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My screenless Powerbook is acting up

  • 27-11-2005 8:37pm
    #1
    Mr. Flibble
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,364 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I've a Powerbook G4 running osx server which I've been running with an external monitor as the screen on it is broken.
    The hard drive in it got full and the computer crashed so I force restared it, but now it won't startup. When I try to start it up he external monitor doesn't turn on and I'm pretty sure the OS isn't starting up (i cant ping the computer from the network etc).

    If I startup from a CD i get as far as getting a blue background and a pointer on the screen. But I can do absloutly nothing except move the pointer about. The pointer moves off to one side of the screen as if its moving onto the powerbook's broken screen.

    I think there may some sort of request for input on the laptops broken screen which i cannot see.

    Pressing the F7 key to change from monitor mirroring does nothing. Pressing pretty much anything on the keyboard does nothing.

    Is there a way I can get the laptop to startup form the cd and only use the external display device? Or any other things I could try at startup?
    Any help rould be really appreciated. I am really at a loss as what to do.


    Thanks
    Conor


Comments

  • #2
    edunon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 446 ✭✭edunon


    This method works having another mac computer with dvd-rom and firewire port. Starting with both macs off:

    -Connect both macs using a firewire cable
    -Turn on the Powerbook holding "T", it will enter in target mode
    -Turn on the other Mac, enter Tiger dvd and boot from it.
    -When asking where you want to install tiger can select the Powerbook's hard drive to do that.
    -Once finish, you can turn off both macs, disconnet firewire cable and should work.


  • #3
    Hugh_C
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,852 ✭✭✭Hugh_C


    Mr. Flibble wrote:
    Any help rould be really appreciated. I am really at a loss as what to do.


    Thanks
    Conor


    Have you tried the old command-option-P-R trick for resetting the PRAM? Try restarting with those keys held down and let it chime (can you hear the powerbook?) a few times, depending on how neurotic you are!!

    Alternatively, assuming you're right about not seeing the input fields on the broken powerbook screen, what it'll be looking for after startup is the username and password - username will automatically be highlighted, and the TAB will take you to the password field.

    Could be that the powerbooks drive is so stuffed that it can't boot, in which case the firewire mode suggestion is a good way to go.


  • #4
    Mr. Flibble
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,364 ✭✭✭Mr. Flibble


    Thanks for the input. PRAM trick didnt do anything and the drive wasn't being recgonised when starting up in targetmode. In the end I took the HDD out and put it in an external enclousure, and used DataRescueII and DiskWarrior to salvage some data and reformat the disk. Once I'd done that I put it back in the laptop and could install the OS using target mode.

    All up and running now :)_
    Cheers


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