Macintosh iBook problem - what do you think?
 

Ok....so, I have a story about my computer and I wanted to know your thoughts.........


I've had my iBook G3 for about 5 years and I've been running it like a desktop model for that long. Recently, though, she's shown signs that she's going to poop out on me.


My dad knows that my computer is on it's way out. Several weeks ago, he gave my sister his laptop to replace the ridiculously old one she had. Because he likes to be "fair" to us both, he wanted to do something nice for me and buy me a laptop for Christmas. I told him that was too much and not to worry about it. I very clearly explained to him that the university bookstore is likely to have some really good clearance specials at the end of the fall semester to make room for the new MacBooks w/ Intel Core 2 Duos...or have sales at the beginning of the next term (around January) to promote the new MacBooks. Again, I told him not to worry about me, I could just get one at the bookstore when the time was right. After all, I'm a big girl and can buy my own computer.


Last Monday, my dad left me a message saying that he wanted me to stop by his house after work. When I got there, he presented me with an iBook he had purchased for me. This iBook was a newer model than mine, but it was a used laptop that he purchased from a computer shop. It's an iBook G4 15", 800MHz, 128MB, 30GB HD and has the new Mac OS X Tiger. So, it's slightly faster than mine (500MHz), but it is a step down in terms of memory and HD from my upgraded iBook. I figured, though, that I could simply pull the extra memory out of the old equipment and install it into the new. I thought, too, that maybe I could switch out the hard drives if the two were comparable. Otherwise, I'll have to pay to install more memory and an upgraded HD.


This equipment also looks a bit scuffed and dinged up and has a bit of a gash/scrape on the lid. That's not really a big issue, as scratches are really just cosmetic. However, I'm thinking that, if it got banged around that much, maybe the previous owner didn't take care of it that well. I mean, my laptop is much older - I hefted it around overseas and around town for five years and it still doesn't have any major scratches on it. Even though it has OS X Tiger, this iBook apparently didn't come with any system or software CDs.


Right, so even though it wasn't what I would have bought for myself, I was still happy to accept a free computer and I started playing around with it on Monday evening - everything seemed ok. OS X Tiger has some fun "widgits" like a flight tracker, dictionary feature, world clock, etc. I loaded Netscape onto it and tried to add the iPhoto program (but couldn't install the upgrade as I found out this iBook doesn't have iPhoto).


The following night I decided to tinker with it a bit more. I wanted to go back and play with the flight tracker widgit. When I tried it out, the program didn't respond like it was supposed to (and like it had the night before). Something didn't seem right; so, I decided to restart the computer. Usually, when a Mac reboots, there's an icon and a status bar which 'fills up' and then the desktop appears. When I rebooted, nothing happened except my desktop wallpaper appeared.... without the task bar, without the hard drive icon, and without the two other icons (Netscape and iPhoto) on my desktop. I could see the cursor and that's it.


I then tried to power down the computer and it wouldn't turn off. When I finally got it turned off, I rebooted. It came up properly this time, except the Netscape and iBook installer icons I had on the desktop were gone. I did a search for them and the search feature malfunctioned. When I rebooted and tried again later, the icons were still gone, but now the search was working. The search feature could not locate my missing installers. Both of the installers had completely disappeared from the computer. Riiiiiiight.


I felt bad; but, I had to call my dad up and tell him that the computer wasn't working properly. I had to drop it off at his house so he could take it back to the place he bought it. I think he should just get his money back (I don't know what he paid) but he said he would have one of the guys take a look at it. Two days later my dad reported back to me that he didn't take it to the shop he bought it from, but one of their locations which is closer to our house. He said that the guy who looked at it declared that he's well-versed in OS 9, but doesn't really know anything about OS X. <cue the crickets chirping>


They said they'd have to send for their "Mac Expert" from the location my dad originally bought the laptop. I suspect that they're just going to reload the system software and then hand it back. Honestly, I don't want the computer back. Would you feel comfortable with a computer that deletes programs on restart? Would you want to load all of your files (your entire life) on something which doesn't seem to operate properly from day one?


Hrm...my dad just called with an update. It's now been a week (apparently it takes them a week to figure out what's wrong with an iBook). He told me that the guys at the shop said that someone "walked off with the CDs", so they have ordered a new set of system CDs for me from Maine. (Maine?)


To make things worse, I stopped into the university bookstore to see if they carry some software my dad wanted to get. When I got up there, I discovered an entire table of iBooks and MacBook Pros on clearance, about 15 of them. One of them was an iBook G4 15", 1GHz, 128 MB, 40GB HD brand new in the box for $399. They've got the outgoing MacBook Pros going for $799 and $899. :(


Ok...so what do you all think? I've got a working knowledge of computers, but I'm not familiar with how to troubleshoot OS X. Does this sound like an OS problem or a hardware problem?


I'm going to call the place he bought it and speak to them myself. My dad admits that he's not computer savvy anymore and I have no idea what they're telling him. At least I know a little bit more than he does and I might be able to tell if they're serving up a bunch of hogwash.


Any ideas?


.....Kelly :)

Okay, I talked to my very mac-savvy boyfriend (aka sent him this thread to read) and here's what he told me.

He said it's almost certainly a hardware problem, BUT the only way to tell is to reformat the hard drive and reinstall OSX, which you can't do because you don't have the disks. I would see if you can find someone with those disks. Also, IMO, the place the laptop was obtained is totally sketchy, if based upon nothing else other than the fact that they lost a set of OSX CDs and those were the only ones they had...plus you know, only knowing OS9.

Basically you're limited until you can reinstall your OS. If the problem then reoccurs, it's definitely your hardware.

That's all I got for you I'm afraid.

Your dad was really sweet getting you a Mac! They're expensive, no doubt.. but great computers.

Did it come with any kind of guarantee? Do you think you could get your dad's money back on the computer? And if so.. do you think he would mind if you took the money and paid the difference for a new one?

Personally, I would go for the outgoing MacBook Pro if you can afford it.

Ugh, sounds like they screwed your dad over - I think he should try to return it and then maybe he can go to the bookstore with you to get a new one. :)

However, if you end up with another used one, I wouldn't worry about the scratches too much - I baby my Toshiba and it's still kind of busted looking on the case even though I keep it in a laptop sleeve.

I'm in agreement with the others, I think your dad got screwed over :( I'd always be wary of a used computer anyway, but this one sounds like it has its fair share of problems. Like GeekyPenguin said, I would get your dad to return the computer, as I'm sure he didn't buy it thinking it would be this much of a hassle, and have him go with you to the bookstore and get another one together (if you can go for the more expensive MacBook Pros, I'd do it instead of the G4 iBook - the G4 won't last you as long, simply because of compatibility down the line).

And a sidenote: as a previous iBook G3 owner (and current iMac G4 owner), I can tell you that the upgrades (memory, HD) you had on your old laptop will almost definitely not work with your newer one.

Good luck, I hope everything works out okay for you! :)

^^^^^^ What she said. I wouldn't buy a ibook, because if you buy a new computer you want to be able to keep it for a few years, and be able to update it as well. Plus, the new OS Leopard is going to be coming out soon and they are formatting it to work with the new intel based mac's.

Well, if we're all now ignoring the actual question about what's wrong with her laptop and concentrating on getting a new one, here's my recommendation:

Apple are now selling refurbished macbooks for around $850. This is a steal. It is so simple to upgrade the ram and the HD by yourself at home now that it's worth getting one of the macbooks and buying the RAM and HD separately and doing it this way.

Be wary of the macbook pros your bookstore is selling off for cheap. There has been a lot of problems with them overheating, which is probably why they are being sold off. A friend of mine has sent his to Apple over and over because it gets to dangerous temperatures performing simple tasks.

I have a MacBook Pro and haven't had an overheating issue. However, I have heard that there have been some problems. I guess I'm lucky.

There has been quite a bit of chatter regarding the overheating issue on some of the Mac Forums. One theory was

However, Apple has issued a fix:
http://www.tuaw.com/2006/05/19/macbo...roblems-fixed/
http://www.informationweek.com/news/...leID=187900365

And some of the batteries on the 15 inch models were to blame. Here is recall info:
https://support.apple.com/macbookpro15/batteryexchange/

Yeah, he got his as a graduation gift so it's fairly old comparatively. He's now considering eBaying it and buying a whole new one.