[G4] Re: G4 Digital Audio video no show

[Phil Crowe]

Eric stole my thunder. What I have done is to strip my box to the essentials
- CPU, keyboard & mouse, ram and startup drive. I.e., pull all pci cards and
disconnect all USB & firewire devices. In your case, also pull the AGP video
card and install the working vid card from your G3 in a now=empty pci slot.
Install one ram card. Also, boot in 'safe' mode (extensions off in OS9)
because the video card (pci or AGP) should work from the basic drivers in
the OS. At this point, you can either swap the RAM card out until one works
or move the card progressively through the RAM slots to check them (also, if
the RAM in your G3 is PC100/133, you could use one of them). Also, have you
verified that the CPU is properly seated (and, since the machine is new to
you, that it is a digital audio CPU & not a QS one - this requires an extra
power connection and the seller might not have made it)?

Phil


On 10/19/07 12:04 AM, "ewood at izoom.net" <ewood at izoom.net> wrote:

> Well, did you try starting with just one of the RAM modules inserted? The
> goal is that the system starts normally with just one of them installed,
> which means one of the those you've left out is bad, and then you need
> only determine which it is, unless of course you only have two total -
> then the job's done!
> 
> You definitely have a sick piece of hardware in there, Since it wouldn't
> start with the PCI graphics card (you had the AGP card out of the system,
> right?) I can only assume it's RAM or, in a very bad scenario, the CPU or
> motherboard. Neither of those is very likely to be bad, but if you can't
> get it to boot with one stick of RAM and say, no drives connected (so that
> you can at least get to the blinking ? screen) then I don't know what else
> you could blame. The power supply is also a possibility, and I believe you
> may be able to use a PC ATX power supply if you make some modification, or
> you can probably buy a replacement official one from some source.
> xlr8yourmac.com would have info about adapting PC power supplies - I did
> that for a Yosemite G3 tower once. Only had to clip one wire.
> 
> Eric
> 
>> I tried the suggestion of removing the RAM and replacing them, but now
>> there is a new problem.  Sometimes the machine doesn't start up.  The
>> light comes on, but no start up chime and there is no sound from the
>> harddrive.  Other times the light comes on and there is noise from the
>> harddrive, but no chime.  And there is still no video.   I also tried
>> starting it up from the system cd, but no luck there.  The harddrive
>> does boot up on my g3.  Suggestions?
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Lee
>> 
>> Right-o. Your AGP video card is likely fine, so now try swapping other
>> things out beginning with RAM. Take all RAM modules out and then place
>> one back in and see how it boots. If it doesn't boot, replace with a
>> different module.
>> 
>> Eric
>> 
>> On Mon, 2007-10-15 at 11:50 -0700, Ronald Steinke wrote:
>>> * On 13 Oct, 2007, at 16:16, Lee Strosch wrote:
>> *>*
>> *>* > I tried the PCI video card from my G3, but there was still no
>> picture.  I have zapped the PRAM, and tried a different battery.  Any
>> other suggestions?
>> *>* This may sound very elementary but, have you tried using totally
>> *>* different RAM chips in your Mac? I ask this because it is common for a
>> *>* Mac to refuse to boot and show a video signal when the installed RAM
>> *>* chips are not compatible with a Mac.
>> *>*
>> *>*
>> *>* When you start the Mac, do you hear the normal startup chime, or do
>> *>* you hear a discordant series of individual notes or a beeping sound?
>> *>* Is there any sound at all when you press the power button? You may
>> *>* have a RAM problem and not a video problem.
>> *>* _______________________________________________*
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