Q: display anomalies

Thank you for the link! I thought that too but i've found an EFI-Folder on the Windows 7 Install DVD, so i just gave it a try. BootCamp drivers are installed and running - no anomalies since i increased the fan speed with "Input Remapper". A little old but still working. So these pixel"bugs" seem to be heat related too.

Message was edited by: vinylger

As of about a week my iMac feels dead. The glitches and hangs are getting more and more frequent and even occur during boot. I've fully run through Ian's last recipe, it didn't help. I've tried the last one where deleting .kext's was used, as that seemed to have the most effect on my system when I used it, it didn't help either. I'll running the last fix once more and hope it helps, at least for a few days.

To establish software vs hardware, one should:
a. Run Apple Hardware Test - boot from original shipping disk holding <d> - no errors suggests hardware is probably OK
b. Safeboot - if works normally suggests corrupted system resources cause problems in the normal boot

The best software fix recipe to date I have is the one dated 5 November. Please note the list of corrupt prefs is incomplete. I'm not sure if any prefs file that has a recent/current modification date could be corrupted by writing. The only problem is I worry if I delete too many prefs, the system will be unusable or at least take too much time to fix.

Suspect prefs should include in addition to what was in the recipe:
- all in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration (as originally wrote); need a reboot after doing this to restore network settings
- com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist
- com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist
- in 10.6.x, the audio prefs are in a separate folder
- possibly prefs in <user>/Library/Preferences/byHosts folder - .GlobalPreferences.plist, com.apple.iCalHelper....

I'll try removing those pref files in addition to the ones listed in your 5 nov recipe. I've just run AHT, and it reports 'No trouble'. Assuming my system is fine, the problem is definitely software-based. I'm just wondering: as hangs sometimes occur at boot, and even when I booted from the SL-dvd, could the [original, as well as from ComboUpdater] kext's be corrupted? I'm also wondering how much influence the pref files actually have. Are they loaded before the GUI is, somewhere between the Apple boot screen and the actual loginwindow? Have to say: I'm not a pro, this is just a gut feeling, kind of.

Don't forget to reset SMC, zap PRAM and safeboot. Problems with safeboot suggest problems earlier in boot sequence. Problems with normal boot and not safeboot suggest problems with kexts or prefs including possibly any third party ones which may conflict or not be compatible with system.

Boot sequence is described here in detail: http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystem Startup/Articles/BootProcess.html
1. boot ROM
2. boot loader /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi
3. kernel environment from /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kernelcaches or mkext cache
4. launchd runs system daemons
5. loginwindow
6. user session (see "Configuring User Sessions" in the article)

The list of kexts loaded is available via terminal $kextstat.
Corrupted login screen suggests a problem with any of 1-5, including prefs required to be loaded before then - my experiments suggest kexts that are written (see mod dates) get corrupted by some underlying problem. I presume resources required for 2-4 are renewed by latest combo updater, but possible some core kexts have not changed. 1 is unable to be overwritten presently, unless it is being updated. Corrupted desktop suggests problem with 6, where several prefs are loaded.

Do you have any information about your CPU/GPU temps at hand? Maybe i am wrong but a lot of issues were resolved by replacing the thermalpaste. I am still running my MBP 2,2 with Windows 7 (testing only) and i got some flickering textures while playing World of Warcraft. I switched to desktop and checked temps, as i remarked 55 degrees again on my GPU. At this temperature and upwards i have all issues as described here. I increased fanspeed (while running windows it feels awkward) to maximum and guess what - no more distorded lines, no artifacts, no flickering textures. For me it looks like either a driver problem (windows drivers are still from apple (BootCamp)) or a hardware problem with my ATI x1600. AHT stated: no errors, looping tests.

Short Version: decrease fanspeed and try to get your GPU below 50 degrees, then run your tests. For me it works, i will see how long.

I have previously posted several temperature history graphs which illustrate:
* crashing at high CPU temp - over about 85deg
* substantially lower CPU temp when safebooted in 10.6.4 and 100% CPU load (Nov 10 post) - 15 degrees lower with the same thermal paste within minutes does not suggest a thermal paste problem

* glitching not related to temperature rise has been observed - glitches in Activity Monitor window:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa145/cheongi/Picture49glitchedOKtemp.png

GPU temps are generally very stable. CPU temps are what go up and down dramatically.

Evidence I have strongly suggests that the software bugs generally cause CPU overheating and not vice versa, though certainly very high temps CPU >85 deg appears associated with crashing.

Yesterday my MBP locked up the first time while playing world of warcraft with windows 7 - temp couldn't be an issue. Problem is, World of Warcraft tends to be unstable at the moment, a lot of issues around that have been reported in official forums. So i still don't know what the freeze caused.

Ok, here's the solution for the problem:

When you hear the beep sound while system is starting press and hold "shift" key and wait until you will see progress bar under apple logo (grey screen). You will boot in safe user mode. Now most of the troubles is caused by Snow Leopard Graphic Update and Snow Leopard Combo update ver. 10.6.4. So we need to get rid of those. You system should load correctly in "safe mode" as will not use your graphic card at all. You're able then to install basic Snow Leopard to get rid of ATI problem and update manually up to 10.6.2 ver. I haven't tested 10.6.3 yet. So you'll get magic mouse support. Pop in install CD of Snow Leopard and follow instruction. System will be installed replacing updates so after installation you should be on basic snow leopard version. If you wish you can erase HD completely and do the same. Although I prefer to do this first as if it's still broken and not replaced by the dvd will give screen problems on the installer and you cannot do anything. So repair first then reinstall clean if you wish. Thats the solution. I was at the genius bar yesterday they only suggest new GPU and board, come on it's easy to repar, just don't update to 10.6.4 and Snow Leopard Graphic Update and you're good to go.

Ok, here's the solution for the problem:

When you hear the beep sound while system is starting press and hold "shift" key and wait until you will see progress bar under apple logo (grey screen). You will boot in safe user mode. Now most of the troubles is caused by Snow Leopard Graphic Update and Snow Leopard Combo update ver. 10.6.4. So we need to get rid of those. You system should load correctly in "safe mode" as will not use your graphic card at all. You're able then to install basic Snow Leopard to get rid of ATI problem and update manually up to 10.6.2 ver. I haven't tested 10.6.3 yet. So you'll get magic mouse support. Pop in install CD of Snow Leopard and follow instruction. System will be installed replacing updates so after installation you should be on basic snow leopard version. If you wish you can erase HD completely and do the same. Although I prefer to do this first as if it's still broken and not replaced by the dvd will give screen problems on the installer and you cannot do anything. So repair first then reinstall clean if you wish. Thats the solution. I was at the genius bar yesterday they only suggest new GPU and board, come on it's easy to repar, just don't update to 10.6.4 and Snow Leopard Graphic Update and you're good to go.

In my experience a good clean system will behave for up to several days, until whatever software bug (presumably related to ATI driver) starts causing havoc. Ideally, one needs to be able to test for the bug to establish if a cure will last.

Cinebench is meant to test GPU code thoroughly.

I'm up 6 days now 10.5.8 without ATIRadeonX1000.kext. No glitches. Temp max 84degC even with 100% CPU torture test. Some applications don't run properly without ATI driver, especially Safari which crashes scrolling www.apple.com/appleTV page just like when safebooted 10.5.8. Apple bugreporter has linked my bug to an old bug - still waiting to hear back on status.

I have a 1st gen Macbook Pro 17" (Core Duo) w/ X1600.

Have been plagued with display related problems (screen glitches, lockups) for quite a while, like most others on this thread.

I've fiddled with the Quartz Debug tool before (in Leopard), and the only thing that helped was disabling all HW acceleration - but this made everything choppy - so I just decided to live with the occasional glitch and lockup.

With Snow Leopard, I finally got round to tinkering with it again, and had better luck!
*Forcing QuartzGL on seems to have fixed all my problems!*
*No screen/browser glitches or lockups for the past week or so.*

I'm going to spend the following week, operating back on default settings, just to see if it was a fluke, but thought I would post about this now to see if anyone else can repeat my success.

Thanks Jit - your suggestion is right on the mark! My 17" first gen with x1600 started crashing a few weeks ago as soon as the temp registered above 50c. Only safe boot or disabling ATI* Extensions would allow me to avoid the crashing. However, browsing with Safari or Firefox would result in the app freezing as soon as I encountered any GPU-centric sites (ie. Flash, etc.). I shelved the laptop until I saw your post and installed xcode and have been using the Quartz Debug tool to "Force QuartzGL" and I've been able to work without any freezes or crashes for hours. Of course I can't launch Final Cut or the Apple DVD Player, but I can live with that for now. I'm going to reach out to a few of my old Apple contacts from my consulting days and see about getting some sort of official response to the obvious widespread nature of this problem. Any thread that requires 56 pages of review speaks volumes; and this is just sample of what's on the internet. Thanks again for your research and post. TTYL.

I've forced QuartzGL as well, but it didn't work for me. I guess [and I'm really just guessing here], World of Warcraft uses OpenGL regardless, causing glitches and hangs.

Since there appears to be an old bug Apple is presumably working on, worth testing the latest system software and drivers. One day the problem may be resolved....

(Nick, you sig says you are on 10.6.4, the others are on 10.6.5.)