On 17/5/02 3:30 am, "Mike Burns" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Folks,
> I went to turn the power on for my Rev A iMac last night and ...
> nothing. As if it was not plugged in. After trying some different
> outlets and checking the connection in the back, I admitted to myself
> that it was probably a power supply problem. Maybe the dreaded flyback
> transformer. I took it to a local Apple repair shop and they will do
> some diagnostics and report back to me tomorrow. The guy said he thinks
> it's the power supply too. And he said it would cost me $500 to get it
> repaired because the power supply and monitor are integrated into one
> piece. Naturally, I am in a state of depression about this, since I
> love that iMac. I've had it since the second weekend iMacs came out
> (August, 1998). So at this point I have some questions, which I want to
> get this list's collected wisdom on.
>
> #1. Is $500 the going rate to repair a problem like this, if it is a
> power supply problem?
>
> #2. Should I sink $500 into repairing this iMac? Before you instantly
> answer No, I should point out that I take pride in owning one of the
> first iMacs, to go along with my 1985 Fat Mac (anybody remember those?)
> that still works! So to me, this machine is something more than a bunch
> of plastic, metal, and silicon ("The Soul of an Old Machine"?). I'm
> attached to it. Plus I've upgraded it to have 288 MB RAM and a 45GB
> hard drive. So it would be kind of cool to keep it running as long as
> my Fat Mac has. On the other hand, it's old as computers go. Maybe I
> just need to get over it and move on to a new machine. What do you
> think?
>
> #3. If "Buy a New Machine" is your answer to #2, then what should I buy
> to replace it? Should I just bite the bullet and get a Dell, Dude?
> Just kidding!!! I love the look of the new flat iMacs, but the price
> seems pretty steep, especially considering I was not planning on getting
> a new computer at this point and my wife said "Do whatever costs the
> least money." But they are pretty tempting. If I get one of the flat
> iMacs, which is the best buy? Or should I just go with a G3 600MHz
> Graphite iMac for $999? I guess a basic question is whether the flat
> panel and G4 700 MHz procesor are worth the extra price ($1349 vs
> $999). The eMac looks like it has the features and functionality I'd
> want, but I don't know if I could qualify for an educational purchase.
> Maybe I could get a teacher friend to buy one for me.
>
> #4. I have a bunch of data on my old iMac's hard drive. Could I just
> replace the new (flat or not) iMac's hard drive with my old one and boot
> off of that? Another thing I've seen is the Wiebetech DriveDock
> FireWire interface for 3.5in ATA drive. From the description at Small
> Dog, it looks like that would work as a way to turn my old HD into an
> external Firewire HD. That would be pretty cool. Does anyone on the
> list have any experience with these?
>
> Any and all thoughts on these questions are appreciated.
> Thanks.
> Mike
Re "because the power supply and monitor are integrated into one
piece. " they are wrong. This the case with the slot loaders, but not yours.
The power supply is independent from the rest of the monitor section (analog
board and CRT) and once the casing is removed is only attached via 3 screws
and 3 connectors. It takes less than 30 minutes for a tech to change.
I doubt your old disk would boot a new iMac, as it will need OS 9.2.2. The
easiest approach is as you suggested, an external firewire box for your old
drive. Then if you go for a new Mac you can use it for backup and extra
storage.
Steve Bell
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