Power button issue with Mac G4

[KABIRA16]

Hello, I have a MAC G4 series desktop which is installed with MAC OSX 10.5. Recently it is acting very weird, whenever i press the power button, the system starts and all the LED's glow but after some time the system restarts again. This is happening since two days and i am not able to figure out what the problem is. Is this some operating system problem? Or Is this because of some hard ware failure? Please help.

[Fabian]

It can be a software problem. Have you installed any application recently? If yes then remove the application and check if the system is working properly or not. If you are not able to boot the operating system normally then try to boot the system in single user mode. Once the operating system boots in single user mode then find and remove the application which you have installed recently. Once the application is removed then reboot the system in normal mode and see if the system is working properly. If uninstalling the software does not improve the performance then you will have to reinstall the operating system again.

[RoninBlade]

Try doing PRAM reset and see if the computer works properly. Many problems of the MAC system are solved by doing a PRAM reset. Sometimes the system is not able to access the RAM and hence does not boot the operating system. This can be due to bulk data stored in the RAM which may be making it inaccessible to the system. PRAM reset deletes all the data on the RAM. To perform a PRAM reset. First power down the computer. Now locate the following keys Apple, Option, R and P. Now press and hold these buttons while pressing the power button. Keep the buttons pressed till three start up chimes are heard. Once the 3rd startup chime is heard release all buttons and let the system boot normally.

[Rawko]

PRAM reset will solve the problem as the system RAM needs to be physically replaced. The system RAM chips of your system have either gone bad or are dislocated from their respective positions. Open the cabinet and remove the RAM chips. Clean the connecting terminal and the RAM slot with clean cloth. After cleaning Replace the RAM at its respective slot and try to boot the system. If you have multiple RAM chips, boot the system with one chip at a time and see if the system boots. If the system still restarts, then you will have to replace the RAM.

[deoWo]

Open the computer and locate the battery on the motherboard. Remove the battery and then check the voltage across it by using a Digital Multimeter. The voltage across the battery should be between 2.5 volts to 3 volts. If the voltage is less than 2.5 volts then the battery needs to be replaced. Whenever the motherboard battery gets depleted, the system is not able to store any information about the device connected. Hence the system restarts frequently. Replacing the battery will definitely solve your problem.

[T.J.]

I think the power button on your computer is getting stuck which is why your computer is restarting frequently. The power button on the computer is a mechanical switch which is suppose to make the contact only when it is pressed. When the button gets stuck it makes contact continuously which results in the computer restarting. Check if the button is getting stuck or not and apply WD40 spray if the button is getting stuck. Also you can replace the button to avoid further problems.