Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Level 1

13 points

MacBook Pro freezing with flickering screen

Hi there, I'm having issues with my MacBook Pro, random, unrecoverable freezing. Hardware diagnostics show no issues, software is fully up to date. I've tried a complete reinstall of OS-X, I even tested different memory cards which all are working perfectly, I handle my computer with all care.

Symptoms: From behave normally, out of nothing the screen suddenly starts flickering very rapidly.
The computer also freezes completely - except that the pointer will still move.
The computer does not react to anything I do except to move the pointer. The pointer moves much faster than usual, yet I cannot click on anything.
Sometime this flickering starts in the middle of the display and the other half turns into grey or pixelated distortion of the screen.
Sometimes, if I wait long enough, the screen will stop flickering, and sometimes the pointer speed will return to normal. But the computer never unfreezes.
The system is essentially becomes unresponsive, requiring me to hold down power button and reboot.

I've brought it to the Apple store and they've already replaced the Logic-board (twice) thinking that it was a Nvidia issue, but the problem still happens, also they performed a full hardware test and the computer is in good shape, passed all the tests and didn't reported any error, I've performed the 'repair permissions', etc.

I've noticed this behaviour after some Apple Update, but I couldn't say which one for sure because I always trust Apple updates and I didn't thought I would have any issues with any of them.

I've searched in other similar threads but either they are unanswered or apparently they fixed the problem replacing the Logic-board (which in some cases they had to reopen the thread because their computers started freezing again).

I use also a 30in Cinema Display most the time except when I travel, the specs of the Display card are the following:

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT:

Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0407
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3212
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Cinema HD:
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported

Any suggestion? 😟

MacBook Pro 15', Mac OS X (10.6.6), 6 MB RAM

Posted on Jan 20, 2011 11:09 AM

32 replies

Destructiva Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 27, 2011 10:23 PM in response to Destructiva

flickering screen & freezing again! Back to the Genius Bar for the 6th Logic Board?

This is almost funny...

S.U.

Level 6

9,595 points

Jan 28, 2011 2:35 PM in response to Destructiva

6 logic board are getting to be pretty ridiculous! However, as long as they keep replacing them, go for it. The NVIDIA program has been extended to 4 years from when you originally bought your Mac, so no reason not to go ahead and take full advantage of it. Each logic board will come with its own warranty, so you may be able to continue to get logic board replacements indefinitely.

You can hope that at some point someone in authority will come to the realization that it would be much more cost effective to replace your machine instead of continuing to replace the logic board.

My own Mac with the 8600 NVIDIA chip has never had a problem, and all of my software is completely up to date. Whatever the software update was that seems to have triggered the NVIDIA failures did not do it to my system. It may be worth looking at all your other software, especially non-Apple software, and check which version you have and that it is fully compatible with the latest version of Snow Leopard.

I say this because I have seen some instances of graphics problems which seem to be caused by some sort of software and hardware incompatibility. There's a huge thread about this with a 17" i7 Mac:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2587510&start=0&tstart=0

I haven't read through this thread in a while, but it seems like the problem is not necessarily a hardware problem, as many hardware repairs have failed to fix it. Some people have been able to control it by reverting to a previous version of Flash and by disabling automatic switching among other things. So it might be worth a good look at your software just in case something like that is going on.

I find it surprising that Apple wouldn't replace the machine for you. It may be worth another call to ACR after a few more logic boards in hopes that they will see that it makes no sense to continue to replace logic boards indefinitely.

Good luck--and who knows? Maybe #6 will be the charm!

CasiMac

Level 1

0 points

Jan 29, 2011 6:40 AM in response to Destructiva

Hi,

I've got the same problem with my macbook pro 15' 2.2ghz. I'm in montreal so I went to the Apple Store downtown and unfortunately, after 4 new graphic card, the problem as not been resolve.

The problem is that the screen go crazy with all pixel mix up. And then it freeze. Only the mouse can move. But I really have to reopen the computer.

They change the graphic card 3 times in six days last week. Why ? Because it's pretty easy for me to reproduce the problem. I just have to go in iMovie or in Sweet Home 3D and work with it for a few minutes and then show them that the problem is not resolve.

I reinstall iMovie. Put only on set of RAM and then change for the other to make sure is not the RAM the problem. Then We change the graphic card several time. Then, now, they suggest me to reinstall the Operating system. Which I will do today. But i'm not sure if it will help.

An interesting link that you "Destructiva" send about the fact that if we have a windows partition, it should do the same problem. I did experience it. I will do it today.

Hopefully we will find soon.

By the way, for those who think that they will give you a brand new machine after 3 replacement of the graphic card, you are wrong. After the warranty is finish... That's it. For get it! 🙂 Believe me, I try! 🙂

My problems start only since a month and never before even if I have a late 2007 machine. Maybe related to the Mac Os 10.6...

CasiMac

Level 1

0 points

Feb 1, 2011 10:44 AM in response to CasiMac

I went to the apple store again. They ask me to do 2 test.

1- changing my 2Go + 2Go RAM memory for the 1Go + 1go that came with this computer to see if the problem is still there.

then
2- reboot on a external hard drive with the snow leopard already install there.

I tried the first test and my problem was still there. Which it tell us that is not the RAM the problem.

And because it freeze and crash, I tried to reboot to do the second test. I had a kernel panic error at startup.

I'm not able to open my computer since then...

Destructiva Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 1, 2011 11:00 AM in response to CasiMac

@CasiMac:
I actually went to the Genius Bar yesterday too, they tested the NVIDA and other tests, but the computer didn't failed, the Genius told me that probably was the display, but since is kind of pricy to change it and we're only guessing, he suggested that first I install everything on an external drive, and run from there all the programs and see if the problem persists, I haven't done that.

They also suggested before to use the RAM that came with the computer or buy Apple's RAM, so I tested the Apple's RAM and it failed, so in my case is definitively not the RAM.

I guess you'll have to tell them to replace the Logic Board again with the NVIDIA recall, no?

Destructiva Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 1, 2011 3:15 PM in response to Destructiva

Just for the record, in addition with the freezing with flickering, my Mac shuts down by itself when I try to wake it up from sleep and the screen saver was working...

if anyone has the same symptoms.... 😟

fengjis

Level 1

0 points

Feb 5, 2011 12:57 AM in response to Destructiva

I have the exact same problem! Thank God I'm not the only one...

I have Macbook pro 2.2ghz (late 2007) with Snow Leopard and after 5 repairs at Apple support, the problem isn't fixed.
They have replaced memory, logic board (twice) and the entire screen, (plus reformatting, graphiccard testing and system resetting)
I have apple care, but they will not give me a new mac. Yet, they were willing to replace the entire screen and logic board, which is very expensive for them to do..

I filmed my problem, and published it to youtube. The text in the clip is in Norwegian, sorry...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwIthML09fA

fengjis

Level 1

0 points

Feb 5, 2011 1:04 AM in response to Destructiva

Feb 6, 2011 7:38 AM in response to Destructiva

I have exactly the same problem. My graphics chip is nVidia 8600M GT 128Mb. My external display is Dell U2711. I believe this glitch is related to display driver bug when the external display resolution is too high.. Because the glitch is very easy to reproduce(open Aperture 3...), so I have done several tests.

resolution: 2560x1440 freeze
resolution: 1920x1080 no freeze
resolution: 1920x1440 no freeze(yet...)

and I also test Win 7 64bit (BootCamp), resolution 2560x1440 will not freeze so I don't think think this is a hardware problem.
And I noticed in Win 7, when play video in full screen sometimes the display driver was not stable and crashed but it recovered later but not freeze.

fengjis

Level 1

0 points

Feb 6, 2011 11:37 AM in response to ianslayer

So this is something apple can fix with an simple update? If so, we all should send them e-mail and link to this thread, aswell as the youtube-link I posted 🙂

Feb 6, 2011 12:03 PM in response to fengjis

that's why everybody MUST send in their problem on the apple feedback pages: go to http://www.apple.com/feedback and send in your problem!

Destructiva Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 6, 2011 5:39 PM in response to jorrelemargi

I went back to the Genius bar and they ran again the NVIDIA test, but this time the computer didn't failed, they've told me that is probably the display causing the problem, but before replacing it they asked me to do a fresh install in an external drive, to see if it keeps failing.

Interesting, I've noticed that this failure appears when I have my 30" Cinema Display connected (2560 x 1600 resolution) probably ianslayer is right about that.

Feb 7, 2011 5:32 PM in response to Destructiva

So I thought I'd weigh in on the conversation. No disrespect Destructiva, but after the 3rd replacement, would you not suspect that just maybe there may be another underlying problem? Anyways, I believe this has to do with OS X 10.6.6. Today this problem just started for me, the exact same as described, so far it has struck twice today. Something in the update must have changed a core setting leading this this ridiculous problem. On that note, the problem has only been caused from safari. I'll keet updating to see if the problem persists.

Destructiva Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 7, 2011 5:39 PM in response to Crazyroar

Crazyroar : Try to explain this to the Geniuses at the Apple Store Bar, they even told me that all this discussions boards and threads are a waste of time...

I've been explaining in detail to them all the symptoms and is like every time I get there they just ignore what I say and do what they want.

Sadly their response is always: replace parts doesn't matter who absorbs the costs.

Destructiva Author

Level 1

13 points

Feb 7, 2011 6:27 PM in response to Destructiva

Found this in other forums

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1049670/nvidia-heat-causing-macbooks-fa il

and

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/11/26/appleinvestigating_graphics_issues_on_new_macbooklines.html

MacBook Pro freezing with flickering screen