[iBook] Display problems with iBook G3

[Robin Mayhall]

Hi all,

I have a dual USB white G3 iBook that is having display problems, and 
I'm wondering if this is one of the symptoms of the motherboard 
problem that has been discussed here before -- or something else.

About two weeks ago I was just doing my thing when suddenly my screen 
went funny -- wavy horizontal lines appeared on it, everything froze, 
then it went black. I tried to reboot a couple of times, and I could 
hear the hard drive spin and the machine boot up, but the display 
remained black. In all my brilliance (not), I decided that the 
display was messed up, and I took the laptop to my local "computer 
guy" the next day.

After a day or two they called me and told me the problem was my 
battery. They said the battery wasn't holding a charge, and that even 
plugged in, somehow the power supply goes through the battery -- so 
the display was not getting enough power to run. They ordered me a 
new battery and gave me a loaner while waiting for the new one to 
come in. I took all this home, and the first time I started up, 
things seemed fine; but before long, the same symptoms returned.

This time, though, because I am both stubborn and desperate <g>, I 
started just trying different things, and I eventually discovered 
that if I squeezed the edges of the laptop case while rebooting, I 
could get the display to work, at least temporarily. I then brought 
home several of those big binder clips from my office and clamped 
them on the edges of the laptop where I had been squeezing. With 
those in place, I can get it to work about 75 percent of the time; 
I'm using it now to type and send this message.

The computer guys are now stumped. Oh -- by the way, the new battery 
came in, and I replaced the old one with it; still having the same 
issues. Any thoughts from the list? This now sounds to me more like a 
connection or motherboard issue than a battery issue, but I'd be 
grateful for any advice.

Thanks!
Robin
-- 
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robin at hieran.com

Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. 
The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. --Henry James