Power Mac G5 Stalled...

Z

zayd

Registered
Hello all,

This is my first post on the forums... and probably like many others, it is due to a problem :( I just started a new job and the previous guy was a Mac man, to say the least. Accordingly, I've had to become one... I am a Windows switcher, but have grown accustomed to the Macs quickly and smoothly.

My problem is with my main machine, a Power Mac G5 (running 10.1, I believe). Yesterday, I was switching users back and forth a few times, setting file permissions and such. Suddenly, between switches, the G5 stayed on the blue screen with the color wheel spinning continuously. I let it go for 15 minutes, but nothing happened. I had to restart by holding down the power button.

Now, I restart and the G5 goes to the "Max OS X" intro screen very briefly and then immediately goes back to the same blue screen, spinning the wheel. I've tried inserting the Recovery/Repair CD, but the machine will not boot off of it (keeps doing the same thing).

I would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you...

zayd
 
firstly, welcome!

secondly, 10.1 is a very old version of Mac OS X, and as such, wasn't ever shipped on a Power Mac G5.

what do you mean by "it won't boot off the cd" what have you tried, and what is the disc?

to boot from CD on that machine, start the computer while holding C
 
Hi Lt.,

First, thanks for the welcome!

Secondly, perhaps 10.2? I apologize -- I am still familiarizing myself with the different versions and their feline nicknames...

I didn't know that I must be pushing "C" to boot from the CD... another of my switcher faults, I guess :) When I did this, I now have the option to "Archive and Install" so that I don't lose my files. Would this be the best option? (I am using the Install/Repair CD that came with the machine)

Thank you.

zayd
 
Mac are always shipped with the latest version of the Mac OS, and will not run anything older. Powermac G5's first shipped with 10.3 (Panther), and any bought in the last 7 months or so will definately have 10.4 Tiger, the newest.

But not to worry.

In the enviroment that you booted from the CD into, go into Disk Utility, in one of the menus. from here, choose 'Disk Repair' on the main hard disk, and any others. then 'Repair Permissions' on the main disk.

try booting normally again.

if that doesn't work, try running something called 'fsck'

To run fsck, you first need to start up your Mac in single-user mode. Here's how:

1. Restart your Mac.

2. Immediately press and hold the Command and "S" keys.

You'll see a bunch of text begin scrolling on your screen. In a few more seconds, you'll see the Unix command line prompt (#).

You're now in single-user mode.

Now that you're at the # prompt, here's how to run fsck:

1. Type: "fsck -y" (that's fsck-space-minus-y, without the quotes. If you're running Panther, v 10.3, then type this "fsck -f")

2. Press Return.

The fsck utility will blast some text onto your screen. If there's damage to your disk, you'll see a message that says:

***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****

If you see this message--and this is extremely important-- repeat running fsck. It is normal to have to run fsck more than once -- the first run's repairs often uncover additional problems..

When fsck finally reports that no problems were found, and the # prompt reappears:

3. Type: "reboot" to restart,

or type "exit" to start up without rebooting.

4. Press Return.
 
Lt. Burns,

Thanks so much for the help. The Disk Repair did it.

That was much easier than I thought it would be... and here I was about to pay $49 for Apple support :)

Thanks again.

Zayd
 
thought it might :P. Archive and install might have also worked, but it's such a pain the arse, and you have to spend hours getting all your settings back...

glaad it worked. for reference, what are the specs of your powermac? apple menu > About This Mac...
 
nah that's great. it's one of the first Powermac G5's, and a high-end one at that.

you might want to think about upgrading the OS at some point, 10.4 Tiger is a very good upgrade, with tonnes of features Jaguar hasn't got, most notably for you would be exposé....
 
I'll do some research into 10.4 Tiger. If I can justify the upgrade, my department shouldn't have a problem buying it (hopefully the budget cuts won't be a barrier!)

zayd
 
Actually, Burns, the first G5s shipped with Jaguar 10.2.7 (I know since I helped my father buy his PMG5). So if you have a 10.2.7 CD laying around somewhere you'll be golden (of course, this would have to be a restore CD that came with the machine). Shortly thereafter in the summer Panther came out.
 
Meh, Tiger will only set your company back $129. $199 gets you the liscense to install it on 5 machines. And it's true, between Dashboard, Spotlight, and Expose, Tiger is a productivity lover's dream.

Not to mention a VASTLY upgraded version of Mail and Safari. Tiger was the most worthwhile Software I've purchased in a long long time.
 
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