer went insane! The first 3 minutes it was okay, but then the screen had all these lines going horizontal on it, and the noise from the computer's fan was really, really, really loud. I couldn't get ahold of the mouse to stop it. The mouse just kept bouncing everywhere. Nothing was fixed.

The fuzzy freeze just started recently. The only thing I can think that might have triggered it was installing Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer game, which we couldn't get to work. It was about a week after we tried that that the computer started the fuzze freezes.

Does anyone have any ideas of what I should do? I live in Japan and the nearest store selling Macs is a 4-hour, $300 drive away. I bought the computer on the phone from Apple itself. Do i have to call them for support? Is there something I can do here?

 

[-Jeff]

I'm sorry to say, welcome to the club. You are experiencing a Video RAM failure, and will be needing a midplane replacement. It is a pretty common problem. You will need to call Apple. Since your 90 days of complimentary service is up, they may try to refuse service if you don't have Applecare. If this happens, be sure to tell them that you are requesting warranty service due to a hardware failure. Here's a link to an Apple-hosted discussion on your iMac's problem:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?128@764.Zs7YabhYRXe.1@.68a31fdd

I feel your pain. I am still struggling with the same issue myself. They sent me a dead replacement midplane, and I am awaiting a second one. They will probably ask you if you are comfortable doing the repair yourself. Just a warning: it is not an easy task. It is necessary to remove the RAM, optical drive, hard drive, power supply, inverter, and airport (if it's installed), and the connectors are very tiny and fragile compared the ones in a standard PC. Here's a link to the instructions for replacing the midplane:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/imac/imac_g5_20_midplane.pdf

They may also offer to do the repairs for you or replace your machine. I opted to do repairs myself, since I didn't have a data backup and I don't want to have to re-rip my CDs for iTunes and lose a bunch of photos.

 

[fukuchan]

Thanks Jeff!

I had read your thread and I was hoping that what I experienced was different, and therefore could be fixed easier.:-( I'll call Apple on Monday and see what they say. I certainly don't have the skills to change anything myself (That's WHY I bought a Mac- I am a technoplebe), so I'll spend the rest of the weekend backing stuff up. Luckily we got AppleCare.

Now if anyone knows how to back up e-books in Adobe, the kind you can't print or save to disk, I'd appreciate if you would share your knowledge!