new 15" powerbook DOA

[QCassidy352]

The first time I turned it on, it started to boot and then I got a message saying "Please restart the computer." Worrisome...

Ok, so I do that, and now it gets to the "Starting Mac OS X" page, and the blue bar gets to the end, but won't go any further. I put in the install DVD and restart again, holding down "c."

Gets to the installation page, and an error comes up saying that installation cannot be peformed.

Ok, one last idea - I start the powerbook holding the "t" key so that it starts as a firewire hard drive on my ibook. This actually works: the powerbook HD mounts on the ibook desktop. I run disk utility on the powerbook HD and get this:

Keys out of order
Rebuilding Catalog B-tree.
The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit


1 HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
Repair attempted on 1 volume
1 volume could not be repaired

I eject the powerbook, power it down, package it back up, and print out the return shipping label. :Sigh:

 

[PDE]

The first time I turned it on, it started to boot and then I got a message saying "Please restart the computer." Worrisome...

Ok, so I do that, and now it gets to the "Starting Mac OS X" page, and the blue bar gets to the end, but won't go any further. I put in the install DVD and restart again, holding down "c."

Gets to the installation page, and an error comes up saying that installation cannot be peformed.

Ok, one last idea - I start the powerbook holding the "t" key so that it starts as a firewire hard drive on my ibook. This actually works: the powerbook HD mounts on the ibook desktop. I run disk utility on the powerbook HD and get this:

Keys out of order
Rebuilding Catalog B-tree.
The volume Macintosh HD could not be repaired.

Error: The underlying task reported failure on exit


1 HFS volume checked
1 volume could not be repaired because of an error
Repair attempted on 1 volume
1 volume could not be repaired

I eject the powerbook, power it down, package it back up, and print out the return shipping label. :Sigh:

See how easy it is to return things with amazon? Just kidding. Seriously, if you request a replacement they will ship it out the same day with overnight shipping. I usually call too just to make sure they do. So you'll have a new one on Monday.

I'm sorry to hear about your trouble. Above, it saddens me to see how many problems there are with Apple products these days, especially the powerbooks. I hope something changes because it's terrible feeling that the expensive computer you just bought is not reliable. One of the comforts of having a thinkpad this summer was knowing that most likely the hardware would not fail and that, if it did, IBM backs their products with three years warranty. I wish I felt that confident about my new powerbook! If it's still working in a few months, I'll probably start developing trust....it's like a relationship.

Anyway, keep sending them back until you get one that works. Once they work, they usually continue working.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[QCassidy352]

thanks. I actually just asked for a refund because 1. I'm going away for 10 days and wouldn't be here to take delivery of a new powerbook, and 2. Given the screen problems discussed at length, I'm questioning whether I should get a 15" at all.

 

[Daedalus256]

thanks. I actually just asked for a refund because 1. I'm going away for 10 days and wouldn't be here to take delivery of a new powerbook, and 2. Given the screen problems discussed at length, I'm questioning whether I should get a 15" at all.

You may want to look into getting a used 15" Pbook Aluminum. I've had zero problems with mine.