Troubleshooting: Hardware

My system gives a startup chime, but the monitor never lights up.

My Mac is giving a question mark on startup.

The floppy drive isn't able to read disks anymore.

Can I add an FPU to my Mac? Can I replace the 68LC040 with a 68040?

How do I install RAM (memory) into my Macintosh?

Can I use PC SIMM's in my Mac?

What Macs are upgradeable to the PowerPC?

My system gives a startup chime, but the monitor never lights up.

ad you noticed the time and date resetting each time you start the machine? Is the computer not used very often? Have you been having printer problems recently?
These are all related to the internal battery. Yes, something so ominous as the monitor suddenly not working is likely to be the clock battery. A fairly new machine can develop a dead battery if it is not used much. Macs that are used often can go several years without requiring a replacement. Replacement batteries are about $15 and are fairly easy to replace, although replacing it yourself is not recommended. There are two types of batteries - most use a small round battery on the logic board under a black plastic clip. The 63x, 5xxx and 6xxx series performas usually use a square battery velcroed to the logic board. While apparently simple to replace, there are many risks in working at logic board level.

My mac is giving a question mark on startup.

t can't find an operating system on your hard drive, or can't find a drive to boot from. Try getting at it from a different way. Boot from the disk tools floppy if you have one. If your system came with a CD, boot from that and run the disk first aid program.
If Apple's first aid program can't see the drive or says it can't fix it, listen for the hard drive to make sure it's spinning up. Some older hard drives develop a problem known as stiction, which simply means it is no longer strong enough to get itself going. If your drive is spinning, but your utilities aren't able to restore it, it might be best to bite the bullet and re-initialize it. This problem can develop when the directory becomes so corrupted, nothing can be found, even though it's all still there. Initializing the disk will erase all of your data, but it is the best way to start fresh and new. If the data is critical, sending the disk to a data recovery service is about the only option for recovery.

The floppy drive isn't able to read disks anymore.

his can actually be caused by corrupt system software on occasion. Try booting from a floppy, CD, or external drive with a minimal system on it and try the floppy again. If this doesn't work, bring it in for an attempt at cleaning it, or just replacing it.
The floppy drive is obviously an easy thing to remove. Removing it will void Apple's warranty though. Attempting to clean a floppy drive often damages things more than fixes them, so if software corruption isn't the issue, it's best to bring the whole unit in for service.

Can I add an FPU to my Mac? Can I replace the 68LC040 with a 68040?

ll 68020 and 68030 desktop Macs that did not ship with an FPU standard (i.e. the IIsi and LC series) have special slots that can accommodate an FPU card. All Macs that have the FPUless 680LC40 CPU run just fine if that chip is replaced with a full 68040 that includes an FPU. All PowerPC Macs include an integrated FPU. There is no way to add only an FPU to a 68000 Mac like an SE though some third party accelerators do include FPU's as well as faster CPU's.

How do I install RAM (memory) into my Macintosh?

ou don't. Having said that, and knowing that you probably will anyways, let me explain why and how. I used to install my own memory in my Macs, and would even buy cheap RAM for them. I have been very lucky. Having been around Macintosh service centers for a while now, I have seen what a person can do to their machine by trying to install RAM themselves. The biggest worry is static discharge. Anytime you open your Mac, you are exposing it to whatever stray electricity is in your body or in your environment. It is really not uncommon for people to short out their floppy drives, RAM chips, or entire logic boards by messing around inside their Macs. Even technicians in static free work zones have occasional encounters with static discharge. If at all possible, pay a technician to do it. This will ensure your warranty stays valid, and covers you against any mishaps whatsoever. It is also convenient to have the shop that sold you the RAM install it so they can take care of any defective memory immediately.

If you still insist on doing it yourself, keep these things in mind. Even though some memory manufacturers provide installation instructions with their memory, their instructions are occasionally wrong. The following are time-tested suggestions and nothing more. Remember that we discouraged you from installing memory yourself. Turn the machine off, but keep it plugged in. Sit down and keep your feet still throughout the whole thing. Rest your hand on the power supply inside the machine. This will hopefully discharge any static you are carrying around. Remember though, the machine has to be plugged in to be grounded. Locate the memory slots. Handle the memory chip by the sides, on the green parts. Don't touch the chips or the metal connectors. The new memory is typically inserted into the slot at an angle, and then brought upright until it's sides clip into the holders on the slot. Memory only goes in one direction. If it isn't sitting in the slot, try turning it around. LC's and low profile cases often have angled slots. If you are voiding the warranty on a new 6000 series Performa (6300, 6200, etc.) you have a CPU heat sink to deal with. The fact that it partially obscures one slot tells you that you really shouldn't be doing this yourself. Once the memory is installed, start the machine. If you have a Powermac and it gives you a really cool startup sound of a car wreck, you have bad memory. Often, a failed install just keeps the machine from booting. Logic boards, if still available for your machine, generally range around $1,200. Good luck!

Can I use PC SIMM's in my Mac?

es. Nine chip PC and SUN workstation SIMM's work perfectly well in any desktop Mac that can use the equivalent eight chip Macintosh SIMM's; e.g. a IIci works with 1x9, 4x9, or 16x9 PC 80 ns PC SIMMs just as it does with 1x8, 4x8, or 16x8 80ns Mac SIMMs. The extra chip on each SIMM provides a brain dead type of error correction known as parity checking. It is unused on the Mac. Since PC SIMM's are manufactured in higher volume than Mac SIMM's, they are often cheaper despite the extra chip per SIMM. They're also easier to resell.

What Macs are upgradeable to the PowerPC?

pple will provide logic board replacements for all Centris, Quadra and WorkGroup Server models except the Quadra 700, 900 and 950. There should also be logic board replacements for the IIvx, IIvi, LC 475, 520, 550, and 575, Performa 475, 476, 550, and 600. Upgraded AV Macs will lose their special video capabilities, at least initially. Apple will also make available PowerPC processor upgrade boards that fit into the PDS slots of the Quadra 605, 610, 650, 700, 800, 900, and 950 as well as the Centris 610 and 650 and the Performa 475 and 476. Macs upgraded via a PDS card run at twice the speed of the system clock. Thus a 25 MHz 68040 Mac with a PDS accelerator will become a 50 MHz PowerMac. You'll be able to disable the accelerator if you have old software that's not PowerPC compatible or that just plain runs faster on the older hardware. 68030 desktop Macs with expansion slots will be upgradeable via third party accelerator cards. Daughtercard upgrades for the Powerbook 500 and Duo 280 series will be available sometime late this summer or early fall.

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Much of the information contained herein has been extracted from Elliotte M. Harold's incredible FAQ lists. We thank and commend him for his invaluable service to the Macintosh world.