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General discussion

G4 Mac Quicksilver Problems

Apr 6, 2007 10:08AM PDT

Hey Ok I bought this G4 Mac from a friend witch intern bought it from a community college. It has no OS on it. It use to start up with a folder in the middle of the screen with the mac face and a question mark on it. I did not have the OS at the time so I just waited till if found some one that had it. I moved it back and forth from home to my dorm room. And when I finally got the OS for it. The computer would not do any thing. I would push the start button and it would turn on but instead of make the good starting up sound it makes a high boop sound. I get nothing on the computer monitor. Its just black. The monitor is fine because I tested it out on another computer. The power button light would come on for 3 seconds then go off then blink twice the second time is really fast you barely see it. The key board gets power, because I am able to us it to start the mac. But my mouse dose not have any power, the red censor light dose not come on. When it is just sitting there it sounds fine when it runs. If you have any tips or any help it would be most helpful.


Dahawk25

Discussion is locked

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Do you have system discs for the machine?
Apr 6, 2007 11:33AM PDT

Can you start from the discs?

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Yes
Apr 6, 2007 1:33PM PDT

Yes i have the system discs. But i still can't get the mac to load from them plus i don't know how to. But i had a friend the knows a lot about mac and he still could not get it to load of the discs. I have even tryed to google the problem but i have not found any thing.

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The machine was probably in bad shape
Apr 6, 2007 1:57PM PDT

to begin with which is why it as dumped.

power everything down.

pres the power button, insert the 1st system disk. Press and hold "c" on the keyboard. Tell us what happens... in painful detail.

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Well no supprize still did not do a darn thing
Apr 6, 2007 2:15PM PDT

Well from what you said, it sounded like you knew exactly what it was going to do. lol It did not do any thing. When i started it up and pressed the C key, nothing at all, same thing that has happend befor. black screen, high pich sound, Not even a flicker different.

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You need to install an OS
Apr 6, 2007 12:51PM PDT

The flashing question mark means it can't find an operating system.

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I know that
Apr 6, 2007 1:37PM PDT

Ya i know i need the OS installed on it but i did not have it at the time. know i have the discs but i can not get the make to go back to were the folder was in the center with the flashing ? on it. The screen is just black and makes a higher pich sound when i turn it on. I can not get it to read the discs or any thing. I have not idea what i did. I checked the inside and every thing looks fine. nothing looks disconected from any thing.

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TRY THIS --
Apr 6, 2007 4:50PM PDT

Open the Mac and make sure that it has enough Ram. Take out whatever Ram you have in there and move the Ram around to different slots. Then start up the machine and insert the operating system disc. Now turn off the machine again. Now restart the machine again while holding the "C" button untill you see the "Apple" on the screen.

"DON'T LET GO OF THE "C" BUTTON UNTIL YOU SEE THE "APPLE" ON THE SCREEN".

I hope this will solve your problems. Let us know if it doesn't work.

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Black Screen? High pitched sound?
Apr 6, 2007 5:19PM PDT

Should a Mac even with no OS bring up the screen?
And what about the 'high pitched sound'; can't really figure out what that might be either.
Seems to me there is a bigger problem than just the OS missing.

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Clarification
Apr 6, 2007 5:23PM PDT

I guess I can't edit or correct my posts in this forum.

What I meant - Shouldn't a Mac, even with no OS installed, turn on the monitor?
I would expect to see at least a flashing questionmark.

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Well sorta
Apr 7, 2007 9:21AM PDT

Ok so moving the ram around help out, now when it starts up is sounds normale. no high boop sound from it now. and no flashing power button. But is still has not solved my problem with it not showing any thing on the monitor.( just black) I know the monitor works becuase i have hucked it up to other computers. and i know that i sould be seing a folder with a "?" flashing. becuase it did that before it started acting up. And for hold the "C" Key, the cd Rom did not even sound like it was running. I even took it out and look to see the little yellow light flahsing showing me it works but nothing. I could not even here it spining the disc.

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My turn
Apr 6, 2007 11:50PM PDT

Power down the machine, drop the side and remove the battery. (note the orientation). On this subject, it might be worth $15 to replace this battery. Available from Radio Shack. (Take the old one with you)
Press the Power Button on the front of the machine, not the keyboard button. (BTW, this keyboard is old and was not the one that was shipped with the machine. Apple stopped putting power buttons on keyboards quite some time ago.)
Behind the battery container you will see a small, square piece of metal with an even smaller, round, rubber button on the top. This is the CUDA button/switch. You will be using it later.
Leave the machine in this state for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime, remove the graphics card and then put it back in. Reconnect the monitor.
Do the same with any RAM that is in the machine. I notice that you did not respond to the RAM post earlier. A machine with no RAM in it will produce a sound on startup. Sometimes it is "breaking glass" or "Tire Skids" but it could be just a "whoop"
A machine if working order "should" produce a "startup chime".

You have not mentioned what OS the installation disks are for or if they are Restore disks from another machine. That would be handy to know.

OK, 20 minutes are up. Insert the battery and reconnect the power cord. Now is the time to press that CUDA button, ONCE. I usually use a pencil with an eraser on the end to press it.

Now power up the machine by pressing the power button on the Front of the machine, not the keyboard.
If you are holding your head at the correct angle and are facing in the proper direction, you should get some reaction from the machine.

What happened.

P

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I thought we went through that already
Apr 7, 2007 12:07AM PDT

.......replacing the battery, operating the CUDA switch, unseating and reseating boards, removing all the RAM except for one or moving it around.
Is there another very similar problem elsewhere on this forum?

Hard to trouble shoot something like this over the net. I assume there is a hard drive in the machine and it's connected properly.

And there were cases where the power button on the G4 became defective - how do you check for that? I use a Macally Mac keyboard with a power button on it.

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Yes we did, but
Apr 7, 2007 11:41AM PDT

not with this person.

I cannot be held responsible for people who do not search the forums

P

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Sorry
Apr 7, 2007 12:35PM PDT

Sorry for haveing you repeat what you put on another forum, I am new to this web side and a saw how it was helping people out with their problems. and i did not know i could search for the forums of the same problem or simaler ones.

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Note a problem, with me.
Apr 7, 2007 11:09PM PDT

although it appears to be a problem with others.
Had it been a problem with me, I would have already told you to go off and search the forums before now.

P

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Still nothing on the monitor
Apr 7, 2007 10:36AM PDT

Ok so i did ever thing you siad, and i still don't get any thing on the monitor. It chimes when it starts up and sounds like it runs like it should but i still do not know why i can not get any thing to come up on the monitor. Like i stated earllyer when i got it i did have a folder with a flashing "?" mark but know i only get black and nothing but black. The monitor light is yellow insted of light green like it sould be. so it seems to me that my graphics card it not working properly. On the graphic card i have to monitor conection. One is the same as on the back of the Pc's. (Thats the only one i can use) But the other i don't know what it is? but i do know that i need a mac adapter so i can hook up a monitor to it. and the graphic card only lets me plug into one spote on the motherboard, so i can not move it around eather.

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Monitor model?
Apr 7, 2007 11:39AM PDT

What's the make and model of the monitor you have?

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Other questions
Apr 7, 2007 12:03PM PDT

I assume you get the melodious chime on start-up, not a short beep.

Also - when you start up with the case open, does the red LED on the motherboard come on?

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Chime and Red light
Apr 7, 2007 12:32PM PDT

Yup i get the melodious chime on start-up. And the little red light is on when the case is open. every thing inside seems to be running properly but i just get no signal to my monitors. insted of a light green light i get a yellow light on the monitors when they are on and hooked up to the G4 Mac

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Monitors are
Apr 7, 2007 12:29PM PDT

I have 3 different monitors i tried. A Relisys monitor witch i never heard of. A Compaq and a Hp monitor. The newest one is the Hp monitor. But on all 3 i have got the same result.

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Things to try
Apr 7, 2007 12:50PM PDT

Let's just pick one and work with it, say the HP one since it's the newest.
Is this an LCD or CRT monitor?
I assume it has a self-test program on it - make sure that is OK.

What interface are you using? VGA it would assume.
Did you tighten the two screws on either side of the VGA connector both on the monitor and the video card?
Is the video card seated properly - I sometimes really have to force them to sit in their connector properly. The faceplate should line up nicely and you should be able to insert and tighten the fastening screw.
Do you have another VGA cable to try?

And make all these checks - seating cards etc. with the power OFF and ground yourself by touching the metal case of the power supply.

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All Checked
Apr 7, 2007 3:28PM PDT

All the monitors are CRT. All the cables check, the graphic card is nice an tight and fits like it should. I don't quit understand what you me by the monitor interace? I know all the monitors work tho through hooking them up to other computers. Even tho it works for the other computers i would a soom that it would not have any problems working for the mac. Considering i am still not getting any signle (light is yellow insted of green, black screen, not even a flicker from the monitor to indicate it is even hooked up to any thing)I am wondering if you Graphics card is bad? But i don't know how it could go out considering it worked a month ago and sat till now. and its not even giving me any thing.

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Monitor interface
Apr 7, 2007 4:02PM PDT

The monitor interface is just the way the computer talks to the monitor.
There are two different ones on this particular computer if it still has the original video card, VGA (what PC's use) and ADC (which is Mac specific).
If you use an HP monitor, you can only use the VGA connector.
It looks like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SVGA_port.jpg

The ADC connector looks like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AppleDisplayConnector.jpg

Now either the video card isn't working or there is a problem with the cable from the video card to the monitor (wiggle it a bit at each connector end to see if something happens)or the memory cards are 'flakey'. Do these memory cards have the Apple logo on them?
The motherboard seems to be OK based on the start-up sound.

Is there any designation on the video card to tell you what it is?

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Card Designation
Apr 8, 2007 1:54AM PDT

Thanks for filling me in on that.

Ok well i gave the cables a little giggle and i still get nothing. No signal to the monitor. Could it be posible that the VGA on the graphic are is bad but not the ADC?

I looked all over the Card and i could not find any thing telling me what the Card is.

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Yes
Apr 8, 2007 2:23AM PDT

It's possible that the VGA output is defective but not the ADC output.
But that doesn't help unless you have an ADC-to-VGA adapter.....or is that how the monitor was hooked up when it worked?

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Used the AVG
Apr 8, 2007 7:57AM PDT

No when it worked i just used the AVG.

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Graphics card
Apr 7, 2007 11:29PM PDT

This is a distinct possibility and you are correct in saying that the yellow light means that the monitor is not receiving any video signal at all.
I assume that you have already removed the card from its slot and replaced it back there. Sometimes the connectors get a little funky and reseating the card clears it up. Rubbing the connectors with an eraser can also help.

With electronic/electrical problems one often hears the statement, "it was working last time I used it"
Sometimes powering up a device, or powering it down, causes a tiny part of one component to shuffle off this mortal coil. Apollo 13 had that problem!

The second connector on that card could be either an ADC (Apple Digital Connector) or a DVI (Digital VIdeo Interface) connector depending on the year of manufacture and whether it is a replacement card or not. Apple put NVidea GeForce2MX, NVidea GeForce4MX and Radeon 7500 cards in that series of G4's.
Your card is either the NVidea GeForce2MX or Radeon 7500 as both of these cards had VGA and ADC connectors on them.

About the only troubleshooting you can do with the card is by substitution. Do any of your Mac using friends have a machine with an AGP graphics card installed and would they be willing to lend if for troubleshooting purposes?

P

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Not many mac people here
Apr 8, 2007 2:06AM PDT

What is a APG Graphic card?
And how is it different from the cards you mentioned?

As far as the frinds having Mac's. 4 that i know have macs, one has a Labtop, the other two have the new iMacs So i don't think you can take i would be able to barrow any thing from them. The last on i think has a G5 mac. The newest one.

Now at the College i go to they have a lot of macs. Most of witch are G5 macs but, this is allso were i got The mac tower. I could see if they have any Cards i could barrow to test out. Or maybe get a ADC adapter. But other then that i don't know what ells i could do.

Do you think Computer Hardware would be able to let me barrow a Card to test out?

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AGP
Apr 8, 2007 2:33AM PDT

AGP is the name of the interface between the video card and the Mac (motherboard),
As Peter mentioned, Apple put NVidea GeForce2MX, NVidea GeForce4MX and Radeon 7500 cards in that series of G4's. These both have an AGP interface (where the card plugs into the Mac).
The other common video card type is a PCI card, but you can't use this on the Quicksilver.
So - to replace this video card with another one to see if the video card is defective, you need an AGP type card made for a Mac.

You could check at the college if they have one you could borrow - maybe they have an ADC-to-VGA adapter as well, so you could try both.

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thanks
Apr 8, 2007 7:58AM PDT

Ok I will give it a try and see what happends. Thanks