The Mac Experience in Business & Home: Help, Tips, Discussion & Radio Show Notes

We had a caller ask for a recommendation on a good network security book. My favorite basic overview, which happens to contain plenty of depth, too, is Network Security for Dummies, by the wonderful Chey Cobb (she’s incorrectly referred to as “he” in the official Amazon review): Click here to see reviews

Tom also called in asking about his iBook g3, infortunately getting 3 beeps, indicating bad RAM. Here’s a run down of the meaning of the “beeps” when it comes to more recent Apple computers (macs):

1 beep = no RAM installed
2 beeps = incompatible RAM types
3 beeps = no good banks
4 beeps = no good boot images in the boot ROM (and/or bad sys config block)
5 beeps = processor is not usable

If your iBook is still under AppleCare (3 years from the time of purchase of your iBook, if you purchased AppleCare within 1 year of the iBook’s purchase date), call AppleCare! You may try reseating your RAM, if that doesn’t work, your next step is to replace your RAM. You can find instructions on how to do this, as well as how to troubleshoot a G4 iBook here: http://www.apple.com/support/ibook/doityourself/

The G3 has a document called Service Source K you can find online by performing this google search: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ser

This approach is valid assuming there isn’t some damage to the system causing the problem that we don’t know about (like a spill).

Tom added that he had opened the iBook, found only one slot, which after investigation, makes sense. Here’re the RAM configs for the iBook G3s:

iBook G3 500MHz 12″ (M8597LL/A) Fixed Memory : 64MB (1 Slot Max Memory 576MB)
iBook G3 600MHz 12″ (M8599LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 700MHz 12″ (M8860LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 700MHz 14″ (M8603LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 800MHz 12″ (M8758LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 800MHz 12″ (M8761LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 800MHz 12″ (M9164LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 800MHz 14″ (M8862LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 900MHz 12″ (M9018LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)
iBook G3 900MHz 14″ (M9009LL/A) Fixed Memory : 128MB (1 Slot Max Memory 640MB)

So, a good move is to take the system into the Oakbrook Apple Store, or North Michigan Avenue (NMA), and have one of the excellent Mac Geniuses diagnose it for you. Best of luck!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2005 at 1:58 pm and is filed under WGN Radio Show Notes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.