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PowerMac G5 Won't Boot At All!

D

davidanderson1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi,

I have a G5 Dual 1.8 GHz that won't boot at all. When I turn it on, the startup chime sounds, the Apple logo shows on the gray screen for a while, then the computer goes to the localhost prompt. I tried first to boot in into Target Disk Mode to copy off some files that I need, but it wouldn't boot into it (on a side note, could that be because I'm using a generic keyboard)? Anyway, I can't boot into Target Disk Mode, and then I tried to boot off the install DVD but that didn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks very much.
 
Normally I'd think this was a RAM issue and tell you to take out all but the Apple-installed chips however the fact that it can't work with Target Disk Mode is worrying. Any USB or Bluetooth keyboard should work, that shouldn't be an issue.

I suppose you could try fsck. 🙂
 
Target Disk Mode has nothing to do with the Mac OS, its handled with the Firmware, try resetting the NVRAM:
1) Turn on the computer
2) Hold down the Apple-Option-O-F keys
4) type "reset-nvram" and hit return
5) Enter in your Open Firmware password if you have one
6) Type "reset-all" and hit return
7) Hold down the T key

Now it should be in Target Disk Mode

From the sounds of it Mac OS X is going into Single User Mode, it could be the OS is damaged, so I'd just reinstall it.
 
Does it make any sort of noise at all when you press the power button? If not, you might have a dead power supply or cable.
 
Thanks for your help so far. Thanks to awulf, I got the thing into Target Disk Mode and was able to copy off my applications. Unfortunately, I have FileVault, so I couldn't get to the latest versions of my real files.

I booted off the install DVD and ran Disk Utility to see if it could repair my machine. Unfortunately, it couldn't. All it did was show the error message: Invalid Leaf Record Count, it should be 30 instead of 440. So, I'm at a standstill. Are there any other utilities or tricks I could use to possibly get the machine back to normal, or should I resign myself to a clean install and the loss of my data?

Secondly, if I do have to reinstall, how can I save my Filevault data? Would it work to install the OS on a new hard drive and somehow import the files with the setup assistant? Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Be that as it may, I really need my data. If I boot off the install disk and try to reinstall, will it be able to recover my FileVault data? As far as I can tell from browsing the rest of the disk in Target Disk Mode, the data seems to be OK, and it's the operating system that's messed up.
 
Yes, that's what I meant. I'm a little worried about this, though. Can anyone confirm that this will work with Filevault?
 
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