[scr14]

We had a power outage and my iMac wouldn't start up afterwards -- nothing happened when I pressed the on-button. I took it to a shop that fixed the problem in one day -- for a lot of money. No parts, so I assume they just pressed a reset button of some sort. If this happens again, is this something I could do myself?
My iMac is the kind with the round bottom and the adjustable screen. I'm running OS 10.4.7.
SCR

[macnuke]

it's fixed.. don't look back.
now would be a good time to take that "surge protector" strip and toss it in the trash.
go forth and buy a good UPS.
that will protect your Mac in the future.

[texas_macman]

Yours is a common problem when the power fails. Yes, you can fix it yourself. Depending on the Mac model, you reset the CUDA or PMU. See
Mac PRAM, NVRAM, CUDA/PMU & Battery Tutorial
http://www.geocities...acman/pram.html
Cheers, Tom

[scr14]

Thanks, Tom. Then the problem was caused by the computer being shut down improperly and not by a power surge?
Sydney

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
Many power surges can scramble the PMU a bit and all it takes is a PMU reset. There are a number of different ways, depending on the model, to reset an Apple computer PMU.
This isn't always the case but it's the best thing to hope for if your Mac doesn't show any signs of life.

[scr14]

Thank you. What can be done to prevent this happening? The computer, a keyboard and a scanner were on the same surge protector, and nothing was affected except the computer. Should I turn off and unplug the computer during heat waves where power outages are likely? Should I unplug the whole surge protector at such times when I'm not using the computer?
Sydney

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
You could. A UPS does a lot better job of conditioning incoming currents than any surge protector because of the differences of how each operate. On top of that, during a full power outage, your computer will -- should -- shut down properly as the UPS communicates with the computer itself. APC is the highest known for UPS and, I believe, they indeed have Mac OS software.
I've heard you can pick them up for reasonably cheap nowadays.

[macnuke]

Quote:

---

Hi
<SNIP> and, I believe, they indeed have Mac OS software.
I've heard you can pick them up for reasonably cheap nowadays.

---

Mac OS X recognizes APC and communicates thru the Energy prefs better than the APC supplied software.
I got that little tip from non other than Grant.
my APC performance improved when I let the OS take care of the UPS and removed the APC software.

[scr14]

Sorry, I'm not on your wavelength. What are UPS and APC?
Sydney

[MacCheetah3]

Hi
Sorry...
Uninterruptible power supply - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
APC - American Power Conversion:

[Nobody]

Hello, a fresh PRAM could also do the trick in keepng your Mac up to snuff.
Like Tom mentioned, that's probably all it was. Your Mac is showing its age.
I mean by that is the PRAM battery is old enough to be a granny, by PRAM
battery life that is.
Here is a PRAM Battery reseller I googled.
But then again, Radio Shack or CompUSA should have it by a good margin.
In fact that Mac shop could have done a good deed by replacing the PRAM battery
and obviously knew what the problem was. Probably did, but who knows the
problem is fixed.

[dougster]

-Hi,
Just curious if this [APC-UPS] would suffice for the OP (original poster) or under powered? I would think somebody with,'puter, display, scanner, printer, modem, router, etc. might be under powered, and lack of outlets. What do you guys think?