iMac G5 won't start (could be the logic board.. maybe not)

[monke]

On the eve of Apple's iPod event, I doubt this will get too much attention, but here goes anyway.

The iMac was running iTunes and Adium, suddenly iTunes starts skipping and nothing was responding, so I hit the power button. Then the fans hit full blast, iMac is still on. Holding down the power button shuts it off.

Starting it up hasn't happened... yet. Press the power button, the ambient light sensor comes on, sometimes will fade away, other times it wont. Display stays off, and in about a minute the fans roar into full blast again. I've tried resetting the PRAM and VRAM, but no success. Not getting a chime or anything out of it..

Help?

 

[iBookG4user]

Are you able to safe boot? Hold down shift after pushing the power.

 

[devburke]

Your HD could be ****ed

 

[iBookG4user]

Also, you'll want to check out this Apple support page.

 

[monke]

Nothing from safe boot. I had a chime earlier, and the usual mechanical start up sounds, but nothing from the display and the fans kicked in after about a minute. ...

I'll try that article too, but it'll have to be tomorrow at this point.

 

[monke]

Followed all the steps in that article you posted iBookG4user. Down to step 12, the second LED comes on and stays on (until I shut it off after the fans kick in of course).

Edit/Update: Reading further into Apple's Support documents, I read this article. In step 11, it states that if the third LED will not come on (which mine doesn't), that my logic board needs to be replaced... Also, of note, I can hear the hard drive making noises and running, so I'm guessing its not dead.

 

[monke]

I'm trying the Target Disk Mode, but that's not working either... any other suggestions, or is this thing a paperweight?

 

[monke]

Since I last posted, I've been able to get:

- The 3rd LED light now comes on (means the logic board and display can make a connection)
- SuperDrive starts now
- The usual chime is back almost everytime I start
- Gotten as far as the login screen (just once), but can get to the grey Apple loading screen 75% of the time now.

 

[iBookG4user]

Since I last posted, I've been able to get:

- The 3rd LED light now comes on (means the logic board and display can make a connection)
- SuperDrive starts now
- The usual chime is back almost everytime I start
- Gotten as far as the login screen (just once), but can get to the grey Apple loading screen 75% of the time now.

Hmm, try seeing if you can run the Apple Hardware test on your iMac.

To use Apple Hardware Test:
1 Disconnect all external devices from your iMac G5 except the keyboard and mouse.
If you have an Ethernet cable connected, disconnect it.
2 Insert the Mac OS X Install Disc 1 that came with your iMac G5.
3 Restart your iMac G5 and hold down the Option key as it starts up.
4 Click Apple Hardware Test when the list of available startup volumes appears.
5 Click the right arrow.
6 When the Apple Hardware Test main screen appears (after about 45 seconds), follow
the onscreen instructions.
7 If Apple Hardware Test detects a problem, it displays an error code. Make a note of the
error code before pursuing support options. If Apple Hardware Test does not detect a
hardware failure, the problem may be software-related.
For more information about Apple Hardware Test, see the Apple Hardware Test Read
Me file on the Mac OS X Install Disc 1.

 

[monke]

Kinda late, but I haven't had a lot of time to deal with this.

Couldn't run the hardware test, but I pull the hard drive out, and it works. I borrowed an adapter off a friend, and it's transferring the files to an external right now. That's a gigantic sigh of relief, it was still running Tiger, and I hadn't backed up anything for a while.

I emailed a local repair shop, they figure that it could be the power supply, and want $82.00 for the fix. Is that about normal, and is that likely the problem?

Thanks for all the help by the way.