Problem with my Powermac g5

bigman30685 · 11-29-2008, 03:27 PM

Ok, I have a powermac g5 with dual 2.0ghz blah blah blah that I purchased in '04. I have a 20 inch monitor that goes with it. I have an issue. MY SCREEN WON'T TURN ON....

I power it as usual and the desktop and screen are both powered but the screen won't display anything!! I then have to shut it off for a few days and try again. but this time its been over a week and it still won't turn on. Any ideas???

If I am unable to get it up and running is there any way I can back up my g5??? I need my files!!! I'm still running 10.3.9 btw.

macgirl · 11-29-2008, 03:57 PM

Have you tried it with a different display? It could be just the display and not your PowerMac and testing this could eliminate the need to worry about what's on its hard drive.

bigman30685 · 11-29-2008, 04:43 PM

I know 4 years is a long time but i'm pissed because that display cost me $1200 back then. I'll give it a shot and let you know. Thanks.

geordisjd · 12-04-2008, 01:18 AM

This is the exact set up of my 11 year-old's computer. (G5, I think a 24-inch cinema display). The display got dark, even though it was powered. I took it to
the local Mac Outlet, and lo and behold, it worked in their shop. It wasn't the display. I was the videocard that had died on me and I replaced it easily. Got an upgrade while I was at it. It wasn't very expensive to fix.

bigman30685 · 12-05-2008, 04:47 PM

Alright, I got a VGA to dvi converter and plugged in another monitor. No juice. New video card??? How much did it cost? Is there any possible way I could back up the hard drive without a screen?

geordisjd · 12-29-2008, 01:06 AM

Originally Posted by bigman30685

Alright, I got a VGA to dvi converter and plugged in another monitor. No juice. New video card??? How much did it cost? Is there any possible way I could back up the hard drive without a screen?

Video card = less than $300.

I'm not sure that you need to back up your hard drive in this dark moment of your Mac life. Just replace the videocard, and light will come back to you.