I need help with an iMAC G3 (the all-in-one CRT model)... please help...

D

ddb120

Supreme [H]ardness
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Dec 9, 2005
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Ok, so i have one of these:

imacg3crtiq2.jpg


I know nothing about Apple computers, i bought this off geeks.com at one of those sales they have, i bought it for my mom to have a *cheap* computer to access internet with... Anyways i thought i needed the keyboard with the power button on it to turn it on instead of the power button on the screen... well i ordered a KB/Mouse combo off ebay, everythings the same color if that matters... and it doesnt turn it on....

heres the problem: i press the power button on the monitor (the only button that will turn it on right now) and the power button will light up green like its going to turn on right... then it turns yellow and blinks twice... then turns solid for a sec then blinks twice and so on and so fourth.. during this the monitor remains blank.... i know its turning on beause i can hear the hard drive spinning (no abnormal noises there)...

Does this make any sense to anyone? if so please help...

thanks all,
Patrick
 
...or hope someone like me stumbles across this thread. I have worked with all kind of iMacs in the past 5 years (and counting), especially with the CRTs. First, did you check to see if there is any memory? Are there any beeps or noises during startup? And did you recieve any disks w/ this iMac? It could be a variety of problems ranging from no memory to bad logic board.
 
YOU PROBABLY HAVE A BAD ANALOG VIDEO BOARD

I was a mac tech back in 1997 and this happened all the time, not so much with the slot-loading ones like the picture. Solution: trash can. Not worth fixin.

You can get a power mac G4 on ebay for around $125 US. I highly suggest you get one.
 
buzzard34 said:
First, did you check to see if there is any memory? Are there any beeps or noises during startup? And did you recieve any disks w/ this iMac?
Click to expand...

there is memory, i just checked... there is one beep like 2 seconds after i press the power button to turn it on... no, it was oem, didnt have anything come with it except a power cord...

i think ill just RMA it back to geeks and atleast reocover some of the funds...

thanks everyone
 
the analog video board is seated next to the crt on the left. They are a beotch to replace and I used to cut myself all the time on the pcb and solder replacing it. I'm unsure if the slot-loading iMacs have the same mechanism as the colored ones. Basically if you wanted to repair the unit it would be too costly to warrant a repair because their market value is so low.

It takes about a hour to rip open the iMac and replace the board, which now is prob. $$$$ for the part iteself. If they give you a hastle on the RMA tell them that you think it has a bad analog video board and you consulted with a mac tech on the diagnosis. The only way to really tell if it has a bad board is to replace it and then see if it boots, but then you may have a faulty psu or mobo. I've only seen that in a rare case and I think we just sent it back to apple and gave the customer a new one. That was a long time ago.

Tell us how the return goes. What are you planning on getting next?
 
Beep Codes

Intermediate
Modern day Macs no longer issue the dreaded "Chimes of Doom" when they
fail to pass their hardware startup tests. Instead, they beep. But,
they'll beep differently depending on the problem encountered and the
Mac model. Here are the codes:

On an iMac, Blue and White G3, Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics), and
PowerBook G3 Series (Bronze keyboard):

1 beep = No RAM installed/detected.
2 beeps = Incompatible RAM type installed.
3 beeps = No RAM banks passed memory testing.
4 beeps = Bad checksum for the remainder of the boot ROM.
5 beeps = Bad checksum for the ROM boot block.
Click to expand...

link
 
Man O Man am i relieved.. i went to put the ram in the other slot just to see if it would work that way, and bam, the ram wasnt even in all the way (one side was not clipped in).. so i clipped it all the way in and everything is running great now...

thanks everyone for all the help, especially the beep codes so i knew what to look for...

i cant believe i was going to rma it :eek: i fell like an idiot now lol...

this thread can be closed :D :cool:

thanks again everyone

Patrick
 
Just had to say im typing this on the mac right now.... this OS X is pretty darn :cool:

mac has got a new fan, i never thought id be one, but i am now.

The ball mouse is a POS though :p ...imma have to get an optical one soon, very soon... :D
 
I sure was wrong! :eek:

try pinching the mouse on the sides and using your index finger to click. otherwize it works itself off axis.
 
DELL_DUDE_B120 said:
Man O Man am i relieved.. i went to put the ram in the other slot just to see if it would work that way, and bam, the ram wasnt even in all the way (one side was not clipped in).. so i clipped it all the way in and everything is running great now...

thanks everyone for all the help, especially the beep codes so i knew what to look for...

i cant believe i was going to rma it :eek: i fell like an idiot now lol...

this thread can be closed :D :cool:

thanks again everyone

Patrick
Click to expand...

np man.. I actually work in tech support and work with both mac and pcs... saw this exact issue with a G3 400 in April.
 
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