Quin and Everyone,
Here is exactly what happens with all boards removed except the
processor and the primary video board:
1. Press power button
2. The 9500 produces a musical chord.
3. Hard drive begins to register activity.
4. This goes on for a few minutes.
5. You hear a train whistle sound.
The BIN monitor, connected to the primary video board, remains black. If I
had the EDIT monitor connected to the Avid video board, dark purple
wallpaper would have appeared on the EDIT monitor at the point of the train
whistle sound, but no icons.
Questions: Windows machines have screen activity all throughout the post and
boot processes (RAM checks etc.). Is this also true with Macs? If so,
doesn't the fact that there is activity, but nothing on the screen indicate
a display problem?
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Quinatwork@xxxxxxx [mailto:Quinatwork@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 8:47 PM
To: Avid-L Members
Subject: Re: Composer Will Not Boot
In a message dated 9/29/2003 3:09:49 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
scott@xxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Also does the Mac make a musical chord sound when you power it up? This is
part of the POST and if missing indicates a problem with the machine.[Scott
Thomas] Yes, a "toot" like toy train after a few minutes.
Do you hear the internal HD spin up?[Scott Thomas] Yes, and the green light
indicates activity. If not try booting from the installation CD. (If you
do not have one, I can make a copy and send it to you.) To boot from the
CD, push the eject button on the internal CD-ROM drive, then load the CD in
the drive and simultaneously press the control, Apple and ESC keys. (This
is the Mac Version of the three-finger salute.)
Hold the "C" key down while the machine starts, this should start it from
the CD-ROM.
You may also have a dead video card.[Scott Thomas] I'm starting to think
this myself. Any advice on how I can obtain a replacement?
Finally, while you were inside the 9500, did you replace the battery? It
probably needs it.[Scott Thomas] No. I also need advice on where I can get
the battery.
A Toy Train?? The startup chime should be a musical chord. The error code
on a 9500 is supposed to be a car crash. The closest I found to a toy train
was the LC had a flute.
I think you have two problems, neither of which is very fun on a 9500. I
think your PRAM(CMOS) battery is dead or missing. They are available at
Radio Shack or Batteries Plus. It is a stubby little cylinder about half
the size of a AA. Ask the clerk for a Macintosh battery. I'd get one
before you start. The next part may scar you for life.
(I'm doing this from memory, so bear with me)
Find a large area to work. Get a motherboard size piece of antistatic
plastic and place it on a towel or something. Use a ground strap to keep
your potential the same as the box.
Carefully remove ALL the cards from the 9500 and set them aside (on or in
antistatic wrap) including the processor. Remove the drive housing and
power supply. Don't loose the little plastic piece that goes from the font
button to the power supply.
Now remove the motherboard and place it RAM side up on the large antistatic
plastic. The battery should be plainly visible. If my suspicions are
correct, pick up the SIMMs lying in the bottom of your case.
Examine your SIMMs, they are SUPPOSED to be installed in matching pairs.
Reseat your SIMMs so they match by size, speed and make. The SIMMs are
installed in the HIGHEST number banks first. So your first pair go in slots
6 a & b, then the next pair in slots 5 a & b. You have space for 12 SIMMs.
Any one of which could be bad.
To troubleshoot RAM, look for SIMMs with Apple part numbers and match them
first. Install one pair, reassemble, and see if the beast boots up (with
the new battery of course). If it boots, the remaining RAM must be added in
pairs until you ID the bad chips.
If it does not boot with the first pair, they could be the bad ones, so you
may wish to swap them as well.
See I told you, you wouldn't like it. Another little issue is that the
largest SIMM that Avid blessed for the 9500 is 32MB. Some on the -L have
used 64MB with success, but your mileage may vary.
Here are two links that may be helpful:
Article 18196: " Power Macintosh
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=18196> 9500 Series: Memory
Questions & Answers"
Article 20297: " Power
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=20297> Macintosh 9500/180 &
9500/200: Memory Configuration"
Good luck,
Quin
---
You are currently subscribed to avid-l as: scott@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to leave-avid-l-396C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
---
Find answers to your questions in the archives:
http://www.avid.com/community/maillist/messagesearch.asp
For messages before May 2002, visit the archive at
http://archives.itg.uiuc.edu/avid/
---
You are currently subscribed to avid-l as: avidmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to leave-avid-l-396C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
---
Find answers to your questions in the archives:
http://www.avid.com/community/maillist/messagesearch.asp
For messages before May 2002, visit the archive at
http://archives.itg.uiuc.edu/avid/
-->
