Chosen Solution
I have a Powerbook G4 that won’t turn on. I have been using it for about a year without a battery (battery died) and as of today it won’t power on when I press the power button. The power adapter plug glows green and has glowed green even with the computer plugged in and operating with no battery, in case that helps. The computer should operate fine without a battery, right? Does the green power plug mean the power supply is working properly?
Yes, the computer should operate fine without a battery. In fact, for testing purposes, it’s ideal to have the battery removed, in order to rule the battery out as an issue. The fact that the power plug is green is a good sign, but it does not necessarily mean that everything is functional. Does the light flicker if you twist the plug in its socket? This could be a sign of a bad AC adapter, or a bad DC-in (the plug in the computer). PRAM is irrelevant because the computer must be starting up in order to do a PRAM reset, but definitely try testing the PMU (hold in the power button for about 10 seconds while connected to AC power). Next I’d try a different AC adapter if possible. I would also remove extended RAM and Airport, and try the resets again. If you have two RAM slots and both are occupied, try powering on with a memory module in one slot at a time in order to test for a bad slot, which is common with PowerBooks, and typically causes them not to boot, just as you are experiencing. Also, if you have a 15" or 17" Aluminum PowerBook (silver keys, as opposed to black), you need to be using a 65W AC adapter, and your machine will not respond with a 45W AC adapter meant for less power-consuming machines. If by chance you’re using a different AC than usual, and it is 45W, then that could be the issue. If it’s an Apple AC it will state the wattage on the side. Good luck, and let us know what happens.
Try a PRAM and NVRAM reset? N.
It is indeed a 15" AL PowerBook and it’s a 45W power adapter! I realize now I must have ebayed the wrong adapter :-( The 45W one should still be able to charge a battery, yes? So if I can more easily find a battery I can charge it up and boot that way, yes? Thanks!!!
Axel didn’t mention in the original post / question that he had replaced the AC adapter. Question: My PB 15" 1.67 GHz from December 2005 does not run on just the AC adapter. It quit working / turning on, and the battery has the first light that is blinking rapidly. I replaced the faulty battery (that Apple sent on the second day I had the PB because the first battery that came with the PB would not charge) with the battery that came from the previous PB (15" from 2004). That replacement battery took a few hours to charge. After replacing the battery, the PB functioned normally, and the battery showed a full charge.
What happend with me is i took it apart when i wouldn’t turn on and some of the yellow ribbon cables were not attached correctly so i re attached them and it turned on and worked perfectly.
My PowerBook G4 15inches is not turning on, My original charger lost and I bought a different Ac adapter 24V 3.3A is not powering on the PowerBook G4.
