iBook G4 Hardware Test Error Code 2STF/1/4: ATA-100-6-MASTER

[division]

I have an iBook G4 which started crashing with -50 error codes last week, and has giving me heartache ever since. I had an issue with my internal drive performing a dissappearing act, and naturally replaced the drive and reinstalled Tiger.

That unfortunately did not fix the problem. The new drive installed fine, but the problems continued. I have since performed many tests, including TechTool, Drive Genius, memtest, and Apple's Hardware Test it provides directly to Apple Service providers, and have not had any indication of failure. I also have NO trouble when I boot this machine off of a firewire drive.

After much testing, i found that intermittently, once the computer has gotten a bit hot, the Apple Hardware Test that ships with my Mac has given me the following error code:

2STF/1/4: ATA-100-6-MASTER

My question is this: It seems clear there is something wrong with the ATA bus or controller in my iBook. Is that part integrated into the logic board or is available seperately? Is this what is to blame? According to the Apple Test, the logic board is fine, but it fails on the Mass Storage test and gives me the above code.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

From that error, it sounds like either the hard drive has gone bad, or the ATA controller has gone bad.

The hard drive is replaceable, but not easily unless you're experienced with disassembling and reassembling laptop computers. If you've got a spare hard drive around or can afford to acquire a new one, you can try to replace it and see if that helps, although there's no guarantee that it will.

If it's not the hard drive, then it's probably the controller, which is not replaceable at all. You must replace the logic board of the computer in the case of an ATA controller failure.

[division]

It definitely is not the hard drive or anything software related: I have already replaced the hard drive and reinstalled completely. I still have an intermittent problem where is the disk might be nonresponsive at startup, or cannot have files written to it after a while of being on. This seems to be related to the operating temperature of the iBook, as it doesn't happen on a cold bootup.

I neglected to mention a few things...

The problem began one night when the computer was running hot. I started getting -50 errors and was unable to save files in any application (Mail database, iTunes library file, etc.). Following this, the drive would intermittenly mount and couldn't be repaired by drive utilities (Tech Tool, Drive Genius, DiskWarrior, etc).

Now, after replacing the drive and reinstalling, I seem to have similar problems with the new drive. In the System Profiler, I will ALWAYS see two ATA Buses (one for the HD and one for the optical), but sometimes the hard drive will not show up as a device. The optical drive ALWAYS shows up and functions correctly. Aren't they on the same controller?

When I run the Apple Hardware Test, I get NO errors on the logic board test. Previously, a tech ran the Apple Service Diagnostic, and received NO errors on any test. I am intermittently getting the above error code on the Mass Storage test of the Apple Hardware Test once the computer reaches operatinge temperature. Furthermore, I am currently working off a firewire boot disk with NO problems whatsoever so that leads me to believe that my logic board is generally healthy and the problem lies in the ATA world.

Based on the above my questions are as follows:

What's the likelihood that I have a bad ATA cable connecting the drive to the logic board? Is this even possible barring any kind of physical stress by stretching or ripping? Can a hot processor do this?

If I have a bad ATA controller, would it NOT affect the optical drive as well? If not, would I still see two ATA buses at ALL times, even when the hard drive is not appearing?

If I do in fact have a bad ATA controller, wouldn't that show up as an error in the logic board in the Apple Hardware Test?

Please keep in mind, that the computer seems to become susceptible to the problems only once it reaches full operating temperature and not on a cold bootup. What's the likelihood of chips and circuits being affected by temperature over a cable?

I have a iBook G4 12" 1 GHz with 1.25 GB of RAM (fully tested by memtest, by the way). PLEASE HELP!!!

[sshivaji]

I have the EXACT same problem on my ibook g4 1.1 Ghz. I am tempted to sue Apple, you can join me if you like. They refused to work on my computer as my warranty has expired (I did not have applecare). My Ibook has had two logic board failures and then this hardisk controller problem after my apple arrived back from their factory. When I mentioned this problem over the phone, the technician mentioned my problem as a software one!

I cannot stand apple's support and their products. Their products are of the WORST quality possible. In about 2 years, my ibook's logic board was replaced twice and now it has this problem. Apple has REALLY BAD hardware and no-one in their right mind should EVER buy from apple. If you don't like windows, buy an x86 PC laptop (or desktop) and install linux. Apple business model is to supply people with bad computers and then make money. I have way too many friends with ibook and powerbook problems. Their customer support is just horrible.

BTW, did you fix your problem. I changed the hard disk too but have the same problem.

Regards

[Lt Major Burns]

no, what you have just done is condemn an entire platform for a bad experience you have had.it turns out that apple has had problems for while with their ibooks, and have done a lot to try and combat these problems. they have just repaired my 4 year old ibook, with no warranty, for free. i'd say that's pretty good customer service.

most people who have macs would say one of the reasons they love macs so much is because they are impressively well made machines. the average mac user would say they upgrade every 4-5 years or so. compare that to the average 2 year upgrade cycle of an x86 machine. macs just last longer. don't make generalisations off one experience.

it's true that the ibooks logic boards have had troubles, but if you ask them nicely, with a well reasoned case, then they appear to help you quite well.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

I gotta agree with Lt Major Burns here -- if you sported that kind of attitude with the service techs that looked at your iBook, they'd probably refuse to fix your iBook even if it were under warranty. Frustration is one thing... belligerence and disrespect is another.

We're not happy that you're not happy with your iBook (and sympathize with your friends that have had problems as well), and if you'd like us to help you troubleshoot and possibly fix the problem, we'd love to in a kind and patient manner.

[sshivaji]

Well, I am not angry with the other members of the forum. In fact, I am glad people are reading this. My angry tone is directed against apple of course.

They did fix my logic board past the warranty after I asked nicely. But their style of fixing leaves little to be desired. The same problem came back after 2-3 months! And after it was "fixed" again, the harddisk controller problem arose immediately after and that's when tech support diagnosed it as a software problem. Honestly, I never had such terrible experiences with ANY x86 laptops. Usually, x86 laptops ran great for about 5 years and did not die 3 times within the period of a year and a half. I hope my story is an unusual one, but I fear it may not be.

Such technical support and their "gracious" desire to fix problems which actually create bigger ones, deserve an outlash. I don't trust apple support anymore and wonder if they hire people off the street to do maintenance. I don't see why apple deserves "respect" to start with given that I could have got an x86 laptop for half the cost, double the speed (due to architecture variation it may be around 1.3-1.5 times the speed), and much longer life (compared to my experience at any rate).

Anyway, I dont want to start a flame. I just wanted to share my experience and alert people before buying an ibook.

Regarding the offer for help, thanks a lot. I am open to any suggestions. I am especially interested in hearing what happened to division's ibook.

[Photomac]

Well, I'm very sorry to see that you're iBook G4 1GHz is having the same problem as mine. I cannot boot reliably from the internal hard drive but have no problem booting and running from an external firewire drive. The only difference between mine and yours is that mine will sometimes boot, run for between 10 minutes and an hour, then just stop recognizing the internal disk. When I click on the disk icon I get the little spinner going around and around with no result.

Again, when I boot from an external HD there's no problem and my ibook runs for hours, no freezing, nothing.

I've spoken with Apple and they tell me that they don't actually know what's wrong though the "Genius" suspected that he logic board needed to be replaced as its probably an ATA controller issue. OK, so if that's the case, why does it recognize and reliably work the optical drive which is also controlled throught the ATA controller on the Logic Board. Does anyone actuallly have an answer? Why isn't Apple acknowledging that there's a problem and doing something about it rather than not standing behind their product? Its all so annoying..