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Author Topic: Problem with ibook G4  (Read 1561 times)

Offline Larry

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Problem with ibook G4
« on: September 13, 2011, 11:33:43 AM »
I sent one of my old laptops to my VA in the Philippines, and it worked well for the first 4 months, and then it developed a problem - the question is - is it worth repairing it?

ibook G4 turns on and then the Apple shows and then the screen turns blue - the mouse can be seen on the screen and that's all.

Such a long time since I had those problems myself - I guess it sounds like a disc problem doesn't it?

What should I advise her to do?  

I will have to bankroll her on this one - so please any comments......
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Problem with ibook G4
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2011, 12:35:32 PM »
Well, it doesn't sound good. sad.gif And the traveling distance makes it difficult to visit, right!I don't suppose you had Applejack installed on it... Still, she might try starting up with the shift key held down immediately after she hears the startup tone. That will help determine if it's the drive or the OS. If it startup, the drive is ok. If not, there is probably some corruption in a Start Up item or a non-Apple file.

Another thing to try would be a reset of the Power Management Unit/System MU.
    1. Quit all applications and shut down the MacBook (sounds like that's already taken care of doh.gif
    2. Unplug the power adapter
    3. Remove the MacBook battery
    4. Press and hold the power button for at least five seconds and release
    5. Reinstall the battery, with the MacBook still powered down
    6. Plug in the power adapter and restart

Even if you end up getting a new machine, I'd recommend buying a power conditioning device between the Mac and the wall outlet. I'm talking about an uninterruptible power supply, basically a battery powered inverter that kicks in when the AC spikes or sinks below critical values. That would probably add ~100-150 to the cost and much more if you had to ship it! If she's near Manilla, she can hopefully find a store carrying those. When I was in the Philippines some 40+ years ago, the power was not especially 'clean' or stable. Hopefully things have improved.
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Offline Larry

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Problem with ibook G4
« Reply #2 on: September 15, 2011, 02:44:22 PM »
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Sep 13 2011, 06:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Well, it doesn't sound good. sad.gif And the traveling distance makes it difficult to visit, right!I don't suppose you had Applejack installed on it... Still, she might try starting up with the shift key held down immediately after she hears the startup tone. That will help determine if it's the drive or the OS. If it startup, the drive is ok. If not, there is probably some corruption in a Start Up item or a non-Apple file.


Thanks for that advice Airbus - she was able to start the laptop in safe boot.

Then of course she complained that she could not connect to wifi and detect the internet.

So I told her to do it in normal, snd she got the blank screen again.

How would you advise her to proceed? What might the problem be?
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Offline Xairbusdriver

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Problem with ibook G4
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2011, 03:26:59 PM »
QUOTE
she was able to start the laptop in safe boot
That's good news, indeed! clap.gif

There is also the possibility that some peripheral may be causing this problem. Until she gets done with this trouble-shooting, have her disconnect everything (printer, mouse, external drives, etc.) from the MacBook, even the Internet connection. Now see how a normal start up behaves. Let's wait on further steps until we see how that goes. One small step at a time, one giant leap between continents! smile.gif
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Offline krissel

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Problem with ibook G4
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2011, 08:53:13 PM »
A blue screen can mean a problem with startup items.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?pa.../en/mh2235.html

If it is a grey screen, other things come in to play.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1564

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570


If none of that helps she could try starting up in Verbose mode and report what it says when it hangs.  Command + v
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