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powerbook g4, won't work

M

MYMACISHURTIN

macrumors newbie
Original poster
i can hear it starting up and clicking around in the inside of the computer but it won't start. it's in pretty good condition and it's used for work. i need this laptop, what could have happened?
could it have been when someone used the laptop they were under a blanket and put the laptop on their knees with the blanket and their P-J's covering it? thats what someone was doing with it and it was working.
i tried switching the brightness on the screen.

thanks for the help :apple: :apple:
 
MYMACISHURTIN said:
and put the laptop on their knees with the blanket and their P-J's covering it?
Click to expand...

Your notebook was inside their pants? I'm confused.

Be more specific, please (and try to use proper grammar). When you say it does not start, what exactly does happen? Does the screen light up at all? Do you see the grey screen with the Apple logo? Do you hear the startup chime (sounds like a loud "bong" sound)? Does it get farther than this?

If it doesn't even get to the grey screen, try holding down cmd-opt-p-r during reboot and see if that helps.
 
mkrishnan said:
Your notebook was inside their pants? I'm confused.

Be more specific, please (and try to use proper grammar). When you say it does not start, what exactly does happen? Does the screen light up at all? Do you see the grey screen with the Apple logo? Do you hear the startup chime (sounds like a loud "bong" sound)? Does it get farther than this?

If it doesn't even get to the grey screen, try holding down cmd-opt-p-r during reboot and see if that helps.
Click to expand...

=]

No, it wasn't in their pants; Haha.
When I press the button to start it i hear the noises as if it were starting, the screen doesn't light up at all, no chime.
Well, i would press cmd-opt-p-r but I don't know what those are. Explain please?
 
MYMACISHURTIN said:
=]

No, it wasn't in their pants; Haha.
When I press the button to start it i hear the noises as if it were starting, the screen doesn't light up at all, no chime.
Well, i would press cmd-opt-p-r but I don't know what those are. Explain please?
Click to expand...

Start up the computer holding down command-option-p-r until you hear the chime twice.
 
MYMACISHURTIN said:
Is the command button by any chance the key with the :apple: on it?

Are p and r just the P and R keys?
Click to expand...

Yes, Command is the one with the apple on it, Option is the one to the left of it (that probably says Option), and P and R are the letters of the Roman alphabet that are on your keyboard. 😉

Press the power button, immediately press and hold Command and Option first, then hold P and R -- hold all four buttons (Cmd, Opt, P, R) down until you hear the startup chime twice, if you hear it (it takes several seconds).
 
I just held down opt-p-r and the power button (Not sure if that's what I was told to do..) and the computer started and I heard the fans blowing and everything, didn't start the screen but I heard a long BEEEEPPP and then the loud fans stopped.
 
MYMACISHURTIN said:
I just held down opt-p-r and the power button (Not sure if that's what I was told to do..) and the computer started and I heard the fans blowing and everything, didn't start the screen but I heard a long BEEEEPPP and then the loud fans stopped.
Click to expand...

Why didn't you do what we told you to do?
 
mkrishnan said:
Yes, Command is the one with the apple on it, Option is the one to the left of it (that probably says Option), and P and R are the letters of the Roman alphabet that are on your keyboard. 😉

Press the power button, immediately press and hold Command and Option first, then hold P and R -- hold all four buttons (Cmd, Opt, P, R) down until you hear the startup chime twice, if you hear it (it takes several seconds).
Click to expand...

Just did what you told me except holding all of them before it started, the screen flashed for a sec and the light turned on where you press the button to open the laptop. I then heard a beep.
 
You're making my brain hurt, but I'll try for a couple more minutes. What happened *AFTER* that? You didn't let go of the buttons, did you? Did it continue to boot, or did you have to shut it off by holding down the power button?

If the latter, the next two options:

1) Find the system install / restore DVD or CD #1, put it in the drive, press the power button, and hold the "C" key to boot off the disk.

2) Press the power button to turn it on and then press and hold option-S. You should boot to a text prompt. At the top, it will tell you that you can use this command to fix the drive:

/sbin/fsck -fy

You type that in exactly like that (It'll be on the screen for you to see) and then press enter. Post back what the final result is. If it says that it's successful, try typing in:

shutdown -r now
 
mkrishnan said:
You're making my brain hurt, but I'll try for a couple more minutes. What happened *AFTER* that? You didn't let go of the buttons, did you? Did it continue to boot, or did you have to shut it off by holding down the power button?

If the latter, the next two options:

1) Find the system install / restore DVD or CD #1, put it in the drive, press the power button, and hold the "C" key to boot off the disk.

2) Press the power button to turn it on and then press and hold option-S. You should boot to a text prompt. At the top, it will tell you that you can use this command to fix the drive:

/sbin/fsck -fy

You type that in exactly like that (It'll be on the screen for you to see) and then press enter. Post back what the final result is. If it says that it's successful, try typing in:

shutdown -r now
Click to expand...
Nothing happened after the beep, all the fans stopped and it was just like before.

I don't have the system install or restore dvd, this is a college loaner but i'll try opt-s.

Be right back.
 
If you never got to the text prompt, and if the screen never even lights up, it might be something more serious... Sorry....
 
MYMACISHURTIN said:
Nothing happened. I need help!
Click to expand...

Opt-c tells it to boot from the disc, rather than the HD. So, if you don't have a system disc, obviously that won't help.

I think your only option at this point is to try booting from the install disc.

It sounds to me like a major hardware error, if you can't even boot into single-user mode. (That's what the opt-s was for.)
 
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I tried opt-s when turning it on and it worked!!
Thanks so much!

I hopefully won't be back! (Or won't need to be! =] )
 
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