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TheShortTimer

macrumors 68040
Mar 27, 2017
3,257
5,646
London, UK
I *finally* found the DVD Decoder Card for my 500MHz 12-inch Wallstreet. Naturally, I had to watch the best movie ever made with my little friend Terry (official protector of the SIM card ejection tool).

View attachment 2077657

I thought you'd appreciate this overlap of trivia involving the Terminator and Macs:

Apple engineers would also change the startup sounds used on prototype Macs sent out for third-party testing. I worked on Macs that played "Ding-dong, the witch is dead" and whistle "If I only had a brain" from the Wizard of Oz. Another Mac, the Quadra 840AV I believe, was set to play the drum intro from the movie "The Terminator" when starting up.

:D
 

vorob

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2011
189
64
Okay, looks like I found another issue with this iBook from 2004. Looks like gpu is dying. I’ve tried some games and Red Faction gives me artefacts. I downclocked gpu for 10% and these lines went away.


Didn’t see such in os itself or in other games, but I also didn’t see such things on my iBook from 2005 so it’s definitely an iBook 2004 issue. I also tried OS X Tiger on 2004 and it was the same, same artefacts in RF.

I switched fans to maximum I didn’t see any artefacts, so downclocking and better cooling gives some space for this machine.

Though I my experience it’s still a dying gpu. It’s just not dying instantly, these old ATI chips just can’t hold temperature as they die, in normal conditions it could artefact on 80c but a dying gpu will bug you on basic 60c.
 
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vorob

macrumors regular
Sep 29, 2011
189
64
Well I will give a small chance for it. I’m monitoring temperatures and all the sensors do not register something really high i’m on safe values.

Anyway I will do a full reassemble and replace the thermal pad there. But honestly I don’t think it’s the case and I still think the GPU is dying. If you check the Wikipedia about this ibook from 2004 it’s prone to failure exactly on GPU issue.
 
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lepidotós

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2021
677
750
Marinette, Arizona
Down this path lies madness, but I'm going to try to build GNOME 1.4.1, just to see if it's any lighter or faster than LXDE (and because I'd like to have an even more classic desktop). I also just really like the look of the mixed alias, pixel-based desktops of the time.
IMG_20220926_184839.jpg
 
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lepidotós

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2021
677
750
Marinette, Arizona
I know and like both WMaker and IceWM, and have for a while (IceWM was my main desktop on the iMac G5, and I've used WM on and off since 2018). I just want to try something... well, not new, but unfamiliar. I compiled CDE on my 6600K a few months ago, which was pretty good once I got it to play nice with 1080p.
I will absolutely be checking out fbpanel in the future, though.​
 
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lepidotós

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2021
677
750
Marinette, Arizona
There's also one for KDE 2.2.2, and I keep trying to build it on various computers but it keeps giving me the same error message -- "CMake Error at kdelibs/cmake/kde2_library.cmake:111 (export): export Unknown argument: "TARGETS"."
So, I figured GNOME 1.4 would be close enough and so far it's had slightly more progress, but I keep trying and failing to get some pieces to even generate a valid makefile that cmake will make, let alone make install. I'll work on it more when I wake up...​
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
So…since late Sunday night the G4 'NAS' has been dropping off the network. I suspect the Gig-E card is going. That's another Netgear card (same as what's in my G3 Server). The symptoms seem to be the same.

I'm unwilling to hook up the stock Fast Ethernet port though as there's just less pain in shutting the G4 down than transferring files over that.

Anyway, taking a different tack. Somebody in Washington state had a pair (separate auctions) of G4 Xserve Gig-E cards for $12 each so I snapped both up. That'll give me a chance to compare native Apple tech against the two Netgear cards I have in the G3.

PS, before I go and make a thread on it…would anyone know why my G4/500 seems to require that I have a monitor attached before it will boot? If you know, is there any way around this? I'm booting off a 250GB SATA laptop drive through the PCI-SATA card if that makes any difference.
 

dextructor

macrumors regular
Oct 21, 2013
241
253
would anyone know why my G4/500 seems to require that I have a monitor attached before it will boot? If you know, is there any way around this?
I've heard of some cases of picky PC's in the past to require an monitor to properly boot. (I never experienced personally but you aren't the first case either), so what was recommended it's to use a "dummy plug" (there was different connectors, but use what fit's your case scenario). And if you have the required parts, you can DIY your own.

How To Make a VGA Dummy Plug

Amazon

AliExpress
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
I've heard of some cases of picky PC's in the past to require an monitor to properly boot. (I never experienced personally but you aren't the first case either), so what was recommended it's to use a "dummy plug" (there was different connectors, but use what fit's your case scenario). And if you have the required parts, you can DIY your own.

How To Make a VGA Dummy Plug

Amazon

AliExpress
Cool! Should have thought about that. Bought the one you linked from Amazon, thanks!
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
@eyoungren
Excuse me for heavy offtopic. M.b. it worse to think about a PC box & OpenMediaVAult as a NAS? Why do you need PowerMac for this ? :)
I don't.

I already have a G3 with a drive enclosure (2TB RAID). I also have a 6TB NAS (a real NAS). But someone on Reddit was offering up a free 500mhz G4 locally. Rather than have it go to the landfill I took it - and this is the purpose I gave it.

I don't NEED it, but I can use it.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
So…since late Sunday night the G4 'NAS' has been dropping off the network. I suspect the Gig-E card is going. That's another Netgear card (same as what's in my G3 Server). The symptoms seem to be the same.

I'm unwilling to hook up the stock Fast Ethernet port though as there's just less pain in shutting the G4 down than transferring files over that.

Anyway, taking a different tack. Somebody in Washington state had a pair (separate auctions) of G4 Xserve Gig-E cards for $12 each so I snapped both up. That'll give me a chance to compare native Apple tech against the two Netgear cards I have in the G3.

PS, before I go and make a thread on it…would anyone know why my G4/500 seems to require that I have a monitor attached before it will boot? If you know, is there any way around this? I'm booting off a 250GB SATA laptop drive through the PCI-SATA card if that makes any difference.
Quoting myself so I can update…

Apparently this problem is not the network card. :rolleyes: So, I have two spare network cards coming. I'll drop one of them into the G4.

What I have just deduced IS the problem though is the PCI-SATA card. I guess it decided to fail (I troubleshooted).

Fortunately I have a spare, the original PCI-SATA card that I flashed for my Quicksilver. But it's only got two ports.

Will need to find another SATA card.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
I've heard of some cases of picky PC's in the past to require an monitor to properly boot. (I never experienced personally but you aren't the first case either), so what was recommended it's to use a "dummy plug" (there was different connectors, but use what fit's your case scenario). And if you have the required parts, you can DIY your own.

How To Make a VGA Dummy Plug

Amazon

AliExpress
So, the dummy worked. I'm seeing 1920x1080!

There are a couple additional resolutions but I'm just going to leave it to what it defaulted to.

Thanks again!
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
OK, bought the same PCI-SATA card. It's a SIIG Serial ATA 4-Channel PCI #SC-SA4011. I know it works because I was using it for years before it failed.

If anyone wants a link to the vendor, let me know. They are cheaper than that other vendor selling the 3114 flashed cards.
 
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Doq

macrumors 6502a
Dec 8, 2019
541
806
The Lab DX
If anyone wants a link to the vendor, let me know. They are cheaper than that other vendor selling the 3114 flashed cards.
Pass that link this way and I might throw one haphazardly at the Beige Restoration Project. :D

Might give it more life seeing as it's got the bummy v1 ROM and doesn't support more than one device on the IDE channels.... and forget getting my hands on SCSI anything.
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
Pass that link this way and I might throw one haphazardly at the Beige Restoration Project. :D

Might give it more life seeing as it's got the bummy v1 ROM and doesn't support more than one device on the IDE channels.... and forget getting my hands on SCSI anything.
Here you go…


MODS! NOT MY AUCTION!!!!
 
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Tratkazir_the_1st

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2020
1,023
537
Russia, Moscow region
@eyoungren
Just look at this
If it fit slot - it's far better. AFAIK it MAY work right OOB with FCode ROM onboard & driver built in OS.
Copypasting :)
MODS! NOT MY AUCTION!!!!
 
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eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
29,604
28,366
@eyoungren
Just look at this
If it fit slot - it's far better. AFAIK it MAY work right OOB with FCode ROM onboard & driver built in OS.
Copypasting :)
MODS! NOT MY AUCTION!!!!
My understanding is that RAID controllers do not work. Are you using this in your Macs?

Also, does a PCI-X card work in a G4 PowerMac?
 

Tratkazir_the_1st

macrumors 65816
Feb 11, 2020
1,023
537
Russia, Moscow region
Not quite sure about PCI-X in G4 (I've tested some PCI-X cards in regular PC in PCI slot - works). About RAID - this cards usually work as JBOD (without any RAIDs configured). At least LS3041E-R worked in such manner before my Quad stopped to work... About drivers - 10.4.11 Server & 10.5 (any type) have it built-in.
 
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