[P1] fresh installs and not responding to power button

[Jason Bennett]

On 11-Dec-03, Pamela Plowman wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I have some questions and I was hoping that I would be able to get some
> help from you guys before I start searching the internet.
>
> First, my husband just bought me a previously used Key Lime Clamshell
> ibook and I wanted to do a "fresh" install.  Basically, I want to get
> the ibook back to how it was before it was purchased.  Like it had 
> never
> been used before...  so I could put all MY information in it and get 
> rid
> of all the previous owner's information.  Is this possible?  If so, how
> would I go about doing it?  (I have all of the CD's that came with it).

Yes, it's certainly possible to do as you describe. Often, sellers will 
reformat the drives before handing over their iBooks, but it's just as 
easy for you to do it, too.

I just did a little surfing and found a great little tutorial that will 
lead you through the process:

http://www.attenza.com/mvu/step/1,,9+48+78+26348+11273,00.html

Note that under the section "Step 3: Restore Everything," there is a 
checkbox in the tutorial picture where you can select "Erase Macintosh 
HD before Restoring" -- this will clear the drive, and then install the 
factory-default software.

BUT before proceeding, double-check your current operating system. Are 
you using Mac OS X? I ask because in the next paragraph, you note that 
you needed a password before installing software updates, and as far I 
know, Mac OS X only does that. To be sure, click on the Apple on the 
top left corner and select "About This Mac." If it IS Mac OS X, you may 
want to reconsider a complete restore because, as far as I can 
remember, the default OS on the restore disks for the Keylime was Mac 
OS 9.0.4. (which is also the OS portrayed in the tutorial link). Check 
through the CDs to see if the previous owner provided you with a Mac OS 
X install disk.

> Second, last night I had turned on the ibook and I needed a password in
> order to do some software updates, so I closed the ibook (putting it to
> sleep).  I sent the guy that my husband purchased the ibook from an
> e-mail and *patiently* waited for a response.  I had left the ibook on
> the carpeted floor.  I didn't get a response back from the man until
> tonight and then when I went to get my ibook, the "sleep light" wasn't
> flashing green, and the ibook itself wasn't showing any signs of 
> action.
> It was turned off completely.  It was also pretty warm on the bottom.  
> I
> had left the a/c adapter plugged in all that time as well.  First I
> tried to wake the ibook up by moving my finger across the track pad, 
> and
> then I tried pushing the space bar.  Since that didn't work, I pushed
> the power button and nothing happened.  I waiting a few seconds and
> tried again.  It still didn't work.  So I pushed the reset button near
> the screen and waited ten or fifteen minutes and tried to power it on a
> couple more times.  Finally, I closed the ibook and put it down and 
> then
> I heard the familiar noises of it coming to life.
>
> I was very happy that I didn't fry my motherboard or overheat it or 
> ruin
> it, but I am kind of worried about the whole situation.  This doesn't
> seem right to me.  Does anyone have any clues as to what might have
> happened?

Was the power adaptor plugged in completely? I've had my iBook behave 
in such a manner when I have it sleeping with battery power only. 
Eventually, even the battery runs out of power in sleep mode over a 
couple of days, and then the system has a "hard" shut down, where I 
have to do some resetting before it comes back to life.

I also used to get a non-responsive system when waking from sleep 
running an earlier version of Mac OS X -- the system seemed shut down 
because the screen was dark, but in fact, it was a bug that prevented 
the system from fully "waking." If this scenario happens again, click 
the "cap locks" key -- it if lights up, your system is responsive, but 
is suffering from that sleep bug, and you'll have to reset again 
nonetheless. However, instead of the paperclip reset under those 
conditions, try holding down the "crtl", "Apple" (also called 
"command") keys as you press the power button. This "three finger 
salute" is considered a "soft reset" and will reboot your system if 
it's non-responsive in some situations.

By the way, great purchase with the Key Lime!

Jason