# Old G4 has been in storage **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2014, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001 "2014-06-04T07:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/1 "2014-06-04T07:45:38Z")
Now, hubby wants to use it. No OS comes up, just a blue screen & the beach ball of death. It won’t startup with a disk either. Is there any hope? My guess is firmware, but he is convinced he can get it to work. Any help would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/2 "2014-06-04T08:20:17Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Now, hubby wants to use it. No OS comes up, just a blue screen & the beach ball of death. > It won’t startup with a disk either. > > Is there any hope? > > My guess is firmware, but he is convinced he can get it to work. Any help would be appreciated. You might try resetting the PRAM/NVRAM. Start the machine holding down the Command-Option-P-R keys. Have all 4 keys down before the screen illuminates and keep holding them until it reboots and chimes a second time. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/3 "2014-06-04T09:04:06Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > You might try resetting the PRAM/NVRAM. Start the machine holding down the Command-Option-P-R keys. Have all 4 keys down before the screen illuminates and keep holding them until it reboots and chimes a second time. Did that. I actually think I found the problem [here](http://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/PowerMac_G4_M5183_Troubleshooting#Section_PMU_battery_is_dead). The battery is dead. It’s called the PMU (Power Management Unit) No battery, no worky. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/4 "2014-06-04T12:34:21Z")
I came here wondering if you might be referring to one of these: [http://www.aoc.noaa.gov/aircraft\_g4.htm](http://www.aoc.noaa.gov/aircraft_g4.htm) ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/5 "2014-06-04T14:47:43Z")
Yeah, I’ll go with the PRAM or in “PC Speak” the CMOS battery. Usually a coin cell type battery. It should be very evident as soon as you open up the G4. They are typically the Lithium type and do have a limited shelf-life and as that G4 is old old old. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/6 "2014-06-07T18:33:24Z")
New Battery i.e. Power Management Unit, and it fired right up. We also had an old G-5 that had a fried motherboard. The place we got the battery said they can fix it for less than $200. That’s better than $1500 for a new one. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-g4-has-been-in-storage/690001/7 "2014-06-08T05:07:10Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > New Battery i.e. Power Management Unit, and it fired right up. > We also had an old G-5 that had a fried motherboard. The place we got the battery said they can fix it for less than $200. > That’s better than $1500 for a new one. Well, FWIW, even a current low-end Mac mini (which hasn’t seen a major update in almost 2 years) is going to run rings around almost any G5 for $600. Just out of curiosity, what prompted your husband to want to resurrect a 15-year-old old desktop G4?