Turns on, "chimes" and looks like it wants to boot, but only gets to the desktop with no icons and just the mouse pointer.

Healthy logic board so it would seem.
But what would this point to?
I'm trying to find a bottom half for my screen half.

Does it boot from an Install DVD? That would be a better first step and trying to guess what's on this unknown internal hard drive.

From the install DVD you can run Disk Utility and System Profiler to get a better idea about the hardware.


BTW: I wonder if the current state that you describe is a case where thinks there is a second monitor with the menu and icons on that missing monitor, and nothing on the built in screen.

"BTW: I wonder if the current state that you describe is a case where thinks there is a second monitor with the menu and icons on that missing monitor, and nothing on the built in screen."

mmmmm, good point. I hadn't thought of that possibility.

Quote
Fritz
Turns on, "chimes" and looks like it wants to boot, but only gets to the desktop with no icons and just the mouse pointer.

Sounds like a used computer that the owner has no idea how to fix. If you're looking at buying this and it's a good deal for you, buy it. Sounds like something completely simple and fixable with a nuke and pave at the absolute worst (which I'm sure you'd probably do anyway). I love deals that come around just because the owner had no idea how to fix the item.

Can you check display resolution from System Preferences? It may have been changed and pushed icons off the screen?

Most likely just a hosed OS install-- as suggested a bootable install/restore CD (or external FW drive) would aqnswer that question.
At that stage of startup the OS also polls peripherals, so some chance of something so wrong with the optical drive, or one of the ports, that it freezes.
I've seen similar problems where it did eventually load the desktop after 45 minutes or so . . .

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2010 08:13AM by Black.