iMac G5, 17-inch Troubleshooting - 33
Symptom Charts
No: The next thing to check to make sure the computer realizes the drive is there.
From the Apple menu, choose About This Mac. From the window that pops up, click
on More Info. An application called System Profiler should open.
In System Profiler, in the column on the left, look under Hardware for a line called S-
ATA.
In the section on the right, you should see a header saying “S-ATA” and below it, two
items. The first is your hard drive. The second is your optical drive. Do you see two
items here?
–Yes: Even after checking for the drive in the startup manager, discs won't show
up. This indicates that your optical drive needs to be replaced.
–No: Reseat the optical drive and check System Profiler again. Does the optical
drive appear this time? If no, go on to the next step. If yes, it looks like the drive
connection may not have been too great, but you've got it plugged in properly
now.
3. Replace the optical drive.
4. Replace the logic board.
The computer won’t burn discs.
1. The first thing we should check is whether your drive can read discs normally. Try
inserting an audio CD and check whether it shows up on your desktop or launches
iTunes. Then eject it and insert the iMac Software Install and Restore disc that came
with your computer. Are either of these discs recognized by the computer?
Yes: This is a good sign. So do you get a specific error message or error code when
you try to burn a disc? Go on to step 2.
No: So no disc will show up on your desktop. Go ahead and leave the iMac Software
Install and Restore disc in your drive, and we're going to try a process that involves
restarting your computer. Follow the instructions, below.
– 1. Leave the iMac Install and Restore disc in the drive.
– 2. Go to the Apple menu and choose Shut Down.
– 3. Once the computer has shut down, hold down the OPTION button and press
the power button to start the computer up again.
– 4. You will see a blue background, a curly arrow and a right arrow, and between
them is a button with the name of your hard drive. Wait about thirty seconds to see
if another button comes up with the name iMac Software Install and Restore.
– 5. After waiting about thirty seconds, choose the button with your hard drive's
name, and click the right arrow button.
– 6. The computer will start up normally. Open your browser and go back to the
Apple support page at: www.apple.com/support”
2. Which of these error messages do you see?
•Unknown Error -2147352480: See Knowledge Base article 25480 and 25750 for
more information.
•Buffer underrun error: See Knowledge Base article 25480 and 25750 for more