Mac G4 experiencing unusual startup issues?
Mac G4 experiencing unusual startup issues?
I possess a Power Mac G4 with PCI graphics. The specs aren’t clear—whether it’s a 350 MHz or 400 MHz chip. It came from a relative who claimed it wasn’t functioning. After installing a ViewSonic adapter, it displayed a strange two-row VGA output. During startup, it emitted noise. After about 30 seconds, nothing appeared; after roughly 30 more seconds, the Apple logo appeared, followed by an "O" with a line through it. No further activity followed. The machine was left overnight. It has a 10 GB hard drive. I suspect something unusual happened—maybe a magnetic interference? That could explain the issues. I’m considering using Leopard to run it, though my burned discs aren’t compatible. It might be too fast for the optical drive.
This icon indicates a restriction, resembling a circle with a line or slash through it. It suggests the chosen startup disk uses Mac OS but isn't a compatible version or build for your Mac. Based on this sign, I suspect a corruption issue. I’d locate the hardware test CD and run it to investigate further.
I attempted to disconnect the hard drive and boot from the CDs, but had no success. I also have a 52x optical drive that supports IDE, so I'm thinking about placing it on the floor with the side exposed to try installation. It's worth mentioning that both my iMac G5 (PowerPC) and Mac Mini 2011 (Intel) failed to read the disc within ten seconds after insertion. Could the disc be faulty?
Consider attempting to start from a Mac OS X installer. Do you have any screenshots available?
I don't feel the same way (our household uses Windows and most relatives in my wider family like Macs) but I have a verified working Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger installation DVD made by me. We're currently reinstalling it onto my iMac since the hard drive failed.
Considered using Target Disk Mode. I own a partially functional iMac G5 A1058 with 2 GHz ALS and FireWire 400 ports. Power Mac also supports FireWire 400. I possess a compatible FireWire 400 cable. Steps outlined: 1. Create a Mac OS 9 boot CD 2. Link the two Macs via FireWire 3. Start Power Mac G4 in Target Disk Mode 4. Launch iMac G5 from a Mac OS 9 DVD 5. Transfer Mac OS 9 onto Power Mac through FireWire 6. Expect a functional Power Mac (though success depends on booting with 250 MB Zip disks, as the drive is only 100MB). Major concern: Can iMac boot from my Mac OS 9 DVD? Limited knowledge about compatibility from that time; some info came up about iMac G4.