Hi!

I've got an original Imac G3 233 that had some issues and now has "serious" issues (ie, it is like 1 led and fan away from being completely dead). I should have it repaired within a week as it's a present, but I need some help on a question I have re the battery first. Usenet isn't really helpful until now, but I'm still waiting for anyone to answer there.

Is there anyone who knows a lot about imac (boot) trouble? If so, I'll describe the problems in detail here.

In short, the imac used to crash a lot said the previous owner. When I bought it, it did boot up, siad it wsn't properly shut down the last time (duh), when macos9.2 opened, it said the date was pre 1973 (you guess it: 1956). Then it crashed, leaving a corrupted image and no means to switch it off other than unplugging the power. Since then, it doesn't boot. The power light goes amber, I think I hear the fan turning (maybe the HD, hard to tell with a fan sound), that's it. No chime, nothing. I didn't manage to reset the p-ram through O-C-p-r. I have checked the battery: it's empty. 0.077V for a 3.6 V... But I wonder whether this battery can cause all these trouble? I'd like to know before spending the money on the battery and doing the battery replacement/ PMU reset trick. And I only hope the previous user didn't try to do these things and in the process crashed the PMU. A battery isn't exactly cheap, and then it would be wasted.

Any input is welcome.

__________________
To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

Muha, this morning he boots again!

NOw, after 3 minutes he crashed again, but by then I had set the clock and colours OK. Resetted using the reset hole, and that worked. He made a nice startup, did rant about the way I shut off the mac the last time, but anyway continued to boot fully. Now it's been running stable for at least 15 minutes, playing an audio CD and running OS 9.2.

I hope it stays this way! Might still plug in a new battery to make the mac perfect again.

Does anyone know causes for repeated crashing of a mac? Can the empty battery play a role in this?

__________________
To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

After an hour, it's still running stable.

A question that more people might be able to answer:

The original battery is lithium 3.6V 600 mAh 1/2AA. Is a lithium 3.6 V 1200 mAh 1/2 AA compatible?

This one is cheaper than the "official mac" replacement. I assume 1200 mAh only means it lasts longer, but does not give compatibility issues?

__________________
To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.