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DizziPixxi
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:18 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:39 am Posts: 58 Location: Little Britain
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Right guys & gals, I just want to pick your brains although I probably know the answer. My beloved iMac PPC G5 starts up fine but soon after it freezes, the cursor turns into the beachball of doom and there's nothing to but to turn it off. I've tried using Disk Utility, no joy, I've tried using the Install disks, no joy, I get so far in either processes but then the ball comes back. I've run a hardware test and all looks fine! It all trying to work, but fails after a few minutes. Over to you guys
_________________ Delapsus Resurgam
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Ramaprem
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:18 pm |
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Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:38 pm Posts: 5152
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If you have it, run DiskWarrior.
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MacBiter
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 8:58 pm |
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Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:25 pm Posts: 2992
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The hardware test won't necessarily show up failing capacitors on the motherboard, which could be one of the possible problems you have, from the symptoms.
_________________ "If it ain't broke, we can fix it" (© Tim Cook, Jonny Ive)
Core i7 2011 21.5" iMac 12,1 2.8 GHz 16GB RAM OS X 10.9.5 1TB SSD & 128GB SSD
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DizziPixxi
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:21 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:39 am Posts: 58 Location: Little Britain
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_________________ Delapsus Resurgam
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DizziPixxi
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:27 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:39 am Posts: 58 Location: Little Britain
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_________________ Delapsus Resurgam
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MacBiter
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:02 pm |
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Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:25 pm Posts: 2992
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_________________ "If it ain't broke, we can fix it" (© Tim Cook, Jonny Ive)
Core i7 2011 21.5" iMac 12,1 2.8 GHz 16GB RAM OS X 10.9.5 1TB SSD & 128GB SSD
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Leewave
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:41 pm |
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Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:27 pm Posts: 6173
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Have you got a system on an external disk that you could boot into? Then you could run it off that for a bit and see if you have the same problems. What system are you running on it, SL?
If you end up wanting to erase the hard drive you can boot into an external disk and then use Disk Utility to erase it with write zeros - which takes a while. Or just emptying it - and filling it with junk, say movies etc. - before emptying it again, works just as well in practice. Because once you have overwritten everything with something else, what was there before is now impossible to get at.
Or if you just have a few documents and things that you want to securely delete - and the rest of the system you don't mind leaving but normally trashed, then you can just put those sensitive items in the Trash first and then use Secure Empty Trash. That would be quicker than erasing the whole hard drive securely. Then just erase the disk normally. All the sensitive items have been securely erased but the main disk is normally erased.
Last edited by Leewave on Sat Jul 29, 2017 12:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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BDAqua
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 12:07 am |
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Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:23 pm Posts: 1738
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Sounds like overheating, can you access the logs?
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DizziPixxi
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:17 am |
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Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:39 am Posts: 58 Location: Little Britain
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Morning All, Just tried to start it up after a nights rest and now it won't even boot from the install disk, just blue screen! Don't have any external HD. So I think I'll try and get it open and take out the HD. ( sounds as if I know what I'm doing ) Then it's off to the tip.
_________________ Delapsus Resurgam
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Defcom
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 8:08 am |
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Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:21 pm Posts: 2953 Location: Paddington, London
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Leewave
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:52 am |
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Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:27 pm Posts: 6173
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To save yourself opening it up -
Can you boot it into ? (T key on startup chime until you see the Firewire logo) Question two: have you got another Mac you could connect it to by FireWire cable ...
If "yes" to the above two questions you could erase the disk as mentioned.
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MacBiter
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 4:50 pm |
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Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:25 pm Posts: 2992
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_________________ "If it ain't broke, we can fix it" (© Tim Cook, Jonny Ive)
Core i7 2011 21.5" iMac 12,1 2.8 GHz 16GB RAM OS X 10.9.5 1TB SSD & 128GB SSD
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Leewave
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 8:05 pm |
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Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:27 pm Posts: 6173
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Before you actually throw your computer away you might like to verify that it really does have a logic board problem. You said that the hardware test came up okay. There are too many things to talk about what might have gone wrong, but they could include obscure things like a broken EFI partition. If you're willing to give up on it - then throw it out, but it might be salvageable by the right person. It seems a shame to throw out such an amount of good technology because one single thing has failed. The cost of fixing it might exceed what you want to pay, but it might only need a cheap fix. Equally it might need an expensive fix, but until you know what the problem is …
There are a variety of diagnostic steps to take to discount certain possibilities, but choosing the right tests to make should enable you rule out large areas of investigation very quickly. If you could boot from an external system, that should rule out a logic board problem. If you had a bootable installer on a memory stick or DVD, that could help. Yes, you said you tried the installer DVD. Can you get it to enter Target Disk Mode? Maybe you could take it into a good Mac repair shop who knows what they are doing.
Hmmm... Mactracker says your computer probably has a value of about £29.74 That doesn't give you much scope for repair bills then does it? Maybe it's that time then - when all good old computers must be laid to rest.
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DizziPixxi
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:57 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:39 am Posts: 58 Location: Little Britain
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Leewave : thanks for all your suggestions, I've been out all day, so thought on my return out of cussedness I'd start it up without anything being pressed and no Install disk being used. Started & loaded up the desktop just fine. It really is trying it's best (bless). When it is asked to do something, that's the problem, that's when the beachball appears, and nothing short of pulling the plug rectifies it. So tomorrow is another day, I shall try once more with feeling !!. I have a Macbook, which I'm loathed to connect to Ol' faithful to, as they are two different beasts, ppc & intel. ( does it make a difference )? I really don't want to ditch it, but I am coming to the end of my tether.
_________________ Delapsus Resurgam
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Leewave
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 10:06 pm |
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Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:27 pm Posts: 6173
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You said "nothing short of pulling the plug…" But you should be able to shut it down by holding down the power button for five seconds. That's kinder to the computer than cutting the power. If that doesn't work, then there is something very seriously wrong with the fundamentals.
WHY are you reluctant to connect a MacBook to the iMac? In target disk mode it can help you. If not to fix it - at least you could erase the disk properly without having to open it up. PPC or Intel makes no difference to being able to connect one to the other, either through cables or through the network.
If you can get it to boot then update your Time Machine backup or make a clone (assuming you want to keep everything that's on there). You could also make a clone of it via the MacBook if you can connect to it in TDM.
You need a FireWire cable for TDM that fits both ends. Perseverance is a possibility, but there must come a breakeven point when you realise it's not worth the effort. However you may want to buy another Mac and that will be expensive, unless you choose a secondhand one. If so the 2012 models are pretty good value.
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