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PM G5 won't boot completely.

P

pgrif

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2012
198
0
Eugene, OR
My PM G5 DP 2.7 ghz has started booting only partway, it stops completely after the chime with no picture on the screen.
It used to start pretty regularly.
Any ideas?
 
pgrif said:
My PM G5 DP 2.7 ghz has started booting only partway, it stops completely after the chime with no picture on the screen.
It used to start pretty regularly.
Any ideas?
Click to expand...

The first thing that comes to mind with any 2.5 or 2.7Ghz DP PowerMac G5 is the liquid-cooling system. Check the LCS to make sure there aren't any leaks. It doesn't HAVE to be a hardware error though; it would also be a software error. Try booting from a MacOSX installation disc if you can. I'd check your HD in Disk Utility via the installer to see if anything is up. If you don't care about the data on the machine, you could also try a re-installation. (or archive installation to save the contents in a folder). Are there any lights that appear on the motherboard?

Main things to check: LCS; HDD (by way of install disc); maybe RAM. Issues can vary with RAM problems, but it wouldn't hurt to reseat them or something.
 
PowerMac G4 MDD said:
The first thing that comes to mind with any 2.5 or 2.7Ghz DP PowerMac G5 is the liquid-cooling system. Check the LCS to make sure there aren't any leaks. It doesn't HAVE to be a hardware error though; it would also be a software error. Try booting from a MacOSX installation disc if you can. I'd check your HD in Disk Utility via the installer to see if anything is up. If you don't care about the data on the machine, you could also try a re-installation. (or archive installation to save the contents in a folder). Are there any lights that appear on the motherboard?

Main things to check: LCS; HDD (by way of install disc); maybe RAM. Issues can vary with RAM problems, but it wouldn't hurt to reseat them or something.
Click to expand...

I tested the HDD in another PM G5 and it is bootable. I also have a Firewire boot disk attached. No lights on the MB. I don't see any leaks in the LCS. RAM configuration was working last week: have reseated them. Won't boot from Leopard disk.
 
pgrif said:
I tested the HDD in another PM G5 and it is bootable. I also have a Firewire boot disk attached. No lights on the MB. I don't see any leaks in the LCS. RAM configuration was working last week: have reseated them. Won't boot from Leopard disk.
Click to expand...

Did you pull the heatsink cover off when investigating the LCS? If not, an unpleasant surprise maybe awaiting under that cover.
 
pgrif said:
I tested the HDD in another PM G5 and it is bootable. I also have a Firewire boot disk attached. No lights on the MB. I don't see any leaks in the LCS. RAM configuration was working last week: have reseated them. Won't boot from Leopard disk.
Click to expand...

Odd... maybe you ought to try an Apple ASD test to see what's acting up. Find someone who has the correct .dmg file for your PowerMac, and kindly ask if they can send it to you. (it's difficult to find online). I could be wrong, but the only other thing that could be messed up is your logic board. But a test will point out the issues.

In case you don't know, ASD is the Apple Service Diagnostic program, which you burn onto a disc and boot off of. You can initiate tests/troubleshoot components, and also perform a thermal calibration.
 
Altemose said:
Did you pull the heatsink cover off when investigating the LCS? If not, an unpleasant surprise maybe awaiting under that cover.
Click to expand...

No, I didn't. I didn't know how to get it off. Now I've gotten it off and all appears good. can i run it without the cover?
 
Last edited:
Asd

PowerMac G4 MDD said:
Odd... maybe you ought to try an Apple ASD test to see what's acting up. Find someone who has the correct .dmg file for your PowerMac, and kindly ask if they can send it to you. (it's difficult to find online). I could be wrong, but the only other thing that could be messed up is your logic board. But a test will point out the issues.

In case you don't know, ASD is the Apple Service Diagnostic program, which you burn onto a disc and boot off of. You can initiate tests/troubleshoot components, and also perform a thermal calibration.
Click to expand...

I have a known, working ASD disk in the drive and it refuses to boot. It worked a week ago and everything passed.
Thanks for all the help but I think it's a logic board failure.
 
If it is chiming then the logic board is not completely dead and there should hopefully be some diagnostic led lit inside. That might help identify the problem.
 
logic board

weckart said:
If it is chiming then the logic board is not completely dead and there should hopefully be some diagnostic led lit inside. That might help identify the problem.
Click to expand...

Can't see any lights on on the MB. i'm beginning to think that the video board might be bad. It's an ATI Radeon 9650. could I substitute a 9600 XT for it?
Latest report! Took out the 9650 video card and replaced it with a GeForce MX from a G4 and it works.
Thanx for all of the help.
 
Last edited:
pgrif said:
Can't see any lights on on the MB. i'm beginning to think that the video board might be bad. It's an ATI Radeon 9650. could I substitute a 9600 XT for it?
Latest report! Took out the 9650 video card and replaced it with a GeForce MX from a G4 and it works.
Thanx for all of the help.
Click to expand...

I have a 9600 Pro in my G5 and it's pretty nice. But yeah, that card should do fine for most things.
 
next problem

Now that I've gotten the G5 to boot, I have another problem. The computer needs a fifteen minute "rest" between reboots. Weird, huh. This is why I was given the machine. Any ideas?
 
overheating?

weckart said:
Sounds like an overheating issue. Try monitoring temps.
Click to expand...

When I run ASD it finds all of the temps to be normal. Once I get it started, it'll run all day, but when I shut it down, it needs fifteen minutes to recuperate from whatever it's problem is.
 
pgrif said:
When I run ASD it finds all of the temps to be normal. Once I get it started, it'll run all day, but when I shut it down, it needs fifteen minutes to recuperate from whatever it's problem is.
Click to expand...


Try a PMU and PRAM reset. I would think it maybe a capacitor issue.
 
reset button

Now that I've found the reset button and reset the PMU, I still have the fifteen minute between restarts thing going on. Guess if I never shut it off, it won't matter.
Thanks again for all of the help, but if anyone would like to continue trying to solve this puzzle, I'd be happy for the help.
i've put this computer in service and I's fine as long as I keep it running. If it shuts off then I'll have to wait fifteen minutes before I am able to restart it and it refuses to start from a CD, I have a known working ASD
disk.
 
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