ibook G3

CrisB

The screen will not display anything when I turn it on. Everything else seems to be working to my knowledge, but I cannot be sure since I cannot see anything on the screen. What could be the problem? I know that most likely the G4 CD's someone gave me with the computer won't work with a G3 ibook either right? I'm wondering if maybe I can just replace the screen with a working one and it will work, but I don't know. What are your thoughts?

John

Hi, and thanks for the post!

If the text on the screen bezel states "iBook", then you have a G3, and if it states "iBook G4" then you have a G4. If you have a G3 and the screen is totally blank when you power on, and you don't see a faint image when you shine a flashlight through the Apple symbol from behind, then there is a 99% chance you have the very common G3 "video issue", which means the video processor is coming off the logic board.

To further test for this defect, power the laptop off, and power it on again while clamping the laptop firmly with your hand just to the left of the trackpad, specifically focusing on pressing up from the underneath (which presses the graphic chip into place). If the screen lights up, then you almost certainly have the issue (although if it doesn't come on, you may still have it).

If you've got the G3 video issue, replacing the screen will not help because the screen itself is not the problem. The video chip can be re-applied to the board, but it's an expensive process which requires lots of equipment and expertise using it, so it's really not worthwhile in the case of an iBook G3.

Thanks, and please let me know how it goes!

John