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powerbook crashed... end of the world :P

vollspacken

vollspacken

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 17, 2002
1,130
0
Boogie-Down Berlintown
I'm in big big trouble now!!!

yesterday, my beloved 15" PB 1Ghz crashed and now NOTHING works.

- the event itself: "mail crashed - sytem or other programms were not affected" (something like that...), than the whole thing froze

- the computer won't start up, it doesn't even show the grey apple... screen stays lightgrey, flashes sometimes and after a couple of minutes says that no system can be found (flashing icon)

- when I run the disk utility off the install dvd, everything crashes again...

- the diagnostics cd runs more or less fine... the program says that everything is fine, no hardware failures

- if I start the PB in target mode and plug it into another mac (tried G4 400 and eMac 700), the system of that mac freezes (both run os9)

- I have an external firewire disk, but the installer doesn't recognize any HDs

... what else could I do before I sent the harddisk to drivesafers and spend a sh**load of meney do get my data recovered? does anyone of you have any suggestions? I would like to get hold of the data first, before I send the PB in for repair/warranty...

somebody please help me...

vSpacken
 
Have you reset the PRAM, and/or tried booting into single user mode and run a fsck -y?? If not, try those. Also, make sure it's plugged in, you have suffient power to the system and that's all good.

If those don't yield any results, then when you call DriveSavers (1-800-449-1904) give them this code: DS12260. With that, if there is no recovery, you will NOT be charged anything for the attempt (with the exception of possible return shipping charges for the drive). If they are able to recover your data, then you will get 10% taken off the recovery charge. While that might not seem like a lot of money, the no recovery/no charge can be a god send. Also the 10% could add up to a decent amount (over a hundred dollars most likely).

If they tell you the drive is NFG, get Apple to send a replacement to you. You might need to ship the entire laptop back to them to get the replacement drive. An alternative to that, is to purchase a replacement drive and send the bad one to Apple for replacement.

I'd try to get the replacement from Apple first if I was you. Especially since it should still be under warranty.

A
 
Do this!

Reset the PRam by holding down apple+option+p+r and let it dong about six times when trying to start up. Do this from a cold boot.

Try reseting the power managment. you have to unplug your computer from the wall, pull the battery up, then pop the keyboard open and there is a tiny button in the very top right with a whole that your index finger can go through. Hold that button down for 10 seconds. Let go close the keyboard, put the battery back in, plug the computer in and then try starting up.

Try holding down apple+s when you first start the computer. If a whole bunch of funky stuff shows up, wait until it is done, then type "fsck -y" and hit enter. Keep doing this until it says that you hd appears to be okay.

If you computer is freezing on start up and is freezing when booted from a CD, it sounds like it could be a hardware issue.
 
pray for it! my friend spilt a can of beer over his TiBook (a whole can). It sparked and turned itself off. he mopped as much as he could off, tried to turn it on - nothing. tried again - nothing. Then he prayed for it. Turned it on and everything was fine!

Seriously - God is powerful ;)
 
jermsmingy, I'm fairly certain that Apple did away with the PMU reset button on the latest generation of PowerBooks. That includes the current 15" models as well as the newer 12" and 17" models.

As for praying, I had a user at my previous job have water spill into her PowerBook G3 (Pismo). I removed the battery, optical drive, keyboard, hard drive and processor. Turned it so that it was on it's side, lid open, so that all the remaining water would drain out of it (I had blown as much out with canned air first). The following day, I returned to the office (I had provided her with a loaner system for the interim) put the computer back together, and it booted up normally. No problems were encountered after the drying period, and last I heard, it was still functioning properly.

No praying ever came into the equation, just good old intelligent thinking. :p
 

Have you reset the PRAM, and/or tried booting into single user mode and run a fsck -y?? If not, try those. Also, make sure it's plugged in, you have suffient power to the system and that's all good.
Click to expand...
Hm, it s said so often to use that fsck -y command, but i don t know how to use it. ( it s to boot up single user mode right ? )
-> i have not yet switched, but it will come soon, thats why i d like to know.
 
Originally posted by maradong
Hmm, it's often said to use the "fsck -y" command, but i don't know how. i have not yet switched, but will be soon; that's why i'd like to know.
Click to expand...

Hold Down Apple-S upon start-up. A screen with code will appear; at the prompt, type "fsck -y." Once you see "Disc Appears to be OK," type "reboot."
 
Originally posted by mrjamin
well, from knackered to working in 15mins is pretty impressive if you ask me!
Click to expand...

Maybe God used those 15 minutes to dry the remaining liquid. It's a miracle! :D
 
Originally posted by Flowbee
Maybe God used those 15 minutes to dry the remaining liquid. It's a miracle! :D
Click to expand...

Or maybe the brew was of a high enough alcohol level to evaporate in those 15 minutes. What must have remained after they drainded out most of it at least. Considering how the PB was probably at least moderatly warm when this happened.

Oh, and how did he "spill" an entire beer into the PB?? Did he think it was hot and thirsty or something??? Or did he already have several inside of him and "slipped" and got some into the PB?? Computers and liquids don't mix, at least not unless you have the liquid contained and inside of a cooling system.
 
Originally posted by AlphaTech
If those don't yield any results, then when you call DriveSavers (1-800-449-1904) give them this code: DS12260.
Click to expand...


what a nice gesture. thats very cool alpha.
 
As for praying, I had a user at my previous job have water spill into her PowerBook G

Apple used to actually recommend that you rinse your powerbook under water to wash off beer, pop, or anything else sticky. You just had to make sure it dried out before rebooting.
 
if i remember right drivesavers cost a s*** load of money. save the trouble and take it to a reseller, they will figure out what is wrong, fix it, and see if your data is recovereable.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
if i remember right drivesavers cost a s*** load of money. save the trouble and take it to a reseller, they will figure out what is wrong, fix it, and see if your data is recovereable.

iJon
Click to expand...

Bubba, the number I provided gives the person the no recovery/no charge feature.

DriveSavers is the ONLY data recovery company that is Apple AUTHORIZED. Any reseller that tells you that they are going to do it is feeding you a line. They will send it out to DS for recovery and tack an additional charge onto the recovery cost.

You CAN tell DS to call BEFORE the actual recover so that you can see if the data is worth the expense to you. Again, with the number I listed, you don't get charged if they don't do a recovery. :p
 
Originally posted by AlphaTech
Bubba, the number I provided gives the person the no recovery/no charge feature.

DriveSavers is the ONLY data recovery company that is Apple AUTHORIZED. Any reseller that tells you that they are going to do it is feeding you a line. They will send it out to DS for recovery and tack an additional charge onto the recovery cost.

You CAN tell DS to call BEFORE the actual recover so that you can see if the data is worth the expense to you. Again, with the number I listed, you don't get charged if they don't do a recovery. :p
Click to expand...
sorry, i wasnt trying to put you down. i was saying take it to a reseller assuming the fact he wasnt sure if it was the hard drive or not. if he knows the hd is bad then there is no point messing with it.

iJon
 
o.k., here's an update on what I did...

- first I tried the solutions you guys recommended (single-user-mode, fsck, resetting pram,etc...), but nothing worked:(

- then I got another idea... I took the harddrive out of my external HD and x-changed it with the one from the PB... carefully-carefully... :eek:

- this is what happened: the PB runs fine now but the little light on the ext. HD changed from green to red (badbadbad sign...); if I plug it into another mac, running os9.2, the mac freezes... if I plug it into the PB and run disk utility from the install DVD, no HD is recognized...

conclusion: the HD is broken and I hope I did not mess the thing up even worse with my attempts to save my a**. I will call drivesavers now, thank God I have saved some money and always paid my credit card bills:( :( :(

thank you guys for your help...

oh, BTW, I've just found two printed copies of the senior paper I'm working on... thank God (even though I'm an atheist ;) )
 
Spilling beer

Originally posted by AlphaTech


Oh, and how did he "spill" an entire beer into the PB?? Did he think it was hot and thirsty or something??? Or did he already have several inside of him and "slipped" and got some into the PB?? Computers and liquids don't mix, at least not unless you have the liquid contained and inside of a cooling system.
Click to expand...


I also have managed to spill beer on my iBook, although not an entire can.
It's really easy:
*make sure you're tired
*make sure you're really thursty
*make sure you have non-refrigerated beer (thus explaining the "really thirsty")
*be dumb and open the can right above the keyboard of iBook.
*Briefly panic
*Regain control and turn computer off...
*Clean keyboard
*Feel very dumb
 
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