Anyone know much about Mac computers?

**OldSchool1080s** · 04-14-2007, 03:28 PM

Just putting a feeler out there to see if there are any computer / mac geniuses that can help me out...

Story:

A friend of mine was given a 17 inch PowerBook Aluminum. It has the 1Ghz / 512mb/ 60Gb/ SuperDrive configuration. He could not figure out what was wrong with it. Therefore, he gave it to me and said if I can fix it, I can have it. His uncle was the previous owner. While traveling, TSA searched his bag and dropped the PB. The PB has never worked since. I have connected a power adapter that is known to be working. The light glows amber when plugged into the PB. Therefore, I am guessing that the power supply is okay. I took apart the computer by removing the screws on the bottom and sides and removing the whole top section which includes the keyboard and power button. I checked for any loose wires and was unable to find anything wrong. I also was unable to find any cracks in the logic board. I continued to try removing the hardrive and booting the computer. Still no go. I then removed the SuperDrive and proceeded to undo the board that contains the usb and the PRAM battery. I checkd the connections on the two little 3.7v batteries and they seem to still be soldered in. Does anyone have any ideas as to what to try next? My brothers 12 inch PB had the same problem. If you pushed the power button, it did nothing, not fans, no sound, no HD boot, nothing. They took out the hardrive and replaced it with a new one and it booted right up. Should i try installing a new hardrive? I figured that it wasn't the hardrive due to the fact that it wouldn't power on with the hardrive removed. In a PC, it will power on and the BIOS will boot but it informs you that there is not hardrive installed. I am new to Macs so I am not sure if this is the same. I just know that it didn't power on even with the hardrive removed.

Any help would be highly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

**Dickeymotto** · 04-14-2007, 05:43 PM

Only that they kick ass.

**The Jackamo** · 04-14-2007, 06:12 PM

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac/Powe...-Al-17-Inch/55

for more take-apart guides (and what to look out for/not fuck up)

if you can, get your hands on the OS X Install/Restore Discs for the PB 17" (or just an OEM copy of Tiger or Panther). insert the CD into the optical drive, then as you're booting up, press and hold Option. if you get to a screen showing the drives currently installed, then all you'd have to do is install a new main hard drive and install the OS (after shutting down and all that, of course).

if not, i'd put it all back together again (very carefully) and head to an apple store (www.apple.com/retail) - don't forget to make an appointment beforehand. i say put it together carefully because if they see that you've opened it, they more than likely flat out won't help you (i'd also not mention the fact that you've been going screwdriver-happy on it, either).

you can also check out the apple support forums (http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa) to see if anyone has any answers there (which they very well might).

best of luck.

**Arty50** · 04-14-2007, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by The Jackamo

i say put it together carefully because if they see that you've opened it, they more than likely flat out won't help you (i'd also not mention the fact that you've been going screwdriver-happy on it, either).

The machine is out of warranty, so the fact that he's opened it up shouldn't matter one bit.

Otherwise, great advice. I'd say taking it to an Apple store is the way to go.

Here's another resource though if you want to mess with it yourself some more:
www.macfixit.com

**bossass** · 04-15-2007, 01:52 AM

macrumors.com has a pretty active forum. I don't know about for fix it yourself stuff, but another place to possibly look.

**OldSchool1080s** · 04-15-2007, 04:19 PM

everyone,

Thanks for the advice, I havent decided what to do yet but hopefully I can get it to power on. If not, I guess I'll try to part it out. The take-apart guide would've been nice about a week ago when i tore into it. Then again though, it wasn't that all confusing. I searched for some sort of schematic on the internals and couldn't find anything but the pictures in that link are definitely money...

thanks again...

**The Jackamo** · 04-16-2007, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Arty50

The machine is out of warranty, so the fact that he's opened it up shouldn't matter one bit.

yeah that's true, but i know some geniuses (at the apple store's i've worked at, anyway) can be really uptight and will be wary if they suspect gross negligence, and some rank taking it apart yourself as such. and while they might help you, they may flag your name in their database as one to watch out for or be wary of in the future.

personally, i wouldn't mention you've taken it apart.

**Arty50** · 04-16-2007, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by The Jackamo

yeah that's true, but i know some geniuses (at the apple store's i've worked at, anyway) can be really uptight and will be wary if they suspect gross negligence, and some rank taking it apart yourself as such. and while they might help you, they may flag your name in their database as one to watch out for or be wary of in the future.

personally, i wouldn't mention you've taken it apart.

Ahhh...that's good to know. Thanks for the info.

**moto822** · 04-26-2007, 02:37 PM

Mac computers will work just like a PC in terms of the boot up...If you are able to get the machine to boot up to a screen and it will have a little folder with a ! on it then it would be the hard drive. But if you aren't seeing that I would say that it would be either your power supply or the logic board is bad. Can you give me more of a discription of what you are seeing during the power on stage?

**Obstruction** · 04-26-2007, 08:21 PM

Borrow a bootable fire wire drive. If it will run off of that then you can at least isolate the problem to the HD. (The Imac I'm on right now has a fried internal HD and I use it by running off of an external lacie 250G firewire drive).

**Tristano** · 04-27-2007, 11:26 AM

thank god, he did not purchase the mac book that i will now throw off a 6 story building since my hard drive doesn't work!!! fricken thingss

**1000-oaks** · 04-27-2007, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Dickeymotto

Only that they kick ass.

They are the new VW beetle of computers; total chick machine. Built cute and made for people who don't want to know anything about computers.

I was forced to use one at work for five years, had all the usual Mac problems with mine (as did the other guys in the office): burning power supply, roaring fan, illogical interface... Soooo nice to be back to a PC.