Hi Experts,
As another Apple n00b i want to ask a few questions. I got an iBook G4 12-inch it is the 1.2GHz, 256MB, 30GB.
When i power it on it gives the MAC fanfare sound every other time but the screen stays black, from time to time i could see that it is lightened up a little but basically no picture. There was an Apple Hardware Test CD stuck in the CD drive. I say stuck since the eject button did not eject the CD even though it spins up on boot up as well as you can hear the CPU fan spin up after some time.
I've read a lot on that model online and i'm aware that the problem might be the plannar/logic board/motherboard same thing different names :). As an expert on PC platforms i feel confident enough to open the machine up and see if there could be any loose connection between the components or change the hard drive and try to reinstall. But i'm stuck with some basic questions since i have no experience with MAC as i do with PCs:
1. Is there a keyboard shortcut for switching between the LCD and an external monitor (i bought a mini-VGA to VGA connector and i want to see if the LCD is the problem). Or does the laptop fire up both displays when turned on?
2. I haven't tested the Target Disk Mode since i don't have another MAC to hook it up using Firewire so that option does not work in my case.
3. If the hard drive is the problem am i supposed to see the gray spinning cursor anyways or that comes on if the OS is installed and working?
4. If the HDD has to be replaced would iMAC Mac OS X CD work to reinstall the OS (MAC OS X 10.4.8)?
5. Is there a BIOS like system on the iBook that i can go to to perform any diagnostic or make the screen come back up (does command S or command C work even without the OS installed).
6. I've checked the Apple site and the PMU issue but that solution did not execute in my case. After holding Shift+Control+Option+Power
7. Does most memory work for both PC and MAC or it is a bid specific, i think the iBook G4 takes PC2100 and there were some places that were selling PC2700 for this model. Does it matter if it is single or double sided? I was thinking that maybe the build in memory is out so i could throw in another module and eventually get some visual.
Please let me know when you get a chance. Thanks.
This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.
Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.
If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.
Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.
Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.
Access the answers to your technology questions today.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.
Try it out and discover for yourself.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.
Re toggle monitor keyboard shortcut:
http://www.macosxhints.com
http://www.apple.com/suppo
use the above page,
plug in the serial number (lower right hand corner of the page) in order to get the AppleCare name, use that to look up specs at
http://support.apple.com/s
there are a couple of different AppleCare names for 12-inch iBooks and you must make sure you have the right AppleCare name. if you have the right spec sheet it will tell you the exact memory to use. if you could order memory directly from Apple, I would do it.
regarding the rest,
PMU procedures differ from model to model (as you know). The PMU needs the battery as well. That is often tested in conjunction with a PMU reset. You may not be able to do a reset if the motherboard battery is not within specs.
if the display can be read by shining a light on it, that often indicates a backlight failure which most of the time means an LCD replacement.
i would think you would get video out of a known good connected display without having to toggle anything, but if you get the exact Apple Care name, I'll try and look it up.
As far as opening it up yourself. You need to have access to the service manuals which become available if you purchase Apple Technical Training. I wouldn't attempt to open up an iBook without one.
As far as loading Tiger, if that's what your asking. Yes, your machine would probably take it, but you should fix any hardware problem first.
http://support.apple.com/s
sorry, the above link is where you would look up specs. i can't assume the page i gave before matches your AppleCare name.
Thank you all for all the responses. I'm still looking into the issue. I am almost positive that the problem is the plannar/logic board. I had 3 different memory sticks and i tried with each one. It fired up with a PC2700 Super Talent 512Mb but still it turns on occasionally with the fanfare sound. I have a feeling that either some of the build in memory modules are bad. In any way i would't be able to fix that if that's the problem
I went ahead and opened it to see if i can do anything from the inside:
* BTW http://www.ifixit.com/Guid
* The monitor turns Bright gray from time to time but still no visual.
* Good point, i do not have the battery for the laptop and maybe that is why nothing happens when i try to reset the PMU.
I'll keep you posted and will come back with the resolution or to award the points. If anyone has other suggestions please feel free to input at any time. Thanks.
suggest:
take out all non-Apple memory, detach the hard drive and the optical drive cables inside
if you are comfortable with that.
detach all peripherals
reseat the original Apple memory (follow good ESD procedure), plug in the power cord.
do the PMU reset according to the service manual (remember PMU reset procedures are
different per model).
see if that model uses a small battery ON the mainboard.
test it to see if it is within spec. see if the mainboard has any LEDs (it may not).
this is a minimal configuration. if still no boot, you may have to replace the mainboard.
Thanks for the advice,
* I already did that and it did not boot. I am desperate enough to unsolder the small battery from the board and wait it out to have all the caps discharge and see if that would help.
* The laptop comes with 256MB built in (on the bottom of the motherboard)
* The machine had an Apple Hardware Test CD stuck inside that i had to manually take out since the CD wasn't ejecting in any of the methods listed above
* probaly on average after playing around with the board with only the display plugged in and the top handrest with the power button plugged in as well as the speakers, out of 10 power ups only one give the fannfare sound
Business Accounts
Answer for Membership
by: eoinosullivanPosted on 2007-03-03 at 13:47:49ID: 18648344
1. Dunno, not sure on iBook G4 external display key switch . anyone else??
2. OK
3. The grey spinning icon appears while OSX goes through boot-up the error could lie in Hardware or elsewhere. See item 4
4. Yes, the Boot CD has full disk format and installation tools. To eject the other CD, reboot and hold the Option key. You'll see a startup drive select window. When the cursor changes to an arrow, (be patient, it may take a minute or two) then press your eject key, the CD will eject. You can also try holding the mouse/trackpad button down during a restart.
If you manage to insert the Mac OSX System DVD then restart and hold down the C key to force it to boot from the DVD
5. The BIOS-like system you are talking about is the single-user or verbose mode that allows you to see what is happening as teh system starts and perform diagnostics. See this page to see how to start in Single-user mode.
http://docs.info.apple.com
6. Not sure why this key combo didn't work.
7. With Apple RAM you can use a website like Crucial.com to see the relevant chips
http://www.crucial.com/sto
I'd recommend 1 RAM chip or a pair of identical chips for best performance i. 1 x 1gb or 2 x 512Mb .. not 1x1gb and 1 x 512Mb
and yes you need DDR PC2700 not PC2100 according to crucial.
To diagnose the PC see where you get with Steps 4 and 5 to narrow down the problem.