Maladroid

iMac G3, 400 slot loader Graphite, OS 10.3.9

My iMac started getting fussy and started booting up in 1969. I replaced the 3.6v battery inside and now it won't boot at all.

The power light pulsates for approx. 30 seconds, then it shuts back down.

I have:

• Powered up holding the T key down
• Powered up with a Leopard restore disk holding the C key
• Powered up with Leopard disc while holding the Command and C keys
• Attempted a Firewire connect from my G4 iBook

Every attempt is met with the pulsating power light and then a quiet death.


I know my iMac is 10 years old, but as a writer, I find it relaxing to type away on projects using the well-worn keyboard and it also has a lot of old photos and expensive software like Final Draft, In Design and Quark Xpress.

I really love the ol' girl.
Please help?

sinclair_tm

Well, it's failing a self test on powerup. The fact that the light does pulse means it is trying to tell us what is wrong, but I don't know those codes. Does it make any startup chime, or is it mute as well?

doh123

more than likely reseting the motherboard would fix that (unless the motherboard has a faulty part), but being an iMac, its extremely hard to pull it apart enough to get to the little reset button on the motherboard... you'll most likely have to take it in to a mac repair shop...

Maladroid

Nope, no chime at all.

sinclair_tm

No chime means it is not passing the 1st basic hardware self test, the CPU or motherboard. In this case, being you have replaced the battery already, the only other thing to do is push the cuda switch. I do not know where it is on that. Look on th motherboard and see if you can find something like this:
. The button comes in red, black, or gray. With the battery out and the iMac unplugged, push and hold for 5 sec, and then replace the battery and plug it in and give it a try.

sinclair_tm

No chime means it is not passing the 1st basic hardware self test, the CPU or motherboard. In this case, being you have replaced the battery already, the only other thing to do is push the cuda switch. I do not know where it is on that. Look on the motherboard and see if you can find something like this:

The button comes in red, black, or gray. With the battery out and the iMac unplugged, push and hold for 5 sec, and then replace the battery and plug it in and give it a try.

Maladroid

Thanks, Sinclair_tm!
I'll give it a try today.

:)