Try booting the install disc in verbose mode by holding the commandapplev keys after selecting the disc in the boot menu. When you have finished that, try booting normally again. It was built later by freescale, after motorola spun off its. The old powerbook was working from a floppy, but the hard drive simply refused to mount. If the question mark appears for only a few seconds.
Start up to startup manager, which allows you to choose other available startup disks or volumes. Or, you can get a fw400 cable and connect the imac and powerbook, put the powerbook in target disk mode hold t when you turn it on until a firewire logo appears on screen, and then see if you can access the powerbook drive on your imac. I have a powerbook g4 and recently it would not boot up past the mac os x loading screen and will stop at printing services. This isnt so much a hint as much as a discovery, but it could be useful to someone. My system, powerbook g4 circa 2005, does not seem to recognize the ubuntu 9. Ive checked all these on my system running mac osx 10. The image in the center of the folder changes from the finder icon to a question mark repeatedly. Basic features of your powerbook 18 additional features of your powerbook 20 inside your powerbook 22 about mac os x 24. When finished, quit disk utility, go back up to the menu and find startup disk to select the proper os like explained in the other methods. Powerbook g4 12 wont boot from hd or dvd, ignores all. I just got an image of a folder with a question mark flashing on it. From within disk utility, select the drive to erase, click on the erase tab, and then click the security.
If youre running tiger and the machines still running then go to disk utility and verify the drive. After doing some research i came to the conclusion that the hard drive. Apple powerbook g4 specs all powerbook g4 technical specs. I just got a powerbook g4 from a friend and it doesnt startup. Apple startup disk for mac free download and software. For all mac models, startup is complete when you see the finder menu bar, desktop, and dock. If your mac starts up to a question mark apple support. I need to delete the previous owners info and set it up for me. Can someone give me more detailed info on what to enter. Do i need to use an apple bootloader to trick my powerbook into thinking its booting mac os and then slip in the linux disc or what. Mar 24, 2020 if you see a flashing question mark on your macs screen at startup, it means your mac cant find its system software. Makes new powerbooks bronze keyboard, firewire boot from internal drive. Aug 05, 2008 mac powerbook g4 problems booting from cd and start up freezing. I have reset the pram and have also tried starting up in safe mode.
The t key forces the powerbook firewire and reportedly the power mac g4 agp graphics, though i was unable to verify that on my machine to start up in firewire target disk mode, which is essentially the modern equivalent of scsi disk mode and enables a powerbook firewire to act as a firewireaccessible hard disk for another macintosh. The vm page files are stored in \var\vm not accessible through finder normally and see how much it. This is a bad thing, but at least i learned how to do. If you borrow a disc, it must be form someone who also has a powerbook g4. I am fairly sure that i didnt get any install disks when i bought it long time ago now because all the software was preloaded and i never got round to making one. Before this you should try ejecting through disk utility, holding the mouse button at startup, try ejecting through. Hold down the c button while booting to boot from the cd.
If it cant find one, it attempts to use a network startup disk, if available. Jul 23, 2010 how to fix common mac startup problems macrx. Yesterday my powerbook g4 had been running fine, and i installed a bunch of updates had been without internet for a while, so there were many and im not sure what, although a os x update wouldnt install, and restarted with no problem, although oddly i couldnt. The d key forces the powerbook bronze keyboard and firewire to boot from the internal hard disk. And when i insert the os x disc into my other g3 an ibook running os x, it can be selected as a startup disc, that tells me. Dec 12, 2009 gray screen and folder with question mark. Restoring a half dead powerbook 100 to full functionality, carl nygren, my turn, 2008. After the introduction of the more powerful powerbook 3400 in february 1997, the. Check out my channel knexpertcaleb like an subscribe. Macinternet services for mac users 25 sherlockyour internet search detective 26 apple. Restart the computer without holding any keys, and see what.
How to securely erase the hard drive on a powerbook g4 before selling it online. A dead or defective battery can prevent your macbook or powerbook from booting, or the battery may keep your system running after a crash, unable. Hold down the altoption key as soon as you boot the powerbook, then after a bit click on the install disc, and as soon as you click the icon hold the commandapple and v keys down until the apple logo goes away and the screen turns black. This hint talks about getting a powerpc mac to start from a usb 2. If all that fails, pop in your mac os install cddvd, hold c to boot from, run disk utility to repair the drive andor permissions. Several readers are reporting that micromats drive 10 disk maintenance utility does is not able to properly act as a startup disk for the powerbook g4 titanium 1 ghz. Youll see an icon for each bootable device hard disk, bootable cd, network, etc. Jun 14, 2003 if all that fails, pop in your mac os install cddvd, hold c to boot from, run disk utility to repair the drive andor permissions. This is a bad thing, but at least i learned how to do some cool things with my mac at boot time. So youve acquired or burned a mac os install cd or you made yourself a custom boot disk and would like to boot from it but when you insert it.
Apr 08, 2007 hey all my powerbook g4 keeps freezing whenever i try to start it as limited as my mac vocabulary is, the spinny thing that goes by during the gray boot screen with that there apple logo stops and the entire process is frozen. You see a picture of a disk or a folder with a blinking question mark. Getting started with your powerbook g4 includes setup, expansion, and troubleshooting information for powerbook g4 computers ll2010. Powerbook g4 12 wont boot from hd or dvd, ignores all boot keystrokes. Solved old powerbook g4 wont boot from any install disc. System profiler on the imac is saying that the powerbook is connected through target disk mode. The utilities folder on the mac os x cd contains startup disk version 9.
If your mac displays a flashing question mark for a few moments but then continues to start up, you might need to reselect your startup disk in system preferences. I backed up my internal drive to an external usb 2. The powerbook is now booted up in target disk mode i have the bouncing firewire icon, connected to my imac, but for some reason i can get the powerbook to show up in the imacs finder. All use either titanium or aluminum case designs that were thin for their day. The powerbook 1400 is a notebook computer that was designed and sold by apple computer, inc. Gray screen and folder with question mark powerbook. This can indicate a corrupt installation of mac os x or a failed or failing hard drive. Startup disk almost full again mac osx powerbook ask. Heres why im ordering one, and how im configuring it.
When i reboot, it resets, but i still wonder if something is going haywire. When you turn the power on, it sounds the little apple diddly and loads a white screen with a folder image in the center. Release the c key only after you see the spinning gear. I dont get thr little revolving wheel that usually signifies the startup process is working.
Choosing boot device hold down the option key until the apple logo appears while powering on the laptop. Ive used a tutorial like this to load leopard on a powerbook g4 ti with an 800mhz proc. The flashing question mark or a circleslash means your mac cant find a valid startup disk. Assuming that the bootable media is correct for your powerbook, you might need to boot into open firmware and select the optical drive. Startup the computer, then immediately after the startup chime hold down the optionapplepr keys all together until you hear the startup chime again, then release. Lawsuits getting out of hand, g3 imac upgrade resources, leopard on a 400 mhz tibook, and more, dan knight, low end mac mailbag, 2008. Information regarding the type of hard drive used in each powerbook g4 model is provided on the specs page for the model of interest. On startup, the g4 only shows a flashing folder with a question. Reboot your mac at the apple chime, press the c key and hold it until you see a white screen, gray apple and eventually a spinning gear. Startup disk was unable to select the install cd as startup disk. Powerbook g4 no password or install discs solved ccm. Startup screens can vary by mac model, operating system macos, and more. I lost the original powerbook g4 12inch startup disks. May 11, 2016 assuming that the bootable media is correct for your powerbook, you might need to boot into open firmware and select the optical drive.
Sometimes clearing the pram will help the computer. Complete apple powerbook g4 format without disk super user. This happens when im doing ordinary things like safari, mail, andor microsoft word for an extended amount of time. When you press the power button, the powerbook checks its memory before it starts up. Jan 16, 2014 hello my powerbook g4 is not booting to install mac os 10. To find out the partition number where osx is located on your usb, use disk utility, click on the partition you set up with os x and then rclick or ctrll click and select information.
Micromat drive 10 does not boot titanium powerbook g4 1. Powerbook g4 at startup i only get the apple logo on screen. It booted up and everything looked fine, and then i put the second instillation disk in and the amount of time to install. The t key forces the powerbook firewire and reportedly the power mac g4 agp graphics, though i was unable to verify that on my machine to start up in firewire target disk mode, which is essentially the modern equivalent of scsi disk mode. The powerbook g4 is a series of notebook computers manufactured, marketed, and sold by apple computer, inc. Getting started with your powerbook g4 includes setup, expansion, and troubleshooting. Powerbook g4 at startup i only get the apple logo on. If it can see it, that doesnt mean the drive hasnt failed. Powerbook wont startup and have no install disks my powerbook g4 starts up installs lots of extensions until it announces that it is waiting for apple file service and then stops. Hello, my powerbook g4 would freeze about 30 seconds after start up, so i tried to repair with disk utility and it did not help the problem.
One could attempt to use target disk mode, to see if possibility exists to. The powerbook g4 the last professional apple notebook series to use the powerpc processor shipped from 2001 until 2006. The new titanium powerbook g4 continues to set the standard for mobilecommunications with both builtin gigabit ethernet 10100basetand 802. How to restore an ibook g4 to factory settings youtube. You might be able to find an apple user group with vintage mac users. If it needs repairs, then run fsck form single user mode. Installing tiger by usb on wiped powerbook g4 macrumors forums. Thank you for helping us maintain cnets great community. I have also done many tests to see if the battery is at fault and its not. Booting as a firewire target connect the powerbook to another fwequipped system. Also look at the bottom of the disk utility window while youve got the hard drives first line selected assuming you can see it.
Bypass startup drive and boot from external or cd, cmdoptshiftdelete. Mar 24, 2020 your mac shows an apple logo when it finds a local startup disk, which is a startup disk built into your mac or directly connected to your mac. Just insert the cd and hold the c key while the computer is booting up. Forces a recent g4 or firewire powerbook to start up in firewire target disk mode, which enables this target mac to act as a firewireaccessible hard disk. I bought a powerbook g4 from an individual without the install discs. First things first, its a powerbook g4 aluminum, 12 inch 1 ghz. How can i securely erase the entire hard drive on my powerbook g4. May 03, 2008 i have 21gb free on my 100gb hard drive, and sometimes i still get the message startup disk almost full.
Click the icon of the disk you normally use to start up your computer. My powerbook g4 would freeze about 30 seconds after start up, so i tried to repair with disk utility and it did not help the problem. Some screens, such as the prohibitory symbol or question mark, mean that you need to resolve an issue before your mac can finish starting up. Option activates the new startup manager on the ibook, power mac g4 agp graphics, powerbook firewire. The powerbook g4 was replaced by the macbook pro series. Aim for a retail version of osx though, thats a safer bet. Powerbook g4 does not recognize hard drive macos forum ccm.
I brought my mac powerbook g4 with me, but didnt use it until the last night when i ended my trip in liberia, cr. Also picking the right used g4 ibook, quartz extreme support for pci video, problems with mac os 9. This image utilizes the apple asr system and will boot your mac when finished to the official last os 9. As startup continues, you should see a progress bar or indicator, with or without the apple logo. When i press the startup button, i get the white screen with the grey apple, but thats it. The latest version of os x that any powerbook g4 can run is mac os x leopard, released in 2007. Buying a powerbook g4, dan knight, the book page, 11801. This video shows you how to restore an ibook g4 to factory settings simple without disk.
Also i have the os x cd and i seem to be unable to boot from the cd. How to fix common mac startup problems macrx cult of mac. If your mac doesnt start up all the way apple support. Powerbook g4 freezing during boot macrumors forums. Travel technology mac powerbook g4 boot problems on the road greetings, this may not be the best place to ask for help, but i know there is some great knowledge here. Bypasses the startup disk when starting up, and boots from specified scsi id. When it starts from the cd, go to the disk utility and choose the repair disk option under first aid. The powerbook g4 runs on the riscbased powerpc g4 processor, designed by the aim appleibmmotorola development alliance and initially produced by motorola. The mac gets stuck on the apple startup screen with spinning gears. Recently, the hard drive in my powerbook g4 started making horrible clicking noises, i immediately turned it off.
Yesterday my powerbook g4 had been running fine, and i installed a bunch of updates had been without internet for a while, so there were many and im not sure what, although a os x update wouldnt install, and restarted with no problem, although oddly i couldnt copypaste any text. This is a last resort way of ejecting a stuck disk in a powerbook g4 aluminum. New to the forums, but learning a bit about my laptop. Hello, i bought a powerbook g4 from an individual without the install discs. Browse other questions tagged boot startup powerbook.
Choose system preferences from the apple menu, then click startup disk. The powerbook g4 is the last generation of the powerbook series, and was succeeded by the intelpowered macbook pro line in the first half of 2006. Oct 12, 2008 this is a last resort way of ejecting a stuck disk in a powerbook g4 aluminum. My powerbook g4 will not start up in target disk mode. The powerbook 150 has a big screen for a vintage powerbook, the 165c has color, the 100 is diminutive, and lombard has usb and a great keyboard. Feb 08, 20 this video shows you how to restore an ibook g4 to factory settings simple without disk. How do you replace or upgrade the hard drive in the powerbook g4 models. I eventually gave up and decided to wipe the hard drive and do a reinstall of the system. Mac powerbook g4 problems booting from cd and start up. Mac powerbook g4 boot problems on the road flyertalk. Your macbook pro uses a higher operating system than your powerbook will take. I am fairly sure that i didnt get any install disks when i bought it long time ago now because all the so.