Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, MacBook Pros and more. Optical Drives for Apple iBooks, Powerbooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros in Stock. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

OWC: Premium Memory for Mac without the Premium Price. DDR2 4GB from $47.99, DDR3 4GB for Unibody $79.99, Mac Pro 4GB $97.99. Expert Support, Free Installation Videos & Guides. www.MacSales.com

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Mac Daniel's Advice

Early iMac Video Failure

Manuel Mejia Jr with Dan Knight and others - 2002.01.02

Although originally written by Manuel Mejia Jr, this article has become something of a team project as we have obtained feedback from the LEM staff, the iMac email list, and some technicians who repair Macs. Dan Knight, publisher

Over the last few months, I have been collecting anecdotes about the early demise of tray-loading iMacs.

Individuals like LEM's Alan Robert Guha reported the demise of his family's iMac when something in the display section arced and apparently burned out after three years of use. Other stories come from Mac service people who sometimes remove the logic board, CD-ROM, and other accessories from a "dead" iMac and put the parts into a generic PC case so they can reincarnate the computer.

Like Guha's iMac, these machines were about three years old when they stopped working. (The iMac first shipped in August 1998, so the oldest iMacs are just a bit over three years old.)

Mac users usually get many years of use out of their computers. There are owners of Mac Pluses, SEs, and Mac II series systems that have been running without fail for more than ten years. Breakdowns are not a common occurrence with Macs.

Given this track record, the notion of an iMac expiring after a mere three years is unusual. Only PCs supposedly suffer from this problem. Frankly, a Mac that breaks down after three years should be classified as a lemon!

Based on information we gathered, the analog and video boards in the Rev. A-D iMac's are the main source of failure, and it's generally the analog board (the circuitry that provides power to the CRT) which goes. According to one technician, it's usually the flyback transformer that fails, and he hasn't seen this problem with the slot-loading iMac. (Apple has revised this circuitry for the slot-loading iMacs, so models shipped since October 1999 should have more reliable analog and video boards.)

Such failure is a result of component quality, age, and heat, so it's important to make sure your iMac has good air circulation around the computer, particularly around the vents. This allows the heat to dissipate and should help you avoid premature iMac failure.

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

Recent Mac Daniel columns

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.