Screen Goes Black after a few minutes

I was in the store working with the Genius Bar guys yesterday on this before I found this thread. One interesting thing that we found: When we booted from the network image there the problem did not occur.

Same issue here, just adding to the string of voices. Hard to watch a movie or web video with this bug!

How can this still be a problem after 21/2 months of complaints? i have the same problem except I did not notice it for the 1st month or so after getting my macpro???

i am really hoping this is indeed software and not hardware

I, too, am upset that it's gone on so long without a fix.

i THINK 10.5.2 might come out this week......I guess we'll find out soon if that'll take care of it

We'll it's been a month now since I've gotten the "We are aware this is a problem, and we have been able to duplicate it! Our engineers are working on a fix, keep checking Software Update for a fix!"

So I called back to see what the status was. Same thing. Keep checking Software Update. The guy I was transferred to was really helpful, and suggested I send in the computer for repair, that way it might raise a flag or two. I was almost going to take him up on it, but I can't be away from my computer for an unknown time, and the new computers at the Apple Store do the same thing, so I don't really want a replacement.

But if any of you guys in cyberland can go without your computer, perhaps sending it in for repair, might start raising some flags, or at least get some bean-counter's reaction.

Ah, but it should be under a week now, then there should be a new top-of-the-line laptop that hopefully won't have this FLAW!

I have the very same problem on MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo - Mac OS X 10.5.1.

The bug is not in System configuration files that are set correctly: i checked
- System Power Settings in System Profiler
- the content of com.apple.PowerManagement.plist in /Library/Preferences/

and they both report the settings I chose, so editing com.apple.PowerManagement.plist manually doesn't help.




TEMPORARY SOLUTION:
After reading one of the post, I tweaked my system preferences Energy Saver and Keyboard.
After a particular sequence the problem seems solved (i don't know if it will still work after reboot):

• set timing preferences in Energy Saver, I have a custom set for AC & Battery;
• in Options check on the dim display before screen sleep option (necessary);
• in Kewyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard, check off and than on "illuminate keyboard in low light conditions"; I also set the slider below at 5 minutes (it seems it works with whatever time, even Never).

I confirm it doesn't work if you don't check the "dim display before sleep" option.

Now screen sleep is behaving accordingly to time settings.



It's not a complete solution, the bug is still there since you can't set whatever (i.e. dimming before...) and have to follow the sequence described, but it's a temporary solution waiting for a patch from Apple: it's really incredible they did not solve it, since it was first reported months ago.

I followed those directions and it didn't work for me.

I called Apple tech support and they seemed clueless. They told me to take my MBP to a local authorized repair shop and leave it with them for a few days to look at it. I can't be without my computer for a few days, so I politely declined. This local shop won't be able to solve this problem anyways. It's clearly something that an update will eventually cure. It's just annoying.

I don't know (neither could imagine) why it worked for me and it does not for others.

I don't know if it is related or helpful, but I have also:

• unchecked wake for ethernet network administrator access;
• the screen saver is off (set to never);
• top-left angle (exposé) set to start screen saver.

It seems that the wrong behaviour is back, if you change again Energy Saver settings AFTER having changed keyboard light preferences.

I have also installed Caffeine to completely disable both screen saver and screen sleep at occurence.

If somebody wants to know more on my other system settings, simply ask here.
Anyway here follows a copy&paste from system profiler->power:



System Power Settings:

AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 120
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: No
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 3
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: Yes
Reduce Brightness: Yes

I guess I'll add my post to the others who are experiencing this problem. My MBP came with Tiger & I upgraded to Leopard as soon as it was available to new MBP owners. I did not notice the problem initially with Leopard install but it started to happen several weeks ago...maybe when 10.5.1 was released?

Nah, has nothing to do with 10.5.1. Was doing it in 10.5(.0)

but everybody here is fairly certain this is a software issue, right?

I got my MBP with 10.5 installed, so I've never been able to test it with Tiger

Add another voice to the list, FWIW. Brand new MacBook Pro 2.6 GHz Duo 17" Hi-Res Matte. 10.5.1.
How can it be that all these "genius bars" know nothing about this issue?

From what I have been told and what I've read, I thought that maybe this was related to just a few MacBook Pro's. I have an open case, and there is a confirmed bug. It's been over a month, and I've only heard, "Apple engineers are aware that this is a problem, and keep checking Software Update for a fix." With no fix in over a month, I was again just thinking that this was just a few machines.
I called last week and the tech rep said that I should consider sending it in for repair, and I was just thinking maybe I should. If I complained enough, maybe they would give me a new computer that wasn't from the 'flawed' batch as a replacement. I was just getting ready to make the call, but I was at the Apple store earlier today and talked with the manager. We went to the display MacBook Pro and he disabled the lock on the System Preferences settings, and altered the Energy Saver options, and wow, the Apple store display computer backlighting turned off! He was floored. We then went over and checked the 17" model. Same thing!
So alas.... I'm starting to think that EVERY MACBOOK PRO with LED backlighting is having this issue. The Apple store guy was very nice, and seemed completely surprised. He looked a few things up, and said that there is a bug listed for that, and that there should be an update soon. (Same story as last month.) So those of you wanting to send your computer back for repair or replacement, realize that the new one will most likely have it too.

More anecdotal evidence that this is a software issue: I've just installed Windows XP on my MacBook Pro (I'm sorry but I'm a gamer - Oblivion runs superbly, incidentally). When booted into XP, the backlight simply does not switch off.

Just to add to the confusion:

I can watch DVDs without the backlight switching off.

Sometimes, for no reason I can discern, the backlight does not switch off. I suspect that some piece of software I'm running or some process that the OS is running is keeping the backlight bug at bay. However, I've been unable to determine what that might be.

I'm not entirely convinced that 10.5.2 is going to sort out this problem.

Message was edited by: iHobo

Yes the backlight on my MBP also stays awake when I am watching a DVD.