AboutJeffrey J. Wrobel Expertise I can answer OS compatibility questions, from OS 7 to OS X 10.5.x Leopard. I have extensive experience in software installation, use, and troubleshooting as well as many aspects of high level hardware repair. Any questions about peripherals and their Mac-compatibility are also welcome. I am very current in all aspects of the Max OS, while having an excellent breadth of knowledge of older machines. My work keeps me in constant contact with Mac suppliers, products, and problems, enabling me to not only draw on my past experience, but also to add to that experience every day. Living in Rhode Island with family near Cape Cod, Mass has proven to be a bit lacking in Mac popularity (Yankees are slow to change), but momentum is building for Apple.
Experience
Past/Present clients My life experience has taken me from the US Army to working with the criminally insane. Pursued a philosophy degree while working in pyschology, then ended up doing graphic design, marketing modular construction products, and ultimately starting the computer business that I now own. At 41 years old, I plan to make my triumphant return to college and get a master's degree in philosophy.
Clients include a multi-million dollar international manufacturing firm, a nationwide jewelry/gemstone distributor, numerous town libraries, 2 school districts, a few celebrities, a famous author, a prominent film maker, Brown University & RISD faculty and students, and numerous small businesses and individuals in Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Boston. I also have a nationwide Powerbook/iBook/Macbook repair program and I sell refurbished Mac parts. The growth of my company, which was a record-breaker in 2007, has been a direct result of my customer service and the experience gained through helping the folks that use All Experts.
2002 Power Mac G4 Dual 1GHz Quicksilver, 1.5 Gb, OSX 10.4.11
History: Mother or daughterboard (not sure which) was replaced 11 months into warranty period
because of similar problem (frequent crashes, panics). Eveything works great until a month ago.
Apple Hardware Test 1.2.4 has detected an error during startup. Logic Board: Error detected at startup.
**post/16/64** Quick & Extended Tests: passed all categories, including memory.
System Profiler--> Hardware--> Diagnostics--> Power On Self-Test: Failed Type: External Cache. "L3
cache" does not appear anywhere in System Profiler. I don't recall ever seeing it there.
I removed the heat sink and cpu board and air-dusted entire area. Nothing looked unusual (to me). Also
did a logic board reset. Nothing any different. Performance and problem the same.
Where is the L3 cache physically located? There are two large Samsung chips soldered into the board
near the cpu's. If they're bad, should installing a new cpu card upgrade solve that problem? (btw, I didn't
apply any treatment to the cpu before i reattached the heat sink. is this dangerous?)
any advice appreciated. Thank you!
chris
Answer Dear Chris,
It appears as though your logic board is fine, but there is no guarantee of that. What it appears is that the L3 cache is fried and that is contained on the daughter card with the CPU. The small chips are immediately adjacent to the processor on the card and the CPU is breaking down because it cannot function in any meaningful way without a hardware cache. A replacement daughter card is in order.
These are easy to replace, however, you MUST clean the heat sink compound off of the heatsink AND the surface of the CPU. I use a razor blade to scrape it clean, then a lint-free cloth soaked in acetone to clean the surfaces completely. Then, more heatsink compound must be applied. Less is more with this stuff and it can be very easy to misapply. I recommend Shin-Etsu heatsink pads that you apply like double-sided tape, except it doesn't stick with any strength. There are detailed instructions on the Sidewinder Computers web page. I've found these pads to be superior to pastes and compounds. Order 20 squares at a time. For you, I would order 2 35mm square pads and cut them to size.
I hope it works out for you and if you need extra assistance, visit my webpage, LazCom.com or write a followup question on AllExperts.com, okay?
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Wrobel
