sorry guys i asked the question in the wrong place

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TICKET ARCHIVE -> sorry guys i asked the question in the wrong place

geonyc31 - Dec 31, 2005 - 2:10 pm

well guys thanks again - i boght a used g3 just likes mines i use os x and now it boots up gets to the desktop and the cursor is functional for a minute or so then just freezes in place i tried re starting in boot mode?.if thats the correct name and it said something about bad leaf file? so it fixed itself but still have the same problem.sorry for asking the question in the wrong place thank you all.

Happy new year!!!!

lol ill be at work

bcharna - Dec 31, 2005 - 4:43 pm

Hello and thanks for stopping at macosx.com for all of your Mac questions!

Did the used G3 come with the Restore CD's that came with the computer? If so, Put it into the computer, shut down and then start up while holding the "C" key. Select "Erase and install" when prompted to do so. This should fix your Mac. Its also the best choice because its new and there is none of your stuff on it yet anyway. Also, I would talk to the person who you bought this computer from and tell them the issue you had. NO ONE should sell a computer that out-of-the box doesn't work!

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-Brad C
Support Tech
macosx.com

geonyc31 - Jan 2, 2006 - 12:42 am

hey thanks for the response-well the issue is he sold me the computer withouth a hardrive and i installed one from my old g3 same model machine-it starts up now and when it gets to the desktop i am able to move the pointer for maybe a minute or so.

geonyc31 - Jan 2, 2006 - 12:43 am

bcharna - Jan 2, 2006 - 1:29 am

If you have another Mac I would recommend Target Disk mode to back up everything. To do this follow these directions:
1. Turn on the working Mac.
2. While the non-working Mac is shut down plug a FireWire 400 (6 pin to 6 pin) cable from the working one to the other.
3. Turn on the non-working Mac holding the T key until you see a FireWire logo on the non-working Mac.
4. After a minute or so, on the working Mac, there will be an icon of the non-working Mac's Hard drive.
5. Drag and drop everything from that volume onto the working Mac.
--
When thats done, follow these instructions from this post:

"Did the used G3 come with the Restore CD's that came with the computer? If so, Put it into the computer, shut down and then start up while holding the "C" key. Select "Erase and install" when prompted to do so. "

I would truly recommend following these steps. Good luck!

----------------
-Brad C
Support Tech
macosx.com

geonyc31 - Jan 2, 2006 - 1:39 am

well first of alli have the lombard which has no firewire-and i dont have the restore cd...i want to look at some old data i have in this hard drive the last time i used this hard drive was in the other powerbook 4 years ago any other ideas guys?..i am able to go into start up mode..i tried using fsck and it repaired something but it didnt help...thank you

bcharna - Jan 2, 2006 - 1:04 pm

If you don't have a FireWire cable, then you could try taking the HD out of the computer and putting it back into the old computer and backing it up from there. I would call Apple to order a restore CD. Sorry I don't have any more suggestions

.

----------------
-Brad C
Support Tech
macosx.com

geonyc31 - Jan 2, 2006 - 4:03 pm

i do have a firewire cable the computer doesnt have firewire the g3 pismo has firewire and my old powerbook doesnt work thats why i bought this one,do you know if the problem can be solved in startup mode,you know where you can enter commands?i did the fsck repair and it fixed something else but it still freezes

bcharna - Jan 2, 2006 - 6:43 pm

I think this issue is beyond being able to be repaired using Single User Mode (starting up while holding Command S.) It seems to me that most likely there is a hard drive failure that is beyond repair or it would cost more money to repair then it's worth. Your best bet would be to take it to an Authorized Apple Repair center because they should be able to get all of your data off of the HD. I would also recommend buying a new HD to put into your computer (the authorized repair center can probably put it in for you.) So, essentially, I would recommend going to an Apple authorized repair center, getting your data off the bad HD there, and them installing a new HD OR just buy a new Mac! (I would wait a little for the Intel ones though

. Anyway, I will re-open this Question for other Techs here to see in case they have any other suggestions to help you get up and running.

geonyc31 - Jan 2, 2006 - 6:54 pm

hey brad-well let me ask you something i went into single user mode and did fsck and it said the hard drive appears to be ok (similar wording) and if the hardrive was bad would it start all the way to the desktop and i am able to open a few folders then it freezes? just asking. oh by the way i do own a g5 imac isight this g3 i want it to be able to walk around the house with it,it was really realiable when it ran

ishan - Jan 2, 2006 - 10:31 pm

I agree with Brad. The amount of time and money you'll have to invest in getting this (in computer terms) ancient Macintosh working is simply not worth it; after MWSF on January 10th, there'll be plenty of iBooks and perhaps Powerbooks available at very low prices, both new and refurbished, or just used. They will run 10.4.x well and with an Airport Extreme Card built in will let you access your wireless signal throughout your house or apartment.

Only if you have absolutely irreplaceable data on the nonfunctional hard drive would I bother trying to fix it, which would at the very least require a restore disk for that old model and probably, DiskWarrior or Data Rescue II (both commercial software) to a) try to repair the directory on the disk and b) get the important files off the disk if Diskwarrior can't repair the directory. And after doing all that, you're still left with a very slow laptop.

Just my two cents.

geonyc31 - Jan 2, 2006 - 10:35 pm

hi,well your 2 cents are worth a whole dollar..good advice..i just wanted too see waht it took to repair it because i had some irreplaceable pictures in it,i didnt know it was the hardrive since it starts up all the way and i am able to open a folder then it freezes ..thank you

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