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Author
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Topic: Help with an iBook G3 dual USB
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RScottV
SuperFan!
Member # 3540
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posted September 16, 2006 16:38
Hello all.
My wife found her poor iBook G3 (dual USB) unconscious this morning. It was totally fine yesterday and this morning it is imitating a brick. I tried removing the battery and tried hooking up a different power brick. This did not revive it. It makes no motion to start when you hit the power button. I assume it has met a catastrophic failure and is dead, but does anybody else have a suggestion?
Second question: if it is dead, is there something useful that can be done with it besides just recycling it? The extended warranty is over and it would cost more to repair it than what it is worth. I backed it up about two weeks ago, so she will not lose too much data, but if it is easy to get the hard drive out, I might be willing to try it. (I should point out, that the most I have ever done with our computer hardware is replace memory, batteries, and airport cards. I don't even own a torx screwdrive.)
Thanks in advance for any help.
Posts: 211 | From: Saint Paul, MN | Registered: Feb 2005
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stevenback7
SuperBlabberMouth!
Member # 5114
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posted September 16, 2006 18:16
First question: What do you do with your ibook. More specifically was there anything different you did with your ibook this past week then any other time?
Umm as for your second question the most you could do what might be usefull is salvage the hard drive's info. If you want to trow the thing in the trash then you might as well take it apart and have some fun with it. Lastly if you don't want to spend more then a few bucks on repair but still want to see if it can be fixed (if you can't fix it by yourself) then go find someone who has made a hobby out of fixing computers. Usually these people will attempt to fix your ibook for little or no money all they want in return is to see a smile on your face and a well deserved 'thanks'.
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Comic Book Guy: There is no emoticon for what i'm feeling.
Posts: 1199 | From: Canada eh? | Registered: May 2006
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stevenback7
SuperBlabberMouth!
Member # 5114
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posted September 16, 2006 18:28
If you don't know any hobbiest in your area. Then just ask your friends or anyone in your neighbourhood who they go to, to get their computers, laptops, etc fixed.
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Comic Book Guy: There is no emoticon for what i'm feeling.
Posts: 1199 | From: Canada eh? | Registered: May 2006
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dragon34
Geek
Member # 997
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posted September 16, 2006 20:18
PMU reset
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14449
If that doesn't work.... Does the battery charge? Does the power adapter light up when it is plugged in?
Getting the hard drive out is a royal PITA if you have never done it before, but if you don't care if you get it back together again... There is probably a take apart guide somewhere on the internet. Torx screwdrivers aren't too expensive. If the PMU reset works, back that bugger up ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Good luck
quote:
Originally posted by RScottV:
Hello all.
My wife found her poor iBook G3 (dual USB) unconscious this morning. It was totally fine yesterday and this morning it is imitating a brick. I tried removing the battery and tried hooking up a different power brick. This did not revive it. It makes no motion to start when you hit the power button. I assume it has met a catastrophic failure and is dead, but does anybody else have a suggestion?
Second question: if it is dead, is there something useful that can be done with it besides just recycling it? The extended warranty is over and it would cost more to repair it than what it is worth. I backed it up about two weeks ago, so she will not lose too much data, but if it is easy to get the hard drive out, I might be willing to try it. (I should point out, that the most I have ever done with our computer hardware is replace memory, batteries, and airport cards. I don't even own a torx screwdrive.)
Thanks in advance for any help.
Posts: 146 | From: Central PA | Registered: Nov 2001
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TheMoMan
BlabberMouth, a Blabber Odyssey
Member # 1659
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posted September 17, 2006 04:43
RScottV_______________________See if there are any MUG (Mac Users Groups) in your area. Many Mug members are very good at repair and could help you considerably. The drive used in portable (laptop) comps use a thinner drive and a different cable than desktop comps, however there are adaptors and if it is not the drive that is the cause of the failure almost all data could be recovered. Have you tried charging the bat. external and putting it back in?
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If it don't glow it ain't Ham Radio
Posts: 5071 | From: Just South of the Huron National Forest, in the water shed of the Rifle River | Registered: Sep 2002
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Zwilnik
Solid Nitrozanium SuperFan!
Member # 615
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posted September 17, 2006 10:29
There's a good chance that what's happened is the power supply failed a while earlier and you didn't notice that it had switched to battery power (some of the dual USB iBook G3s, like mine don't have the light on the power plug to tell you it's charging).
If that happened, then if you have a habit of leaving the iBook in sleep mode overnight rather than shutting down, the battery could well have run to zero charge (hit the button on the battery and see if it shows any lights) which would be a problem, both in that the iBook wouldn't run without the PSU working and it's not good to leave an iBook battery totally flat for any length of time.
Assuming your other iBook battery wasn't flat, then the PMU reset suggested above is a good option, but there's a good chance it's just given up the ghost. If so, you can (as suggested) remove the HD, which will fit in a standard 2.5" external HD case so you can plug it into your new Mac via USB. The memory can be salvaged for similar iBooks, as of course can the battery if that's not the issue. If the screen, keyboard and optical drive are good, they can be used to repair another iBook and keep it running too.
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The Universe is entirely made up of elements.
The most important of which is the element of surprise.
Posts: 1040 | From: West Sussex, UK | Registered: Dec 2000
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RScottV
SuperFan!
Member # 3540
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posted September 17, 2006 12:17
Thanks to all for taking the time to respond.
I'm sorry that I left out important details in my post: The battery is fully charged. (When I press the button, all the green lights go on. The light up collar on the power connnector lights up green as well when it is hooked up.) I did try to reset the PMU. When I hold down the shift+control+option+power, nothing happens. (When I have reset a PMU in the past, I think that it beeped or something like that-- this time, nothing.)
Would a logic-board failure do this? I know that Apple had an extended logic board replacement program. Maybe I should try and get in on that.
Any other ideas?
Thanks again!
Posts: 211 | From: Saint Paul, MN | Registered: Feb 2005
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macmcseboy
Solid Nitrozanium SuperFan!
Member # 1232
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posted September 17, 2006 22:34
I regret to inform you that for the most part the iBook REP, has expired for most iBook G3's at this juncture. The program was good for the first three years of ownership on said book. From what you describe, I'd say you may very well suffering from this issue. On the other hand you may have a cooked CPU. In both cases it required a logic board swap out.
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Live long and prosper.
Posts: 1108 | From: Victoria BC... | Registered: Mar 2002
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RScottV
SuperFan!
Member # 3540
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posted September 18, 2006 02:18
Bummer!
Thanks for the help though.
Posts: 211 | From: Saint Paul, MN | Registered: Feb 2005
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