Thank you so much for the detailed explanation, Jon. You know.... I have a laptop and I don't have a MAC but I read your troubleshooting non-the-less. I got to the last paragraph and realized something that I was told happened a couple of days ago that might be relevant. My room mate was home when this happened so this is second-hand knowledge. She was watching tv when the power went out then, a second later, there was a big POP down the street (a transformer maybe?). Everything still worked with the computer though; however, maybe it just needed to be power-cycled. Any other comments will be greatly appreciated! :-)~MIKE~(-: On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 6:56 PM, Jon Kettenhofen wrote: > Hello Michael, > > I'm curious, did you buy this quad new or did you buy it used or is it a > work computer owned by a company? I get the feeling that you bought it > used. > > There's almost always a reason for failures and it's usually a problem > that can be isolated. If it's a part, it can be replaced. If it's > something else, it can be fixed. > > When stuff like this starts to happen, it may be one of three things: a > loose connection or a bad motherboard or a power supply. Apple builds > solid hardware but sometimes it gets abuse or just used in a poor > environment with too much heat and/or moisture or just takes a physical > beating - they are rather heavy. Also quads, I believe, have water > cooling. I have seen at least one report of leaks. That's usually easy to > rule out if there's no leaks. > > So where to begin? Well, the pedant is back! > > You may want to take some anti-static electricity precautions. First, > disconnect the Mac completely from all exterior cords, wires, etc. Lay it > on its side where there is plenty of light, a clean worktop area and a > Phillips screwdriver. As you have seen, it's easily taken apart, at least > the easy pieces need only your hands. Pull the fans out, take the video > and other cards out, unhinge and pull the memory sticks out and so on until > you are puzzled how to get the cooling shrouds out. (Don't do that.) > Inspect everything. Look for any corrosion. Remove as much dirt and dust > as you can with an air duster can (take care here, the these cans may > contain hydrocarbons that are flammable and they should not be inhaled!). > If you use an air compressor, be gentle and use lower pressure less than > 40psi. What you can't get out with air, start with a clean microfiber > cloth and wipe without generating static (i.e. don't rub hard). Make sure > all the connectors are clean and shiny before reassembling. > > We call this clean and re-seat the boards. > > Make sure you put the same memory sticks back into the same slots - it > usually matters or makes a difference. If you don't remember, read up on > it from a manual, usually online at Apple.com. > > Memory sticks are tricky because they often won't reseat properly without > strong pressure. First, make sure the middle slot on the memory stick is > lined up with the ridge in the bottom of the connector. The slots are > offset from the middle on purpose, they are only supposed to go in one > way. (Having burned out a memory stick by forcing it in backwards, I can > speak from experience! Won't do that again!) The way to handle this is to > use two hands, with thumbs or your choice of fingers at each end of the > board. Making sure the stick is aligned correctly in the connector; push > FIRMLY down until both ends of the connector snap into the stick. Main > logic boards are epoxy and embedded fiber, are very strong and can take a > little flexing without > hurting them. Same with memory sticks. > > Make sure the memory is seated well - it may take close inspection with a > flashlight. If the sticks are all the same size, then no stick should be > higher than the lowest one. > > OK, reassemble the computer. > > Testing the power supply can be difficult. It's easier with a common > desktop PC because the power connector is almost always on top of the board > and easily accessible. It's not enough to test a power supply out of the > computer because it won't be under load. > > Here's how an expert taught me to test the power supply on a desktop PC > (but not a Dell!) Take a meter and set it to DC volts. There will be a > pair of test leads with pointed ends to poke at things. > > You will push the points into the connector until it connects to the metal > of the connector sleeve. Connect the common lead to a black wire's > connector. Test all the colored wires with the positive (usually red) > meter probe. Here are the correct voltages for a PC: > > Yellow +12 Volts > Red +5 Volts > Purple +5 Volts > Orange +3.3Volts > Green don't test; this turns on the PC when shorted to black > White -5 Volts > Blue -12 Volts > Gray I think this one is for the power-is-on LED > Brown Not sure about this one > > The important thing is that the voltages are nearly correct when the > computer is powered on because that shows the power supply to be good when > under a load. > > One other thing - sometimes a part can acquire a static charge which won't > dissipate properly. The only remedy for this is to wait until it > discharges (unless you are a motherboard repair person). > > Things that have hurt my equipment is usually near lightning strikes. Lost > one treasured Mac to a lightning strike that hit the phone lines. Took out > phones for three stories above me. Mac did not fail right away but > eventually lost it (sniff :( ). Lightning strikes across the strike have > taken out a couple ethernet ports over the years even though my equipment > has always been on a UPS. Strong strike will generate an EMP which is > sometimes picked up by a network wire of a resonant length. Usually, > though, it's not serious but if the storm is bad, we'll turn off the > electronics until it's past. > > I apologize for the length of this, but you get the idea of the lengths I > go to fix things. > > Best of Luck and let me know how it turns out if you have the time, > As always, take care. > Jon > > > > > > > > > > > > On 09/17/2014 06:27 PM, Michael Havens wrote: > >> first certain keys sometimes don't work unless I hold the key down and >> then after a time the character will appear (sometimes multiple times). >> So it was recomended I pop the keys off and clean under them. So I do >> and it doesn't fix the problem. No problem. I'll stick it under my table >> and attach wireless periphiels too it. Then I need to go visit my kids. >> So I figure I'll suffer with the keyboard problem. The day I left for >> Miami (at the airport) the hardware internet switch would not turn on. >> Then, after I arrive in Miami, I turn on the computer and a notice >> appears at boot saying that 'the cooling fan is not operating properly'. >> What problem do you think is causing this? I called my dad and he said >> it sounds like the hard disk is going bad. He also said maybe the >> keyboard controller (because of the internet switch). >> :-)~MIKE~(-: >> >> >> --------------------------------------------------- >> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: >> http://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss >> >> > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: > http://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss >