When I turn on turn on my iMac (an old 'Grape' model - one of the originals flavor models) the fan and drive sound normal - and accessory lights blink. BUT there is no 'bong' and the screen remains dark. Is this something I might be able to fix? Thanks -John-

Hi J Goodfriend This is not a good sign, as you will have gathered. Macs which do not "bong" generally have a serious problem with either the motherboard and/or the graphics card. The symptoms you have are indicative of at least a fault with the graphics card and maybe also the motherboard. You could try zapping the P-RAM which you do by holding down APPLE-OPTION-P-R keys all at once while the Mac starts up. Normally you would keep holding down the keys for three bongs/restarts. This might help to free the Mac from its darkness. You could try inserting the OS 9 install CD and try a restart with that CD in the drive while holding the C key down to see if you can boot from the CD. However the danger with that is yo0u may end up with the CD stuck in the drive if you cannot see the screen to eject it. I forget if Grape iMacs have a slot or tray for the CD. You should be able to retrieve the CD okay if you have a tray. However I'm sorry to say that I recently had this happen to a friend's iMac of a similar vintage to yours. I was quoted £450 by an AppleCentre in London to replace the motherboard and card. This is obviously not economic as new eMacs for example ar about £650, and much more advanced. I would suggest taking it to a reputible dealer and to see what they make of it, but from your description I have a feeling you will need a new Mac. Sorry. David