Author Topic: Dead G4 powermac  (Read 15934 times)

Offline mattyp

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Dead G4 powermac
« on: March 11, 2014, 12:56:12 PM »
I have a dead powermac g4. My problems started when my protools system crashed and wouldn't boot up. I tried the protools cards in different slots and still the same. I tried to install a backup disc image which caused the flashing Q mark. I removed the protools cards and reinstalled OS9.2.1 all good, updated the OS to 9.2.2, all good. I reinstalled the PT cards and then computer would not even switch on. Removed the PT cards and still nothing. Tried resetting PRAM, Still nothing, Reset PMU, Still nothing. Is it possible I could have damaged the motherboard?
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

Offline Protools5LEGuy

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2014, 01:49:53 PM »
Is it possible I could have damaged the motherboard?
What G4 you have? Try also pull off the battery and let it be unplugged for some hours. My G4 DA and my G3 B&W had make me think they were broken hundreds of times. Reseting 3-5 times the PRAM normally take back powermacs from the dead. 80% of the times it makes bong and boots with the screen.
Use a multimeter for the battery, because my G3 eats 1-2 batteries every year!
Looking for MacOS 9.2.4

Offline Protools5LEGuy

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2014, 01:51:51 PM »
Also, when unplugged is good behavoir to pull off the motherboard 20-24 pins from the psu
Looking for MacOS 9.2.4

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2014, 02:11:12 PM »
matty, do u live in a cold winterized climate?
im convinced from now on.. that the winter is the worst possible time to open a computer + mess with anything! ANYTHING!
pci cards, memory, cpu.. anything at all.. because of the static build up inside a home due to heating the home.. it removes
positive (or is it negtive?) charge ions from the air .. which makes.. static electricity.. which cause the problem... human static electricity..
is multiplied by the heating of the home in winter...

wait untill spring or at least 0 degree weather where u dont have the heat running all the time to do these types of changes
im CONVINCED it is much safer.. i also have had a motherboard that used to drop harddrives out of a raid array everytime i ran my humidifier..
sounds crazy right?? but it was like clockwork - and direct correllation..

i just ruined a quicksilver 867mhz mac earlier this year as some will remember;) i gave up on trying to fix it..

in spring/summer/fall i change many things on pcs and NEVER EVER HAVE A PROBLEM with failed hardware...
from now on my routine will be.. from november to march.. ne touche pas les electronique
« Last Edit: March 11, 2014, 02:26:45 PM by chrisNova777 »

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2014, 02:20:43 PM »
Yes i do have the heating on. Had a miserable winter here in the UK. Anyway, what implications are there for running a dual core G5 on OS9 and pro tools 5.1.3 tdm? someone has one on ebay and they only live about 10 miles away.
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2014, 02:23:05 PM »
Yes i do have the heating on. Had a miserable winter here in the UK. Anyway, what implications are there for running a dual core G5 on OS9 and pro tools 5.1.3 tdm? someone has one on ebay and they only live about 10 miles away.

u mean g4, i assume right?

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2014, 02:28:13 PM »
G5 powermac dual 1.8ghz ebay item 201050328960 sorry on my cell phone at mo so cant post link. Just thinking it might be time to upgrade computer of it's gonna work.
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2014, 02:42:12 PM »
G5 powermac dual 1.8ghz ebay item 201050328960 sorry on my cell phone at mo so cant post link. Just thinking it might be time to upgrade computer of it's gonna work.

im not sure if pro tools tdm v5.1.3 supports OSX on a powermac g5, but u would definatey have to leave behind the option of running OS 9.x as that powermac g5 is incapable of running mac os 9.

for TDM you would have to find another g4 mac or fix your current one.

if the problem is the same as mine, its  a mystery,
in my mind i've chalked it up to electro-static discharge damage to the logic board..
the processor is surely not damaged from this tho,
the easiest least expensive way to fix would be to :

a) either obtain a whole new mac g4 at a cheap price (which may be very possible)
or b) purchase a new/undamaged model appropriate logic board and go through
the procedure of removing processor frm the board + substituting the motherboard for a new one attached to the old cpu.

the former may be safer seeing as it was touching the innards of the pc that originated the problem for both of us ;/

but no... no tdm on a powermac g5.  many of our members would urge u to not even bother with a g5 mac.

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2014, 03:01:02 PM »
Ok thankyou for your advice. I will steer clear of the g5 then. There are plenty of g4's on ebay. I will try to obtain one of those. I think in the very short turn i may have to install on ahem (pc) as i have an original install disc. Not ideal with all the Microsoft problems with performance and will certainly be a real pain to set up. Also i have only 2 slots in my pc but this solution will at least get me out of trouble until i get a new mac. Oh and i don't think my control24 will work on my windows version of pt.
i will keep you posted how i get on.
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2014, 03:34:23 PM »
Ok thankyou for your advice. I will steer clear of the g5 then. There are plenty of g4's on ebay. I will try to obtain one of those. I think in the very short turn i may have to install on ahem (pc) as i have an original install disc. Not ideal with all the Microsoft problems with performance and will certainly be a real pain to set up. Also i have only 2 slots in my pc but this solution will at least get me out of trouble until i get a new mac. Oh and i don't think my control24 will work on my windows version of pt.
i will keep you posted how i get on.

mattyp if ur gonna go windows for the time being, check out the other post i just made on the asrock motherboard that supports AGP graphics + DDR400... because if your mac that died takes ddr400 ram, u can reuse those same parts in an intel PC/hackintosh build with that mainboard + an intel cpu such as the Q6600 -- and the AGP graphics card can likely be flashed to support PC, ive done this before.. takes a bit of familiarity with dos.

heres the thread link: http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=756.0

re: that asrock board.. i did see one for sale in the uk for like 19 GBP!! i can give u the link!
here it is:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-Motherboard-ASRock-775i65G-Rev-G-A-2-03-Intel-P4-Socket-775-Mainboard-WBP-/141218271959?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopMotherboards_CPUs_CA&hash=item20e143d2d7

heres the specs.. this particular link is "revision 2"
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/775i65G%20R2.0/

supports any of the following cpus, but i would get one with quad-core, 8mb cache... or the E6700 or E4700 are probably the next best thing, price/performance wise, if u want to use the built in video, u will need a 800Mhz cpu i think, such as the E4xxx core 2 duos or the E2xxx pentium dual-cores are also 800mhz fsb but they (the pentium dual cores) have the worst cache
Code: [Select]
775* Core 2 Extreme QX6700(B3) Kentsfield 2.66GHz 1066MHz 8MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Extreme X6800 Conroe XE 2.93GHz 1066MHz 4MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Quad Q6700(G0) Kentsfield 2.66GHz 1066MHz 8MB P3.20
775* Core 2 Quad Q6600(G0) Kentsfield 2.4GHz 1066MHz 8MB P3.20
775* Core 2 Quad Q6600(B3) Kentsfield 2.40GHz 1066MHz 8MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Quad Q6400(B3) Kentsfield 2.13GHz 1066MHz 8MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Duo E6700 Conroe 2.66GHz 1066MHz 4MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.40GHz 1066MHz 4MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 1066MHz 4MB P3.00
775* Core 2 Duo E6400(L2) Conroe 2.13GHz 1066MHz 2MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 1066MHz 2MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Duo E6320 Conroe 1.86GHz 1066MHz 4MB P3.00
775* Core 2 Duo E6300(L2) Conroe 1.86GHz 1066MHz 2MB P2.80
775* Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz 1066MHz 2MB P2.80
775 Core 2 Duo E4700 Conroe 2.6GHz 800MHz 2MB P3.20
775 Core 2 Duo E4600 Conroe 2.4GHz 800MHz 2MB P3.20
775 Core 2 Duo E4500(M0) Conroe 2.20GHz 800MHz 2MB P3.20
775 Core 2 Duo E4400(L2) Conroe 2.00GHz 800MHz 2MB P2.80
775 Core 2 Duo E4300(L2) Conroe 1.80GHz 800MHz 2MB P2.80
775 Pentium Dual Core E2220(M0) Conroe 1M 2.40GHz 800MHz 1MB P3.20
775 Pentium Dual Core E2200(M0) Conroe 1M 2.20GHz 800MHz 1MB P3.20
775 Pentium Dual Core E2180(M0) Conroe 1M 2.0GHz 800MHz 1MB P3.20
775 Pentium Dual Core E2160 Conroe 1M 1.80GHz 800MHz 1MB P3.00
775 Pentium Dual Core E2140 Conroe 1M 1.60GHz 800MHz 1MB P3.00

probably a good buy for you!! at this point
« Last Edit: March 11, 2014, 11:29:51 PM by chrisNova777 »


Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2014, 11:11:55 PM »
Thankyou I'll check it out. Yes that is the controller. Very expensive paperweight at the minute though unless i get this sorted
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2014, 12:00:40 AM »
Thankyou I'll check it out. Yes that is the controller. Very expensive paperweight at the minute though unless i get this sorted

which powermac g4 model do you currently own?

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2014, 04:22:45 AM »
Decided not to go pc. Looking on ebay for G4's there are lots of em. Good prices too. I don't remember what mac i got at mo because I'm not at home to check. I believe it is the one with ATI graphics card and digital audio. I have also now got a spare PRAM battery to try that just in case it is just a bad battery.
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #14 on: March 13, 2014, 02:20:50 PM »
Result. Just got a new g4 on eBay. £1.64p
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #15 on: March 15, 2014, 12:49:49 PM »
Picked up my £1.64 (approx $2) today. First thing i noticed was that it still had the original protective film on the front. Got it home and opened it up, not a trace of dust inside. This thing doesn't appear to have ever been used. Fired it up and found os8.6 so that needs updating but apart from that it's great. ;D amazing condition for the age.
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

Offline Protools5LEGuy

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #16 on: March 15, 2014, 12:59:28 PM »
Picked up my £1.64 (approx $2) today. First thing i noticed was that it still had the original protective film on the front. Got it home and opened it up, not a trace of dust inside. This thing doesn't appear to have ever been used. Fired it up and found os8.6 so that needs updating but apart from that it's great. ;D amazing condition for the age.
::)  ::)  ::)  ::)  ::) OMG  -afro- -afro- -afro- -afro- -afro-
Looking for MacOS 9.2.4

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #17 on: March 15, 2014, 01:02:54 PM »
details +pics mattyp:P
which model?
congrats!

Offline mattyp

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #18 on: March 15, 2014, 03:29:25 PM »
Will do Chris as soon as I get a chance. Came with original monitor too but it's too big so that'll have to go, it's a CRT monitor. I didn't think any of those survived.  ;D anyone want an apple monitor?
Pro Tools Mix3, Digidesign Control|24, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha Motif XF6, Waldorf Blofeld KB, Novation K Station, Alesis Fusion 8HD, DSI Mopho KB, Korg Karma, Korg MS50, Korg MS20 mini, Akai EWI4000s.

supernova777

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Re: Dead G4 powermac
« Reply #19 on: March 15, 2014, 04:20:18 PM »
why not keep it together if it works it works  -afro-