When your Mac stops working



Author: Mike Furniss, AppleLink

Date: July August, 1989

Keywords: crash recovery help troubleshooting bomb tips hints

Text:
If your Macintosh stops working, try the following suggestions. If it
still doesn't work, DO NOT attempt to open the cover -- take the
Macintosh to an authorized technician who's been specially trained and
has the necessary tools to service your Macintosh.
 If the screen is dark:
 Check the brightness control under the left side of the screen. Make
sure the Macintosh is switched on and that the power cord is firmly
attached to the Mac and to the wall unit. Try another wall outlet.
 If, when you insert a disk, the screen is bright but the desktop
doesn't appear:
 * Usually an icon indicates the problem or a message appears. The disk
may be damaged or it might not be a startup disk; there might be
problems with the Macintosh itself.
 * If the ''sad Macintosh'' icon appears, a hardware problem is often
indicated that will require a trained technician.
 If moving the mouse has no effect on the pointer:
The mouse might not be firmly connected to the main unit, or the mouse
might not be working properly.  (Does it need cleaning?)  There may
also be a problem with the software; try another diskette. The problem
might also be in the Macintosh itself.     

If typing on the keyboard produces nothing on the screen:
You might be in a situation where typing is illegal. It's also possible
that the keyboard connection is loose or the keyboard itself is broken.
 If you can't save anything on a disk:
The disk may be (a) full, (b) not yet initialized for the Macintosh or
(c) locked or damaged. It's also possible that the disk drive isn't
working properly.
 Usually a message appears describing the exact problem. If not, eject
the disk and see of the Lock tab is in the protect position. Reinsert
the disk, select the disk and choose Get Info to check how much room is
available.
 If the clock doesn't keep the proper time:
 Replace the 4.5-volt battery with a new one -- an EverReady No. 523 or
the equivalent).
 If you can't eject the disk:
 Hold down the mouse button, then power the system off and on again. 
This should eject the disk. As a last resort, find the small hole
beneath the disk drive.  Insert a straightened paper clip or similar
small object into this hole and push gently. The disk should pop out.
 
If you've tried all the above suggestions and still can't get any
response from your Macintosh, try turning it off briefly, then on
again. If you encounter the same problem after restarting the
Macintosh, the problem is probably in the disk. 
Try another disk -- one without any valuable documents on it if
possible, so you don't risk losing them. If you have the same problem
with all disks, there is most likely a problem with the Macintosh
itself.
 
Additional trouble-shooting steps may be found in your Level One
Service manual, and also in the section of your Macintosh manual 
called ''Taking Care of Your Macintosh'' under ''If Something Goes
Wrong.''

Copyright © july august, 1989 by Mike Furniss, AppleLink