Re: G-5 Problem Help!!!

My Mac G5 won't start. Here is what happened: I went to delete the trash and my mouse hung up. I could see the pointer on the screen but it would not move. I unplugged the mouse and hooked it up again with no luck. I powered off the G5 and when I went to turn it on it made the start up sound but no image on my monitor. I shut it off and unplugged the G5 from the power source, waited a few minutes, plugged it in again and again it would not show on my monitor. I shut it off again and tried to reset the PRAM with OPT, CMD, P and R keys held down with the same results. I tried to reboot from another boot drive with no luck. What's next? I checked the connections with my monitor and they are solid.

I have OS 10.4.11, Comp 3.0.2, FCP 6.0.5, QT 7.6, DVD SP4, Toast 8.0.3. If the worse happens what do I need in order to upgrade as far as Macs go and also my software? I have client projects that I don't want to lose and I want to stay with FCP but not go to FXP X. I hope I can get this fixed so I won't have to upgrade.

Thanks for any input,

Tom

Hi Tom,

So it sounds like the Mac is up and running but the monitor is black, right?

Have you shut everything down and then detached and reattached the monitor from the Mac's monitor card?

It sounds like your monitor card has headed South on you. I would suggest that you may want to take it in and have the Mac (monitor card) tested.

--ken

Ken,

Thanks for responding. I don't think it's the monitor card. Here's my reason: I gave the computer a rest and then turned it back on, I got the gong, then a grey screen then a message that my computer needs to be restarted. No luck on the restart.
I just tried it again and got the gong, then a white screen with the Apple logo in the middle and nothing else. I will take it in to be checked out tomorrow and hopefully it's a minor fix, if not and it ends up being a video card is it possible to get one for a Mac G5 so I can tell the technician about it? I don't want to upgrade if possible but if that becomes the cure then I'll need info on my concerns posted above.

Tom

Hi Tom,

As you have already determined, you'll have to take it in for testing. Hope it works out for you.

--ken

XGTV,

Thanks for your input. Along with all the things to try in the other posts above I've tried your possible solutions. The Safe mode only produced a white screen with the Apple logo in the center. The resetting of the nvram produced nothing on the screen. The computer didn't even give me the start up bong. It bongs sometimes and sometimes nothing and I either get nothing on the monitor or the white screen with the Apple logo. I now have everything disconnected and will take the G-5 in for, hopefully, a repair so I can finish my clients projects. If I have to get a new Mac I hope it can work with the programs I have listed in my first post, at least with my FCP 6.0.5. I see that 6.0.6 is available and that might help me keep working on my projects.

Thanks again,

Tom

XGTV,

I went to that spot and found Final Cut Studio System ID and also Final Cut Pro System ID and DVD Studio Pro System ID.
Do I delete all three?

Tom

XGTV,

Note: I have not, repeat not, done any upgrades for any programs.

Earlier when I checked my program versions this is what I found:

FCP 6.0.5, Compressor 3.0.5, QT 7.6.4, DVD SP 4.2.1, iDVD 7.0.3 and Motion 3.0.2

The programs I cannot access are: FCP, Compressor, LiveType, Motion and DVDSP4. I don't use Motion so it's not priority.

Here is the strange thing, I just double checked the program versions and FCP changed to 6.0.6 and iDVD to 7.0.4. I have
no idea how these two programs changed version numbers as I said before I have not upgraded and I cannot even go up on the Internet with my Mac right now. If I delete my user account for FCP will these programs work after I put in the serial number for FCP? Will I have to enter the serial number for the five programs I cannot access?

Tom

Yeah your monitor and video card are probably fine. It's possible your main boot drive has pretty much died. Can you boot from a DVD by holding down C with the disc in the drive? If not, then something is wrong on the motherboard.

Greg,

I tried to boot from another drive with no luck, see my first post. I'll let the tech check it out and let me know what kind of problem I'm dealing with. All my FCP project capture and render files are on G-Tech external drives and in one of the internal drives. The G-5 hard drive only has program files. I'm presently using FCP 6.0.5. Hopefully I can still use it or maybe the upgrade to 6.0.6 which I think is still available to download. I'll let you know as soon as the tech gives me his findings, hopefully not too expensive and easy to fix. Because of my age I don't intend on being in business for too many more years so I'm not interested in spending a lot of money going to FCP X and trying to learn how to use it. I've been reading a lot about it but it might not be in my best interest to go that way. With my clients I deal mostly with "old" stuff:
8mm film, all kinds of tapes, pictures, slides, negatives, PAL tape conversions, audio cassette and reel to reel tapes and records. I don't get requests for high end stuff and no one wants Blu-Ray DVDs. A lot of equipment is hooked up to a playback deck via RCA or S-Video and the playback deck is hooked up to the G-5 via Firewire. No high tech equipment in this business. Like I said I convert everyone's old media to DVDs while going through FCP 6.0.5 so if I can keep this old workhorse up and running that would be fine, if not then hopefully I can upgrade and be able to still use my version of FCP.
If I need a new computer I must be able to hook up all this stuff and get it into the computer. Perhaps you can recommend a reliable source for a G-5 just in case I end up going that way. Thanks for you input Greg, Tom

Hi Tom,
Sorry I missed that you tried to boot from another drive. While it still could be the GPU, I'm starting to think Mother Board too.
Hopefully where you take it will find the problem. MoBo aren't worth replacing IMHO.
G5s on eBay go for $100~350.00. Or check local, Craigslist maybe??
I would still recommend you think about an Intel based MP. I don't miss my G5 at all.
Intel MP start around $300 and go up from there. Might be less than repair costs.
Unless you have a critical app that is PPC only and not Universal there is no reason you couldn't upgrade. FCP6 runs fine right out of the box(disc) up to Lion. In ML it requires some modifications to the "blacklist" Apple installed. Lion was the last OS blessed for the first couple of Intel MPs so lots of older models still run that version. All early MPs with Lion or before will run all Universal programs with no problems.
Often the used Macs come with software preinstalled.
FW 400/800 are standard issue on older MPs so you should be fine that way. Newer TB requires an adapter.
Best of Luck, feel your pain.
Hope this helps, Greg

Greg,

Not sure what I'm looking at. I see the Intel MP is over $1000. Where are you finding them for $300? Are these laptop computers?

Tom

Hey Tom,
It could still be your GPU, but it could be another problem altogether.
Bad RAM, boot routine corruption, hdd going south.
You should still be able to find replacement GPU's for the G5. If necessary, check eBay. Most often when GPUs go, either no screen whatsoever, or scrambled lines or moire pattern. Also doesn't sound like your monitor.
Have you tried booting from a different boot drive?
G5 is getting pretty old. You should seriously consider upgrading if possible.
A new iMac is many times faster and more powerful than the G5.
Used Mac Pro towers (get a 2009-12 model if possible, 2008 earliest) are available and reasonably priced. Again much faster than the G5.
If you do upgrade, it is difficult to install older versions of FCP. Apple actually blacklisted installing FCStudio2 and other programs in the latest versions of the OS. You used to be able to use Rosetta to install. If you need to install post back and I'll tell you how to get it installed and running.
Good news is you can still access the media files on current hdd if you pull it out and put it in external drive.
Finally, Try FCPX, once you get used to it, you never want to work in legacy FCP again.
Hope this helps, Greg

Update.

I had the computer diagnosed and the guy had reset the PMU and the computer started up a few times fine but he didn't know what the original problem was and this store couldn't fix it anyway so I found a Mac store that deals in old Macs and the guy said it was a processor board. He took out my two internal drives and moved them to an identical G5 and it started up fine. I hooked it up to my external drives, monitors, speakers and the computer recognizes all components and programs except my FCP, LiveType, Compressor and Motion 3 programs. It wants the serial number which I typed in correctly many times but the message says the serial number is incorrect. It's the only serial number I have and my program was purchased from Apple and is a legal program.

What do I do now??

Tom

Ahh tes, FCP is seeing that you have copied your software to another computer. Right now it's very late here but you need to delete your user account for FCP then when you launch it again it will ask for the serial number and all will be fine. Things changed here and there so from memory I can't guide you there right now but I'll get back to you tomorrow.

XGTV,

How do I delete my user account for FCP?

Tom

Tom, go to the Library - Application support - Pro Apps. There you will see "Final cut studio system ID" drag that file to the trash and empty. Launch FCP and you will be asked for your serial number. Enter it and you're done.

I deleted that file and entered the serial number for FCP again but no luck. I deleted and trashed those other two old ID files and launched FCP, ran Disk Utility, entered the serial number and the message said invalid serial number. It's been a long time since I installed FCP and the serial number and disk is for Final Cut Pro 4.5 although I have 6.0.6 installed. Perhaps over the years I was able to download upgrades but not sure. When I purchased FCP Studio 2 they had sent my two sets of that program and they didn't want the second set returned. The serial number is different on the other set and the title of it is Final Cut Studio 2 UPG from FCP, Pro Suite followed by the serial number.
It has eight disks:
Final Cut Studio Install Version 2.0
Final Cut Studio LiveType Media 1 Version 2.0
Final Cut Studio LiveType Media 2 Version 2.0
Final Cut Studio Motion Content Version 2.0
Final Cut Studio DVD Studio Pro Content Version 2.0
Final Cut Studio Audio Content 1 ,2 and 3 on three disks

I guess Compressor is on the install disks but not sure.

Don't know if it would do any good to have my internal drives put back into the other G5 and have the tech change out the board or whatever it was that was bad. Since I deleted the serial ID I might have the same problem.

What should my next step be? There must be a way to get FCP up and running again on this G5 running OS 10.4.11 Tiger and QT 7.6.4.

Thanks for you help in this urgent matter,

Don't know why or how it worked but I typed in the serial number of that other set of Studio 2 disks and FCP and all the other programs opened without a hitch. I restarted the Mac, ran Disk Utility and everything stills works.

How about that folks!!

Finally I can get back to work.

Tom

If your FCS was the upgrade version you first have to enter the serial number of the old suite then enter the number for the upgrade version. Whatever, all that matters is that you are back in business.

Now everything is up and running. I just got the registration window again for FCS2 (I didn't have to enter the serial number) and I just selected register later. Is there a time period where I would have to register? Reason I ask is that I cannot gain Internet access at the moment and not sure when that will happen and I don't want FCP to stop working again.

Thanks,

Tom

That sounds like the generic Apple message which pops up now and then and annoys the hell out of everyone. Ignore it, or if you specifically wish to register go ahead when you are able to. The only difference is that you won't see that message again but if you have previously registered, the Apple server might get it's pants in a twist because that number is already registered. Personally I'd leave things as they are.