Michael,
BTW, Apple publishes a hardware diagnostic CD or DVD, in fact it may be on the original install DVDs that came with the machine. If you can boot the machine, see if you can run the diagnostics.
Jon
On 09/18/2014 02:08 PM, Michael Havens wrote:
Thefirst thing I di was to stick the live cd in. That didn't fix a thing
plus that doesn't take care of the cooling fan issue..... did I tell you
I get that notice right before bios takes over?
:-)~MIKE~(-:
On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 9:24 AM, Stephen Partington
<cryptworks@gmail.com <mailto:cryptworks@gmail.com>> wrote:
Have you tried a live CD of any flavor to see if it persists?
On Sep 18, 2014 8:35 AM, "Michael Havens" <bmike1@gmail.com
<mailto:bmike1@gmail.com>> wrote:
when the keybosrd problem stsrted about 6 months ago getting
another keyboard was the first thing I did and there was no
problem with it when I attached an external keyboard. You
mentioned smoking being a problem? I've never done that. You
wondered about the distro? I run Linux Mint.
:-)~MIKE~(-:
On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 6:08 AM, Lisa Kachold<bmike1@gmail.com <mailto:bmike1@gmail.com>> wrote:<foobar@it-clowns.com <mailto:foobar@it-clowns.com>> wrote:
Hi Mike,
In order to work with the technician effectively, you are
going to want to be closely involved with the work process.
In this respect, you will ask him what he thinks the problem
is, or what his first actions are, for instance if he
recommends a full diagnostic.
But first, I would do some diagnostics myself before taking
your equipment to the technician.
IT IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT THIS IS DUE TO MORE THAN ONE
CAUSE (but all related to your distro or drivers)!
If you are SMOKING or exposing the laptop to soot of any
kind, you will want to clean the laptop completely FIRST.
Everyone has issues with the WIRELESS switch on older
equipment, just futz with it, as I have never seen anyone
have it STAY BROKEN? But this clearly would be the
technician stage....
Various diagnostic programs exist for linux, which you might
consider before spending money on the technician, to verify
power supply, bus, and CPU.
Intel Proc Diagnostic for Linux:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=19792
PowerTop:
http://xmodulo.com/2013/06/how-to-monitor-power-usage-in-linux.html
What distro are you running? Known issues with KDE and
Chrome with keyboard I/O are common (which I expect is the
cause of your issues after applying a patch):
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=53398&p=306336&hilit=keyboard+stops+working#p306336
Spares are your friend, so try an external keyboard and see
if the issue follows that hardware (kernel driver) switch,
then you can be sure that it is application/distro based
rather than hardware based.
As for fan control, there are various tools and again KNOWN
ISSUES (ArchLinux) with fancontrol under linux:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/63588/how-do-i-get-fan-control-working
Karmic:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/451337
You can use a live distro to rule out your keyboard issues -
divide and conquer.
Using OSI Level debugging, you go to the layer where the
issue exists and traverse up and down to adjacent layers, so
clearly there is only the human level on the other side of
the Physical Layer 1, which is where the problems present
themselves, so the other direction would be the drivers in
linux.
You would rule out issues here with a systematic diagnostic,
use of spares and intelligent research.
On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 8:54 PM, Michael Havens
What can I tell the service tech so I don't sound too
stupid?
:-)~MIKE~(-:
On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 8:03 PM, Michael Havens
<bmike1@gmail.com <mailto:bmike1@gmail.com>> wrote:
oh.... I forgot to say that none of the other
computers in my house seem to have been affected
though it may be that it needs to be power-cycled
and/or it may be something that only affects
wireless and something got on the phone lines (my
home is on DSL).
:-)~MIKE~(-:
On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 7:50 PM, Michael Havens
<bmike1@gmail.com <mailto:bmike1@gmail.com>> wrote:
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------------------------------__---------------------<subs@kexsof.com <mailto:subs@kexsof.com>> 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~(-:
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