All the troubleshooting assistance found here has been re-written and updated in my Macintosh Troubleshooting book: 'Fix a troubled Mac'

Available to purchase ($15), from the KAGI online store.

Startup Problems
(cannot turn on the Macintosh)

Try these steps in this order first. If you solve a the problem, there is no need to go to the next step.

  • Check power supply, monitor signal, cables & keyboard connections

  • Remove any CDR or DVD disks from drive(s)

  • Check (or remove) USB &/or Firewire devices before startup, or replace cables, switch ports. On certain iMac and eMacs, USB port next the the modem has problems, avoid using it.

  • Check (or remove) any external SCSI devices before startup, or replace cables, check ends terminated & SCSI ID's are OK (including internal)

  • Reset PRAM [cmd-opt-P-R] on startup

  • Reset Power Manager Chip (iBook or Powerbook only) (See relevant Apple Service Manual)

  • Disconnect from Power, Reseat or Remove third party RAM chips

  • Disconnect from Power, verify processor & cache, graphics and expansion cards are seated correctly

  • Reconnect power, reset the CUDA switch for 2-5 seconds on motherboard (do not press twice in a 60 sec period)

  • Replace PRAM battery

If the Macintosh starts up, but fails to boot (disk icon flashing), try these steps:

  • Startup using a Bootable Mac OS 9.2.2 Emergency CD, check & fix any disk issues using Diskwarrior v2.1 or later

  • Check that the correct Mac OS ROM version (for Mac OS 8 or 9 Systems) is installed for that model Macintosh.

  • Use Startupdisk control panel to select System Folder and restart.

Alternative or additional emergency boot CD-ROM diagnostic tools

  • Use the Apple Hardware Diagnostic CD, run Extended Test to verify if there is a hardware problem

  • Use the Service Source Mac Test Pro CD (for G4 or G3), run MTP Emergency application for extended hardware testing

If your Macintosh does not boot into Mac OS 9, you will need to use the Mac OS X Installer CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. Once the Installer software is loaded, you can select from the Installer Menu the Disk Utility Program and repair the disk and repair the disk permissions. Alternately, you can do this from the command line;