Need help with G5 Dual 2GHz
Discussion
My 3 year old powerMac has recently started misbehaving so if anyone could give me any ideas as to what it is that would be much appreciated!!!
Symptoms are always the same:
Start with the pinwheel for about 30 secs, before the computer emits a noise a little like bowing a high violin string very quickly (sounds electricity related though...). This is then followed by a loud clicking/chirping in a repetitive pattern. If you listen carefully it has different pitches that alternate, but always in the same pattern repeating over. This lasts around 15 secs on average but can vary, it'll pause for around 10 secs then continue again.
Occasionally it'll then give me a couple of secs of normal HDD noise and return to normal (for around 10 secs) but usually it's game over as I'll have the pinwheel (which is still rotating) and nothing else responding. 'Off at the button'. This is intermittent, as sometimes my computers good as gold, though unfortunately happening far more regularly...
Symptoms are always the same:
Start with the pinwheel for about 30 secs, before the computer emits a noise a little like bowing a high violin string very quickly (sounds electricity related though...). This is then followed by a loud clicking/chirping in a repetitive pattern. If you listen carefully it has different pitches that alternate, but always in the same pattern repeating over. This lasts around 15 secs on average but can vary, it'll pause for around 10 secs then continue again.
Occasionally it'll then give me a couple of secs of normal HDD noise and return to normal (for around 10 secs) but usually it's game over as I'll have the pinwheel (which is still rotating) and nothing else responding. 'Off at the button'. This is intermittent, as sometimes my computers good as gold, though unfortunately happening far more regularly...
1Gb RAM, and it seems in no way related to the number of processes as it'll do it whether running Logic, surfing the 'net, watching a film, or running on idle.
It's a 250Gb hard drive and I've got around 30Gb left.
I was worred it sounds hard drive related so I've backed everything up, but it's been doing it for around 3 months now without a catastrophic failure...
Running 10.3.9
I've also run TechTool diagnostics and it's confusingly come up with nothing.
ETA: OS
It's a 250Gb hard drive and I've got around 30Gb left.
I was worred it sounds hard drive related so I've backed everything up, but it's been doing it for around 3 months now without a catastrophic failure...
Running 10.3.9
I've also run TechTool diagnostics and it's confusingly come up with nothing.
ETA: OS
Edited by brayash on Thursday 14th February 12:06
Edited by brayash on Thursday 14th February 12:07
1Gb RAM, and it seems in no way related to the number of processes as it'll do it whether running Logic, surfing the 'net, watching a film, or running on idle.
It's a 250Gb hard drive and I've got around 30Gb left.
I was worred it sounds hard drive related so I've backed everything up, but it's been doing it for around 3 months now without a catastrophic failure...
I've also run Techtool diagnostics and confusingly it's come up with nothing.
Running 10.3.9
ETA: OS
It's a 250Gb hard drive and I've got around 30Gb left.
I was worred it sounds hard drive related so I've backed everything up, but it's been doing it for around 3 months now without a catastrophic failure...
I've also run Techtool diagnostics and confusingly it's come up with nothing.
Running 10.3.9
ETA: OS
Edited by brayash on Thursday 14th February 12:06
Edited by brayash on Thursday 14th February 12:07
Wow - thanks for your replies guys
Mmm-five, 'spare' memory sounds great - I have been contemplating it for a while but since this is my first Mac and I know comparatively little about their internals I've never trusted myself to buy any. That, and I don't/wouldn't know how to install it!!! Keep me informed!!
HiRich, the symptoms you describe are similar but not bang on the money I don't think. A more accurate way to describe the repetitive clicking would be: "click-cluck-cloock-click click-cluck-cloock-click" etc. There isn't a whirring to speak of. I still can't fully decide whether the part of the noise that's changing, is possibly even coming from the speaker or not.
I've also put off archive and installing, mostly due to laziness. The process itself is fine, but I've done it before and all the patches I had to source/download to get Logic and Pro Tools working correctly and not argue with each other disappeared - and I'm worried I may not get them back again! Your reason for suggesting it sounds very feasible though so I may have to bite the bullet if Onyx doesn't work. Speaking of which, I don't have this program. I assume it's downloadable?
Either way thanks for your help guys, nice to have some opinions based on more than my hunches!
Mmm-five, 'spare' memory sounds great - I have been contemplating it for a while but since this is my first Mac and I know comparatively little about their internals I've never trusted myself to buy any. That, and I don't/wouldn't know how to install it!!! Keep me informed!!
HiRich, the symptoms you describe are similar but not bang on the money I don't think. A more accurate way to describe the repetitive clicking would be: "click-cluck-cloock-click click-cluck-cloock-click" etc. There isn't a whirring to speak of. I still can't fully decide whether the part of the noise that's changing, is possibly even coming from the speaker or not.
I've also put off archive and installing, mostly due to laziness. The process itself is fine, but I've done it before and all the patches I had to source/download to get Logic and Pro Tools working correctly and not argue with each other disappeared - and I'm worried I may not get them back again! Your reason for suggesting it sounds very feasible though so I may have to bite the bullet if Onyx doesn't work. Speaking of which, I don't have this program. I assume it's downloadable?
Either way thanks for your help guys, nice to have some opinions based on more than my hunches!
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