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Level 1

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No display at all after 10.5.7 update install

Am currently stuck w/ a Macbook Pro that has no display after downloading/running the stand alone 10.5.7 update installer. Were no peripherals or ethernet cables attached during install. Zapping PRAM/VRAM did not help. Resetting the SMC/PMU did nothing. Nothing comes up on the display after rebooting in single-user mode. Currently in firewire target mode running Disk Utility to repairing both the disk and permissions - however, although the disk appears on the iMac I am running DU from, did not even get the firewire symbol on the target machine. Also rebooted from my Techtool Pro DVD - could here the system booting but again nothing on the screen (not blue....just black!!!).

Any ideas how to either reset the display? Is there any way I can re-run the update installer on the target machine while it's in firewire target disk mode since it seems like the install hung part way?

Have been checking the forums/discussions and not seen anything quite like this. Have tried hard/manual restarts now multiple times with no luck.

Have never had this issue using a stand alone installer in over 20 years of using Macs. This really *****.

Any help appreciated!

Macbook Pro 15", Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on May 12, 2009 8:39 PM

114 replies

May 13, 2009 7:42 PM in response to jorgenl

I tried to find and delete those preferences, but didn't find them on my iBook G4.

I'm having somewhat similar issues. I don't seem to have any problems until I plug my laptop back in to charge the battery. When I open it back up, the screen will just be black and it won't "wake up." I have to power it down and turn it back on to get the screen back. It isn't exactly the same set of circumstances, I haven't updated to 10.5.7 yet, but the whole screen going dark for no reason is like nothing else I've seen on this forum. I've tried repairing the permissions, but that didn't seem to help.

MrApple

Level 1

0 points

May 13, 2009 9:35 PM in response to marshbj

I also have a example here.

MBP 2.4Ghz/2G/160GB + 10.5.7 = Dead / no boot

After the user installed the 10.5.7 update; machine became unstable and required a restart. Upon restart, no display.

User was able to get machine into target mode after doing PRAM/SMC however this only worked once.

Machine is now a brick. Attempted firmware restoration 1.7 as per machine specs; no go; sleep status LED flashes as normal but nothing happens after disc insertion.

Attempted with external display also; confirmed no POST.

Looks like another warranty job.

WARNING please consider the issues before upgrading your machines; if in doubt, call AppleCare.

May 13, 2009 10:10 PM in response to MrApple

Ok, so far then, I've seen 4 people with me that have the same problem, no screen at all after reboot just after the update!!! ALl with MacBook Pro not unibody!

My god!... I am going today in 2 hours to the Technical Service here in FInland to try to find out what is going on, I will leave the laptop there, because, is there any other option?

The problem I see so far, is there anyway that they could fix it? My laptop has not waranty anymore, but I think I don't have to pay right?

Great, things like this make me think twice the next time before I update the laptop!! An official update that breaks the laptop!

dechamp

Level 4

3,495 points

May 13, 2009 10:29 PM in response to MrApple

Just a thought, but I've had problems with my MBP that I was able to resolve by disconnecting the power and removing the battery for awhile.

May 13, 2009 10:49 PM in response to marshbj

I have tried that without not luck 😟

May 14, 2009 12:17 AM in response to hitmaker.luis

I own a MacBook Pro not unibody! After i updated to 10.5.7 yesterday i had no display....The laptop was working coz i could hear the logging sound, the adjusting of sound volume etc! I tried removing the battery, etc..! This morning i tried one more time to open the laptop..and there u go!!! Everything working.....I dont maybe my mac needed a rest...

May 14, 2009 8:08 AM in response to marshbj

I had the same thing happen yesterday after running the update. After speaking with apple was told my particular mbp had an issue with the video card that was being replaced under warranty. I dropped off at service center yesterday and was told it was something else but they can't figure out what... I could not even restore to previous state because screen was black... no external monitor would work either. So worked fine prior to update... screwed after! I tried every suggestion i could find on the boards... apple screwed me.

gorfed

Level 1

0 points

May 14, 2009 10:44 AM in response to marshbj

I just upgraded two machines to 10.5.7

One MacBook Pro 2.5 GHz and a Mac Pro 2.66 GHz Quad core.

The quad core is not sending video. I do not get a video signal on my monitors no matter what. I've tried resetting PRAM and I never do hear a second beep, even after 5 minutes of holding down the keys. All devices except one monitor, keyboard and mouse have been left in and still no go. I can still access the drives in target mode, thankfully.

I attempted to upgrade to fix an issue I've been having with my firewire device (Mackie ONYX 1202 mixer). I have been having issues with this machine for 8 months now (ever since I bought the mixer) and I was really hoping this update would fix the issue. Now I am going to be without my machine for nearly a week as it is the long weekend in Canada.

I expect this issue to be addressed immediately. There are a lot of people out there who are suffering with both this update issue, and the existing firewire audio issue.

Get your act together and help your customers, please!

/mike

May 14, 2009 12:01 PM in response to marshbj

I'm having a similar problem to the others in this thread. Started the install. Entered the wrong admin password and the installer gave the usual error message. The machine then hung. First time in years! No on starting up the screen remains black and after a while the fans come on full blast. My keyboard and mouse are wireless and when I try resetting the PRAM etc nothing is happening - presumably because the keyboard won't work until the system has started. Any suggestions? Apple - this really *****!!

VAleks

Level 1

0 points

May 14, 2009 12:03 PM in response to marshbj

Same one here: 10.5.7 after update I'm able to work albeit being blindfolded.

I was able to ssh to the host and collect the following information:
1. OS X upon boot loads Intel GMA X3100 video driver despite me having GeForce 8600M GT. (kextstat)
2. During boot system complains about invalid display (/var/log/system.log):

May 14 21:54:58 localhost kernel[0]: display: Not usable
May 14 22:05:36 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails

3. Firmware Restore CD 1.3 (the one for MackBookPro 3,1) is not booting or restoring anything.

Similar threads (about black screen and X3100 shown as video card) suggest this is a dead end — http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1478474&tstart=0

Doing full backup now thanks to rsync and VNC. Let's see how long this will take to replace logic board here.

May 14, 2009 12:37 PM in response to VAleks

If it says you have a GMA chip despite having an Nvidia chip, that means that the Nvidia driver failed to load/correctly initialize for one reason or another. This could be software or it could be that the chip has gone bad. There's only one way to know for sure, and it involves taking it to an Apple store and letting them run some diagnostics tools on it.

That said, you can get a pretty good idea of whether this is hardware or software by holding down option at the boot chime. If EFI can display stuff to the Nvidia graphics card, there's a good chance this is a software issue. If it can't, there's a good chance that your GPU failed and that the timing of it coinciding with 10.5.7 was just bad luck.

Just to be clear, though, seeing video via EFI is not a guarantee that there is nothing wrong in hardware, nor is a black screen in EFI a guarantee that the problem is in hardware. Things like corrupted NVRAM settings could potentially also cause similar issues.

May 14, 2009 12:27 PM in response to hitmaker.luis

Maybe, depending on what caused the problem.

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

The only way to know is to bring it in.

May 14, 2009 12:43 PM in response to marshbj

Is there a clause somewhere in the T&C of the updates that if you download them then it's done at your own risk?

Pancenter

Level 6

14,674 points

May 14, 2009 2:37 PM in response to David A. Gatwood

David A. Gatwood wrote:
If it says you have a GMA chip despite having an Nvidia chip, that means that the Nvidia driver failed to load/correctly initialize for one reason or another. This could be software or it could be that the chip has gone bad. There's only one way to know for sure, and it involves taking it to an Apple store and letting them run some diagnostics tools on it.

Have you seen how many users this update has affected? I doubt if everyone's graphics chip has gone bad on the same day.

Also, the problem is nearly identical across the board, I read elsewhere Apple has acknowledged a problem with the 10.5.7 update.

pancenter-

dechamp

Level 4

3,495 points

May 14, 2009 2:51 PM in response to gorfed

Seems like you need to restore your OS from your backup. With all the equipment and other considerations I have to believe you have one. What happens if you try to boot from your Install DVD?

BTW, do you have a stock or upgraded video card in the MacPro?

According to some support notes I found online, those Mixers didn't work with Leopard from the beginning, and users were told not to upgrade from Tiger. Of course this is a problem for people that purchase a Mac with Leopard already installed. Mackie said they intended to support the F model eventually on Leopard. Did they actually do this? Their site still shows only 10.4 compatibility with their FireWire I/O card: http://www.mackie.com/products/onyxfirewire/

Western Digital put out firmware updates to solve a problem with their drives on Leopard, and I think we will be seeing some firmware updates from Buffalo soon. These companies must have cut a few corners in their implementation of firewire. Does Mackie have a plan? If not, then there's always eBay and get some money for more compatible equipment from a vendor that supports your OS.

No display at all after 10.5.7 update install