We had a power cut here for a couple of minutes this morning. Most of our machines are on UPS or surge suppressors, but sod's law dictated that this one PowerMac wasn't.
It doesn't boot. At all. The power light is on on the monitor (17" Cinema Display, TFT - the one with the power light and switch at bottom right). When I touch this, the light comes on brightly and then fades again to normal brightness. Pressing the power switch on the computer makes the light come on for a second and then off again. So power is clearly getting to the computer and there is some response to trying to start.
But there is no sound of anything happening in the computer - no fan, no disk startup, nothing.
Any thoughts, anyone?
macfizz.In article 1172662564.206119.39020@redacted.invalid, macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
Any thoughts, anyone?
Unplug frommains, leave for 30 mins, try again.
Probably won't work but always worth a try.
Jim
Jim jim@redacted.invalid wrote:
In article 1172662564.206119.39020@redacted.invalid, macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote: >
Any thoughts, anyone?
Unplug frommains, leave for 30 mins, try again.
Probably won't work but always worth a try.
Powercuts have a nasty habit of flattening PRAM batteries too. Otherwise it's probably the PSU.
On Feb 28, 12:01 pm, black.h...@redacted.invalid (Jon B) wrote:
Powercuts have a nasty habit of flattening PRAM batteries too. Otherwise it's probably the PSU.
I wondered about the PSU. But if that had gone, I should see the power light coming on on the box or the monitor, should I?
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 12:01 pm, black.h...@redacted.invalid (Jon B) wrote:
Powercuts have a nasty habit of flattening PRAM batteries too. Otherwise it's probably the PSU.
I wondered about the PSU. But if that had gone, I should see the power light coming on on the box or the monitor, should I?
The trickle feed might still be there to power the LED, which version PowerMac is it? Can check down the diagnostic charts, but chances are the next item on the list after PRAM & PSU is the logic board...
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
We had a power cut here for a couple of minutes this morning. Most of our machines are on UPS or surge suppressors, but sod's law dictated that this one PowerMac wasn't.
It doesn't boot. At all. The power light is on on the monitor (17" Cinema Display, TFT - the one with the power light and switch at bottom right). When I touch this, the light comes on brightly and then fades again to normal brightness. Pressing the power switch on the computer makes the light come on for a second and then off again. So power is clearly getting to the computer and there is some response to trying to start.
But there is no sound of anything happening in the computer - no fan, no disk startup, nothing.
Any thoughts, anyone?
Our G3 iMac, plugged into a surge board and switched off after the cut anyway died, dead motherboard and PSU. Anyone want the carcase btw?
I attempted to get the power company to cough up but no joy.
Peter
On Feb 28, 12:42 pm, black.h...@redacted.invalid (Jon B) wrote:
The trickle feed might still be there to power the LED, which version PowerMac is it? Can check down the diagnostic charts, but chances are the next item on the list after PRAM & PSU is the logic board...
It's a Power Mac G4 800MHz (Quicksilver 2002). If it's the PRAM what can I do? I tried zapping the PRAM (but you need to power up to do that...) and resetting the power manager (no obvious result). Can you replace PRAM batteries?
macfizz.macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 12:42 pm, black.h...@redacted.invalid (Jon B) wrote:
The trickle feed might still be there to power the LED, which version PowerMac is it? Can check down the diagnostic charts, but chances are the next item on the list after PRAM & PSU is the logic board...
It's a Power Mac G4 800MHz (Quicksilver 2002). If it's the PRAM what can I do? I tried zapping the PRAM (but you need to power up to do that...) and resetting the power manager (no obvious result). Can you replace PRAM batteries?
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3 tower that apparently died at work. I visited it in the electronics workshop, the guy had run out of ideas, I reached over and pressed the reset button and hey-presto! one living Mac.
Can't remember where it is on the quicksilvers, a visit to the apple tech pages should locate it.
Peter
Peter Ashby pashby@redacted.invalid wrote:
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 12:42 pm, black.h...@redacted.invalid (Jon B) wrote:
The trickle feed might still be there to power the LED, which version PowerMac is it? Can check down the diagnostic charts, but chances are the next item on the list after PRAM & PSU is the logic board...
It's a Power Mac G4 800MHz (Quicksilver 2002). If it's the PRAM what can I do? I tried zapping the PRAM (but you need to power up to do that...) and resetting the power manager (no obvious result). Can you replace PRAM batteries?
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3 tower that apparently died at work. I visited it in the electronics workshop, the guy had run out of ideas, I reached over and pressed the reset button and hey-presto! one living Mac.
Can't remember where it is on the quicksilvers, a visit to the apple tech pages should locate it.
I was just about to say just that. My old dual 1Ghz G4 Quicksilver would pretty much always do this every time I had a power cut, the button should be very near the PRAM battery which I think is a few inches from the top of the motherboard, towards the front.
On Feb 28, 6:29 pm, {$P...@redacted.invalid (Paul Womar) wrote:
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3
I was just about to say just that. My old dual 1Ghz G4 Quicksilver would pretty much always do this every time I had a power cut, the button should be very near the PRAM battery which I think is a few inches from the top of the motherboard, towards the front.
What total stars you are - that has done the trick. I pressed that button and all deadness departed. That PowerMac is back up and running as normal. And I will be flicking through the Misco catalogue this evening in search of a new UPS.
Thanks folks,
macfizz.macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:29 pm, {$P...@redacted.invalid (Paul Womar) wrote:
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3
I was just about to say just that. My old dual 1Ghz G4 Quicksilver would pretty much always do this every time I had a power cut, the button should be very near the PRAM battery which I think is a few inches from the top of the motherboard, towards the front.
What total stars you are - that has done the trick. I pressed that button and all deadness departed. That PowerMac is back up and running as normal. And I will be flicking through the Misco catalogue this evening in search of a new UPS.
Thanks folks,
macfizz.
Wonderful news, very glad to have been of service. That is the wonder of usenet, almost always someone who has been there before you.
Peter
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:29 pm, {$P...@redacted.invalid (Paul Womar) wrote:
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3
I was just about to say just that. My old dual 1Ghz G4 Quicksilver would pretty much always do this every time I had a power cut, the button should be very near the PRAM battery which I think is a few inches from the top of the motherboard, towards the front.
What total stars you are - that has done the trick. I pressed that button and all deadness departed. That PowerMac is back up and running as normal. And I will be flicking through the Misco catalogue this evening in search of a new UPS.
Is that really worth it? All G4s are prone to this weird going dead thing after a power cut; it takes a second to press the button and have it spring back into life.
Daniele
On Feb 28, 9:38 pm, real-not-anti-spam-addr...@redacted.invalid (D.M. Procida) wrote:
Is that really worth it? All G4s are prone to this weird going dead thing after a power cut; it takes a second to press the button and have it spring back into life.
Daniele
Fair enough, if that is the extent of the damage, but I think I had a lucky escape this time. I got away without any data loss or disk crashes for one thing. That power outage could have happened while I was doing something disk-intensive and although I have daily backups I might have had the hassle of replacing a disk (I have 3 disks totalling 600 GB of space on that born-again PowerMac). Anyway, you can get a reasonable UPS for =A340 nowadays, and that'll give surge protection and enough battery power to do a graceful shutdown.
macfizz.On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 21:38:52 +0000, real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid (D.M. Procida) wrote:
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:29 pm, {$P...@redacted.invalid (Paul Womar) wrote:
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3
I was just about to say just that. My old dual 1Ghz G4 Quicksilver would pretty much always do this every time I had a power cut, the button should be very near the PRAM battery which I think is a few inches from the top of the motherboard, towards the front.
What total stars you are - that has done the trick. I pressed that button and all deadness departed. That PowerMac is back up and running as normal. And I will be flicking through the Misco catalogue this evening in search of a new UPS.
Is that really worth it? All G4s are prone to this weird going dead thing after a power cut; it takes a second to press the button and have it spring back into life.
Not very useful when you've lost whatever you were working on, and possibly had a power spike cause trouble in your PSU.
Yes, they're worth it. But not just to avoid opening the case and pressing a button.
Cheers - Jaimie
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 12:42 pm, black.h...@redacted.invalid (Jon B) wrote:
The trickle feed might still be there to power the LED, which version PowerMac is it? Can check down the diagnostic charts, but chances are the next item on the list after PRAM & PSU is the logic board...
It's a Power Mac G4 800MHz (Quicksilver 2002). If it's the PRAM what can I do? I tried zapping the PRAM (but you need to power up to do that...) and resetting the power manager (no obvious result). Can you replace PRAM batteries?
Yep, drop the side panel, and you'll see a half AA lithium battery on the board. Try dropping it out, some machines won't start with a flat PRAM battery but if you simply remove/disconnect it it will then start.
D.M. Procida real-not-anti-spam-address@redacted.invalid wrote:
macfizz@redacted.invalid macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
On Feb 28, 6:29 pm, {$P...@redacted.invalid (Paul Womar) wrote:
Have you tried pressing the reset button on the motherboard? I had a G3
I was just about to say just that. My old dual 1Ghz G4 Quicksilver would pretty much always do this every time I had a power cut, the button should be very near the PRAM battery which I think is a few inches from the top of the motherboard, towards the front.
What total stars you are - that has done the trick. I pressed that button and all deadness departed. That PowerMac is back up and running as normal. And I will be flicking through the Misco catalogue this evening in search of a new UPS.
Is that really worth it? All G4s are prone to this weird going dead thing after a power cut; it takes a second to press the button and have it spring back into life.
Daniele
i have a old quicksilver that needs resetting every now and then, it is a funny old beast, as it will not shut down.... and if you've pulled the plug it may not start when you want... hence me getting it at a knock down price!
roger
In article 1172662564.206119.39020@redacted.invalid "macfizz@redacted.invalid" macfizz@redacted.invalid wrote:
We had a power cut here for a couple of minutes this morning. Most of our machines are on UPS or surge suppressors, but sod's law dictated that this one PowerMac wasn't.
It doesn't boot. At all. The power light is on on the monitor (17" Cinema Display, TFT - the one with the power light and switch at bottom right). When I touch this, the light comes on brightly and then fades again to normal brightness. Pressing the power switch on the computer makes the light come on for a second and then off again. So power is clearly getting to the computer and there is some response to trying to start.
But there is no sound of anything happening in the computer - no fan, no disk startup, nothing.
Any thoughts, anyone?
Yes, Apple does a shitty job providing surge protection. This is not the first time.
macfizz.