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

My screen froze and I had to take the battery out to reboot it. When I reboot it the screen comes up with little patterns all over it. You can see the loading dial faintly and when everything loads, the screen comes up white with nothing on it. Any ideas? Is my computer dead?

It started last Sunday evening.
When I turned off my MBP 15" bought in August 2007, I noticed that it was very hot, more than usual. So, after it got a bit cooler, I tried to turn it on again, but the screen didn't turn on. I heard the startup chime and, after a while, the startup sound of the Windows OS on the bootcamp partition, which was the default. But no, no video at all. So I tried to connect it to an external monitor and close/open the lid, but nothing happened neither on the external, nor the internal one. The OS was alive, though: I was able to ping it, to connect to it via remote desktop and so on.

I shut it down to let it get cooler, and I started the other tests after a couple of hours. I tried to reset the SMC, but nothing changed. I tried to reset the NVRAM, but nothing changed: the system was still able to startup, using the SnowLeopard partition this time, but no video was available, both the internal and the external. What to do next, at 3AM? I made a reservation for the Genius Bar at the new Apple Store at 'place de l'Opera', in Paris, for the following Monday evening. Wow, I didn't thought it could even get worse than that...

Maybe it was because the store was overcrowded and there was a lot of noise, maybe because it was late in the afternoon, but the experience has been frustrating, to say the least. My genius first let the MBP drop on another one on the table, while it was turning it upside down to get the serial (and now I even have a scar on the cover, hurrah!); then, not knowing how to deal with the issue that I was describing, went away looking for a more experienced colleague to understand what to do. Then he came back, with a big smile and an iPod nano with the diagnostics. He plugged it in the USB port, without plugging an AC adapter for the MBP, turned both on and started some tests by pressing some key combinations on the MBP keyboard.
Then, after a while, he told me the response: the GPU was not faulty, because the tests told him that it was not possible to communicate with the motherboard, and this meant that the only possible explanation was that the entire motherboard was faulty, and that it couldn't be replaced for free.

What ?

Due to all the noise it was not possible to hear the startup chime, or even the spinning of the hard disk: he told me that what I was reporting, the working OS, the working apps, the remote desktop connections, were inconclusive, because the tests clearly told him that it was not possible to contact the
motherboard. Unbelievable ! I said, "how might it be possible to have a faulty motherboard and a working OS?", "it can happen", he answered.

It goes without saying that, since he's a Genius and I'm only a customer, no matter my profession and experience, he must be right.

So now I have an MBP who makes its chime during startup, I have VoiceOver that works and tells me what's on my desktop and menus, I can start everything in Target disk mode and backup my files and even contact remotely this poor mac with a dead motherboard. But I would expect a bit more.

Reading what I read, I cannot exclude that there might be times when it might not even boot up, make the chime or start spinning the HDD for more than a few secs. But since my MBP is here, alive and running just without a display signal and running its fans while in target disk mode after an all-day long test session with successful boots, shut downs and voiceovers, I think that maybe Apple should make these tests more carefully, maybe even trying to understand why sometimes they work and sometimes they don't (different versions of the diagnostics? inexperienced geniuses?).

I have another reservation for the second Apple store in the city: I've had to take an half day off, to reserve at 9AM. Let's see if this time the diagnostics will still tell that my motherboard is dead and so it's not a GPU fault.

But I'll finish this by telling you an interesting thing. when I left the store - quite upset, I didn't notice that the Genius had not shut it down. Twenty minutes after, on the metro, I checked it, and it was as hot as a frying pan. I opened the lid and... the display was on!! But it didn't last. As soon as it cooled off and I had to shut it down because I had almost no battery power left, the issue was back again.
Maybe it's true, maybe during the genius test it did not boot and only the high temperature made it come up for a while? I don't know...

Panros. I am sure 100% that your problem is the Nvidia GPU problem. The Genius just tried to fool you. You should ask them to check about 3 times. When my macbook pro had this problem I went also to the genius bar. The first test doesn't show anything. The genius had to check it about 3 times. You can go to another place to make it checked and you should insist. It is your right to get this for free so You have to go for it. Mine has been repaired two times and I sold it and bought a second hand macbook 5,2. I am happy with it. What happened to me made me not wanting to buy a Macbook pro again. I must say that the Macbook Pro now has nothing inside just some rubbish. If you want to stay Mac os X just try to buy a Macbook.

Thanks, jacwuhan.
That 'genius' just had a bad know-it-all attitude, and as I see, many others have been blamed for 'toasting' their motherboard when it's not toasted at all, indeed. It's just an extremely poor quality of service, with people that should assist only ipod nano users instead of mbp ones. That's not the way to say you care about your business. But that's it.

I'll have plenty of time tomorrow to insist for a serious test, and it will take them more than a kid to explain me why a dead-motherboard unit can run an OS and its applications. Let's see if they'll be able to handle it more carefully, this time...

hello

I have the same problem,

How to solved this problem?

This time, in an other Apple Store and before the official opening hours (you can reserve for a place at the Genius Bar up to an hour before the store opens), the test has worked. I had with me the mac already turned on, with VoiceOver activated, to show to the technician that the motherboard was not 'toasted' at all, and a screenshot of System Profiler where the nVidia was described as a board with a x8 lane width (instead of x16). Just in case. The test worked at first try, though.

They will change the motherboard for free. I'll have a 90-days warranty on that new one, but nevertheless the 4-year warranty extension from the date of purchase will last more.

You see ? Not all 'Geniuses' are created equal...

Hi levani_m,

it depends on whether you can actually boot the mac or not. Forced shutdowns, that can happen when you have no visible screen at all and you don't remember how to safely turn off the machine with keyboard shortcuts, sometimes cause temporary odd behaviours resulting in boot problems.
So, check if you hear the startup chime. If you hear it and then the OS starts up, you can be sure that the motherboard is ok. Check then to see whether you can get the video signal to an external monitor. If yes, then it's only an internal video issue. If not, then there are big chances that your nVidia chip is not working.

In that last case, take a look at article 2377 on the Apple support site:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

you should bring it to a Genius Bar, have it tested, and insist to test it again if the tests are negative and you know that your motherboard is working.
If the results of those tests will be positive, they will change your motherboard for free, even if your mac is out of warranty.

edamscooter,

the GMA X3100 is the default graphics board included with the Intel chipset. This is a known problem, and it's clearly related to the TS2377 article. The nvidia GPU should be reported as a x16 lane width under system profiler, but users who have been experiencing nVidia issues have reported x8 widths, or even x1 widths. But when the nvidia GPU crashes, the system defaults to the Intel GMA x3100, which has no drivers or is not even supported on our MAC model. That gives you a black screen.

Bring your snapshot with you, when you go to the Apple Store. Let they hear the VoiceOver, too.

I am very happy for you. As I told you You had to insist. I think also that it is time for you to get rid of this computer. All the Nvidia Gpu have this problem and specially the 8600GT. What are you computing need? Do you have to do heavy-graphic related computing? If not You can just get a macbook with a 9400m GPU. I have one and they work great. I just sold my Macbook Pro a week ago because of the problem you just had and don't miss it. I really didn't want to live with a fear that my computer can break a day without any sign from him. This is a hard decision to take. By the way, I think that I have made a mistake by trying to follow Apple computers upgrade ( 6 Apple computers in 2 years). Now I have the feeling that one cannot do so and just have to get the computer that just do the job for you.
Felicitations et bonne chance avec votre macbook pro. A plus

Hi I have Macbook pro 17" with GMA 3100 but today .... i also received problem of "black screen", but after put book without battery to refrigerator to 5 min and smc reset - all works =)

Thanks for your message, jacwuhan. You're giving me a good advice, but even if I don't always need discrete graphics I need raw power inside my notebook. As you know, there are just a few options out there. I don't always use Mac OS X, but even so, even Dells have experienced the nVidia issue, and other manufacturers have their own issues, too. My only option, now, would be one of the newest i7 macbooks, or a quad-core i7 notebook from the Win-only competitors. But I'd stick with the dual-OS option, if possible.

All in all, the global quality of customer support is going down, it's not just an Apple issue...

Well, if system profiler has shown the GMA 3100, I don't think that your freezing-solution will work forever...
Take a look at it once again. If it shows a x1 or a x8, you should pay a visit to your nearest Apple Store...

I got a big problem with my display. There are blue horisental lines all over the screen blocking out everything else. When I talked to a supportcenter they thought it might be a cable which is loose but I I've taken the computer appart and looked at the displaycable and it is not loose.

Here in Sweden we don't hve a genius bar so I hv to hand it in if I want them to look at it and that costs 50$ so I would rather skip that.

Last week my graphics card died on me too. Suddenly my screen started artifacting and displaying all kinds of colors. Had to do a hard reset, and after that: no boot. Tried everything, reset SMC, Pram, boot from all kinds of media and os'es, no avail. Then I ran the diagnostic test that came with the MBP (install disc 1). Guess what: it worked and identified my video controller as defective.
As I suspected an nvidia 8600 "issue", I took it to our local Apple dealer, however he called me the next day and tell me it is not covered. NVidia's tool did not return the right error code and there's nothing he can do except replace the logic board for €1000+. I said no thanks and had to pay €43 for the diagnose.

Unnecessary to say that I'm not very happy.

I've got one question : is this nvidia diagnostic tool out in the open ? In other words, any way we can test ourselves if our MBP is eligible for repair under warranty ?

Well, I ran into the same problem. Apple sent me a box to ship off my Macbook pro. I was wondering how I can backup my hard drive before i send it off. They recommend it, as well as others. I can't see the screen so I'm kind of stuck as to how to back up my hard drive. Thanks