Q: vertical lines - there for sure

Just to let everyone know that I got my vertical lines fixed earlier this year. The imac was sent away and cost £90 pounds for special insurance and delivery.  I thought that I had told this before but can find no record of it. Thanks for all the help, Teresa Linsey.

At first it was only one line, then more and more--got up to 16 as I recall.  At least I could use the coputer.  But then there appeared about a 2 inch or so white strip along the right side.  This covered  up my hard drive icon as well as my spotlight, so I could not use it very well.  I had bought the imac ibn 2006 so it was well out of the applecare warranty.  So I took it to an apple authorized repair place.  They said they could fix it but it would cost me 600 dollars. 

I decided it was worth it to regain access to my programs and files.  But the parts they ordered have been backordered.  So I am just able to get to the internet by using my husband's macbook pro or using the library computers.  Some of my pictures and files I have on the internet, but not near all.  The imac computer has Tiger on it and some of my programs will not install using Lion, so I do not want a new computer at this time.  I am considering getting one of the apple laptops for travel and making sure I have an extra copy of my files on it and at least a graohics program.  Hopefully by tthe time I do this all the kinks will be out of Lion.

Meantiome I hope the service place gets the parts they need and can fix the imac.

The whole situation seems to became more and more confusing. Some people write here that a replacement will be around $370, in this case Apple will charge $600, - near the double! Even more confusing is that apple seems to deny sometimes any repair, - because this iMac line is fully out of life. Sory, but thats absolute inconsequent!

Well, for $600 I get an used ALU iMac at ebay, or I will buy a third party (non Apple) panel and fix it oneself. There are several compatible panels available, however the main problem is that they all need an adapter for the different LVDS (panel to logicboard) cabling.

Such an adapter cant be (currently) purchased, it must be build oneself. And that needs extremely deep technical skills which has not every person.

Perhaps such adapters will be produced in the future by a third party company. They would have a LARGE market, there will be in the future even more of defective W860 17" iMacs....

I paid the 600 dollars and my imac is working fine right now.  I hope it stays that way.  I did not get a list of the parts they ordered--guess I could ask for one so I know what they replaced.  In any case I am busy being sure all of my files are backed up.  I paid the 600 dollars because there is no way for 600 dollars I could replace my software.  And that it would be hard to reinstall with my discs as so much of that has to be uninstalled before they will let you reinstall it.

There are several ways to get an easy 1:1 copy of a Mac Harddisk WITHOUT any installing, uninstalling!

The most simple seems to be Time Machine, an other also easy solution is Carbon Copy Cloner. That tool is free and works also with older Mac OS X versions. I cloned today an old iMac harddisk 1:1 to an new 1000GB drive. It took over ALL programs, tools, data, etc. PERFECT

It's realy shameful that Apple abused here your nescience and your fear! Well, that's the way how the world is working, - or it seems to be the way how the world is working.

As mentioned, for $600 I get an 20" ALU iMac on ebay, mostly they are in PERFECT condtition. And for $700 I get an 24" ALU iMac...

Last note, for non technical person, Apple offers also a service to build out the internal harddisk...

I've had the vertical line problem for a few years now, and am now up to hundreds of lines. Every time I had looked in to the situation in the past there seemed to be no practical solution, other than paying hundreds for a repair. I figured I'd try one more time to see if anyone knew of a fix available, or what exactly the problem is?

Now that it's gotten so bad I'm considering taking it in, but I haven't because a year or so ago I got a macbook, so I have really had no use for this 17" iMac.

I never thought it would get this bad, but it's gotten to the point that 5 dark black vertical lines have appeared, and counting. The other lines seem to be much less noticeable on a white background... But I'm pretty sure if I let this continue I'm not going to be able to read the screen at all.

Nooooo!  I just had a vertical line appear on my late model 2006 imac, well out of the applecare plan (seriously, can you even keep it under warranty for 5 years??) that I updated with new OSX and other software over a month ago. It's a pinkish line close to the middle of the screen.  Very annoying.  I have been telling so many people how happy I've been with this computer and that I've been able to keep it working and up to date so long. Mine was made at the Shanghai W8 plant.  I guess it's to be expected that no computer is going to last forever. It sounds like I won't be getting another five years use out of it after all...

Good luck with that!  I'll never buy another Apple product and I've been using them since the 70s.  I even wrote a letter to the CEO, they don't care about their customers, I got a call from their service dept in Texas, played phone tag for 2 weeks only to finally be told that my computer is obsolete and too bad they won't do anything about the problem (lines on the screen) even thought it has been a known common defect. And that even if they would fix it, the parts aren't available any longer, or if they were it would take over a month to get them.....the story kept changing. They told me the replacement program was discontinued in 2008, the person in the Apple store told me it was discontinued a few months ago. I've never experienced a company that didn't give a crap about their  lifetime customers who were buying their products when noone else would. They must not even  look at their own support communities to see that over 155,000 people have read these messages, or that over 500 people have had this problem with their computers. They too are now the proud makers of "disposable" computers only they haven't lowered their prices. Too bad they won't step up and stand behind their products like they used to when they cared about the people who put them where they are today.

Well, well, you're absolutely right...  However, after 5 years a product may come EOL, that's in some ways understandable.

Ok, what's abolutely not understandabe, what's abolutely at all not understandabe?

The effective scandal is how Apple acts in the whole "vertical line story". At first they deny completely any problem. After massive public negative reactions and a class action lawsuit Apple changed it's politics to a grotesque "inofficial guarantee". So, they only give a replacement after an unyielding consistent demand. In many cases the support helpline continue to refused, to ignore any guaranteed right. I get my replacements everytime only with an exact reference to the problem, and an exact reference the several affected customers. Well, well, so far I remember I never get an screen replacement on an easy way, it was every time a real fight. Sometimes I felt tha Apple put / fob me simpy off...

The effective scandal is that Apple never establish in this case an official replacement program! Apple did me always that there is no such program, an they make an "exception" fro me. Well, they make five exceptions for me! I am sure there where much more than 500 hundred affectet iMacs! If I look at the amount of "vertical lines" iMacs on ebay there where tousend of affected ones! For me, it seems that near every original 17" "W860 iMac" became affected, - the question is only when these loved "lines" will apear.

And ironically, now after the "non existing replacement program" is expired, Apple seems to be ready to confirm the existence of a such one...

All in all, Apple doesent make in this story a good figure, - their acting speaks for them...

For anyone out there who still has one of the 2006 models, the "fix it free" policy is, at least according to Andrew of the Greenville, SC Apple Store Genius Bar, now over. When I showed him my W860 iMac, and various comments I'd printed out from this forum, he told me these iMacs are now classified as "vintage," meaning there are no longer parts available to fix the problem. "Even if I put through a repair order, it won't get done," he said. "I don't have any of the parts in inventory any more, and I can't get them from Apple."

sadly I too was told it had ended last year May. (May 2011)

rsp

To all affected vertical line iMac users, - DO NOT RESIGN!

NOW THERE EXISTS A GREAT ALTERNATIVE!!!

Check the following website:  http://www.realmacmods.com/

That guy has made an adapter to make (common) 17” Laptop screens compatible with the 17” iMac. He sells it at his website separately as repair kit ($70) or he offers also completely assembled screens (with adapter installed) for a good price. And at last, there exist also the possibility for installing a HD (1920x1080) screen to a 17” iMac!

I got the same answer by phone. HOw could apple say they cares about the environment, this machines are not really old, I have a laptop dell, I bought in 2000, in usa it is an latitude 6600. everything works just fine, and I recently have even get some stuff like usb 2.0 + firewire 400, pcmca card, dvd combo, etc.

It is just incredible this machine I bought 7 years after than the laptop dell there is no any kind of replacements for it, besides apple wont face this problem that "thousands" of people have complained all over the globe.

This apple employ on the phone said they care about selling the newest iMac, that their philosophy just is to sell the newest machines, to make people wish having the newest iPhone, iPot, etc. Is that how they care about their costumers and environment?

I completely agree with you, I have always spoken wonders of Apple computers and its operating system, I am a Windows user too, actually only for necessity rather than by conviction, but now I will have to definitely think about other options, although I am fully familiar with their applications as my work tools. What a shame for them apple.

I hope at least they leave this reply as it is now, becouse they have deleted another I had left before. It seams they dont respect my right of free expression.

At the top of this page it says that the discussion has been branched off, but it looks like they've deleted that too.