The startup sequence as I understand it is the chimes, which are a memory and
system check, then the screen coming up with the appearance of the arrow in the
upper-left corner. At that point, the machine searches for boot-up devices; if
it finds none you get a blinking question mark instead of the happy mac. Since
you don't even have a video screen, it should mean the problem is truly basic,
not the problem of the IDE drive.
Generally, the PRAM battery is the culprit. It's located in the upper right
corner of the mother board hidden behind the floppy drive rack and held in
place by velcro. If it's low in voltage, apparently the pram gets corrupted or
inoperative in the sequence.
To access the battery, remove the motherboard connectors top and front, making
a diagram about what goes where. Some have little locks so don't get violent.
Then loosen the screws holding the back plate in place and draw the mother
board out of the frame until the battery appears. Pull the battery off the
velcro and unplug its connector. Check the voltage; it should be 4.5 v. The
battery is a 4.5v Mallory 840, as I remember it (not too readily available).
If you're skeptical and if that's too much right now, just plug in the Starmax
and leave it on for a few days--perhaps serendipity will bring the battery up a
bit or perk up the pram. If you do get a screen, that confirms the pram battery
problem and you'll have to replace it following the same routine above.
Any ABD mouse should work and many Starmax original IDE drives are available on
Ebay, but I don't think you'll need one
Good luck,
Bob Wulkowicz
_______________
Bill Barber wrote:
> Hi,
> I have the same problem. I don't have a ide drive installed and have a black
> screen on startup. I remember vaguely that this is the symptom of no ide
> hard drive. Does anyone have an ide drive to sell? Someone in Toronto or
> area would be best. Also looking for an ADB mouse or better replacement.
>
> Thanks,
> Bill
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Bailey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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