MY 2400 LIVES BUT I NEED TECH SUPPORT HELP!!!!! PLEASE READ THIS!!!

[Paul Miller]

This was my original post (most of it) many months
back update follows (read it all!):

So there I am.  Surfing the web via my stock 2400c
(except for the 96mb ram upgrade) and a Farallon
wireless card.  It was getting pretty warm sitting on
my blanket (restricted heat dissipation I would
think), but no problems with performance.  Then,
without warning, IE hung up with the cursor
clock/wristwatch icon for about 60 seconds..then right
to a fatal error bomb icon/message.
I clicked on the restart.  The computer restarted
(without chime-the speaker is turned down) but froze
at the happy mac.  I forced another restart and the
same thing happened.  I unplugged the power plug and
then popped the battery out...of course this lead to
the green light of death (or so I thought).  With the
batttery out and the plug in I held the reset button
for 60 seconds....it went off.  
Then the battery went in.  I tapped the power key and
the computer resarted, or so I thought.  The computer
turns on (the cap light on the yu keyboard works) and
the drive accesses (I can hear it make a sound like
it's "reading")...but then, when the screen should
turn on and the drive should continue to "read" it
just spins and the screen stays off.  The powerkey
won't turn it off and a warm reboot is disabled as
well.
So, experts, what is it?  Is the board fried, or is it
a hard drive issue? Or what?  If it is the drive,
shouldn't the unhappy mac show on the screen?  What
gives??
If I haven't explained this well enough please let me
know what to clarify.
 
Thanks,
Paul


Update 04-16-03:

Now I decided to try it again out of the blue without
sending it to DT&T.  I tried to boot it with the
battery in and the power cord plugged in....looked
like it booted past the OS9screen..then gave a "Sorry
a system error occured...bus error...to temporarily
turn off all extensions, restart and hold down the
shift key."
So I did.  And it gave a different memory error (can't
remember the text).  So I closed the computer and it
went to sleep.  I opened it up a couple of minutes
later and lo-and-behold it showed the desktop and IT
WORKED!!!! Of course the extensions were of so it
really didn't work well, but on a whim I clicked on
"about this computer" to check the memory (which
should have showed 112mb since I bought a 96mb card
once)...it said 80mb!!  I must be getting close to a
diagnosis.....I reverted the extensions to base os
9.0.4 followed by a shut down.  Then I took out the
memory card and tried to start it up in 16mb and it
booted past the happy mac to the Mac OS 9 screen. 
Then it read "There is not enought Virtual Memory to
continue booting with extension enabled.  Extensions
have been disabled for this boot.  Use the Memory
control panel to make more Virtual Memory available." 
I clicked "OK".  I shows Mac OS 9 loading screen. 
Then another not-enough-memory window.  Then the
desktop with not-enough-memory for the finder to work.
and a "restart" button.

Next time thru the entire desktop loads (so I guess
the finder loaded) but another memory problem:  "There
is not enough memory to execute that command.  To
increase available memory, so windows will close
automatically.  To further increase available memory
close more windows or quit some applications.  If you
still have problems restart the computer".

And finally in the next window: "the finder doesn't
have enough memory available...(blah,blah,blah)" With
'try again' or 'restart' buttons.

Sorry for the wordy (and maybe confusing) description
but I think the original problem was a bad memory
card.  The computer seemed to give some kind of memory
error when the card was in as the bomb showed up.  The
computer only read 80mb out of 112 mb the one time I
got it to work with the card in.  The computer often
seemed to stall at the "happy mac" (the point of a
memory check?) and the computer seems to boot fine
with the memory card out except for the problem of
trying to stuff OS9 into only 16mb.  

WELL?  WHAT DO YOU THINK????
I think my 2400 may still have some life in it!

Feedback is necessary and appreciated,
Paul

PS:  Sorry for my once-upon-a-time post for the memory
card.  I'm glad I didn't send it to anyone.  I had no
idea.

PPS:  What brand memory card works for this thing.. I
hate ebay and don't trust most compatability posts
from sellers.

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