⟐ Commented April 03, 2018 at 19:34 MST

I have tried pressing the Restart button (PMU). I have also tried starting and holding down the apple, option P and R buttons and waiting for two chimes (tip from the PowerBook manual). Same result.

I have tried to start up with the PRAM battery removed (and Airport Card removed). I have also removed and reseated the processor.

The machine does seem to be making some sound (whirring of some sort can be heard).

Can anyone think of a particular failure which would give this result?

Pismo 400MHz, 512 MB Ram, OS X 10.3.9

UPDATE:This is a follow on to my question (Pismo will,not start).

I thought that I had got to the bottom of the problem (hard drive failure)but now something has happened to open it up all over again.

I have tried swapping parts from a second 'spares' machine. I have tried to use the hard drive from this but I have been getting the same result as before. When I took the hard drive from the original machine and put it into the spare, it fired up first time!

Any thoughts on what is stopping the first machine from firing up properly?

Anyone?!

⟐ Commented March 02, 2025 at 19:24 MST

We swapped our batteries and mine began to charge once it was placed in my friend's Pismo. I tried to boot with his battery… nada!!

We swapped our chargers, both yo-yo shaped and, again, nada. His Pismo will charge, but mine won't.

We tried the PRAM removal, the PM reset and… nothing happened.

I have removed the audio card and replaced it with the spare one i bought several years ago but still can't get any sign of the battery charging or the Pismo starting up.

I DO have the original processor -G3/400- that I kept when I upgraded to the 500, but I don't know if a bad processor can prevent the battery from charging, so I guess that I'll wait for your response before proceeding.

Thanks in advance!!

⟐ Commented May 13, 2025 at 3:01 MST

⟐ Answered May 11, 2016 at 14:13 MST

I can not find the answer anywhere on the net so here it is.

A while ago I connected My Pismo to a PC in Target Disk Mode and after that the firewire port didn't work so I got into open Firmware and did the usual Reset nvram, set defaults, reset all commands,nothing after that but after I think using only reset nvram it worked but then My laptop got very slow (painfully) although processor time was idle (Odd),restarting and resetting with all 3 commands solved the slow response but then My firewire port didn't work again, also not showing up in System Profiler.

So I fiddled more in O.F. and typed in (I am almost sure it was the next command) setenv real-mode yes.

After this the pismo starts up but gives Me a black screen, no activity at all from the internal disk, yes it spins up but that's it,no read write I can hear.

It's not a hardware failure!

I tried resetting the Pismo with the reset button, got the battery out for a long time, also power off but to no avail.

I can Not get into anything, not even O.F.

If I hold the start button I get a few beeps and after keeping the button down it restarts and after a few seconds the display will light up but 2 seconds later it shuts of again.

Is there anybody knows what this (real-mode) command does and how to reset it?

Starting up from another internal disk with a clean OSX doesn't

work either.

Help please, cheers Perry

⟐ Answered April 25, 2010 at 0:38 MST

Can anybody recommend what they think are the best internal upgrades for the PowerBook G3 Pismo? I am already thinking of purchasing either an Airport or PCMIA Card - don't know which would be best and/or upgrading the RAM or processor. This comuter has Mac Classic OS9 running here and from my past experience, I think this would be the best system as when I tried an early version of 10 it was really really slow.

Any recommendations and brief summary of the effects of the upgrade would help

⟐ Answer accepted March 08, 2010 at 20:00 MST

⟐ Answered January 14, 2011 at 23:02 MST

⟐ Answered December 20, 2009 at 5:20 MST

I have my old PowerBook G3 that is unable to boot from its HDD or CD.

Not sure what is the problem, with it, the HDD can be read on my Linux computer through a USB dock, so it is working.

I also ran the Disk Utility in VM (installed Mac OS X) and it gave me success so the installed OS on it should be fine. I also double-checked under WIN10 with MACDRIVE 10/11 and it said nothing is wrong with it.

Now the computer has been sitting for around 10 years or so because the charge it came with back in 2002 died on me. So, now I bought a new one (apple-black) it is brand new, and surprisingly my battery that came with the machine is fully charged by this charger, and it can work without power from it fine. The button batteries inside also charged but will leave the machine on the charger for a few days having it plugged into the power outlet.

So, I got a new (brand new) 512MB RAM module and installed it into the lower slot but tried both the upper and lower with no effect on the boot.

The DVD super drive is detected in open firmware when I type to list devices, but it does not show up in the boot manager - when you use the option and power.

So, I wanted to see NVEDIT and it looks like runs the command but nothing happens, it does not bring up any file to look through it.

I tried the back reset and the three OF reset commands too, they worked fine but still can`t access the NVEDIT file.

Tried option + command + p +r and it reboots fine, but still nothing happens.

With the power and option held down, I see the blue screen with a refresh on the left and the arrow pointing to the right but no ROM or HDD option is present.

So, now I plan to keep the machine charged and wait for the button batteries to charge up fully and see maybe it will solve my issues. I tried unplugging it but nothing happened.

I found this official repair guide for the Powerbook G3 series maybe useful;

https://www.applerepairmanuals.com/the_m...

⟐ Commented June 03, 2024 at 23:07 MST

I am having a pismo with 12GB hdd, tried to replace a 160GB, it goes smooth on the whole process of replacing from beginning till end. When finish everything, pressed the power buttom, then there's nothing happen, no chime, no sound, looks like completely dead, but the battery light and caps keys are full green and lighted, means there's power connection.

Tried to put back the 12GB hdd, again, nothing happen.

Also did the reset and no difference.

I guess something not connecting properly, any ideas?

⟐ Commented July 04, 2020 at 19:50 MST

Also, I read that two browsers I am unfamiliar with (Classila and Icab 3) are compatible here? Has anyone ot there had any experience with these or others that may be useful here.

Thanks,

Ray

⟐ Answer edited August 18, 2020 at 6:35 MST

I plugged it in and I shined a flashlight behind the screen and is showed many lines flashing back and forth on the display. They were horizontal and then vertical but never both. I left it for a week to see what would happen. It turned on booted and the backlight turned off when it got to Mac Os 10.3.9. I couldn’t do anything because both the keyboard and trackpad were unresponsive. I left it for an hour and came back and it had turned off. Then I left it sitting for 2 months and it turned on with the backlight and a responsive keyboard and track button(The trackpad never worked). It worked with a mouse for about 20 seconds and then the backlight turned off. Then the track button and keyboard stopped working. I plugged in an external keyboard and mouse and they work just fine.

The backlight kept turning on and off for a while and then I figured out that the track button had started working again. But not the keyboard. I pressed the track button a few times and the internal keyboard started to work. Then it stopped. I figured out that my pressing the track button made the keyboard work. When the keyboard stopped working it would remain in whatever state it was in. If the caps lock was on it would stay on. Then it stopped working while I was typing and it got stuck spamming the T key. I haven’t been able to get the track button or internal keyboard to work now. It is just stuck spamming T. If I turn it off I don’t think it will turn on again for a long time so I will leave it plugged in overnight.

Sorry for the long story, this is the weirdest laptop I have ever worked on. I was wondering If there was anyway to narrow down what was wrong with it because I’m very confused by it. Also sorry if my writing was bad.

⟐ Answered May 30, 2024 at 4:29 MST

⟐ Commented August 01, 2018 at 6:49 MST

I'm running os 9.0.4 and just installed an airport card. The laptop seems to see the router SKYWZGWQ but when I input the password I get its not correct. See attached picture.

I've just started upgrading my powerbook which I bought in 2001 and need any and every bit of advice….

Thanks

Martin

⟐ Commented May 10, 2020 at 9:43 MST

⟐ Answer accepted May 25, 2018 at 4:30 MST

However, something is starting up: I hear a faint buzzing sound, and the green light above the keyboard is glowing (constantly, of turning on and off). I succeeded in starting up two more times, once by pushing the reset button (and making the necessary backups), and once by starting up from the install disk (I'm running OS X.3.9), which I then used for a scan of my hard drive that turned out to be in fine condition. Since, the pismo did let me down.

I suppose the tolling bell must be a giveaway for the experts; if so, please tell me what to do! I'm very fond of this stylish machine.

⟐ Answer accepted June 03, 2016 at 10:14 MST

I'm trying to revive my pismo, after 2 yrs being dead. i was convinced it was the sound card (since just before it died, the port became very loose and was not maintaining a connection) so i bought a new one, installed it today w/ your guide... but still nothing.

before its demise, the pismo was in perfect condition, brand new battery and all, so i just don't get this.

could i have re-wired things wrong? (maybe i put the connectors in backwards - i can't figure that out since they work both ways)

could the faulty connection 2 yrs ago have fried something else, c/o the bad sound card?

i am so bummed.

⟐ Answer accepted February 10, 2014 at 5:03 MST

I ask about help very because I damaged diode Dz1 in module power supply. I ask about application what signs are (value) this diode. Thank you.