Q: MacBook Pro Blank Screen (Built - in & External) - continued

lol, no need to imagine. We feel completely gutted when we don't fail the NVIDIA test! :P

If they don't update you soon with an ETA, why not try calling them up, explaining your situation and ask if they could give you a replacement laptop with all your data transferred over instead.
Might catch them on a good day.

Just looking over these boards there are a lot of Apple products with definate problems... from the cracked case on the old plastic macbooks, the blank screen problem on a lot of NVIDIA8600 and older ATI cards, macbook pro battery and power adapter issues and there's even quite a long thread with people having issues with the new ipod shuffle headphone remote, among others. A small number of these issues have been admitted and recall/repair programs initiated eventually, but when you pay a premium for Apple products these manufacturing defects should not be there in the first place!

Just makes me wonder as to the quality of Apple's product testing departments. Is Apple really a case of stlye over substance?

I'm sad to announce that Apple won. My Macbook Pro 15 inch has been reduced to a VERY expensive paperweight because I wasn't willing to pay for a 1000Eur motherboard exchange, so I was basically forced to buy the new 13 inch model. Great marketing. The "old" laptop has just 18 months of use. I didn't have any plans of changing it for at least 3 years, and even then I was hoping to sell it for some nice cash to invest in the next one. But now the thing is worthless and I had to settle for the cheapest one just to have something to work on. It's been almost one month of downtime.

I seriously considered switching to PCs, but all my backups are in Time Machine, I have all my software for the Mac, and especially some software that just doesn't have a Windows alternative. So you win this round Apple, but I will always keep an eye out for PC alternatives. For what I need the PCs are not cheaper, some are even more expensive, but **** it, all my friends with Thinkpads didn't have any serious (as in requiring thousand euro repairs) issues with them whatsoever.

The 13 inch MBP is the third Mac I buy, but it's the first one I buy in anger and bitterness. Did you smell defeat on my payment, dear Apple? You should have. I guess it would have been OK if this was an isolated case, but there are so many affected by the same issue that it's crystal clear that this is either a software glitch from the 10.5.7 update or a widespread hardware failure that Apple refuses to acknowledge. And what's worse, not everyone is treated equally. Some had their laptop fixed for free under the Nvidia issue, while others had to pony up for an expensive motherboard exchange. And even THEN the issue returned for some. I feel like I'm being punished for someone else's mistake.

OK, drama queen mode off. I'll keep checking this thread to see if there will be a resolution to the problem, so if you are in this situation, share your story.

Just picked up the laptop from the AASP. Got told off the record (they wouldn't put it on the report) that if the computer boots to a black screen but with no chime heard then the NVIDIA issue ruled out and a chargeable logic board replacement is required. Apparently these are the guidelines sent out by Apple.
So that amazing test cost me £55 in diagnosis fees!

oh dear... I just checked the Macbook Pro and there's a screw missing on the case. =S

Heh, it seems like they added one extra in mine. The right side palm rest is no longer flush with the rest of the case and there's a visible gap between it and the slot for the optical drive. I'd rather live with it rather than taking it back though.

I had the same thing happen to my MBP on Monday morning and found this thread (thank God I have an iPhone to browse the web), relieved that I would get my MBP repaired for free. I took it into my local AASP, they do the special nvidia card test and tell me that it's not one of the defective gfx cards, the problem is the logic board and that it'll cost $2000AUD just for the part and to call Apple to see what they can do for me.

Dumbfounded at this outcome, I give Apple Australia a call and long story short, they end up offering me 30% off the repair and parts, which would cut the repair cost down to around $1600AUD. I figure fair enough but I don't have $1600 and had already decided that it would be easier to buy a new MBP through Apple financing. I tell this to the customer service representative and she said all she could do for me then was offer me a $125 ecoupon to use against my purchase so I took it.

This MBP was my first ever Mac, and I've had a great experience with it in the almost 2 years I've owned it. I'm extremely disappointed that I have to either pay $1600 to get my old MBP repaired or fork out thousands for a new MBP, because it really looks like the problem is more widespread than whatever MBP batches from 2007 they've got covered. The tough lesson I've learnt from this is to buy Applecare in the future.

So I too have recently fallen victim to this power on to blank screen and no chime plague. (Interetingly one day after the onset of the problem I was able to startup normally and use the computer as if there was no problem but after shutting down the problem returned)

I took my Macbook Pro to the local mac store and was told after a 50 USD charge that the problem is the motherboard and that it would cost the same as the newest 13" Macbook Pro to replace and install it.

Needless to say I am not happy at all. Literally 2 years and 9 days after this 2,000 + USD purchase it has been reduced to a paperweight for no good reason. I never dropped it, spilled liquids on it or abused it in any way. In fact, because of the high price tag I was extra careful to be aware of its health and wellbeing.

I am meant to go in today to pickup my new scrap heap and I plan on giving them an earful. I suspect it will be in vain since this shop is not a mac store proper. At least not the one on Fifth ave. in New York where I bought my baby, and as i am in Estonia I am not sure they will understand me anyway. Nonetheless, I will let them hear it. My feeling is that the extraordinary heat generated by this machine caused this failure slowly over time. I come from a place where things do not "Just stop working" something had to happen and whatever is was certainly was not my fault.

This seems like a clear defect in the hardware, there is no reason that such a high end (read "expensive") piece of equipment should break down internally. Without showing wear on the outside.

The very thin, almost hairline thin, silver lining on this very not silver situation is that the HDD is not damaged and so all of my data is retrievable.

I will give you all an update on this situation as it unfolds, specifically how my tirade at the mac people here ends up.
Crash

I would like to post my resolution to this issue. After taking the laptop to the Apple store and getting rejected for the free Nvidia repair, I called Apple support directly, and they allowed me to send in my Macbook Pro for repair.

It arrived back to me in three days(!) all fixed, no charge.

Hey Apple, THANK YOU! (Please help the others having this issue)

Actually, I plan to join the class action lawsuit against NVidia should it become available. I urge you all to do the same.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/05/11/nvidia.sued.over.graphics/

I just had my MacBook Pro logic board replaced due to the NVidia issue. Actually, I had no idea what the problem was, other than that the display was completely unresponsive.

In the notes to the repair, it stated NVidia Video Issue REP. Interesting, right? Lo and behold it is a widespread issue.

What disturbs me most of all is that right now *THERE IS NO PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM*. All Apple can do is replace the logic board if something goes wrong. This is because NVidia's chipsets, 8600 and 9600 all have the same fundamental problem.

To learn exactly why this problem occurs, check out the below Inquirer article:

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1004378/why-nvidia-chips-defective

To see the Inquirer's confirmation that the "bad bumps" behind the hardware failures are actually present in the most recent MacBook Pros withe the 9600 as well, follow this link:

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1049921/inquirer-confirms-apple-macbook -pros-have-nvidia-bad-bump-material

So, essentially, the only recourse I have, now that my board has been replaced, is to run the computer as hot as possible as frequently as possible until the chip breaks again, in the hopes that I can get a new board replacement just before my Apple Care runs out.

Thanks Apple. Thank you NVidia. You have really screwed us.

my video card died on wenesday. took it to a authorized service center and waiting for the formal diagnostic. in my case it she boots the keyboard lights up and you can hear the os sounds when you press the keys.

what？？？？？？

I have had the unfortune to experince the same problem yesterday. I can hear the chime though. The thing is that I had it repaired a month ago cause of another problem. They gave me the option to switch the logic board or continue with only one processor but with extra RAM. I dont know if Im happy to choose the later.

I was working as usual, nothing special, exept perhaps that I was running several programs at the same time. So it was hot. When the door rang I closed my laptop and two hours later it was black.

I have many hours of very important work in it, not to mention a lot of personal stuff, photos etc. Either Im going to get drunk now or I will start to cry, or maybe both.

I was very anti-Mac until a year ago when I was persuaded to try one. I was hooked from day one. Until yesterday, that is. Someone has to pay for this.

Same story as the hundreds of persons in this post.

I put my mbp 15'' santa rosa 2.2 to sleep and it never wakes up. Can hear the chime, can change the volume (I hear the annoying sound), I hear the HD spinning, the superdrive also is working... but the screen is black. The caps lock works....

I didn't do any firmware upgrade. I was just writing some stuff and browsing a flash website with the fan turned on. I usually use the laptop open with a 20'' cinema display, but only half of the times.

As everyone else I tried all the reset stuff (PRAM, SMC, etc), tried booting with the shift key, tried letting the computer cool down without the battery for a few minutes.... nothing works.

I still have to try a few things but after reading so many posts it's clear to me that apart from doing a backup from another computer I'll have to bring my work tool to apple and not be able to work for at least a couple of days. What willl my clients think... I don't know.

If Apple wants me to pay 1000$ for the repair I'll sell the pieces of the macbook and switch to pc again. I still have a 5 year old cheap (it cost me less than the half of the mbp) plastic pc laptop that after a format works just like the first day. Of course with xp....

I sincerely hope this is not the case because I love the apple OS.

Will keep you informed.

So what will it take? Apparently countless numbers of us can fill the forums here with our pitiful cries but the once humble Apple now has ears that only hear the ring of a cash register. You don't have to be a genius to read a few dozen pages of these forums and conclude that +there is clearly a major defect in these lines and that the problems are not just limited to "THE TEST" qualifiers+.

<Edited by Host>

It would be a wonderful thing to be able to get back to being an enthusiastic and devoted Mac-lover.

Host was welcome to edit my angry rant but would be wise to pass it on upstairs rather than dismiss because they can't edit everything. Nuff said.