Power Mac G5 1.6 GHz Turns On but Won't Boot

nixgeek

nixgeek

Mac of the SubGenius! :-)
Hey guys. I'm going to need your help on this one. I've searched the forums and Google but I couldn't find a straight answer.

I'm working on my father's Power Macintosh G5 1.6 GHz. It's the stock 1.6 GHz model and it has 10.3.9 installed. While it doesn't have the latest and greatest of updates (he's on dialup), I did install one of the firmware updates. I found out there there were two of them, but I don't remember if I ever applied the second update. The system is already about 4 years old.

Anyways, he told me that recently his PMG5 started locking up on him for no reason. As time passed on, the lockups would begin to happen more frequently. He told me that at one point, he unplugged the Mac and let it sit, and once he plugged it in everything was fine...until the lockup happened again. Ultimately, the Mac won't boot. All it does when you hit the power button is spin the fan and then just sits there for a while at a black screen. After about a few minutes, the fans start to kick in full speed.

I've done the following:
1. Reset the SMU
2. Swapped out both RAM modules and tested each one individually

I also checked the Repair Extension Programs available for the Power Mac G5, but his Mac's serial number isn't listed (plus, it seems that it only covers the 2004 and 2005 models).

About the only thing I found here in the forum referred to the Sleep issue. I would suspect that he might have accidentally done this thinking he shut it down, but since it would boot when this all started I doubt the Sleep issue was the problem.

Does anybody have any idea?

Thanks guys!

-Nix
 
Well, so far the only thing I can think of it being is the PRAM battery (barring any serious failures). I have a few at work that I can possibly try, so hopefully this is the problem. I'll report back tomorrow with the results.

In the meantime, if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

Thanks.
 
OK, I tried swapping out the PRAM battery with another one from work and still nothing. The Power Mac G5 just turns on, spins the fans a bit, and then nothing (though you can still hear the fan if you put your ear to it). After about a few minutes, the fans start to gradually rise in speed. During all of this, there's still no signal heading to the CRT monitor connected to it (the resolution is not set high since my father has a small LCD at home).

Please, if anyone has any suggestions I'm open to them.

Thanks.
 
A suggestion from Apple to remove and then re-install the video card seemed to work to fix the problem with a black screen when booting.

Zap the Pram and see if that helps also.
 
bobw said:
A suggestion from Apple to remove and then re-install the video card seemed to work to fix the problem with a black screen when booting.

Zap the Pram and see if that helps also.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, bobw. I've done that as well and still nothing. I was thinking about putting in another video card just in case. Still, I don't know if that would explain the fans kicking in at full speed after a few minutes.

I found this on MacinTouch:
http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/powermacg5/topic4316.html#aug21

I'm wondering if my father is experiencing this as well. However, it looks as though this person might still be able to boot and get something on the screen.

I just found the following so I'm going to post it here for future reference when I get home. I'm going to attempt these even though there's no output on the monitor:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302001
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/powermacg5uniprocessor515f2firmwareupdate.html

I'll keep you posted on the situation.

Thanks!
 
OK, so far I've done the following:

1. Swapped RAM
2. Swapped video cards
3. Swapped various PRAM batteries
4. Tried various keyboard combinations

Upon researching this model Power Mac G5 a bit more, I realized that RAM needs to be installed in pairs. When I tried with a RAM stick I picked up from work, it wouldn't boot (for obvious reasons). I'm hoping that maybe at least one of the original RAM modules has crapped out preventing the entire system from booting at all.

I have a PC here that will accept the same type of RAM. Hopefully this will confirm my RAM suspicions. It definitely would be a lot cheaper to replace if this were the problem compared to say a PSU, a CPU, or a logic board (or any combination thereof).

I'm crossing my fingers.... :confused:
 
And the saga continues... :(

I've installed two 512 MB PC2700 DDR333 modules and still nothing.

So far, I suspect the following by process of elimination:
1. Video card
2. PSU
3. Logic board
4. Any combination of the above

I tested the original modules in a PC and ran memtest86+ overnight. No errors were found even when I came home from work at the end of the day so I assume they are fine.

Looks like my father and I are going to pay a visit to the Apple Store soon. I've done all I can feasibly do with what I have. :(
 
bobw said:
Have you tried booting off an OS X disc?
Click to expand...

TO be honest, no I haven't. I assumed that if I couldn't even zap the PRAM from the keyboard, go into Open Firmware, or even get any output from the screen that trying to boot from another disc wouldn't work either. Nevertheless, I shall heed thy advice. :) I will give it a try when I get home in about an hour.

Ah, the joys of working a block away from your house. :D

Thanks, bobw. :)
 
Well, I tried to see if I could force the optical drive to eject by holding the mouse button when I turn it on, but nothing. I'm not even getting the chime, nor is the light even coming on for the optical mouse I have connected to it. All that happens when you hit the poiwer button is that the fans rev up just a sec (like when you turn on a car) and then spin down to a steady speed. Nothing more. After a while of sitting like this the fans gradually rev up to a high speed. Here's what I've done so far:

  • I've swapped out the video with another AGP card (thankfully, AGP Pro is backwards compatible). I also tested with a PCI video card. No success.
  • I've tested the RAM on another machine and run tests, as well as testing with different RAM on the Mac. The tests on the RAM were fine and the Mac still wouldn't boot with the new RAM. RAM was installed in pairs as it's supposed to be. No success.
  • Replaced the PRAM battery with various replacements. No success.

I found this on Macintouch:
http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/powermacg5/topic2205.html#jul27

THere is a reply from Macintouch saying to refer to their Reliability report and that while it could be the RAM, it might be the CPU, PSU, or logic board (which is what I feared before and am starting to fear again).

My father and I are going to the Apple Store this weekend to see what can be done. Do you all have any recommendations or any information on what I can expect? This is the first time I'm going to Apple for any repairs.

Thanks a bunch!
 
This is my final installment in this saga, and the news is not good.

My father and I finally went to the Apple Store on Sunday and they ran every check that they could. They finally deduced that from the way it was behaving that it was the CPU that failed. This was what I was dreading, especially since it's the most expensive part. The cost was between $700-$800 for the repair, something that my father nor I could afford.

The only thing that concerned me from the test was that they didn't bother to test neither the RAM nor the PRAM battery. The last shred of optimism in me hopes that it's still one of these that's causing the problem. That said, I told my father to purchase the battery from a Radio Shack or another place that carries them (I also told him to get the one for the StarMax I've set up for him as a spare). As for the RAM, the Apple Genius guy was probably right especially since I tested the RAM on another computer using memtest86+ and left it running all night with nary an error on the RAM modules.

As far as replacement CPUs go, the only place that I could find that was selling replacement CPUs was We Love Macs. The going price for the G5 1.6 GHz was ~$650 which is the best I've found so far. Although I wonder if it's just better for him to get at least an Intel Mac mini for the price of the CPU, I know that he still has some apps that he uses under Classic Mode and it would almost be a slap in the face considering the investment he's made on this Mac only to switch to something that wasn't as upgradeable. :(

That being said, do any of you know where I could possibly find a replacement CPU for a price that would be comparable or better to what is listed at We Love Macs? I even tried eBay and came up empty. I'd really appreciate the help.

Thanks everyone. :)
 
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