Forums | MacLife

PorkChop · 2007-11-27 1:15 pm

So I got this 400mhz DV OS9 machine for my kids. I was upgrading the firmware when the power went out. Now the machine is doing all kinds of crazy stuff. If I hit the power button, sometimes the green LED will turn on and nothing else happens. Sometimes the drive starts spinning and the machine sounds like it's going to boot but the monitor doesn't turn on. If I get lucky and get the machine to sound like it's turned on and I hold the power button, the machine goes to what seems like sleeping (orange pulsing power button) if I hit the power button again the screen turns on, and it shows the desktop. But the desktop is shifted to left and a large portion of the desktop is off screen. I have tried resetting the PRAM, NVRAM. I have tried booting from CD, I have tried running the disk utility, I have tried botting into open firmware. Nothing is helping. Any suggestions?

dv · 2007-11-27 1:57 pm

The firmware is hosed.

Swap in a new motherboard.

A new iMac DV should cost less than a Playstation 2.

I don't know what your financial situation is - but if your school district is like mine, they're trashing 400 MHz iMac DVs by the truckload. Maybe you can claim poverty and see if the librarian will let one fall off the truck. wink

dv · 2007-11-27 1:58 pm

This is also a useful introduction to the "if it ain't broke" principle as it applies to Macs. Since a 400 MHz machine is far too slow to be running OS X, I suspect you didn't really need to do the firmware upgrade.

You're not the only one whose made mistakes like that. Live and learn. shrug

::dvpierce does the secret guys-who-smurfed-up-computers-on-accident handshake::

mrreet2001 · 2007-12-03 8:13 am

dvpierce wrote:
. Since a 400 MHz machine is far too slow to be running OS X

a 400 mhz imac with 128 or more mem ... will run up to 10.3 just fine

iMan · 2007-12-03 8:20 am

mrreet2001 wrote:
dvpierce wrote:
. Since a 400 MHz machine is far too slow to be running OS X
a 400 mhz imac with 128 or more mem ... will run up to 10.3 just fine

I ran a iBook G3 800 with 128 memory with 10.2 as my main machine for almost half a year.

dv · 2007-12-03 10:19 am

Fine is relative. I have a lab of 500 MHz iMacs with 128 MBs of RAM running OS 10.3 and 10.4. As far as I'm concerned, it's unusable. You can beat your head with a hammer in the name of mac-awesomeness if you want. I'll just use OS 9.

mrreet2001 · 2007-12-03 6:32 pm

dvpierce wrote:
Fine is relative. I have a lab of 500 MHz iMacs with 128 MBs of RAM running OS 10.3 and 10.4. As far as I'm concerned, it's unusable. You can beat your head with a hammer in the name of mac-awesomeness if you want. I'll just use OS 9.

might be a little slow but for word prossesing and basic internet ... come on head beating ... i dont' think so

dv · 2007-12-03 7:41 pm

mrreet2001 wrote:
dvpierce wrote:
Fine is relative. I have a lab of 500 MHz iMacs with 128 MBs of RAM running OS 10.3 and 10.4. As far as I'm concerned, it's unusable. You can beat your head with a hammer in the name of mac-awesomeness if you want. I'll just use OS 9.
might be a little slow but for word prossesing and basic internet ... come on head beating ... i dont' think so

MS Word or TextEdit?

Office 2004 crosses the line into head-beating.

thelegendofjohn · 2007-12-03 8:52 pm

dvpierce wrote:
mrreet2001 wrote:
dvpierce wrote:
Fine is relative. I have a lab of 500 MHz iMacs with 128 MBs of RAM running OS 10.3 and 10.4. As far as I'm concerned, it's unusable. You can beat your head with a hammer in the name of mac-awesomeness if you want. I'll just use OS 9.
might be a little slow but for word prossesing and basic internet ... come on head beating ... i dont' think so
MS Word or TextEdit?

Office 2004 crosses the line into head-beating.

I would argue that's true on even the newest Macs. tongue

dv · 2007-12-04 1:43 pm

thelegendofjohn wrote:
dvpierce wrote:
mrreet2001 wrote:

might be a little slow but for word prossesing and basic internet ... come on head beating ... i dont' think so
MS Word or TextEdit?

Office 2004 crosses the line into head-beating.
I would argue that's true on even the newest Macs.

I was considering writing just that, but decided it would come across as too much curmudgeon in too short a post. big_smile

sonnymoon42 · 2007-12-11 2:43 pm

I wonder if you could just try doing the firmware update again. I tried to do the update, and it failed (due to my own ineptitude, not a power outage) so I went through the sequence again and it worked.

dv · 2007-12-11 11:41 pm

sonnymoon42 wrote:
I wonder if you could just try doing the firmware update again. I tried to do the update, and it failed (due to my own ineptitude, not a power outage) so I went through the sequence again and it worked.

Depends - you have to have the machine booted in order to install it, right?

Forums | MacLife

#1 2007-11-27 1:15 pm

Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

#2 2007-11-27 1:57 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

#3 2007-11-27 1:58 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

#4 2007-12-03 8:13 am

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

dvpierce wrote:

#5 2007-12-03 8:20 am

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

mrreet2001 wrote:

dvpierce wrote:

#6 2007-12-03 10:19 am

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

#7 2007-12-03 6:32 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

dvpierce wrote:

#8 2007-12-03 7:41 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

mrreet2001 wrote:

dvpierce wrote:

#9 2007-12-03 8:52 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

dvpierce wrote:

mrreet2001 wrote:

dvpierce wrote:

#10 2007-12-04 1:43 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

thelegendofjohn wrote:

dvpierce wrote:

mrreet2001 wrote:

#11 2007-12-11 2:43 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

#12 2007-12-11 11:41 pm

Re: Power outtage during firmware update on Imac DV

sonnymoon42 wrote:

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