Q: Lion randomly crashes - black screen

yes i also wondered if they actually replaced the logic board, when i went in to the machine i noticed there were two factory (do not remove stickers) on the on cpu and gpu heat sink screws and mark dots on the main logic board screws that had not been moved????? and yes it was out of warranty.

Hi alars1,

I think it might be quite difficult to figure that out because as far as I know they even store your original serial number onto the new logic board so if you select "apple > about my mac" it will show your old serial number.

I never opened my macbook pro, except to replace the 2x2GB RAM with 2x4GB. Therefore, I don't know about those stickers but I think they will put on "new" do-not-remove stickers, what do you think?

But there must be some way to find out if they actually changed the board or not. Does somebody know?

Cheers, Patrick

I think I figured out a way how to check if they really changed your logic board.

According to this discussion here (http://hintsforums.macworld.com/showthread.php?t=114629) a new logic board comes with new bluetooth, airport and ethernet addresses. If you happen to still have you computer's box you can look at the sticker on the side - that tells you the original addresses.

In addition look into this directory: ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost

and check files like:

com.apple.Bluetooth.<bluetooth_address>.plist

Then you see if something has changed. I completely have different addresses than on the original box.

But again, there are ways to change those addresses without changing the actual hardware - so it's just a guess.

Cheers!

Edit: I am not anymore sure of what I am saying here because when I look into the System Profiler then I get exactly the SAME addresses for bluetooth etc. as on my original box!! Either they also edit them when they replace it with the new logic board or they never actually replaced it !!!!

Check the revision number of the motherboard. This should be on your receipt.

Hi Michael,

I bought my MacBook Pro using a gift card as I had issues with my credit card limitation on EUR 2000 and it has been over 18 months ago so I cannot see them when logging into store.apple.com and check my order history.

Is there any other way where to see the motherboard revision number (i.e. by using some software tool)?
I mean I could probably look up a historical revision number on those MacBook Pro that they made at that time and compare my current revision number with that.

Thanks!

Edit:

Here is my macbook pro's information as seen on this (http://www.chipmunk.nl/cgi-fast/applemodel.cgi) website by entering the serial number (I cancelled out the last 5 characters).

Serial number: W80181-----

Name: MacBook Pro (Mid 2010)

ModelCode: mbp_15_mid_10

Model Number: MC372

Group1: MacBook

Group2: Pro

Generation: 62

Machine Model: MacBookPro6,2

Model introduced: 2010

Production year: 2010

Production week: 18 (May)

Production number: 1644 (within this week)

introduced test: GOED

CPU speed: 2.53GHz

Family name: Become a pro user to see this information. (sorry)

Screen size: 15 inch

Screen resolution: 1440x900 pixels

Colour: Aluminium

Memory - flavour: DDR3-S-106

Factory: W8 (Shanghai China)

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4088

................................................................................ ................................................................................ .

Additional Information

Note: If your 15-inch MacBook Pro is not experiencing any of these symptoms, you do not need to contact Apple.

Apple will service affected 15-inch MacBook Pro computers free of charge until two years from date of purchase. Apple will provide further extensions to this program as needed. This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the affected MacBook Pro.

................................................................................ ................................................................................ .

I also have the black screen issue on my 2010 MacBook Pro.

My mac book pro 15" i7 is more than 2 years form date of purchase,  is this means they will not replace the logic board free....

Ive posted in this thread before, as I too have been plagued by the freeze/black screen/crash/KP etc....

I believe the problem may be tied to the RAM.

How many people with this issue have upgraded their RAM to 8gb? Specifically Crucial RAM? I upgraded to 8gb back in August, and began having sporadic issues since then. But my problems really got bad in January, and Ive been battling them since.

To combat the black screenm I turned off graphics switching, but then I began getting the 3-beep freeze, daily and often multiple times per day. I finally pulled the Crucial RAM and sent it back for RMA. I reistalled the original "Apple" RAM, and I havent had one single problem since then. No freezes, no black screens, no KPs.

The Crucial RAM passed every hardware and RAM test I could find, but Lion apparently doesnt like it. Things are much smoother with the Apple RAM, even with graphics switching turned back on. Im going to give the new Crucial RAM and try when it is returned to me, but if I have problems again, I will have to make due with the original 4GB from Apple...I may even buy the expensive 8GB from Apple.

Has anyone else had trouble with Crucial RAM? Or have you found RAM to be the cause of the supposed nVidia problems?

@Herrin811

I don't know if the problem is due to 8gb Crucial RAM, however, I do have 8GB Crucial RAM installed in my mid-2010 macbook pro, i7. Can this be more general? Can people comment if folks who do not have this memory upgrade are also experiencing the same problem?

What is the warranty on the RAM, can you send it back after 1.5 years, that's about the time I purchased this crucial 8GB RAM from jr.com?

I had this problem with original ram, and the problem continued with 8 gb that i have installed after.

I solved the problem changing logic board.

@FunkyDrug

It seems like the original Apple RAM works, perfectly, but the Crucial RAM doesnt work well with the nVidia card...If that makes sense. My problems began AFTER I upgraded the RAM, and are gone now that Im using the original RAM again.

Crucial has a "lifetime" warranty on their memory. I ordered it direct from them. I sent it back last week, and Ive already received an email that said its been replaced and shipped to me. New RAM will probably arrive here tomorrow.

Im just wondering if RAM upgrades are part of this problem we all seem to have....

For those of you that received a new logic board- Does your replacement still have the nVidia card, or is there a new video card being installed too?

I dont know why it didnt post, but mine is a 2010 i5....

Hi,

I have upgraded to 8GB (I think those are Samsung) immediately a couple of months after I bougth my MacBook Pro 15 Inch Mid 2010.

My first logic board replacement due to that graphics problem was done about Mid 2011 and hasn't appeared until February 2012 when I had my computer serviced because of some getting-faulty HDD.

Will bring my computer to service next week - I am pretty sure they change the logic board again. If not I will try to install the original RAM. And if it works I will get those 8GB RAM replaced..

Cheers!

Hi Herrin811,

How often did you got the kernel panic? I mean if you have the orignal RAM in your computer for less than 2 weeks it probably doesn't yet mean anything or not? I sometimes can use my computer a couple of days without kernel panic.

Cheers!

Ive had only 2 KPs, both occuring in Feb. (I just looked in Console for exact dates but the logs are not there anymore) Around Feb 20th is when I turned off graphics switching, and that seemed to end the black screens, but that is when I started getting daily RAM freezes.

A bad logic board could be the culprit to the RAM problem as well. If I had kept getting the crashes and freezes after swapping the RAM out, then I could pretty easily say that the LB is faulty. But I havent had a single problem, so I still cant pinpoint what the problem is. The RAM is pretty suspect though.....

Ill be in Chicago this weekend, and Im considering making an appointment at the Apple store there to have the LB replaced under the "extended warranty", but I realy dont know what to do here....I MUST have the computer back by noon Sunday for a presentation Sunday afternoon...So Im risking either having a faulty computer or none at all...Blah...But as its sitting here right now, i havent had a single hiccup in close to 2 weeks....

really ?the apple  genius said if I black screen again, then I can go to apple tech  so sent  computer...now , I try to broke it ...

So the problems with the BSOD keeps getting more and more frequent. Contacted my local Apple Service Provider, and they offered me to test for the TS4088 error for free if they detected the error, and about $140/£108 otherwise. After hearing about others here on the forum experiencing the typical BSOD problems with their MBP mid-2010 where the diagnostic tests passed without error, I really don't feel like gambling any more. Sorry Apple, this will be going in the dumpster and I will order a PC asap.

Edit: I have several BSODs every single day, and a few kernel panics every week.