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My G4 using OS10.4.11 has a new problem. If I'm away long enough for the screen to go black, it won't go back on by pressing a key or clicking the mouse. I have to turn it off at the power button and turn it back on.
Any ideas?
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it may be a peripheral (USB, etc) or PCI card interfering with what's called "deep sleep". I think I recall hearing about deep sleep with certain G4's and a bunch of PCI cards. There may be some info over at xlr8yourmac.com
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So the other problem that my external hard drive isn't showing up on my screen may be causing the problem of going to sleep. Terrific! Now I need help with the external hard drive.
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well---you shouldn't assume that the issues are related yet. To figure out the sleep problem, unhook anything that's easily removable from the computer, put it to sleep, and try to wake it up. If that fixes the issue, it was probably one of the peripherals. If that doesn't fix the issue, remove any PCI cards that you have installed in the computer. If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what to tell you--maybe a fresh install of the OS would be in order.
The external drive issue that you described may just an issue with the enclosure (or a cable or the drive in the enclosure). Try different combinations of things to see if it makes a difference. If the enclosure of the drive is bad, you can remove the drive and use it in another case, or possibly inside your computer.
To troubleshoot issues like this, start with the easiest things, and keep trying things systematically, until you're able to narrow down the issue.
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This is way over my head. I think it's time to call in an expert - locally. Thanks anyway.
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Run Cocktail. It magically fixes a remarkable number of problems maybe it will help here.
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G4's often have low-power problems when lots of devices are connected. It could be almost any combination of internal hard drives, PCI cards, FW or USB devices that do it.
Disconnect all of your USB and FW devices except for an Apple mouse and keyboard and see if your problems persist.
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Cuda reset-- you have to turn the mac off, open it, hold a little button for 10 seconds or so, close it, and start up again.
I can't find any images to show the location.