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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Powerbook G4 constant restart message

apat57 - Aug 27, 2006 - 1:52 pm

Hi,

I am new to mac and I bought a used Powerbook G4 about a month ago. It had worked flawless until a few days ago...

Now, (for no reason that I can think of) everytime I turn it on I get a message on my screen that tells me to restart in several different languages (the message doesn't explain why) So, I try it and then I get the same message again. I have tried everything I can think of. I tried the apple website, not much help there.

I also tried to reset the PMU, removed the 3rd party memory and even re-installed OSX. It worked for about a day and then Kaput!

Any suggestions would be extremely welcome.

Thanks,

Apat57

LovesMacs - Aug 27, 2006 - 7:29 pm

Hi Apat57,

My name is Carolyn and I will try to help you :-)

First suggestion is to try booting in Safe Mode. Click this link:
Mac OS X: Starting up in Safe Mode
Learn how to start up Mac OS X 10.2 or later in Safe Mode.

To start up into Safe Mode (to "Safe Boot"), do this:

Be sure the computer is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, press and hold the Shift key.
Tip: The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone but not before.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple and progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).
During the startup in Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.3.9, you will see "Safe Boot" on the Mac OS X startup screen.

During the startup in Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you will see "Safe Boot" on the login window, which appears even if you normally log in automatically.

To leave Safe Mode in any version of Mac OS X, restart the computer normally, without holding any keys during startup.

If your computer won't start up in Mac OS X at all, see "Your Mac won't start up in Mac OS X".

IF you reboot and the language message does not appear, immediately run Disk Utility from the system CD or DVD that came with the PBook and check to make sure there aren't any errors on the drive. If you don't have the original system disks, and you are still having problems on boot, I suggest you look in DiskWarrior http://www.alsoft.com/ It can detect errors on your drive and in most cases repair them.

If you need further assistance, please post back and thanks for choosing Macosx.com.

Carolyn :-)

apat57 - Aug 28, 2006 - 3:02 pm

Hi and Thank you Carolyn,

I ran the hardware test and everything looked good. It actually started right up today with no hang ups or error messages. Safe mode wasn't required. I am going to keep an eye on it for a few days and see what happens. Should I keep this ticket open just in case?

Thanks,

Aaron