dreamshade

I've had a G4 Powerbook for a couple of years now, and it's mostly served me well, but the thing has suddenly near died on me. While playing World of Warcraft recently, the system was suffering sudden crashes. The screen would freeze, and as it froze, the display image would become corrupted, displaying a grid of miscolored square dots across the screen. This would force a full reboot of the system.

This had happened a few times and was chalked up to a bad driver error, when I was suddenly unable to boot at all. After going through much of the normal boot phase, the system began encountering a kernel panic just before loading the desktop, freezing at a blue screen. What's more, the grid of square dots is now permanently appearing on the screen.

I am still able to boot the computer in safe mode, as well as in target mode to look for errors, though booting in safe mode still retains the grid of dots. I reformatted the system and used disk utility to repair but received no errors back. I ran the hardware diagnostic in TechTools while in safe mode and was told that the VRAM was not passing the diagnostic (was returning an "error = 8").

If the VRAM has indeed burnt out or become corrupt, I've been told by a couple different sources that I may basically be looking at buying a new machine, since the graphics card is integrated into the motherboard, and I don't have a subscription with Applecare to help me. Is it going to be possible to repair the machine without spending a full amount on a new system? Would a local computer repair operation be able to help me, or am I going to have to track down an Apple Store and ship the thing away? Is there any other information that I should try and assemble or any other tests I should run before getting service that could aid with the process?

sinclair_tm

well, as for repair, the only thing you can do is send it back to apple. the vram is part of the motherboard on apple laptops, which is also the case on most makes of laptops. if the vram is bad, then it needs a new board, and for not much more, you can get a newer laptop. so the only fix for this is to replace the board, and apple is the only one that supplies replacement boards.

dreamshade

What if I bought another used powerbook, say like this one. How difficult would it be to "repair" the one I have by swapping in a different motherboard, since the case/display/etc. are all still in good order?

n8thegr8

I would say hit up ebay for a new logic board. that's what I'm doing with my ibook, picked a new one up for $130 with a 3 year warranty, lol. with buying broken laptops for parts, it really is a crapshoot, especially that one because it looks like he's having video issues too.

dreamshade

I'm not completely familiar with the different hardware definitions. Is the logic board where I can expect to find the graphics / VRAM embedded? I notice someone is selling a board here, though I'm not sure that my 1.5 Ghz processor will fit it.

n8thegr8

logic board=motherboard, same thing, apple just likes to try to be different so they call it something else. and that board you posted the link to is the dc-dc board (the part that connects the battery to the logic/motherboard). what you're looking for is somehting like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/POWERBOOK-G4-12-1-5GHZ-LOGIC-BOARD-MOTHERBOARD_W0QQitemZ290098876022QQcategoryZ14909QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

dreamshade

So if I could get my hands on a fresh lobo, how terribly difficult would it be to do the surgery myself, or am I going to have to expect to find someone with a bit more field experience to do the task? Am I going to need to get something with its own processor, or am I going to be able to swap in some of the embedded parts on my current board?

Looking at this used laptop auction, do you think that display issue is more a problem with the display itself rather than the graphics processing, that I might be able to still use the logic board in there well enough if I pulled it apart?

n8thegr8

if all the laptops are like my lobo on my ibook, then the cpu is part of the mobo (which I assume is true for you as well, since they're selling it as a "1.5ghz logic board"). if you can use a screwdriver and keep track of all the small screws, you could do the install relatively easily. as far as that dead lappy, I dunno man, like I said, it's a crapshoot. there's a chance that the backlight of the lcd could be trashed, but there's also the chance that the lobo could be screwed as well.

dreamshade

Hmm, well, it's probably worth the shot. If I get that laptop and it doesn't work the way I want, I'll just end up reselling the thing and being out $50 for the trouble. Thanks for a lot for the input. I'll see how things go.

sinclair_tm

i personally wouldn't get that laptop because it has major issues as well, and the dc board may not be seperat from the mobo in your powerbook. and the ones you keep linking to are 12in powerbooks, is that what yours is? remember that the only "swapable" parts in apple laptops are hard drives, ram, and sometimes cd/dvd drives. if you do it yourself, be really carful, as there are lots of tiny wires, and they must be put back in the same way, path, and location you found them, or else you can kill the powerbook.

dreamshade

It is a 12" Powerbook, yes. So I might ask again, then, what are the chances of finding a "professional" who would be willing to accept the fee to switch things around if I were able to find the parts that I need?

sinclair_tm

the only true "professionals" in this case are trained apple techs, so they are to be found at apple service centers.