iMac Power Issue after being off for a few hours

[cragga]

Hi

In the last few days or so i have had a problem with my iMac not turning on after being off all day, unless i unplug the cord from the back and then plug it back in, then it switches on fine. Its a bit inconvenient really and im just worried that one day it wont come on at all. The strange thing is that it will turn on fine if being off for short periods of time.

When it is on there doesn't seem to be any problems and it wont shut off or anything like that, but it is very worrying.

The mac is plugged into a six way plug which has other peripherals attached but the 6 way is then plugged directly into the wall. I have tried plugging in a different 6 or 4 way, but it does the same.

Hope someone can help as its very annoying. Although it is 2006 iMac intel its been looked after well and has been pretty much problem-free.

Thanks

 

[Fishrrman]

I don't know if this is relevant to iMacs of your vintage, but some years ago (back in the PowerPC days) some Macs would refuse to boot if the PRAM battery on the motherboard grew weak or died. Some folks replaced entire motherboards when the problem itself was limited to the battery (in those days, the battery was easily accessible and replaceable).

However, "getting to" the PRAM battery these days is more involved. Probably not worth the trouble to "do surgery".

Again, don't know if that could be -your- problem, but considering that the iMac is now about 9 years old, it might be.

I would suggest that (even if inconvenient) you go with "what works".
And in this case, unplugging and re-plugging the cord IS "what works", at least for now.

Another idea -- by "six way plug" -- do you mean a "power strip"?
Does it have an on/off button on it?

In that case, I'd suggest this:
a. When you power down the iMac, reach down and TURN OFF the power strip
b. When you need to restart the iMac, reach down and TURN ON the power strip.

Does this work for you?

 

[cragga]

Hi

Many thanks for your reply. Fingers crossed, but it seems to be behaving itself now. I think turning the power strip off at the wall is a good thing, its easily accessible too. I also unplugged all peripherals abd the power cord for 5 minutes.

The one thing i have done which i didnt think would contribute to the problem was to unplug the scanner, which is connected via usb. I only turned it off as i dont use it all the time and noticed that it had been on for several weeks, so this could be it?

Many thanks

 

[Fishrrman]

I don't believe the scanner has anything to do with it.

It could very well be a weak/dead motherboard battery (they only last so long).

In that case, the "power strip on/off button routine" may be the easiest solution.

I have a late-2006 white Intel iMac that seems a bit "slow" to power-up these days. I use the "power strip trick" on that, as well. I've found that if a "quick press" does not liven up the iMac, I press -and hold- the power-on button a few seconds. That wakes it up...

 

[cragga]

Hi

Well, after one week i have only had one instance where it didn't turn on. I released the on button and then pressed again, held it in for a few seconds and it started.

Just as a matter of interest, why would turning the power strip off affect make a difference, im just curious? This would be a good idea anyway as i could turn all the external drives off at the same time when not in use, thus preserving their lifespan.

Thanks