Ibook G3 Problem - Here We Go Again!

[Pej]

Hi all.
As of last night the screen on my 900mhz g3 ibook started to flash on and off, then half of the screen went light blue and the other half dark. it then froze. after rebooting nothing happened, so i turned it off and took the battery out. i then started it again and it worked fine for a few minutes before flashing (like when a tv isnt tuned properly) and froze. at the time i was trying to burn any important files to cd. i turned it off again.
This morning i turned it on and it booted but after abouy 15 seconds and began flashing and the screen again went black. i can still hear a quite hum though indicating that it is still turned on.
I could also hear these little clicking noises coming from under the keyboard when it is booting up.

Has anyone else had anything remotly likle this happen, or does anyone know what these problems might mean?????

Thanks for any input..... :o

[Byrd]

Take it to your Apple reseller - sounds like you have the dreaded ibook logic board failure.

For starters however, backup all your data. Best way to do this is set up your iBook as the target Firewire device, connected to another Mac, and dump all your data over.

JB

[ARB]

I've had the same problem 4 times over.

In getting it to work for a little while while you backup your data, you may need to sit it in a stable spot on a table, and then experiment with opening/closing the display/ shaking the machine gently ... I've found that once it boots, and if you keep it exactly still, that you might get it working for a short time - hopefully long enough for you to back it up.

If you can't get it to boot, your data on the HD should be OK though.

Take it into your reseller ASAP.

[Pej]

Originally posted by Byrd@Feb 15 2005, 10:18 AM
Best way to do this is set up your iBook as the target Firewire device, connected to another Mac, and dump all your data over.

Luckily i am a school teacher i have access to the emac in my classrroom - so all backed up. Unfortunatley the laptop comes through the education department so there are going to have to be phone calls made, then they will have to take it, then pass it on to apple and go from there. Could be a lengthy wait i feel! yippee!!

I had a feeling it could be a dreaded logic board (after reading the ongoing sagas of pipsqueek et. al.) but wasnt too sure of symptoms.

thanks for the quick response Byrd and ARB!

[Pej]

Im happy to report that only after a few days i now have a brand new motherboard sitting in my ibook.

At the start of the week i called the department of education and they put me through to apple service (overseas call centre). The guy on the other end of the phone was hopeless - often asking me about my powerbook when i was repeatedily telling him it was an ibook. We went around in circles and i ended up more frustrated and no better off. The delay on the phoneline sucked bigtime too.

Eventually after a 40 minute phonecall made on my behalf by our school's part time computer tech an on site repair was penciled in for today or next monday.

11:30am today i got a suprise visit from the repair man, and an hour later i have my ibook working again! Yippee!!

So no complaints about apples service over this incident (except from the call centre conversation).

I suppose im fortunate to be one of the lucky ones... especially after reading some of the other stories regarding ibooks. Lets just hope his new motherboard holds up.......

[Pej]

Yay!!! My new logic board didnt even last 5 months!! Wahoo for the good old ibook g3

Looks like another call to apple when the school holidays finish this weekend.

Hmmmpph......

[maelgwn]

my sis has had similar problem with her 700 G3 iBook

shes on third motherboard and had the backlight fixed once as well