Apple eMac G4 Desktop Logo
Posted on Mar 30, 2009
Answered by a Fixya Expert

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MAC G4 won't boot - Blue screen appears

I have read tons of entries regarding this MAC G4 problem with the computer not recognizing the Operating System. I also have read that you can get your information off before you reformat or reinstall the OS. I can not however get any of the methods I have read to work. I have a G4 laptop that I have tried to hook up but can't get that to work. I think that the two communicating is my best option but someone please help me figure out how! My kids photos are on that computer from her first 15 months!

  • thomtime
    thomtime May 11, 2010

    Can you describe which methods you have already tried so we can narrow down the approach for you.

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My emac desktop comes on and has a blue screen.  I don't know what to do.

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  • Posted on Mar 31, 2009
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Hi Sorry to hear you are having troubles,You will need a firewire 400 cableOK, first thing you must do is reboot the eMac in TARGET mode, this means it will be recognized as an external disk. To get the eMac in TARGET mode, you must be sure the eMac is turned OFF and has a functioning keyboard connected.Power on the eMac and very very rapidly press the ( T ) key on the keyboard, be sure the caps lock button is not pressed. If all goes well, you will see the firewire logo appear larger than life on the screen.( If you are unable to get into TARGET mode, it is highly probable that the mother board of the internal hard drive is damaged and preventing the eMac from entering TARGET mode, sorry, that's the end of the line..)Once you enter TARGET mode on the eMac, connect the firewire cable to your G4 PowerBook, you can do this either while it is running or when it is off and then turn it on.
You should see the volume of your eMac internal hard drive appear on the PowerBook desktop...sometimes you need to open Disk Utilities and repair or mount the drive manually.If this all works well, copy the required files directly to your PowerBook...After that, power off both machines, disconnect them and reboot the eMac using a CD or DVD to reformat and reinstall a new system.

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Thank for contacting Fixya, I will be glad to assist you.

Here are some steps you can try to resolve the issue:
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http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455

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http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2956

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I’m happy to assist further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/joe_8b8c2cd6ce148309

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