iMac won't power up
Discussion
We'll, there's an odd thing - I thought I would plug it back in before I packed it all up ready to take to the (not very) local Apple store.
Put my ear to the back expecting to hear the usual ticking but there was none! Tried the power button and immediately got the white light of joy
Have shut down and powered up again a few times to make sure and all looks good, so have cancelled my Genius Bar appointment (is that tempting fate?!?).
No idea why it has started working all of a sudden as it hasn't moved since I last tried it - very bizarre but I guess it has probably saved me a few quid. For now
Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions
Put my ear to the back expecting to hear the usual ticking but there was none! Tried the power button and immediately got the white light of joy
Have shut down and powered up again a few times to make sure and all looks good, so have cancelled my Genius Bar appointment (is that tempting fate?!?).
No idea why it has started working all of a sudden as it hasn't moved since I last tried it - very bizarre but I guess it has probably saved me a few quid. For now
Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions
I had the same issue start about 6 months ago on my daughters iMac. Intermittent power supply fault that gradually got worse over time, eventually I just got a MacBook to replace it. 7 years didn't seem too bad before it developed a fault. You can get a replacement power unit for £200 ish and they are not that hard to fit with the right screwdrivers, just not economical to me.
pincher said:
We'll, there's an odd thing - I thought I would plug it back in before I packed it all up ready to take to the (not very) local Apple store.
Put my ear to the back expecting to hear the usual ticking but there was none! Tried the power button and immediately got the white light of joy
Have shut down and powered up again a few times to make sure and all looks good, so have cancelled my Genius Bar appointment (is that tempting fate?!?).
No idea why it has started working all of a sudden as it hasn't moved since I last tried it - very bizarre but I guess it has probably saved me a few quid. For now
Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions
I'll refer you to my previous post! Power Supply is on it's way out.Put my ear to the back expecting to hear the usual ticking but there was none! Tried the power button and immediately got the white light of joy
Have shut down and powered up again a few times to make sure and all looks good, so have cancelled my Genius Bar appointment (is that tempting fate?!?).
No idea why it has started working all of a sudden as it hasn't moved since I last tried it - very bizarre but I guess it has probably saved me a few quid. For now
Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions
essayer is correct.
It'll stop working again. Remove the back cover (look on ifixit for instructions). Once you remove the case you'll see which capacitors need replacing (usually very obvious). If you are handy with soldering iron you can get it done in 10-20 mins. Capacitors available from RS / Maplin. Get 105C version ones. Try to get better quality ones (Rubycon, Panasonic, Sanyo, Nichicon).
It'll stop working again. Remove the back cover (look on ifixit for instructions). Once you remove the case you'll see which capacitors need replacing (usually very obvious). If you are handy with soldering iron you can get it done in 10-20 mins. Capacitors available from RS / Maplin. Get 105C version ones. Try to get better quality ones (Rubycon, Panasonic, Sanyo, Nichicon).
Took it to Apple and the chap said it wasn't even worth getting it booked in. Once they are more than 5 years old, they are 'vintage' in Apples eyes and part are very hard to come by.
He suggested I try to get a logic board from the net or even another iMac that has a failed hard drive and stick mine in it.
Will have a look around.
He suggested I try to get a logic board from the net or even another iMac that has a failed hard drive and stick mine in it.
Will have a look around.
Zad said:
Try the battery first.
Do you mean the little CR2032 battery? Tried that before I spent a rather pleasant hour disassembling it all last night by following the step-by-step instructions on fixit.com.Ordered a new (2nd hand) logic board from the US ebay, so will see if that fixes it when it arrives (and I've gnashed my teeth and sworn a lot trying to put it all back together!).
Looking forward to hearing how you get on (hopefully you'll sort it). For years and years I was a PC man but now love my iMac. However, I dread the day when it won't start and it's time to strip it down, with no easy option to swap components in order to try and work out where the problem is.
Sorry to hear mate, but indeed, 7 years is a normal lifespan for a computer.
Since it's a Mac, I'd go one of these ways:
Since it's a Mac, I'd go one of these ways:
- Try to pick another borked one up and mesh the two together to get it to work again
- Put yours up for sale and take the money you can get for it from someone who's going route #1
New logic board arrived and I fitted it last night. Plugged it into the mains and...........I've still got the I same ticking noise coming from the back and it doesn't power up 
I guess I could try a new power supply unit but I'm wondering if I would just be better off buying another (identical) iMac from eBay and swapping the hard drives over? That would work, wouldn't it?
I guess I could try a new power supply unit but I'm wondering if I would just be better off buying another (identical) iMac from eBay and swapping the hard drives over? That would work, wouldn't it?
pincher said:
New logic board arrived and I fitted it last night. Plugged it into the mains and...........I've still got the I same ticking noise coming from the back and it doesn't power up
I guess I could try a new power supply unit but I'm wondering if I would just be better off buying another (identical) iMac from eBay and swapping the hard drives over? That would work, wouldn't it?
You could but then what problems are you buying into with the "new" one? What about just getting a second hand power supply?I guess I could try a new power supply unit but I'm wondering if I would just be better off buying another (identical) iMac from eBay and swapping the hard drives over? That would work, wouldn't it?
I sort of agree but if I buy a whole unit, the worst case scenario is that it doesn't work but I still have another power supply I could rob from it!
In contact with a seller on ebay who suggested transferring everything from my drive onto the one in the machine he is selling and is even looking at ways it can be done for me :-)
Pics in his ad show the imac working ;-)
In contact with a seller on ebay who suggested transferring everything from my drive onto the one in the machine he is selling and is even looking at ways it can be done for me :-)
Pics in his ad show the imac working ;-)
Surprised you went with a logic board before power supply, but I guess they're not ridiculously expensive at that age. Most of those logic boards will have 3 diagnostic LED's that can sometimes help narrow down the fault, but it just sounds like the PSU isn't outputting enough juice to get the machine started. I've replaced several with similar symptoms.
pincher said:
Replacement mac purchased from eBay last night - just awaiting delivery now.
I presume it's just a case of swapping out the hard drives?
Power up replacement mac first and hope that it will power up before replacing hard drives. Once you get new one working, try to replace caps on PSU as bikerjohn suggested. You have nothing to lose, and you can get another working mac that you can sell on ebay to someone with clicking noise I presume it's just a case of swapping out the hard drives?
.Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff