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Model A1174 with 2 GHz Core Duo or Model A1207 with 2.16 or 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo

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Why is my iMac hard to start up when it is cold?

I use my imac for work purposes in my garage here in Michigan where it is still dipping into the 30s at night. When I try to turn it on jut the light comes on and a couple clicks inside. I actually have to use a space heater to blow warm air and keep trying to restart it several times. If I leave it on while its cold it will shut off. I had the logic board replaced last year and thats when this started happening. It has been getting progressively worse. Could there be a loose connection from the repair?

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To see if the problem is cold related, bring it inside and try it when it's warm. Start up from your system installation disk or start it in Safe Mode (shift key on startup), to see if some of this is software related. Did Apple do the logic board replacement and why was it replaced? It6 might help to know your exact model so please give us the last three figures of your serial number.

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Apple did not do the repair. First the hard drive went then the logic board went. Last 3 are u2p

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Apple iMac "Core Duo" 2.0 20-Inch Specs

Identifiers: Early 2006 - MA200LL - iMac4,1 - A1174 - 2105

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Some of these early Core Duo machines still had some of the bad capacitors that plagued the G5 iMacs. Try examining the logic board for swollen and/or corroded capacitors. If I remember correctly, there may be some on the backside of the logic board also. Also check the fans and see just how much dust and dirt in them as the shutting down may also be caused by overheating.

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The clicking sound is the HD head trying to index. It sounds like the HD is in trouble again.

First make a full backup of your HD, then run Apple's Disk Utility program booting from an external HD or OS-X install DVD. Do this first when the system has been inside at least 12hrs did you find any errors? If so let the utility make the repairs and run again. If you are still encountering errors you should reformat the HD and run the utility testing the disk again. copy back your files using the migration utility. Run the HD tests again (booting again on the external HD or DVD)

If things are better see how it runs in your cold garage is it still having problems? If so you may need a new HD.

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the logic board was recently replaced. at that time the fans were found to be over heating due to clogged tubes. so the fans were replaced and the tubes were cleaned out. The computer is almost flawless when its warm

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I have already run the disk utility and had no errors. Last night I turned off the energy saver ( not allowing the computer to go to sleep) I went out there this morning and it was still on. However yesterday it was shutting down while I was using it.

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Have you run System Update in the last week? There's some Java malware that Apple has patched for and added a removal tool in the latest update. You may want to run a virus checker as well (with the latest def file). Systems that reboot as you are using them often imply something is corrupting the memory stack. Make sure you've updated your apps and any OS add-ons.

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Wil -

Make sure you booted your system on an external HD or OS-X installer DVD otherwise you did not check the HD's integrity only the permissions.

The only other thing I can think of that might cause this type of problem would be the systems power supply and/or AC power issues. Do your house lights flicker or get dim (brown out)?

Do you have your system plugged into a surge suppressor or a UPS system? You may want to try a different surge suppressor in case this one got a hit that damaged it.

Using a power strip with a power switch that is plugged into the houses AC outlet and the UPS plugged into it see if your system messes up when you turn off the power strip, does the UPS work correctly?

Does the power plug pull out easily from the system or the AC outlet? If so you may need to replace the line cord or the AC outlet.

Are you using a AC cheater adapter (3 to 2 prong plug)? If you are you should get an electrician in to upgrade the AC circuit (older houses). It should be a 20Amp grounded line.

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