Monday 4 May 2009

Aargh! Dead computer!

Oh no! When I tried to switch on my Mac this morning nothing happened. Absolutely nothing, as if a fuse had blown. I checked the power lead, and to be doubly sure, substituted another one. Leads fine, computer dead. Then I searched for help (using Jan's PC laptop, which I'm using now), and found that my particular Mac - third generation iMac G5 with iSight - is much more difficult to open up than previous generations. So I'm stuck. A friend once told me about a place in Norwich which fixes Macs, so I'll have to try there. Now I'm thinking about the data that's on it: photos mainly. I did back some of these up about a couple of years ago, but that still leaves too many vulnerable.

When I bought the Mac four years ago I found it frustrating to use, probably because I'd used only PCs until then. But gradually I got used to it, and even preferred it for many things, especially the ease of handling photos. Now I'm back to feeling very annoyed with the stupid machine!

3 comments:

Carl said...

Wait! Follow these instructions (I'm assuming you have a 20" iMac, but these will do a 17" as well):

Resetting the SMU (System Management Unit)
1. Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Plug in the power cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the
back of the computer.
4. Let go of the power button.
5. Press the power button once more to start up your iMac G5 (20-inch iSight).


Hopefully that worked, but if not it'll probably be a power supply problem. The iMac iSights aren't that difficult, but they can make you swear a bit trying to open them (Apple made this computer the worst for us 'techies').

If you are near to Peterborough, you'll find my details here: www.maclogics.co.uk

Give me a call and I'll see if we can get it going...

Carl said...

Oh, and don't worry about the data. It's all there still.

Halfie said...

Carl, thanks, I had already come across that tip and tried it. Nothing. Yes, it's a 20". I'm just about to go to work (in Norwich) so at lunchtime I'll see if I can find the place my friend told me about. A bit nearer then Peterborough! I'll call you as well, though.