Mac Experts-Diagnosis needed

[fred arnold]

That sounds disturbingly like my iBook, which in the end apparently has a bad hd controller, which means the logic board is toast. Run your system diagnostic disk (it's either a separate disk, or on one of the OSX install disks), and do the extended test. Unfortunately, a bad HD and controller will both cough up a '2STF-lots-of-verbiage' error, but since you've already tried adding another drive, unless you have three bad hd from different batche, this will probably mean the disk controller.

Sorry to say, unless a new battery on the logic board fixes the issue, it sounds like the machine is ready to be pushing up daisies.

[JW Dewdney]

It sounds like you got SOME good advice. I'd have dumped the SCSI card and all your ram first. That's generally the way to go about it. I wouldn't touch the processor. I'd put in some 'known' good ram first though. But hitting the PRAM and the CUDA switch is usually de rigeur with some of these issues. Any other PCI cards you might have in there which are NOT vital to your computer should also be excised. Disconnect EVERYTHING (!!) that's not absoulutely vital. Can you tell us which model it is? The Quicksilver model is VERY prone to logic board failures.

Clearly the processor is fine. If you get the 'bong' on startup - your ram is probably fine. Did u do a diagnostic on startup? That's always an option that can sometimes be telling. Clearly- the machine is waiting for an 'okay' from a certain component (can even be a DSL box) that it's not getting. In these cases it can be very very useful to have a second (similar) machine to swap components out against and figure out which is faulty through trial and error.

At any rate - if you get really stuck - I'd probably recommend posting your info on the forum at macgurus.com - there's an EXCELLENT tech forum there and some people who REALLY know what they're talking about.

You really have to be very systematic with these things though - sometimes it can be something pretty minor that's impossible to diagnose because you're being too hurried about trying to get a reboot happening successfully.

[JW Dewdney]

Here are some links. Hope these help.


http://docs.info.apple.com/article.h...m=106464#symp1
http://home.iprimus.com.au/swoz/rustle_trouble2.html
http://www.macfixitforums.com/php/po...t=&Board=tiger
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/help/
http://www.macgurus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18533

[JW Dewdney]

also note: if you swap or remove ram - this is when hitting the CUDA switch is a MUST! (generally for most low-level hardware changes). Otherwise it won't do much. Certain actions are only useful in conjuction with certain hardware/software changes.

[JohnnyV]

So did you check the battery to see if it was dead or replace the battery with a new one?

[Brian Ellis]

Why is it that Mac guys *ALWAYS* add this comment when posting on issues with their machines, but when somebody posts a PC issue, they are the first to say, "Get a Mac!" . . .


Cheers,

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the last line of this message. A few weeks ago someone asked a bunch of questions relating to replacing or repairing his PC and immediately 6 or 7 people posted messages saying "Get a Mac!" Then, believe it or not, he posted a message saying he did! I figured it was a shame he wasn't a woman, he would have been very popular. : - )

[JW Dewdney]

It's funny how people never seem to chime in with "get a PC", huh?

[Wayne Crider]

Not that this applies to towers etc, but there was a manufacturing problem involving chips on the logic board of notebooks not making contact after a period of time, (corrosion I guess?), and causing essentially the same problem. The iBook also had a problem with the video chip which created a quick fix using a clamp of all things at a certain point on the book. Whatever works. I just went thru a problem with a G4 Powerbook about 8 weeks ago and the logic board was toast necessitating a new computer. You might cruise the forum over at www.ifixit.com for similar complaints as yours. It's a great site for Mac's and DIY repairs.

[Ken Lee]

None of these vendors is perfect. Like car manufacturers, I doubt that any of them design the equipment to last forever. If I were Apple, I would do what BMW does: offer free service for some predetermined duration of time.

I always back up my critical files to a separate drive, once a week, or sooner.

[matthew blais]

I do get a "pong" at startup..
Now the Scuzzi is out, the airport card out...
Both ram chips back in and I again hit the cudo button after putting ram back in.

Still hanging with the apple and clock working...

Did PRAM on keyboard again and at least the install disk came up. Perhaps because I installed my laptop (later) version initially could have been a problem, so now I'm erasing and installing the version that came with this machine.

I'll get back to you.

Many thanks for all the input.