MacBook Pro 17" Froze, Now Won't StartOnly B/W horizontal stripes on screen

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Level 3

502 points

MacBook Pro 17" Froze, Now Won't StartOnly B/W horizontal stripes on screen

I had my MacBook Pro importing an audio CD into iTunes. I came back a short while later and it was frozen on a screensaver (on external display, blank on internal). I had to hard reboot. Since then the MacBook Pro 17" is showing black and white B/W horizontal lines across the laptop screen.

http://twitpic.com/1wqkb

It is not booting up. I tried resetting PRAM, as well as trying to start in Target Disk Mode. All modes show same B/W stripes. Nothing else happens. I disconnected all accessories, removed battery, power, etc. let it "cool down" and retried. No luck. Any ideas on how to solve this terribly timed problem appreciated.

Imran

MBP/17/2.6/200,iMac24/3.06,PBG4/17,PBG3/500,PBG3/300,PMG4,eMacG4, Mac OS X (10.5.6), iPhone 3G, SonyEricsson P990,Phaser 860DP,HP 2605,iPod, Nikon 5700 & S6,PPC6700

Posted on Mar 7, 2009 10:48 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

S.U.

Level 6

9,595 points

Mar 7, 2009 7:51 PM in response to IMRAN

I think you may have the NVIDIA chip issue:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

I also saw another thread where the OP could not see the hard drive after the chip evidently failed. There's a good chance your hard drive is still OK. But the logic board will have to be replaced to fix the NVIDIA issue.

Good luck!

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Answer 2

May 4, 2009 8:43 AM in response to IMRAN

This just happened to me this weekend - did you find out if it was the NVIDIA Processor? Please let me know - I am totally out of comission.

Thanks so much!

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Answer 3

Jun 5, 2009 7:42 AM in response to shellie619

Just happened to me last week, intermittent now permanent horizontal black and white bars. Hard drive is fine via firewire "T" mode so I have a backup via time machine and the User folders. What next? Only 2.5 years old.

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Answer 4

IMRAN Author

Level 3

502 points

Aug 28, 2009 8:57 PM in response to S.U.

Yes, unfortunately, yet another Apple device failure. Question marked answered because repaired under warranty. BUT:

It is embarrassing as a Mac bigot to have had this problem and in the few months since ALSO had:

- iMac 24" (condensation inside screen, never happened to any other company's monitors)
- iPhone 3GS white screen of death

and before this:

- MacBook Pro 17" defective graphics, motherboard replaced
- PowerBook G4 17" defective sound system, motherboard replaced
- eMac G4 700, screen fizzled into showing 1/4 display size in center, thrown away
- PowerBook G3 500 FW defective, whole machine replaced
- PowerBook G3 300 defective, machine replaced
- PowerBook Duo 280c defective keyboard, replaced

and I can't even remember past that.

Can't make fun of ugly clunky Dells or HPs anymore after this experience.

Imran

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