2.5 G5 fails to boot...Apple thinks it's a hardware failure.

[ITR 81]

After Dennis passed over yesterday our power went out for a short time...well when the power came back on all my Macs booted except for my G5. It kept showing me the screen with "?" mark folder. Normally just reinstalling the OS will cure this, zapping the PRAM, and repairing the disk but not in this case. After trying to reinstall the OS a few times in upgrade form and archives form I got tired and just formated and installed again..but again the same result. If the OSX CD is not in the drive it will just go to the old ? mark folder again. I even did a Zero Format and install with the same results. So after all that Apple told me to bring it in as it's probably a HD failure or Logic board failure. Thank goodness my Applecare still works.

What I find odd is that all my Mac's are on surge protectors and run off the same wall of outlets...so why just the G5?? Act of God? or just dumb luck?

 

[ITASOR]

No clue, but if apple won't do anything, contact the maker of your surge protector. If they don't do anything, contact your insurance. Most surge protectors guarantee and numerical money value, though, which is nice. I've had to use that recently.

 

[aussie_geek]

After Dennis passed over yesterday our power went out for a short time...well when the power came back on all my Macs booted except for my G5. It kept showing me the screen with "?" mark folder. Normally just reinstalling the OS will cure this, zapping the PRAM, and repairing the disk but not in this case. After trying to reinstall the OS a few times in upgrade form and archives form I got tired and just formated and installed again..but again the same result. If the OSX CD is not in the drive it will just go to the old ? mark folder again. I even did a Zero Format and install with the same results. So after all that Apple told me to bring it in as it's probably a HD failure or Logic board failure. Thank goodness my Applecare still works.

What I find odd is that all my Mac's are on surge protectors and run off the same wall of outlets...so why just the G5?? Act of God? or just dumb luck?

So, from what I gather, it boots off the install cd, right? If so, try booting it off the hardware test CD and see what the test says .

By the fact that It still boots may indicate a fried HD or a Sata controller that has been toasted. Maybe you should just take it in...

aussie_geek

 

[aussie_geek]

No clue, but if apple won't do anything, contact the maker of your surge protector. If they don't do anything, contact your insurance. Most surge protectors guarantee and numerical money value, though, which is nice. I've had to use that recently.

Good to see that the guarantee on surge protectors are fulfilled by the manufacturer. I have a Belkin one with a $50,000 guarantee. Hopfully I will never have to use it...


aussie_geek

 

[mklos]

I would still throw the hardware diagnostic CD in and run the test, but I would lean more toward a hard drive failure. Usually the flashing question mark means that the hard drive has gone tits up on you. If you have another serial ATA HD, I'd try it and see if you can get an OS on there if possible.

Don't go out and buy a hard drive. Its still under warranty as you said, so Apple should send you another HD, but they probably won't do that until they can confirm that its a hard drive and not something else like a logicboard. Thats why I suggested that if you have another one to try and get an OS on it.

BTW...the more RAM you have the longer the test will take. I have 1.25GB in my iMac G5 and it took about and hour or so to run the test. Make sure you do an extended test and not a quick test. Its worth your while to take the extra time and run the extended test.

 

[ITASOR]

Good to see that the guarantee on surge protectors are fulfilled by the manufacturer. I have a Belkin one with a $50,000 guarantee. Hopfully I will never have to use it...


aussie_geek

Mine was $275,000. One of those $199 surge protectors with trillions of plugs. They only give you what the computer was worth, or in my case bought a stupid replacement. Not bad though!