MacBook Air 11" Screen "Flicker" and Freeze

Question

Level 1

12 points

MacBook Air 11" Screen "Flicker" and Freeze

Hi everyone,

I ordered a MacBook Air 11" with 1.6 GHz, 4GB ram and 128GB SSD. Every so often while using it, the screen has a ton of weird colors in vertical lines (extends the whole display) and the entire laptop has frozen. I have to force it off with the power button and reboot it. It happens at random times. Is this a symptom of overheating perhaps?
I've done some research online and can't seem to find anyone else experiencing the same issue so I'm thinking I got a bad apple. (;

Before I take it in or send it in, I'm more or less wondering if someone knows what I'm talking about, like having happened on another model Mac and knows if it's due to overheating or something. Thanks!

MacBook Air 11", Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Oct 28, 2010 11:32 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 28, 2010 1:42 PM in response to DanRyb

Sounds to me like you need to call Apple or head to a store. My MacBook Air 11" never gets warm...even when running a number of resource heavy applications at the same time. Screen issues like this are rarely due to overheating...there's usually another problem involved. Sounds like you have a unit that may be pronounced DOA at a store.

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Answer 2

Oct 28, 2010 1:45 PM in response to DanRyb

Just had this happen to me as well. I have a new 13.3. So far it's crashed three times on me. Two times with just a blank screen and the other time with the lines through the screen like you describe. Wondering if I got a dud.

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Answer 3

DanRyb Author

Level 1

12 points

Oct 28, 2010 2:02 PM in response to DanRyb

Sorry to hear that! Go to the Apple store or call Apple Care. Since mine is custom configured they're going to do an exchange for me.

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Answer 4

Oct 28, 2010 2:44 PM in response to DanRyb

I got this my by BTO 13" Air too. It's happen twice to me, and both times it has happened when I was opening a Mail message. Granted this is all anecdotal, but this is early for a bunch of people with the same problem(?)

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Answer 5

ST-P

Level 1

10 points

Oct 28, 2010 2:57 PM in response to biggerboy

Did you install the update? It does mention at least one issue with external displays being addressed.

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Answer 6

Oct 28, 2010 3:03 PM in response to ST-P

I will second that -- if you still have the problem AFTER you do the Software Update, then you have a dud and return for exchange...

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Answer 7

DanRyb Author

Level 1

12 points

Oct 28, 2010 4:13 PM in response to DanRyb

I installed the update and it happened afterwards. I was also not using an external display with it. I did a clean install as well, twice actually. Still kept happening. 😟

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Answer 8

Oct 28, 2010 4:22 PM in response to DanRyb

I also installed the update and am still having the problem.

Have you gone to a retail store to try to exchange? I'm wondering if they are going to give me a problem if i cannot reproduce the problem.

thanks!

Message was edited by: Hobokendippy

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Answer 9

DanRyb Author

Level 1

12 points

Oct 28, 2010 4:47 PM in response to DanRyb

I didn't bother because I custom configured my 11" to fully spec it out. I called my local Apple store just to see if they carried the fully-spec'ed ones and they said they only carried the base configurations.

So I called AppleCare and explained my problem and I did tell them it was hard to reproduce it and that there was no rhyme or reason to when/why it was happening. I told them it's happened when all I had was Safari open to browse the web and it's happened when I've had a bunch of things going on at once too. In the two days I had it, it happened about three to four times. Far too often for me to just ignore it or hope it will go away.

They were very nice about it and very apologetic that I was experiencing a problem and they are classifying it as DOA. They emailed me a FedEx label for 2-day shipping back to them and will overnight a new one once they receive mine back. Of course, I'm disappointed having to go about a week without it but thankfully it's not my only Mac.

Good luck to you but if this is a problem with some of the units, you probably won't have an issue getting it exchanged. If you do have a base configuration one, I'm sure you could try an Apple Store too.

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Answer 10

Oct 28, 2010 5:18 PM in response to DanRyb

Thanks!

I also have a custom configuration so I'm in the same boat as you. I was going to give my old macbook pro 15 to my dad but I still have it so I can use that in the interim!

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Answer 11

lvargas1

Level 1

0 points

Oct 30, 2010 2:21 PM in response to DanRyb

Just purchased MacBook Air 13' -- upgraded to 4gb, 2.13 Ghz -- and am encountering the screen glitch as well...horizontal color bars.

These seems to happen for me while streaming online video, a task this device has no excuse to be having, though this problem has been occurring during other tasks such as opening Word docs/email.

Every store associate in Manhattan has been giving me a different answer about what's to be done about this, but it's a frustrating error and has crashed the computer on multiple occasions, resulting in lost documents.

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Answer 12

Oct 30, 2010 5:51 PM in response to DanRyb

This thread is my worst nightmare. 😟

Here's a vid I took for those who don't know what we're all talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WxEsstiEMc

Message was edited by: Potent Potable

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Answer 13

Oct 30, 2010 6:31 PM in response to DanRyb

I just spoke with Apple Care - no need to return/replace my machine yet.

Any of you use Google Chrome? Apparently, mine crashed 200 times, and there were some issues with the built-in PDF viewer.

I'm gonna use Chrome extensively and try to open a bunch of PDFs to make the flickering come back - if it does, I think we've found the root of the problem.

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Answer 14

Oct 31, 2010 12:57 AM in response to Potent Potable

Potent Potable wrote:
This thread is my worst nightmare. 😟

Here's a vid I took for those who don't know what we're all talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WxEsstiEMc

Message was edited by: Potent Potable

Hard to tell in the video. Are you running Safari? If so I don't see anything like that. Have you run software update? There was a graphic update released for the new MBA already.

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Answer 15

Hayth

Level 1

0 points

Oct 31, 2010 3:59 AM in response to DanRyb

Same here. 11" 1.6ghz. Goes to either a gray or light blue screen and is unresponsive until force reboot. Has happened 5 time already in 12 hours of use.

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