topic Re: My iMac is dead in Electronics

My iMac is dead

glb613 — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 22:22:35 GMT

It was working fine, I put it to sleep, came back to use it and it won't start. I have a backup from March so I shouldn't lose too much. I'm going to take it in and see if it is an easy and inexpensive fix. If not, I guess I'll be buying a new one. You never know when a computer will go belly up so, be sure you make regular backups.

Edit: I unplugged the power cord from the back of the computer, plugged it back in and it's working. I had unplugged it from the wall and nothing. So, I'm making a backup as I write this post. You never know when your computer will die.

Re: My iMac is dead

viva923 — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 21:48:57 GMT

I have an IMac too.,

The batteries may be dead. My older Mac used 2 batteries. My new Mac uses 1 battery. Have to find where the battery is on the new Mac.

My Mac mini is my big computer as fas as I know there are no batteries connected with it.

I believe my computer is back up nightly the Mac mini

Re: My iMac is dead

Lilysmom — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 22:59:28 GMT

@glb613 , so glad you were able to resuscitate it. How old is it? LM

Re: My iMac is dead

GAQShopr53 — Sun, 07 Apr 2019 23:00:06 GMT

Thank goodness you were able to backup your data. I know how it feels when a computer crashes and you lose important data. I now have an external drive that backs up daily as well!

Re: My iMac is dead

Venezia — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 04:10:39 GMT

@glb613 wrote:
It was working fine, I put it to sleep, came back to use it and it won't start. I have a backup from March so I shouldn't lose too much. I'm going to take it in and see if it is an easy and inexpensive fix. If not, I guess I'll be buying a new one. You never know when a computer will go belly up so, be sure you make regular backups.

Edit: I unplugged the power cord from the back of the computer, plugged it back in and it's working. I had unplugged it from the wall and nothing. So, I'm making a backup as I write this post. You never know when your computer will die.

@glb613- During my career in I.T. that was always the standard joke. The first thing any programmer would do with equipment that was not working was "shut it off, unplug it and plug it back in". Worked 99.9% of the time.

Sometimes equipment just throws a "wobbly" for no apparent reason. (Dust, static, a loose connection, all kinds of things can affect them.) Glad you got it sorted and you're very wise to do regular back-ups.

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 10:05:28 GMT

@Venezia wrote:
@glb613 wrote:
It was working fine, I put it to sleep, came back to use it and it won't start. I have a backup from March so I shouldn't lose too much. I'm going to take it in and see if it is an easy and inexpensive fix. If not, I guess I'll be buying a new one. You never know when a computer will go belly up so, be sure you make regular backups.

Edit: I unplugged the power cord from the back of the computer, plugged it back in and it's working. I had unplugged it from the wall and nothing. So, I'm making a backup as I write this post. You never know when your computer will die.
@glb613- During my career in I.T. that was always the standard joke. The first thing any programmer would do with equipment that was not working was "shut it off, unplug it and plug it back in". Worked 99.9% of the time.

Sometimes equipment just throws a "wobbly" for no apparent reason. (Dust, static, a loose connection, all kinds of things can affect them.) Glad you got it sorted and you're very wise to do regular back-ups.

I've owned a computer since 1995 and this is the first time I've had anything like this happen. I've had power supplies and hard drives fail but, nothing which was fixed by unplugging the power cord from the back of the computer. I've been thinking about buying a new iMac and maybe this is a sign.

I make backups once a month but hadn't done one in April. I not only have external hard drives for backups, I also use iCloud. I need to start uploading documents to iCloud more often. After I retired, I didn't have anything other than photos which were of great value. Since then I've become president of a service club and a Master Gardener so, I have a lot more to lose.

Re: My iMac is dead

Cats3000 — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 10:40:06 GMT

@glb613I have an iMac. On occasion, I've had problems with the plug on the back of the computer.

I use Time Machine and a LaCie "Rugged" external hard-drive. I have Time Machine set to back up once an hour. It does it automatically. A couple of times I had to restore something from the backup to the hard drive. Worked like a charm.

I also use iCloud for off-site storage. That way, I can access documents off-site and even from a PC if I need to do so. Did it one time when I had a power failure at home. Access worked great. Was able to do what I had to do just like it was on my iMac at home.

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 10:57:16 GMT

@Cats3000 wrote:
@glb613I have an iMac. On occasion, I've had problems with the plug on the back of the computer.

I use Time Machine and a LaCie "Rugged" external hard-drive. I have Time Machine set to back up once an hour. It does it automatically. A couple of times I had to restore something from the backup to the hard drive. Worked like a charm.

I also use iCloud for off-site storage. That way, I can access documents off-site and even from a PC if I need to do so. Did it one time when I had a power failure at home. Access worked great. Was able to do what I had to do just like it was on my iMac at home.

I don't think I have enough changes to do a backup once an hour. But, I do need to back up my photos and documents more often. Do you have Time Machine set to only back up certain folders? If so, how?

We have having a members only meeting this week and I need the older board meeting forms to set the agenda. Thank goodness I was able to fix the computer.

Re: My iMac is dead

NYCLatinaMe — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 15:27:00 GMT

@glb613 if you up grade to the newest operating system,you canput everything on icloud. backup is automatic. im very happy with it. Make sure you open each of your apps after you upgrade to activate the icloud backup. the picture, notes, docs etc instantaneously available in all devices

Re: My iMac is dead

Mz iMac — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 16:28:17 GMT

@glb613

"Do you have Time Machine set to only back up certain folders? If so, how? "

Double click the TM icon in the menu bar.

Click on "Open TM Preferences"

Click the "Options" button on the bottom right...

Next window will be the "Exclude These Items From Backups" which is pretty much self explanatory. Follow the onscreen instructions...

HTH

Re: My iMac is dead

Cats3000 — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 17:07:20 GMT

@glb613Mz iMac has the answer to one of your questios. As to "hourly backup", I don't have that much either. I just let it back up what's there without having to remember to do the back up. If I'm not mistaken, it eventually gets rid of the oldest back up in favor of the latest one. When you click on "Enter Time Machine" you'll get your files plus a click-on time scale at the right side of the screen. You can choose what your back up from there.

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 21:41:55 GMT

Well, I left, I put my computer to sleep and when I got home, it wouldn't start. I unplugged the power cord from the back of the computer and it started. Something is wrong and I wonder if it's something fixable.

Re: My iMac is dead

Mz iMac — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 22:41:03 GMT

@glb613

Make sure your power cord is "secured" at the back of your iMac. It's possible your power cord is defective and/or the iMac connector itself.

How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

And if that does not work......

Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac

Take your iMac to an Apple Store or an APSP. Diagnostics are FREE!!!!! Be sure to mention your "power cord" issue at the back of your iMac.

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 23:40:34 GMT

@Mz iMac wrote:
@glb613

Make sure your power cord is "secured" at the back of your iMac. It's possible your power cord is defective and/or the iMac connector itself.

How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

And if that does not work......

Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac

Take your iMac to an Apple Store or an APSP. Diagnostics are FREE!!!!! Be sure to mention your "power cord" issue at the back of your iMac.

I have it shutdown right now so, I'll try your suggestions tomorrow. Something is wrong. There is no normal reason for your computer to do this.

Re: My iMac is dead

gardenman — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 10:41:16 GMT

@glb613 wrote:
Well, I left, I put my computer to sleep and when I got home, it wouldn't start. I unplugged the power cord from the back of the computer and it started. Something is wrong and I wonder if it's something fixable.

The good news is that everything is "fixable." The bad news is that quirky, intermittent problems can be a pain to track down. It could be something very easily fixed, or something more challenging, but it is fixable. My best guess would be a bad cord which is a very easy fix. It could also be a failing power supply, also easy to fix, though a tad pricier. I doubt that the problem goes deeper than that, but if it does, it's still fixable.

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 11:32:22 GMT

@gardenman wrote:
@glb613 wrote:
Well, I left, I put my computer to sleep and when I got home, it wouldn't start. I unplugged the power cord from the back of the computer and it started. Something is wrong and I wonder if it's something fixable.
The good news is that everything is "fixable." The bad news is that quirky, intermittent problems can be a pain to track down. It could be something very easily fixed, or something more challenging, but it is fixable. My best guess would be a bad cord which is a very easy fix. It could also be a failing power supply, also easy to fix, though a tad pricier. I doubt that the problem goes deeper than that, but if it does, it's still fixable.

This problem is so odd, it has me baffled. As I posted, I've had a hard drive and a power supply fail (one each 2 different computers) and when that happened, the computer was DOA. If I shutdown the iMac, it starts by pushing the power button without any problems. If I let it go to sleep overnight, it won't start. I'm going to BB and buy a new power cord today and see if that stops the problem.

Unlike the majority of people today, I use my desktop 80% of the time. I really want a new iMac and would prefer to donate my old one if it's in good running order. I'll update if I ever find out what is the problem.

Re: My iMac is dead

gardenman — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 13:32:48 GMT

This sounds a lot like your problem. You might want to give it a look.

https://www.macissues.com/2015/05/08/how-to-fix-your-mac-not-waking-from-sleep/

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 10:45:17 GMT

@gardenman wrote:
This sounds a lot like your problem. You might want to give it a look.

https://www.macissues.com/2015/05/08/how-to-fix-your-mac-not-waking-from-sleep/

It really is dead now. I was reading the newspaper and the screen suddenly went black. Nothing I've tried has worked. With it being Easter Sunday, no stores are open. I have time Monday to take it in to be checked out but, unless it's something easy to fix, I'm buying new.

Re: My iMac is dead

gardenman — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 11:28:53 GMT

@glb613 wrote:
@gardenman wrote:
This sounds a lot like your problem. You might want to give it a look.

https://www.macissues.com/2015/05/08/how-to-fix-your-mac-not-waking-from-sleep/
It really is dead now. I was reading the newspaper and the screen suddenly went black. Nothing I've tried has worked. With it being Easter Sunday, no stores are open. I have time Monday to take it in to be checked out but, unless it's something easy to fix, I'm buying new.

It's probably the power supply. They can get a bit quirky before dying. It's a relatively cheap and easy fix on a Windows PC. Probably more expensive on a Mac. Good luck!

Re: My iMac is dead

glb613 — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 11:47:08 GMT

@gardenman wrote:
@glb613 wrote:
@gardenman wrote:
This sounds a lot like your problem. You might want to give it a look.

https://www.macissues.com/2015/05/08/how-to-fix-your-mac-not-waking-from-sleep/
It really is dead now. I was reading the newspaper and the screen suddenly went black. Nothing I've tried has worked. With it being Easter Sunday, no stores are open. I have time Monday to take it in to be checked out but, unless it's something easy to fix, I'm buying new.
It's probably the power supply. They can get a bit quirky before dying. It's a relatively cheap and easy fix on a Windows PC. Probably more expensive on a Mac. Good luck!

Sounds like it to me. When it comes to hardware, nothing on a iMac is DIY.