MysteryMac G5

[fusionflare]

i bought a powermac g5 (my first Mac ever) off of eBay in March of this year. It did not come with an OS or hard drive so I ended up buying one with OS X 10.5 leopard. I got about halfway through the video and it told me to restart my computer and the second time it got to the end and froze. I haven’t been able to get past a white screen with a gray apple logo and no spinning wheel. I have replaced the power supply, ram, and used different hard drives with an OEM 10.5 install disk and it won’t get pass that screen. I have done the diagnostic test (hardware version) for the machine and it passed every time (did this about 12 times) and the OS version just puts me back at that screen. The only way I am able to boot from the disks is to hold alt and select the disk (I don’t have an apple keyboard)

Any help would be much appreciated as I am stuck and have never used a Mac before. For the ones who will ask, it’s a 2003 dual processor configuration with the 4gb of ram I put in it instead of the 1.5gb of ram it came with. (I plan on making this into a case that uses x86 hardware but I want it to work so I can sell whatever I rip out of it when the time comes)

 

[bunnspecial]

Have you tried doing a PRAM reset?

Hold down Command+Opt+P+R and keep holding it down while you press the power button. The computer should chime once. KEEP holding until the computer chimes a second time, and then release it.

Also, try a PMU reset.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_users_guide/3540352097

(push the button circled in this photo).

If that doesn't work, don't also discount the possibility of the optical drive being bad...

 

[MBAir2010]

Video card COULD be damaged, I have the same screen
Obviously, do what specialrabbit stated

 

[fusionflare]

Have you tried doing a PRAM reset?

Hold down Command+Opt+P+R and keep holding it down while you press the power button. The computer should chime once. KEEP holding until the computer chimes a second time, and then release it.

Also, try a PMU reset.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_users_guide/3540352097

(push the button circled in this photo).

If that doesn't work, don't also discount the possibility of the optical drive being bad...

I’ll try PMU reset but I only have windows keyboards so what would I press for PRAM reset?

 

[z970]

@specialrabbit Considering it's a DP 2003, I'd also wonder if the logic board is dying.

Been seeing a lot of that happen lately.
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I’ll try PMU reset but I only have windows keyboards so what would I press for PRAM reset?

Windows Key + Alt + P + R

Personally, I perform them immediately after the first chime goes off. Make sure you have your fingers on the keys, but not pushing down on them.

 

[fusionflare]

@specialrabbit Considering it's a DP 2003, I'd also wonder if the logic board is dying.

I was told that if it got to the apple logo that it couldn’t be a problem with the logic board but idk I just really want this thing up and running. Also at the moment it is not posting but it does chime (it does this sometimes)

 

[fusionflare]

I discovered that something is missing from my powermac g5 and Idk what it is but I looks like it could be important and it is right above the ram slots and there are 2 cables not connected to anything but one of them is behind the speaker (the thing I’m pointing at has a port behind it)

 

[MacCubed]

View attachment 772661 I discovered that something is missing from my powermac g5 and Idk what it is but I looks like it could be important and it is right above the ram slots and there are 2 cables not connected to anything but one of them is behind the speaker (the thing I’m pointing at has a port behind it)

That's the AirPort card slot, those 2 cables are the antenna cables for the card. AirPort is Wifi in case you didn't know.

 

[Dronecatcher]

I discovered that something is missing from my powermac g5

Airport card - that's an optional extra and wont cause problems not being present.

 

[bunnspecial]

If you want to add Airport(WiFi) to the computer, you can use this

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-A102...w=airport+card&_from=R40&rt=nc&LH_TitleDesc=0

(no association with the seller-this was just the first result that popped up on Ebay).

I will caution, however, that the G5 case is a giant Faraday cage. They originally shipped with a little "T" shaped antenna that plugged into the back of the computer. This is almost always missing now, and replacements are stupidly expensive. Unless you're parked right next to the router, you likely won't get reception without an antenna. Many of us have made do with a safety pin, paper clip, or piece of wire shoved in the hole in the back of the computer.

On my last full-time use G5 workstation(which just went offline a few days ago) I was actually running a Motorola PCI WiFi card along with with a big, purpose made Delkin external antenna. The room is far enough away from the router and "blocked" enough that I couldn't get reception otherwise regardless of what I rigged up. Funny enough, the Mac Pro 5,1 now sitting in its place does fine with its internal antenna.

 

[AphoticD]

My guess would be the GPU is failing.

Can you boot the OS in Safe Mode by holding the shift key? Safe Mode, hardware test/diagnostics and the OS X installer all boot with the software Quartz Compositor which won’t depend on any graphics acceleration to get up and going. I don’t believe the hardware Diagnostics does any 3D/GL tests on the GPU at all, so that might explain why it is still passing.

You can also try holding Command-V during boot to see the verbose boot log and watch to see where the process halts or even spot an error or warning to indicate the problem.

 

[1042686]

My bet is on the GPU as well. Seeing if you can boot into safemode is good advice (just hold the shift key down right after starting the computer/you hear the chime). This is very similar behavior to when the GPU on my powerbook12 failed. OSX leopard installation went fine until it was time to actually boot the OS at which point I got identical symptoms/freezing due to the bad GPU. Conversely, I could boot into safe mode just fine as it circumvented the GPU. If you can boot into SM, you know the GPU is most likely the culprit. If you still get freezing, look elsewhere.

Try reseating the GPU. If that doesnt work and you can boot into SM, I would source a new gpu. Here's one for low $$ on ebay (no relation to seller).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WORKING-Ap...ideo+Graphic+Card+631-0064+630-7132.TRS5.TSS4

Conversely if you dont want to drop cash on an anecdotal hunch (completely understandable) perhaps there is someone you know who has a powermac g5 that you could test your GPU in? Yanno swap cards n see if it boots up ok. Anyhow, best of luck to you.
[doublepost=1532540919][/doublepost]Here's a video on fashioning a wifi antenna. You will need it if/when you install airport extreme.

Once again, no relation to the seller but here's another cheap airport extreme card ebay find.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-A102...rt+extreme&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313

 

[fusionflare]

I will try reseating the GPU but I have seen a GPU that is better than the one I have called the GeForce 6800 but if it doesn’t work I’ll replace it. I haven’t tried safe mode because I thought it was hold command+s but I guess it isn’t.

 

[bunnspecial]

Command+S is single user mode.

Holding shift while booting will boot into safe mode.

 

[fusionflare]

Command+S is single user mode.

Holding shift while booting will boot into safe mode.

When I first posted about this somewhere else I was told to try different commands and stuff so I winged it because I have no apple keyboard but a wireless one that I can’t hook up to it yet and it wouldn’t do anything but now that I know what windows keys to press I can hopefully get these suggestions to work

 

[pl1984]

I will caution, however, that the G5 case is a giant Faraday cage. They originally shipped with a little "T" shaped antenna that plugged into the back of the computer. This is almost always missing now, and replacements are stupidly expensive. Unless you're parked right next to the router, you likely won't get reception without an antenna. Many of us have made do with a safety pin, paper clip, or piece of wire shoved in the hole in the back of the computer.

I had to purchase one of these for my PowerMac and I think I paid $9.99 for it.

 

[bunnspecial]

I had to purchase one of these for my PowerMac and I think I paid $9.99 for it.

There were a bunch on Ebay a while back for affordable prices-I bought a couple at the time.

For a few years leading up to that, they were stupid money-often $40+

From what I've seen, the bluetooth antenna prices are even more crazy when you find them. Fortunately, in my experience as long as you're using close range stuff(mice, keyboards) and aren't too far away from your computer you can usually get away without any kind of Bluetooth antenna.

 

[fusionflare]

Alright so I think the motherboard died. When I used to turn it on it would make the chime and then my keyboard and mince would have power, then my screen would turn on and be stuck at the previously mentioned apple logo screen. Now when I press the power button the chime plays, then nothing no power to keyboard/mouse, no screen. All that happens is the fans eventually rev up to make the thing a jet and the power led is lit up. So I guess I have to buy a new motherboard? Or should I just gut it for the project it will eventually become?

 

[AphoticD]

Will it boot without the graphics card? If it chimes, then you should hear the HDD working and then stop once it is waiting at an headless desktop. Pressing volume up/down on the keyboard should give you some audible feedback at this point. Or try holding F12 to eject/close the DVD tray. This should give you an indication that the system is running and should just need a new graphics card.

 

[fusionflare]

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Will it boot without the graphics card? If it chimes, then you should hear the HDD working and then stop once it is waiting at an headless desktop. Pressing volume up/down on the keyboard should give you some audible feedback at this point. Or try holding F12 to eject/close the DVD tray. This should give you an indication that the system is running and should just need a new graphics card.

The keyboard won’t do anything but I do hear the hard drive and the cd dive opens if I opens the door and manually press the button

 

[pl1984]

There were a bunch on Ebay a while back for affordable prices-I bought a couple at the time.

That's where I got mine.
[doublepost=1532649160][/doublepost]

Alright so I think the motherboard died. When I used to turn it on it would make the chime and then my keyboard and mince would have power, then my screen would turn on and be stuck at the previously mentioned apple logo screen. Now when I press the power button the chime plays, then nothing no power to keyboard/mouse, no screen. All that happens is the fans eventually rev up to make the thing a jet and the power led is lit up. So I guess I have to buy a new motherboard? Or should I just gut it for the project it will eventually become?

Why would you buy a new motherboard when you're just going to gut it?

 

[fusionflare]

[doublepost=1532649160][/doublepost]
Why would you buy a new motherboard when you're just going to gut it?[/QUOTE]
I was going to make sure it works so I could sell the working parts so I could have some money for the project (I have no idea what happened to that quote)

 

[pl1984]

I was going to make sure it works so I could sell the working parts so I could have some money for the project (I have no idea what happened to that quote)

I read that in your OP and that's reasonable for the existing parts. However I don't think it makes sense to spend money to repair this system if you're just going to part it out. Perhaps I'm not seeing the financial benefit as I've never parted one out so perhaps I don't know the value of the parts.

 

[fusionflare]

I read that in your OP and that's reasonable for the existing parts. However I don't think it makes sense to spend money to repair this system if you're just going to part it out. Perhaps I'm not seeing the financial benefit as I've never parted one out so perhaps I don't know the value of the parts.

I don’t know the value either it was just what ever money I made I would spend on the project but I already gutted it out I’m just working on the top shelf

 

[pl1984]

I don’t know the value either it was just what ever money I made I would spend on the project but I already gutted it out I’m just working on the top shelf

You can still sell off the individual components just disclose that they're untested and being sold as-is.