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Q: Flashing green pixel lines on screen

I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro and this week it started getting flashing vertical lines across the entire screen. They're about 1/8 inch apart and flash almost constantly. The software is up to date, and I've reset the SMC and the PRAM, which made the problem go away temporarily but it came back within an hour of rebooting. This leads me to believe that it's a hardware issue, but I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this problem.

The MBP is from 2010, but I've had the screen/top clamshell replaced twice for other problems, so this screen is only actually about 3 months old. Thoughts?
Thanks!

MacBook Pro, iOS 6

Posted on Oct 4, 2012 12:15 PM

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Q: Flashing green pixel lines on screen

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  • by Applegeek26449,

    Applegeek26449 Applegeek26449 Oct 4, 2012 12:21 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (75 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:21 PM in response to ecoin

    I have a 2010 as well. It has the original screen, original everything. I have not had this problem. I also have not had to bring this in for maintence, or work. Not once since I bought it. It has never had to go back to apple. I think perhaps Apple's tech did a cruddy job fixing your screen the past times, and something is either loose or malfunctioning. I would take it to an Apple Store immediately and stand there and personally watch the apple staff inspect it, So when they discover something, you are right there seeing it first hand. Additionally, if they do look at it, they may charge a small fee, unless you have the 3 year protection plan. If so, even if a small fee, it may lead you to the cause of the problem, which in my opinion is worth every penny in the end. I am sorry this is happening. Usually these Macs last forever without issues. Hope this helps.

  • by ecoin,

    ecoin ecoin Oct 4, 2012 12:24 PM in response to Applegeek26449
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:24 PM in response to Applegeek26449

    Yeah, I'm not sure why I've had so many problems--maybe I got a dud computer (the original software that came with the computer was also corrupted), but I sure am glad that I invested in AppleCare, since they've officially put more money into repairs than I did in purchasing it.

    I've been really diligent in the past about making sure that they see the issue and specifically tell me what they'll do to fix it. I'm planning to go in this weekend and fight until they fix it.

    I'm hoping that they might just be able to give me a whole new machine, although I doubt that they would. I've had so many problems it, which is a bummer.

    Glad to hear that your machine is running well--I seem to be the only one who has consistent issues with every Mac product I've bought (my iPad, notebook, iPhone, and headphones are all having issues...)

  • by Applegeek26449,

    Applegeek26449 Applegeek26449 Oct 4, 2012 12:36 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (75 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:36 PM in response to ecoin

    I am sorry to hear that. I can answer questions about headphones. Especially Beats. I have taken things apart and put things back together.

     

    Hey btw, Was your Mac brand new when you purchased it?

  • by ecoin,

    ecoin ecoin Oct 4, 2012 12:39 PM in response to Applegeek26449
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:39 PM in response to Applegeek26449

    I purchased it new online.

     

    And for the headphones, I have the Apple earbuds and the sound is significantly louder on the right side than the left...I think I'll just end up buying a new pair.

  • by Applegeek26449,Helpful

    Applegeek26449 Applegeek26449 Oct 4, 2012 12:48 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (75 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:48 PM in response to ecoin

    **Well for the earbuds, you should get a pair of in-ears. Even sonys are good. And cheap too. I have a pair of Sony Extra Base Headphones. The XB300 actualy Headphones, not earbuds. For 30$ You can buy them off Amazon, With free shipping. They have near Beats sound quality for a very small fraction of the cost. They are totally worth it.Photo on 2012-10-04 at 15.44 #2.jpg  And after that, The Macbook, Was it online from Apple? Well obviously because you have the Applecare protection plan. If so, Also, Do you know how to do the negative coloration function for the screen? Control, option, command, 8. Hold them all down at the same time to change from regular to negative. If these lines still appear, it will be most likely hardware. If not, then its most likely the display. Give it a shot and let me know.

  • by ecoin,

    ecoin ecoin Oct 4, 2012 12:53 PM in response to Applegeek26449
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:53 PM in response to Applegeek26449

    Thanks for the suggestions!

    I turned the display to negative and it's still happening, so I'll be taking it in to a retail store ASAP to get the problem (hopefully) resolved. Doesn't seem like a common problem--I wasn't able to find much information on this site or from google.

  • by Applegeek26449,

    Applegeek26449 Applegeek26449 Oct 4, 2012 12:54 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (75 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:54 PM in response to ecoin

    Glad I could help you. Good luck ecoin.

  • by Applegeek26449,

    Applegeek26449 Applegeek26449 Oct 4, 2012 12:55 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (75 points)
    Oct 4, 2012 12:55 PM in response to ecoin

    Additionally, if you have questions about headphones or other things such as iPad and such, you know my name. Just use the discussion and reply in the future if you need to ask me anything. I will be around to help. Good luck:)

  • by Vonneygut,

    Vonneygut Vonneygut Nov 26, 2012 3:33 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 26, 2012 3:33 PM in response to ecoin

    Weird- i have a early 2008 macbook and today I also just started experiencing this flickering green pixel/frozen computer issue. I recently switched to 4GB of ram irchased via ows, and this is the only issue since i switched- but the switch was severL weeks ago.

     

    Did u have any luck at the apple store?

    merci

  • by tripleOne-X,

    tripleOne-X tripleOne-X Mar 18, 2013 1:41 AM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 18, 2013 1:41 AM in response to ecoin

    I know this is an old post, but I found a fix that will not require you to do any hardware repairs. (Though there are some drawbacks) If you notice, the blinking stuff appears on very dark and very light colored areas. Well, at least on mine it is. I've been told the logic board needs changing.

     

    However, if you shift the gamma for these tones, the blinking will go away. I downloaded this free app by Michel Fortin that you can control the gamma.

     

    http://michelf.ca/projects/gamma-control/

     

    Slowly and carefully shift the Black and White points every so slightly until it goes away. Worked for me. Now your colour will not be accurate and you've lost a bit of dynamic range. But hey! At least it works.

     

    Hope this helps anyone who has this problem.

     

    J

  • by sebasgro,

    sebasgro sebasgro Apr 2, 2013 1:17 PM in response to tripleOne-X
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 2, 2013 1:17 PM in response to tripleOne-X

    I've had this problem too, flickering green lines, especially in the black areas. Tried everything nothing worked, but I noted that when I pressed the bottom panel (underneath the left ctrl button) the lines disappear, when I release they come back. I had a similar problem with my old macbook where the trackpad and keyboard just suddenly stopped working but once you applied pressure to a certain area it would start working again.

    So I opend it up and checked it out. When I apply pressure to this thing (red circle) with a wooden chop stick the problem disappears, until I release it that is. Any ideas?mac.jpg

  • by Dee C,

    Dee C Dee C Jul 6, 2013 10:52 PM in response to sebasgro
    Level 1 (32 points)
    Jul 6, 2013 10:52 PM in response to sebasgro

    Hey there Sebasgro!

     

    Were you able to fix your computer of the flickering green lines? I'm having the exact same issue.

  • by Dee C,

    Dee C Dee C Aug 15, 2013 4:11 PM in response to ecoin
    Level 1 (32 points)
    Aug 15, 2013 4:11 PM in response to ecoin

    Did anyone in this thread ever get the green flashing pixel issue fixed?

  • by helloiamlukas,

    helloiamlukas helloiamlukas Nov 29, 2014 7:30 AM in response to Dee C
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2014 7:30 AM in response to Dee C

    I have exactly the same problem. Pixels where the color should be black (#000) are flickering green.

    This does only appear on the built-in display. If I connect my macbook to an external display, everything seems to be correct.

    Also, if I turn on automatic switching between the graphic cards it completely disappears on the built-in display.

     

    Can somebody help me?

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