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No start up after power surge on 17" intel iMac

Hi All,

There was a power outage in my area a few nights ago. After the power was restored I noticed that my wife's 17" Late 2006 intel iMac won't power up. I tried unplugging it, restarting, resetting the SMC etc., but still nothing. I have noticed on occasion though that the sleep light comes on very dimly when the computer is supposed to be on. I was just wondering if anyone could help me figure out what the problem might be. Oh, and did have it connected to a surge protector when this happened.

Thanks,

David

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Have you checked the surge strip to make sure it still is suppling power, check by plugging in a light? Often the surge strip will no longer work after a surge or if it has a fuse it's blown.

In any case I would get a new one as the old one will have been degraded by the hit and offer less than ideal protection the next time.

If you have AC power, then as Machead stated you will need to isolate out what inside is not working.

But before going there check your home owners insurance coverage and talk with your insurance agent. If you can document the event you might be able to get a replacement system (as well as any thing else that got fried).

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Don't wait to long in contacting your insurance agent, if you wait to long they might not cover the damages in your home owners ins. Remember you need to document the event, contact the local TV or radio station and see if they can print out a weather radar of your area showing thunder storms and/or contact the local power company and see if they can give you written conformation of the power outage and the suspected cause for the time frame you suspect your system died. With this in hand you should be able to get a replacement system or some money to put toward a new one. Don't forget your other equipment that was damaged.

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Thanks, Dan! I'm checking on that coverage. I appreciate your help!

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If it was a cheap power strip (not a battery backup with network isolation also) your power supply could be damaged. If you intend to DIY you'll have to open the unit and look at the diagnostic LEDs.

If this Answer is helpful please remember to return and mark it Accepted.

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Hi machead3!

I opened the unit up, but there are apparently no LEDs on this particular model.

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The diagnostic lights should be just to the right of the RAM socket - here's a thread that should be helpful as you can read you're looking at some very advanced and time consuming DIY. It may be time to get a new machine, that one certainly doesn't owe you anything - in computer years its an octogenarian.

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I did find the diagnostic LEDs, behind a cable. When I plug the unit in, the first LED comes on. when I press the power button the second one comes on as well. Does this indicate that the power supply is okay? Thanks!

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Hello again,

I took a drive yesterday to the closest Apple store and after hearing my description (and plugging in their diagnostic cable) they told me that based on my information it was most likely the power supply or motherboard. So, I am interested in using my multimeter to test both pieces of hardware. I'm not all that familiar with how to use a multimeter but figure that I can do it. I do have one slightly bulging capacitor on the power supply and I'm going to get to looking at the motherboard later today. Can anyone offer any suggestions? I know that it would be easier to just get a new iMac but this certain one belongs to my wife and fits (and matches) perfectly in a small space that we have for it. Thanks in advance for your help!

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A similar surge occurred and resulted in having the sleep diode blink. I replaced both memory strips which solved the problem of a dead iMac 21" (2006).

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Oh, man....I hope that wasn't the situation with mine. I disassembled the entire thing to get a look at the motherboard and managed to pull one of the leads out of the power cable. I ended up getting my wife a new 21.5" iMac (which is really nice), but now I'll always wonder....

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David Kaff will be eternally grateful.
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