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General discussion

iBook slow start up (from cold ONLY.)

Sep 25, 2007 5:09PM PDT

I posted here a few weeks back with advice on buying one of these and what system it would run and all the rest of it.

Well, I bought one, and it is in immaculate condition, works well, and all the rest of that jazzy stuff. Apart from one thing. After a cold start (i.e. being left off and unplugged all night) it takes FOREVER to startup, hanging at the blank grey screen for ten or more minutes (I'm still waiting right now) for it to show the picture of the happy Mac and continue booting.

I have the OS 9.2.2 updates (though I am sure this is not software related), and have taken out the dead battery. I have no clue what this could be, as the rest of the time the computer works so flawlessly. It's a Clamshell Indigo G3 iBook.

Also, the clock doesn't tell correct time, but a server synchronize fixes that. Is that related do you think?

Any help would be lovely...

Discussion is locked

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Hmm. Educated guess only.
Sep 25, 2007 9:29PM PDT

This is only using my background in the repair side but if there was nothing but hardware to look over I swap out the hard disk first since that's been it every time. Some owners may resist but at the shop we know to go with the swap so we can move onto the next issue.

Let's see what others think. If the owner wants to "save" the old drive we will (for a fee) connect it to some PC and run SPINRITE on it.

Bob

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Thanks Bob.
Sep 25, 2007 9:47PM PDT

That's an idea and a half, and the Hard Drive thing has crossed my mind too. It seems OK when the system is booted, but I suspect we are looking at a heat issue, i.e. it doesn't like to run when the system is cold. I have considered running various utilities on the disk but I would expect to see errors when running the system normally if this was the case.

Perhaps I shall try booting off the Mac OS CD when it arrives in the post at a later time. I also have a replacement battery in the running up as well, so there are a multitude of potential fixes.

Thank you for your suggestion.

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Also....
Sep 25, 2007 9:49PM PDT

When it is hanging at the grey screen (this is immediately after power on and before the picture of the happy mac appears) the hard disk spins up but there is absolutely NO disk activity whatsoever, until the happy mac finally appears and the OS springs into action.

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Startup Problems
Sep 25, 2007 9:48PM PDT

As Bob noted, the HD could be at fault here.
On the other hand, it could be that the HD is so full that there is no room to swing a cat in there, let alone an OS.
If this is the original drive, it's probably a whopping 4Gb, and "may" be full of stuff that is not actually yours.

The amount of RAM will also affect the way this machine boots.

The time deal is easy. Take out the battery and the date and time goes away. This machine has NO backup battery and relies on the removable battery to keep the date and time correct. Incidentally, it also relies on this same battery to keep its Parameter RAM functioning. This area stores a whole bunch of information related to the startup of this machine. This could also be a problem and, right now, I am leaning toward this.
Leaving the machine unplugged, with a dead (or missing) battery will force the machine to reset itself at a cold boot.

There is no problem with leaving the machine plugged in all the time. New batteries are available, quite cheaply, from places like Macsales.com

P

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Thank you a lot, and I appreciate this.
Sep 25, 2007 9:52PM PDT

I suspected the battery. I am probably going to buy another very soon.

I do know what's in my machine though. It's a 10 GB Hard Disk and it is no where near full... so, yeah.

It has 64MB of RAM, and I currently have another 64 on the way.

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Put that hard disk idea on hold.
Sep 25, 2007 10:14PM PDT

64MB is slim so that extra ram should help. What it will help is something I'm unsure of exactly but I'd live with this till then.

Bob

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I think
Sep 25, 2007 10:16PM PDT

I think we are all a little unsure at this stage, this is my first chance in dealing properly with Macintosh computers, so until that new battery, RAM, and OS CD comes, let's wait and see.

If none of those seem to give any headway then I will start to panic Silly

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RAM
Sep 26, 2007 1:02AM PDT

Another 64MB is not a lot to be putting into that machine.

It max's out at 512MB, 256 per slot, but for the princely sum of $34.99 you can get a 128MB stick for it. That, plus the 64 already in there (assuming that it is a single stick and not 2 X 32MB sticks) will give your machine something it can get its teeth into, 192MB.
It's a small price to pay.

$120 will get you a much better battery than the original and is really essential if you are going to use this machine as anything except a desktop.

I know we have spoken of this before, but System 9.2.2 will not be an introduction to the Mac, more an introduction to an obsolete OS.

Having said that, max out the RAM on this machine and it will run OS 10.3.9 reasonably well.

P

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...
Sep 26, 2007 1:37AM PDT

I like OS 9.2.2, and I also have plenty other computers for my main purpose. Maybe one day I will get OS X and run both, but I don't foresee that in the very near future.

Also, I purchased this RAM for less than 5 British Pounds, so if I want to upgrade to more later, it's hardly a big deal. I was thinking of the time being, and, it suited.

Like I said all we can really do is wait and see. It will be a little while yet until I can get a new battery, and to me the Hard Drive seems in near perfect condition. The battery is absolutely, completely and utterly dead, and now it has been said it sounds like it might be the problem.

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Actually, I'm going to say something here...
Sep 26, 2007 1:48AM PDT

That's the second time you are incorrect.

Not a personal jive...

BUT...

I feel you don't know any more about the machine in question (this IS a G3 Clamshell iBook Indigo, with Firewire) than I do, and yet seem to assert intelligence that isn't really there.

First off, earlier in the thread, you made an assumption that it had an original "4 Gigabyte" Hard Drive. The original sizes were in fact 3, 6 and 10GB - I have the 10GB.

Also, RAM on these models (and most of the G3 and G4 iBook laptops) only has one more expansion slot, with a set amount of RAM soldered onto the motherboard - 64MB in the case of this particular machine.

Also, I don't see how Operating System software has anything at all to do with this, as the hang occurs before the happy Mac has even appeared, and thusly the Operating System software has not even been taken into account. I appreciate that OS 9 is old but I'm getting kind of tired of it being brought up every two minutes.

Again, I do, honestly, appreciate your input, but I get a slight sense of belittling on my part of choice. Perhaps just a hunch. Who knows.

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Consider this.
Sep 26, 2007 5:40AM PDT

"It's a Clamshell Indigo G3 iBook." This from your first post in this thread. I made the mistake of believing you.

That machine has two slots. One that you cannot change (hard wired in) and one that you can.
It came with either 32MB or 64MB in the permanent slot.
It max'd out at 320MB, You missed that one
It came with a two HD sizes, 3.2 on the 32 or 6Gb on the 64. So I missed that by .8GB

It did NOT come with Firewire and only had one USB port.

Now that you have informed me of the correct model of iBook that you have, "(this IS a G3 Clamshell iBook Indigo, with Firewire)

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Yes.
Sep 26, 2007 7:51PM PDT

The Indigo version always did come with Firewire.

So... yeah.

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As for the time...
Sep 26, 2007 12:16PM PDT

Try replacing something called the CMOS battery, it's like a watch battery which is on the motherboard (logicboard) of the system. It allows the computer to keep the time and date while powered down. So locate this and replace the battery that should fix the time.

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That would be a neat trick
Sep 26, 2007 12:30PM PDT

There is no CMOS battery on this machine. Parameters are kept alive by the laptop's main battery


P

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There is no...
Sep 26, 2007 7:52PM PDT

There is no CMOS battery, as the other person said.

I just bought a battery yesterday in fact, and it will arrive in around 2 weeks time.

Let's see if that fixes the problem.

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asking for help
Sep 28, 2007 12:12PM PDT

Any help would be lovely, you said. You then proceeded to bash mrmacfixit. Take what you need and leave the rest.

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...
Sep 29, 2007 1:14AM PDT

I didn't exactly "bash" mrmacfixit I just pointed out a few things that were amiss.

Anyone who claims to know about Macintosh knows that the INDIGO clamshell iBooks were the Firewire/SE versions with a 10GB Hard Disk, Firewire, 64MB of RAM (soldered on the motherboard, with ONE expansion slot) etc etc etc -- even a quick visit to Wikipedia will second that.

By saying "Clamshell Indigo iBook G3" I had covered all of the above bases. iMac and iBook were colour co-ordinated, i.e., the colours were not just decorative, they indicated the spec of the machine -- again, a quick fly by Wikipedia clears that right up.

Therefore, pointing out that I did not clearly state what the machine was packing (as mrmacfixit clearly did) is a mute point, along with my decision of Mac OS 9 -- another mute point. I don't see any wrongdoing on my part, here.

It's not my fault people don't do their research.

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Thanks for the support
Sep 29, 2007 4:33AM PDT

but it would probably better to just leave this poster to his "mute" points.

At least we will not have to hear them then.

P

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I LOL'd
Sep 30, 2007 6:30PM PDT

...You still cover up the fact that you misstated the facts in the first place.

Well, being self absorbed is easy as well as being uninformed.

Find me a Clamshell Indigo iBook that doesn't have Firewire then if your so... smart?

Oh wait. I re-iterate ALL INDIGO CLAMSHELL IBOOKS HAVE FIREWIRE.

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Are you so determined to get into...
Oct 1, 2007 1:15AM PDT

... a pissing contest that you have forgot the reason you came to this forum to begin with? You came seeking help. People have attempted to help you. They may, or may not have got every detail right. However, I'll bet dollars to doughnuts, that were we face to face as a group, rather than talking via the net then you would be toning down your rhetoric.

Step back and take a breather. No need to talk smack.

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Ok.
Oct 1, 2007 10:26PM PDT

I'm not trying to get into a "pissing contest", I just don't like being told I am wrong/that I was misinformative, (basically, that's what mrmacfixit is trying to assert) when I did no such thing.

If I had said, for instance, G3 Clamshell Blueberry, and then went on to state that the machine (wrongly) had Firewire, I would totally accept that I was wrong.

For the third time now, by saying "Clamshell Indigo iBook G3" (the model I own) - ALL bases were covered.

Simple.

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Ok, fine.
Oct 2, 2007 12:23AM PDT

If you ever get your problem fixed, you might pass along the solution that worked for you, so that other folks may learn from your experience.

grim

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Well,
Oct 2, 2007 6:37PM PDT

Yesterday I got that double RAM upgrade. Today I will be recieving my OS CD and battery. I suspect, after doing some more research of my own, that the battery will be the fix to my problems. Obviously the OS CD will just be a backup plan if I ever need it.

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(NT) The problem has been solved.
Oct 4, 2007 12:11AM PDT
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Good, Looks like
Oct 4, 2007 2:14AM PDT

macfixit was correct in his diagnosis about your problem being the battery.

Bert

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(NT) That is correct.
Oct 4, 2007 6:17AM PDT