ot: problems

Wed Sep 17 20:03:38 MST 2014

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 at 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 at 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~(-:
>>>
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at 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 at lists.phxlinux.org
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
>> http://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.phxlinux.org/pipermail/plug-discuss/attachments/20140917/364bd4fa/attachment.html>