Computer was operating. I was on a Zoom call, heard a repeat static noise then black/white striped screen, held the power button down, seemed to do a restart with white screen w/ vertical lines. Recovery mode key combinations only give me same white screen as above.
Any solution to this?
iMac
allfive wrote:
Computer was operating. I was on a Zoom call, heard a repeat static noise then black/white striped screen, held the power button down, seemed to do a restart with white screen w/ vertical lines. Recovery mode key combinations only give me same white screen as above.
Any solution to this?
It would be good to try starting in Safe Mode as suggested by the Community Specialist. But the anomaly occurs whether you try to boot from Recovery or otherwise -- booting from Recovery means the Mac boots from a different volume, so if both the regular boot volume and the recovery volume fail with the same white screen, that would maybe indicate that hardware that is common to both has failed. It could be the logic board or the internal drive or memory, or something else related to the screen itself. In any case, replacement parts for a Mac this old may be impossible to find, or if you can find them, will likely be used and worn as well. A 2010 Mac is well past projected end of life, although you have no doubt had good use of it. We have 2010 and 2013 MacBook Airs, both considered obsolete, both showing signs of wearing out (especially the 2010 MBA).
For service possibilities, keep in mind that Apple will not work on it as it is obsolete and Apple does not stock parts or repair obsolete computers. However Apple Authorized Service Providers are often willing to work on older Macs. So you could take it to an AASP for diagnosis and then decide how to proceed.
allfive wrote:
Computer was operating. I was on a Zoom call, heard a repeat static noise then black/white striped screen, held the power button down, seemed to do a restart with white screen w/ vertical lines. Recovery mode key combinations only give me same white screen as above.
Any solution to this?
It would be good to try starting in Safe Mode as suggested by the Community Specialist. But the anomaly occurs whether you try to boot from Recovery or otherwise -- booting from Recovery means the Mac boots from a different volume, so if both the regular boot volume and the recovery volume fail with the same white screen, that would maybe indicate that hardware that is common to both has failed. It could be the logic board or the internal drive or memory, or something else related to the screen itself. In any case, replacement parts for a Mac this old may be impossible to find, or if you can find them, will likely be used and worn as well. A 2010 Mac is well past projected end of life, although you have no doubt had good use of it. We have 2010 and 2013 MacBook Airs, both considered obsolete, both showing signs of wearing out (especially the 2010 MBA).
For service possibilities, keep in mind that Apple will not work on it as it is obsolete and Apple does not stock parts or repair obsolete computers. However Apple Authorized Service Providers are often willing to work on older Macs. So you could take it to an AASP for diagnosis and then decide how to proceed.
That model iMac is considered obsolete by Apple. They will do a free diagnostic tests on it but will not work on it. You'll need to go to an Apple Authorized Service Provider for service. But with obsolete units parts will be hard to come by and may be expensive.
Frankly, the cost of repairs will be much more than the Mac is worth and it will never be able to run any system newer than macOS 10.13.6, High Sierra which is no longer getting any security updates.
Give it a rousing Irish wake and get a new Mac.
Hey there allfive,
If your Mac is not starting up as expected, try booting in safe mode to help rule out possible start up issues. Use the steps below to test:
1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key until you see the login window.
2. Log in to your Mac.
3. You might be asked to log in again.
On either the first or second login window, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.
Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support
If the issue persists afterwards, Contact Apple Support for additional support options.
Take care!
Thank you, steve626. This answers my question. Yes I've had plenty of good use from this 2010 unit. Surprisingly, Apple Support wants me to take this iMac into their store, indicating it is an Apple Repair facility. I think the Apple Store is going to tell me they can't repair it so I may double check with Support. about that before taking it in.
white screen on 2010 iMac while in use
