nedster01
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: mac os 10.5 always starts with a bright screen.

Any ideas? It's not the keyboard sticking.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Apr 17, 2012 9:56 AM

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nedster01

Q: mac os 10.5 always starts with a bright screen.

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  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 17, 2012 11:17 AM in response to nedster01
    Level 10 (123,745 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 11:17 AM in response to nedster01

    Hello, can you expound a bit on that? Like does it then become not bright, or you have to change some setting? Or???

  • by nedster01,

    nedster01 nedster01 Apr 17, 2012 11:28 AM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 11:28 AM in response to BDAqua

    Mac always starts up on bright screen even after i've altered the settings to dim.

    after restart it's bright again.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 17, 2012 1:04 PM in response to nedster01
    Level 10 (123,745 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 1:04 PM in response to nedster01

    Oh, do you mean you've adjusted the Brightness slider, and that setting doesn't hold after reboot?

  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Apr 17, 2012 6:51 PM in response to nedster01
    Level 8 (35,176 points)
    iPad
    Apr 17, 2012 6:51 PM in response to nedster01

    Could be a dead logic board battery, the  so-called "PRAM" battery. The battery preserves user settings when the computer is unplugged from the wall. Normally, even in the presence of a completely dead battery, settings should "stick" as long as you don't unplug the computer.

     

    If you are trying to save energy by either unplugging the computer at night or turning it off at a power center or power strip, that's  not a good practice with many computers. The internal battery should normally last 3-5 years as long as the computer is plugged into an active socket. If you cut all power to it, the battery life can plummet to months, and settings will not be remembered.

     

    Fortunately the battery is cheap and user-serviceable. I buy mine here:

     

    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/BAA36VPRAM/

     

    If you cannot order batteries for that firm, the link has the full specs of the battery: 1/2 AA 3.6V lithium.

     

    Radio Shack ("Tandy" outside the US) carries the proper battery as part number 23-026 but will charge you 3 to 4 times the online cost.

     

    Installation is easy--you access the battery through the same "door" on the bottom of the case through which you access the RAM. Apple instructions are here:

     

    How to Replace the Backup Battery

     

    A quick check to comfirm the battery as the issue is:

     

    • Restart the computer while holding the four- key combo command + option + p + r (may not work from a third-party keyboard)
    • Keep holding those keys until you hear three startup chimes
    • Set the birghtess to the desired level
    • Turn off the computer but do not unplug it
    • Restart the computer

     

    If the settings hold, you've diagnosed a dead PRAM battery.