MacBook Pro screen blinks

Please keep us posted to keep the thread alive. My Applecare runs out in February and I have to develop a strategy for this before then.

they gave me the mac yesterday with the new logic board, and guess what? the screen still blinks...back to them tomorrow...

Just got back, they're going to replace the screen and see if theat does the trick.

Fingers crossed!

Replacing the screen won't change a **** thing. I have already had my mother board changed twice and the last time they also changed the whole screen (not only the matrix). It doesn't change anything. I'm pretty sure this is a battery issue. I got to have it fixed before the Apple Care ends. Keep posting about your experienceon this issue. I will.

Hi,

Just wanted to tell you all that I found a fix that, so far, seems to work :

just re-install os x !

I've had the same problem (intermittent black flashes on top half of the screen - MBP late 2008 - with nvidia 9400M) and was pretty desperate about it after trying everything. But for some reason, I think the problem appeared just after installing snow leopard. So I just re-installed snow leopard from the DVD : problem gone !

After the updates up to 10.6.8, some graphic glitches appear again, but they're not "black", and they seem to happen only with flash videos on safari.

Hope that helped some of you.

Hard to believe but if you don't see a blink in the next few weeks, let us know because it is good to know. For me as for a lot of people the problem was already there on Leopard on kept going on SL and maybe Lion (haven't tried it yet...) no matter what update we do. Good for you if it works.

It's been a fews days now, and no more screen blinks. It used to be one blink every 5 minutes or so before…

I suspect the problem happened after too many "bad" updates ; I had never done any full "clean install" since purchase.

You can also note that my battery shows "to be replaced", maybe there's a link with that as well…

Do people have the same problem when booting on windows ? If not, that would look like a proof that it's software-related…

No felix, it is no proof because Windows on a MBP use by default (and it can't be changed) the 9600M GPU which is not concerned by the blinking screen. So we can't observe blinks on a Windows session but it doesn't prove anything.

You don't want to know how many times I've installed Leopard, Snow Leopard and Lion over the last three years.

At best it would give a few days reprieve, at worst it would blink during the installer.

I hope that yours stays happy, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

My 24" ACD is working great! there is a firmware update for the display, and a thunderbolt update too!

bring your stuff to an apple place

good luck

@Squinoogle

you were right, screen blink crap is comig back… after a few days…

seriously thinking about going PC for the first time of my life and never buying an apple product ever again.

I'm a fellow customer who has purchased a 2008 Macbook Pro with the screen blinking problem. Actually, the trackpad started "sticking" as well after sometime. Reading this thread, I am surprised that Apple hasn't been able to resolve this problem in a consistent manner (some people get the fix, some don't, some have to spend weeks waiting for repairs.)

Later, I purchased two other Macs (a 2009 Mac Mini and a 2011 Macbook Air.) I just wanted to say that both of them haven't had problems such as this one and have been nothing but reliable. I drag my Air with me everywhere. So this particular blinking issue seems like a horrible fluke and is very unlike Apple. I'm just sorry for everyone who has to deal with it and hope Apple figures out the solution soon, since the reason to buy Apple (vs. a generic PC) is basically for better customer support and quality product that lasts many years.

(I have AppleCare but actually haven't tried bringing in the 2008 MBP for diagnosis yet. I use MBP with an external monitor and always plugged in, so the 9600 graphics card hasn't affected me too much.)

@denrk i had the same problem with my mbp 2008 apple replaced the whole top case keyboard and trackpad no problem NO CHARGE!!! also there is a fix for the acd 24"issue firmware update... but yes apple is not being as strong support wise as they should... start calling apple care be relentless they will take notice and help.

@PioneerTown, was your computer under warranty when they did the work?

The short version: they didn't fix the problem with my MBP 😉

The long version: they didn't need to 😀

After having the logic board replaced, I was left with a still blinking machine that now didn't have BT, WiFi or iSight. Back to the Apple Store it goes to have the screen replaced and the bits they broke seen to.

I got a call from the Apple Store a couple of days later basically saying that, because of the cost involved in replacing the screen/clamshell and the bits that they broke when they replaced the logic board, they wanted to just replace the whole machine for me - and that because it was originally a CTO they'd have to order it in.

Awesome.

Yesterday I got a call saying that my replacement MBP was ready to be collected.

So, today, I go in expecting them to have found me a 2008 MBP as replacement, and what do they plonk down on the table? A brand spanking new 2011 15" MBP!

I was still in shock as a walked out with it, I really didn't expect a current model as replacement.

Thank you AppleCare.

Lets just hope it doesn't blink 😉