Q: MacBook Pro screen blinks

I think my problem is stemming from the Nvidia GeForce 9400M Graphics Card. Since when I switched to the 9600M, there was no screen flicker at all. None, zip, nada. So I am going to be calling both Nvidia AND Apple tomorrow when they are open and see if there is a solution to this issue.

mwo wrote:
I think I solved my problem.
I found two, seemingly unrelated, processes running in the background using the "Console". I removed all "HP" related "Login Items" from my User Account. I also deleted all old, unnecessary items from the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder, including "com.seagate.notificationexec.plist". For some reason now, without these background processes, my computer no longer tries to frequently switch graphics cards.... I have no idea why. For the last 24hrs... no blinky!


The "Console App" indicated a couple background processes happening that seemed unrelated to graphics. Below is the log:

3/14/11 8:23:28 PM com.apple.launchd.peruser.503[190] (com.hp.devicemonitor[888]) Exited with exit code: 1
3/14/11 8:23:28 PM com.apple.launchd.peruser.503[190] (com.hp.devicemonitor) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds
3/14/11 8:23:31 PM com.apple.launchd.peruser.503[190] (com.seagate.notificationexec.plist) Throttling respawn: Will start in 10 seconds
3/14/11 8:23:38 PM com.apple.launchd.peruser.503[190] (com.hp.devicemonitor[890]) posix_spawn("/Library/Printers/hp/hpio/HP Device Monitor.app/Contents/MacOS/HP Device Monitor", ...): No such file or directory

I switched the intel card and watch the console as my screen started flickering.. almost instantly... nothing gets logged when it happens.

Likely is a different issue.
My MBP is brand new and uses different graphics cards than yours (Intel Integrated and AMD discrete). I transferred all files from my older MBP to the new one, instead of doing a clean reinstall of my software. Probably not ideal. I have some Library files that date back to 2005 on there. I suspect there was some incompatible file transferred over. Truth is, I don't know what solved my problem. Coincident with my deleting a bunch of outdated stuff from the main and user libraries, and removing the HP printer background apps, my flickering went away.

When are Apple going to acknowledge this problem and release a fix!? Come on Apple, crack on

They're going to do nothing, because that's how Apple is. Their stuff is perfect and never has problems, you know?

I've tried having it repaired, but the Apple store won't even take it since they can't see the issue in the store. Now my AppleCare is up and I'm even more annoyed. It's completely ridiculous. Mine is so bad that, when using the 9400, it flickers nearly non-stop. We're talking every 5-10 seconds it does it.

I've about had enough. Anyone want to get together and contact the Consumerist (http://consumerist.com/)? I bet if a bunch of us write in explaining our problems and Apple's refusal to acknowledge and issue even exists, much less fix it, they will publish a story about it.

Maybe some bad PR will get Apple to pay attention since nothing else apparently does.

10.6.7 makes no attempt to fix this problem. So to everyone with hopes that this update will fix the flickering will be disappointed, like myself. Seems to only focus on the problems of the new MacBook Pros.

Message was edited by: neolancer07

Its seems that I got lucky. This last time I called Apple, I actually got some REAL customer service. I talked to a specialist and he's going to make an appointment for my laptop to have a stress test and repairs at an ACTUAL Apple store, not the Mac Outfitters I took it to before.

He also told me that if these repairs don't fix it, he'll send me a completely new laptop, considering I haven't had much help from calling in, OR taking it to get fixed. I think I got lucky when I talked to this guy, he even knew about the issue I was talking about! He said it was on file at Apple because people have been calling in about it.

Have Apple mods edited the number of views of this thread?

It was up around 140,000, and is now < 35,000.

Very odd …

OK. Has anyone had this issue while working off the 9600 card? MY WHOLE BOTTOM HALF OF MY SCREEN STARTED FLICKERING LIKE MAD AND FROZE MY COMPUTER! I'm scared now.

My computer was working fine.... without problems.. but yesterday I installed 4 updates.. I didn't check them... and my screen has this problem know..
My screen flashes from the half to the top.. and the rest down is black.. It flashes for almost 20 sec. and it stops.. and starts some like 30 seconds after..
The computer doesen't respond to the commands or clicks.. It is freeze...

Message was edited by: Hector Fritz Hernandez Luque

Me too. Beep beep beep and cannot start my Mac at all now so I'm without a computer. First Mac and the first time this has ever happened to me with any brand, not impressed. I do not live in a country that has a Mac repair shop so I'll have to wait for my next trip out. That reminds me why I bought a Mac in the first place - reliability.

Two quick fixes when trouble appears after an update.

Zap the PRAM by booting with the Command+Option & P+R keys held down until you hear the restart chime at least twice.

Boot the Mac with the Shift key held down, after the finder loads, restart normally.

As I mentioned before in this thread, I am having this same issue. However, I just installed the update and everything seems to be as it was.

I am using the gfxCardStatus app that some people kept saying would help, but it changes the card back to the 9400 on its own. =/ I guess I am either doing something incorrectly, or it doesn't work properly. Since developers of apps extensively test their apps prior to releasing them, I'll assume that I'm doing something wrong. Thoughts?

I have that installed on my laptop as well, and its staying on the 9600GT card. Try checking the preferences or something? I don't know, but it really shouldn't be doing that without you telling it.

Apple regularly deletes messages from this group that are not favorable to Apple.

For example, I mentioned that there was a class action suit against NVidia for the same issue on earlier Mac laptops and NVidia settled out of court. Some people here were in that category and could have been compensated for a repaired video card (the chip overheats and essentially malfunctions causing the flash).

Apple said that it was not helpful to the issue here and they deleted my post. I would disagree as many people here could have had a fix if they had known. As it is Apple is simply not addressing this issue and we are stuck with flickering screens.

I bet they censor this message too