My ibook g4 track pad works when i move it around the screen but i cannot click a link without having to use the button. how do i fix this.

Hi,
Got the same problem with my ibook G4.
I have research on how to fix it, and found out that most model of G4 has the same problem.
I soon found out the main problem and the solution, it would require some skill in soldering and dis assembling the whole laptop.
Go to this site and hope it will help you just it like it helps me a lot!

http://macintoshhowto.com/hardware/how-do-i-get-my-broken-g4-ibook-fixed.html



Thanks for using Fixya!

did you change the logic board by yourself?
I'm afraid that the trackpad-connector is not properly installed on the logicboard...
then it is not a software issue.. ibook trackpad AppleNova Forums
- but you can use separate mouse on USB:

That screen will most likely be compatible - I work on these for a living. The G3 laptop screens are usually not compatible with the G4 laptops, but all G4 laptop screens are compatible with eachother (provided they are the same size, of course.

From a powered-down state, press the power key and immediately hold down the shift key (safe boot) until the Mac boots all the way to the desktop. If this fixes the problem, you have some global or local system preference that is interfering with the operation of your machine. If this does not solve the problem, you may have a faulty hard drive. If you head the hard drive making periodic noises when the blue screen is present, it may be the system trying and failing to read a data block that it needs in order to proceed. In this case, your hard drive will need replacement.

hi,
Here are the steps how you can reset the user / password in your notebook.

1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account (hitting return after each line):
mount -uw /

1. • rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
   • shutdown -h now
2. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you're good to go again!

You should be able to sucessfully boot from the original installation CD. If not, there is another problem with the computer. The iBook G4's are known to have logic board problems, which could very well be causing this problem. The logic board problem is very costly to fix. Over $300. There are solutions that you can do yourself online. I did this on my iBook and it continued working. Let me know and I'll send you a link to repair this yourself.

its grounded or short... call your technician

I think the first thing you should do is make all updates. I know that in some versions of the iBook G4, the trackpad does not work after installing OS X 10.4 (Tiger) before you do the updates. Update your OS X first. secondly, does the button work? Does the trackpad show up in the System Preferences menu? (under keyboard and mouse). It's very unlikely that the trackpad came unhooked unless someone has opened up your computer. If they have, there is a really good chance that they didn't plug it back in, because it's a hassle and easy to forget.

Sounds like you have a problem with the logic board. This appears to be a common problem with iBook G4 related to the fit of the logic board (ie motherboard) within the case.If you were to take it to apple store the likely fix would be to replace the entire logic board which is very expensive and probably not fiscally sound on a 5 year old machine. Another option would be to try to fix it yourself. If you are feeling brave you can dissemble the laptop and attempt to shimmy the logic board back into position.

Here's a link that detail the approach. http://www.coreyarnold.org/ibook/. This guy had success on two ibooks that had the same problem and they have been working for 2 years since he did his repair
Also, here is a link to a forum that may offer you a few more approaches to solving your problem. iBook G4 won't boot up - fan running & black screen - AppleNova Forums

Hope this helps, good luck!

Try resetting the PRAM by turning on the iBook then holding option + command + P + R and wait till u hear another chime. If it still freezes, it may indicate an application may be causing it to lock up hold shift after you hear the chime to boot OS X into safe boot.