Macbook Pro screen turns negative randomly and is fixed when I tilt screen

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Macbook Pro screen turns negative randomly and is fixed when I tilt screen

After almost two years of ownership, my Macbook Pro is acting up. In the middle of using it, the screen image will turn into a negative image of what is on the screen without me doing anything, pushing buttons, etc.

I can temporarily fix the problem by tilting the screen back or forth a little bit, and the screen returns to normal. This is now happening several times a day. Any idea what is causing it? A loose cable connection to the monitor? A video card issue?

MacPro, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Mar 19, 2010 5:06 PM

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Answer 1

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S.U.

Level 6

9,595 points

Mar 19, 2010 7:46 PM in response to petermax

You could have a faulty inverter cable or possibly one that just needs to be reseated. There could be some damage where the cable goes through the hinge.

If you are under warranty, this is something that I expect would be covered by Applecare.

Good luck!

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Answer 2

petermax Author

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Mar 20, 2010 5:31 PM in response to S.U.

Thanks. Unfortunately my Macbook Pro is out of warranty. Any idea of what this kind of repair could cost?

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Answer 3

S.U.

Level 6

9,595 points

Mar 20, 2010 6:30 PM in response to petermax

No idea. If you have access to an Apple Store, the genius bar should be able to confirm the diagnosis of what the problem is at no charge. They could also quote a repair cost, which is likely to be for replacing the display.

You may be able to get a replacement cable from PowerBook Medic or ifixit for and do the repair yourself:

http://www.powerbookmedic.com/

http://www.ifixit.com/

Both these sites might have the cable separately and also have installation instructions. I'm not sure exactly which Mac you have, but I did see some inverter cables for around $30, although they were out of stock at the moment, and I saw that the installation was considered to be very difficult.

If you can get the cable, but don't feel up to tackling the job, you could try an AASP. You could also look at an online repair service like DT&T:

http://www.dttservice.com/macbookpro.html

I have never used DT&T, but they have a good reputation and can probably quote you a price.

Good luck!

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