Hello everyone; this is my first post. I have a problem that has me totally stumped. First, here are the computer specs:
Stock Powermac G4 tower: (AGP dual 450), 640 MB RAM, OS10.2, Apple CRT monitor (15" ADC), Rage128 Pro (16MB) graphics card, 30GB HD (12GB free).
Now for the problem.... I will be working under normal CPU load (listening to iTunes, web browsing, etc) and the computer totally freezes and locks up. No warning, no spinning beachball, no kernal panics, nothing. The mouse and keyboard are both non-resposive (and the red optical light on the mouse shuts off) and I am forced to do a hard reset. After restarting, everything is normal for btwn 10-45 minutes... but then it freezes again. I do not even have to have an application running for it to lock up.
At first I thought it may be an OS issue. Therefore, I did the following:
- fixed permissions
- ran fsck
- tried booting into both OSX and OS9
- final conclusion that it is not a software issue: I installed a different HD from a previous G4 (running OS9)
No obvious problems found...and the freezing situation persists. However, I could not get it to boot from a CD (OS disc or DiskWarrior). I therefore concluded it must be a hardware issue. Here is everything I've tried thus far:
- ran the hardware test diagnostic CD (no problems found)
- zapped PRAM
- unplugged all external devices
- plugged in a different monitor..even used different connection (VGA instead of ADC)
- tried plugging keyboard and mouse directly to tower instead of via monitor USB ports
- used a different keyboard and mouse
- checked the internal battery (reads 3.6V)
- pulled all the RAM and tried each separately
- unplugged the internal IDE CD/DVD and ZIP drives
- in case it was a heat issue (even though the fans work), i booted with the case open and a fan blowing across the G4s' heat sink
I was thinking it must be a graphic card, motherboard, or processor issue. Unfortunately, I have no easy way of determining which part is the cause. Has this happened to anyone else and/or does anyone have any suggestions/solutions? Could it be a firmware issue or is it definitely hardware related?
TIA,
Jared.
Stock Powermac G4 tower: (AGP dual 450), 640 MB RAM, OS10.2, Apple CRT monitor (15" ADC), Rage128 Pro (16MB) graphics card, 30GB HD (12GB free).
Now for the problem.... I will be working under normal CPU load (listening to iTunes, web browsing, etc) and the computer totally freezes and locks up. No warning, no spinning beachball, no kernal panics, nothing. The mouse and keyboard are both non-resposive (and the red optical light on the mouse shuts off) and I am forced to do a hard reset. After restarting, everything is normal for btwn 10-45 minutes... but then it freezes again. I do not even have to have an application running for it to lock up.
At first I thought it may be an OS issue. Therefore, I did the following:
- fixed permissions
- ran fsck
- tried booting into both OSX and OS9
- final conclusion that it is not a software issue: I installed a different HD from a previous G4 (running OS9)
No obvious problems found...and the freezing situation persists. However, I could not get it to boot from a CD (OS disc or DiskWarrior). I therefore concluded it must be a hardware issue. Here is everything I've tried thus far:
- ran the hardware test diagnostic CD (no problems found)
- zapped PRAM
- unplugged all external devices
- plugged in a different monitor..even used different connection (VGA instead of ADC)
- tried plugging keyboard and mouse directly to tower instead of via monitor USB ports
- used a different keyboard and mouse
- checked the internal battery (reads 3.6V)
- pulled all the RAM and tried each separately
- unplugged the internal IDE CD/DVD and ZIP drives
- in case it was a heat issue (even though the fans work), i booted with the case open and a fan blowing across the G4s' heat sink
I was thinking it must be a graphic card, motherboard, or processor issue. Unfortunately, I have no easy way of determining which part is the cause. Has this happened to anyone else and/or does anyone have any suggestions/solutions? Could it be a firmware issue or is it definitely hardware related?
TIA,
Jared.