display anomalies

virgilaug wrote:
Have you tried downgrading your firmware as it hints it in this link you've posted before?
http://www.canmusaogullari.com/2010/08/macbook-pro-with-ati-radeon-x1600-display -anomalies/

Tried to reinstall firmware in the beginning, but the clever firmware update software says the firmware is already installed.
The linked article says: "You can’t change your firmware, also you can’t revert to the old firmware too."

Heres a link for the MBP models
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237

I can't find a listing for MacBookPro 1,1 for firmware restoration CD.

And this ones for the Firmware reset tool

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL976

Firmware restoration CD documentation says it only works for failed firmware updates, not for downgrading.

Since I have been unable to find any problems after a safe boot, it suggests a software rather than hardware problem. Certainly it is feasible it is caused by a cracked solder joint to the GPU, but not sure anyone has proven this yet.

here yet another unhappy user - have also complained.

however, the following seems to at least reduce the number of crashes:

1. smcfancontrol app ( http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/23049/smcfancontrol);

2. disabling spaces;

ds.

Another unhappy user. Gen1 MBP with X1600 recently upgraded to 10.6.4. Display artifacts result in crashes. Machine sometimes boots with video artifacts. PRAM/SMC reset/disk repair have not resolved the issue. CPU temp appears to be unrelated...

Ian Cheong wrote:
At present, I can reliably cause Safari 5.0.2 on Leopard to eventually crash after glitching screen redraw by viewing this page:
http://www.apple.com/appletv/ and dragging the scroll bar up and down. This is with QuartzExtreme turned off.

Curiously, this Safari graphics problem recurred while safe-booted for 3 days and watching TemperatureMonitor history. No issue with Firefox. Managed to crash Safari a dozen times, but resolved after removing a couple of internet plugins, updating Flash-plugin and rebooting.

This was the first time I have seen a bug appear during a safe boot. If still a software bug, this significantly narrows the possibilities. Safari crashed reliably on the appleTV page where Firefox still didn't.

Oct 9 07:02:29 macbookpro com.apple.launchd[162] ([0x0-0x9b09b].com.apple.Safari[1706]): Exited abnormally: Segmentation fault
Oct 9 07:02:36 macbookpro /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/ATS.framewo rk/Support/ATSServer[1755]: (-3230) Cannot use ATS Persistent Store - switching to old FODB cache code


This time I also deleted IONDRVSupport.kext before reapplying MacOS10.5.8 update, after reading a suggestion in another thread on an ATSServer bug. Im my case all fonts are fine (safe-boot).

Lately I have been deleting /System/Library/Extensions/Caches instead of deleting a whole load of prefs files (still using much of the long rescue remedy recipe I posted a few pages back) and this mostly appears to be working to flush out the graphics bug on startup/logi for a time.

Also curious that CPU temps seem markedly lower while safe-booted, even though doing much the same on the computer, excepting that sound is disabled. Can still play (silently) Quicktime movies

Reading another thread, this fix resolves a bug which chews CPU cycles thus raising CPU temp.

DELETE: User->Library->Preferences folder: com.apple.finder.plist, com.apple.systemuiserver.plist, com.apple.loginwindow.plist
REBOOT

Latest installment:
* severe problems have recurred, to the point of system being unbootable again (Previously, this even glitched an archive and install.)
* graphics horizontal line artefact has reappeared on the desktop even after PRAM reset and MacOS system disk DVD boot - suggesting that at its worst, there is a low level hardware/firmware problem

So have now:
* reset SMC
* sucked dust out of ventilation slots
* followed other steps from long repair recipe to flush out software corruption induced by the core problem whatever that is

Interestingly:
* CPU temperature history seems to have a different pattern and probably lower (lost the long-term log file)
* some transient display glitches appeared for a little while - that only lasted a second or so before going away

To date, I have had 2 episodes of system being unbootable due to this problem. Both times, I have been able to resolve it. Time will tell if this lasts for more than several days.

(Along the way I have also deleted and reinstalled any kext remotely sounding like display or IO or NVRAM functions, which may or may not have been necessary.)

After the last failure, I tried a thermal stress test today. System stressed by playing an HD video and running Xbench. Macbookpro sitting on a hard desk. The end result was an unattended crash and automatic reboot and the return of the dreaded login window horizontal line artefact.

Temperature Monitor history shows GPU temperature to be quite stable. CPU temperature was the problem leading to the crash.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa145/cheongi/Picture37torturetesttofailure.p ng

Managed to get rid of the login window horizontal line artefact faster than ever.
1. shutdown
2. reset SMC
3. startup
4. zap PRAM
5. single user boot
6. # applejack AUTO restart

However, system was still unstable and prone to the "usual" intermittent graphic glitches and freeze after 15-30 minutes after this minimal fix. Logs suggest GPU crash, presumably caused by corruption of graphics resources.

Oct 12 16:20:47 macbookpro kernel[0]: ATIRadeon::wait for_rbspace: Overflowed block waiting for FIFO space. Have 2, need 5. RBBM_STATUS 0x10000140
Oct 12 16:20:59 macbookpro kernel[0]: ** ASIC Hang Log Start **


Have been experimenting with the remainder of my recipe to find out minimal steps to restore relative stability. More later.....

A safeboot torture test suggests the glitches are software corruption and not directly temperature related. In this temperature history, the first three sections are from a normal boot. The first cold start is after the last torture test failure. All three sections demonstrated the "usual" random graphic anomalies (as noted in the first post of this thread), despite the very different temperatures. Reboots (gaps in the temp log) were after my attempts to flush out the bugs. The last section was captured during a safeboot and the CPU/GPU exercised by running Xbench (excluding disk test) repetitively. Note that the temperatures in this last section were similar or higher than times when graphic glitches were visible. I could not get the computer quite as hot as the torture test prior to failure. Note also GPU chip temperature seems fairly rock solid.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa145/cheongi/Picture39safeboottorturetest.pn g

The last couple of times (days apart) I have tried scrolling the http://www.apple.com/appletv page while safebooted, Safari crashed. Can anybody else replicate this? If so send in a Safari crash log to apple and they may start to look at why....and maybe find the cause of our problems.

Just had this happen with my MBP C2D 2.16 as well. The AASP I took it to sent the machine off to Apple for repair. Should be $399 total cost. I do hope that eventually Apple will officially acknowledge this issue.

Ian Cheong

Heres the link for the Firmware restoration CD. Its version 1.7 that works for the mbp 1,1.

http://support.apple.com/downloads/FirmwareRestoration_CD_17

Im sure it is able to restore the previous firmware no matter what. This next link states that apple released the 1.7 version to deal with graphics problems on several macs including the mbp 1,1. I know apple says its for an interrupted or unsuccessful update.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/04/apple-releases-firmware-restoration-cd -1-7.ars

virgilaug wrote:
Heres the link for the Firmware restoration CD. Its version 1.7 that works for the mbp 1,1.

Is there some trick to make it overwrite? I tried and it won't.

Still having trouble with the problem. The most I can get is about 3 days before the graphics glitches recur. Still have had no real problems (except a single incident of uncertain cause) on safeboot. Looks more like low level corruption causes the thermal issue which then cause the lockups. While trying to repair corrupt resources, I have several times had a lockup after a couple of minutes without seeing any graphics corruption.

Tried using the Tiger drivers as suggested by another user in the "horizontal lines" thread, but Safari crashed instantly scrolling the AppleTV page (www.apple.com/appleTV).

Hmm, only one way now but its kinda risky. What you can do is to download the current firmware and reinstall it (it should let you do it), but while its installing pull the plug and take out the batter, essentially interrupting the firmware install. Then the Firmware reset might work, but its risky because your mbp might not boot afterwards and you'll have to get its logic board replaced.

The Tiger drivers won't make a difference because i have a dual boot, Snow leopard and Tiger on mine and it still happens under tiger. Although, the mbp runs 10-15 degrees C cooler in Tiger.

Same issue here with a 2GHz MBP. Video tearing and eventual overheating and crashing. Problem occurs when booted from 10.6 installer DVD as well. Machine is useless.

Tom Cassel wrote:
Same issue here with a 2GHz MBP. Video tearing and eventual overheating and crashing. Problem occurs when booted from 10.6 installer DVD as well. Machine is useless.

Try:
1. SMC reset
2. zap PRAM
3. Boot from DVD
4. Archive and install

I have been playing with Pacifist and found several non-Apple kexts to remove. Since problem has been substantially absent on safeboot, it still seems likely a kext conflict is a problem. The horizontal line across lower half of login screen is being a bit stubborn at present, so still doing more research....

Note that an archive and install keeps all sorts of old garbage in the system still. So one has to trade off backing up and doing an erase and install and having to recreate all settings vs weeding out all the non-apple kexts and prefs and potentially corrupt prefs, etc and not having to redo all settings.

I have done all of that already. It was used but new to me so I did a zero-out of the drive. Machine crashed when trying to install from DVD after the 2hr format. I turned it off for an hour then quick-erased followed by a successful install. Crashed booting from the HD. Letting the machine cool down gets things running again for a bit, but this is definitely a heat related issue and when things get hot the machine locks up whether booted from DVD or HD.

Thanks though!