No display at all after 10.5.7 update install

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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

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Answer 1

LukeW

Level 1

11 points

May 12, 2009 8:46 PM in response to marshbj

That is a really bad issue. I would say that you need to call Apple right away to get some help with this. I have been on the forums all night and no one has had this issue except you.

It is possible that its a coincidence and your display was going out anyways, but that would be a heck of a coincidence. There are some people who are having issues with their second display. Mine worked fine afterwards, but this might be a related issue.

Try booting up in safe mode and see if you get a screen and then change the resolution.

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Answer 2

marshbj Author

Level 1

0 points

May 12, 2009 11:02 PM in response to LukeW

Thanks for the tip Luke but no luck. Trying to re-start after running disk plus permissions repair in FW target disk mode didn't work either, but at least it finally let me re-boot from my original Leopard install disks and the screen came straight back up...it definitely seemed to have zapped some graphics/display setting.

Working my way to where I started this morning now using Archive & Install together w/ my TimeMachine back-up disk.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway - much appreciated. Hopefully anyone else who ends up in the same boat can benefit from my woes (and eventual solution)!

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Answer 3

May 12, 2009 11:33 PM in response to marshbj

This may or may not be related to the problem you're having: I just installed 10.5.7 on my 24" iMac. Seemed to install without any problems. Played some games, then left the computer on for a few hours and left the house. When I returned, the computer's screen had gone dark as if it were in sleep mode (though it's not set to ever do that), and couldn't be woken up. After hard rebooting it, it now goes through an endless loop of boot chimes (that get progressively fainter, then loud again as the cycle repeats) without so much as even a blue screen.

There are no external devices beyond the mouse and keyboard and a game CD that I can't eject now.

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Answer 4

dechamp

Level 4

3,495 points

May 13, 2009 12:18 AM in response to Bricriu Nemthenga

To eject the game CD, you should hold down the mouse button or the whole mouse if it's a Mighty Mouse, during the boot.

The CD should just eject.

Message was edited by: dechamp

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Answer 5

May 13, 2009 12:27 AM in response to dechamp

Thanks. Tried that, but no dice. Indeed, the computer doesn't seem to even have time to acknowledge the mouse or keyboard before it chimes again and tries to reboot, with the result that all other posted remedies involving the keyboard or mouse haven't worked for me. 😟

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Answer 6

May 13, 2009 1:15 AM in response to dechamp

I couldn't keep my hands off it, and tried holding the mouse button down again sometime later. This time it worked: it spit the disk out, flickered madly for about a minute, then finally finished booting and logging in. Still says 10.5.6, though, so I'm not sure what happened. Thanks much for the advice, though. Thought I had lost everything for a few hours. 🙂

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Answer 7

May 13, 2009 1:19 AM in response to dechamp

Oh my GOD!!!

I'm back to where I started. I tried checking my mail to find the link to cancel my phone support for this issue, and boom: screen went dark, keyboard unresponsive. After a hard reboot, I'm back with the endless reboot chimes. Sheesh.

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Answer 8

May 13, 2009 1:21 AM in response to Bricriu Nemthenga

I have the same problem!!! no display on my MacBook Pro 2.1 after updating the MAC OS X to 10.5.7!

What can we do!

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Answer 9

Simon PB

Level 1

10 points

May 13, 2009 6:28 AM in response to hitmaker.luis

Updated my mac pro 7 hours ago, it rebooted as normal after update, since then my 20inch ACD and HP1702 screens just cycle through black and blue flashes. Tried a PRAM reset, hard reboots. Spoke to Apple, who were useless and denied any .7 update problems.

Swapped screens round, disconnected my ACD and got the HP1702 working without problems. Plug in my ACD and the screens revert to flashing blue and black.

Every time I plug in my ACD problems start again.... any ideas? I did hear a while back that there was a way of getting the Mac Pro to reset with a cinema display as it sometimes looses the settings.

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Answer 10

Simon PB

Level 1

10 points

May 13, 2009 9:03 AM in response to Simon PB

Been on to Apple support again and they have admitted there is a problem with the 10.5.7 update and displays. After 8 hours, my Mac Pro still not working - the 20 inch ACD display just flickers between blue and black screens.

Tried the SwitchResX download and it does not help in my case.

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Answer 11

May 13, 2009 9:16 AM in response to marshbj

hey i have the same issue on my MacBook Pro....after updating to 10.5.7 no display! Any help will be appreciated!

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Answer 12

May 13, 2009 9:23 AM in response to Simon PB

It seems that if I let the computer alone for an hour, I have a better chance of getting it to boot ... sort of. I got it to boot into target mode without a problem this morning. After about 15 seconds, though, the screen started to flicker, then, about 30 seconds later, it went dark again.

Next hour I'll try to get it to boot from the install CD, although if it can't stay on in target mode, I don't have a lot of hope for it with the CD, either.

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Answer 13

jorgenl

Level 1

0 points

May 13, 2009 12:54 PM in response to Archer1702

I have a Dell 2408WFP (as my secondary display) witch didn't work after the 10.5.7 update. Deleting the following files and rebooting did the trick for me;

/Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.windowserver*
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/.GlobalPreferences*

All this files are recreated when rebooting/logging in again.

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Answer 14

TigPT

Level 1

0 points

May 13, 2009 4:58 PM in response to marshbj

I got exactly the same problem with my macbook pro aluminium.

after 10.5.7, when i open iphoto an press presentation button, just get a black screen.

Please fix it fast, i need to make presentations with my pc!

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Answer 15

dechamp

Level 4

3,495 points

May 13, 2009 7:10 PM in response to TigPT

TigPT wrote:
I got exactly the same problem with my macbook pro aluminium.

after 10.5.7, when i open iphoto an press presentation button, just get a black screen.

You do not have exactly the same problem. The other users on this thread are having video problems when they boot the computer. Nobody mentioned the presentation button in iPhoto, or any other application because they can't even see the screen to launch a program. You will probably get better help if you post your own question with a title that describes your problem. Somebody may know something that will help you better like deleting your iPhoto plist or something...

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