Q: OSX Lion + 2011 iMac 27'' + Video = Freeze

Well... Since I installed Lion, got artifacts and then, my video card broke. I don't know if that was casual/causal or not, but suspicious. I troubleshoted the video card by pluggin-in into a Windows PC and it didn't work (artifacts came to the screen as well), then, the card was broken. I didn't tried buying a new video card and using it with first version of Lion in order to see if Lion may be causing some damage to the video card but there are no many video cards around here, nor money to do the experiment

I have a Mac Pro, that's because it was easy to do the video card troubleshot.

I had a website whith graphic examples of how broken video cards works but cannot find it.

Ø3

27" iMac 3.4Ghz Quad Core i7

4Gb Ram,

Radeon 6970 1Gb
Lion Os x 10.7.2

I've been experiencing problems since day one, I bought it a month ago, and there has yet to be a software update that addresses it, I'm beginning to lose my patience.

It's inconveniencing me, and flat out unacceptable.

I paid top dollar for a product that's supposed to be entirely self maintained and fully compatible, and yet I'm having some prominent graphics issues. That either are aesthetically unpleasant, ( on startup, grey apple screen has pixelated lines in square groups, see photo below), or actually counter-productive, such as when I wake it up from sleep mode, it displays small clusters of square discoloured pixels, and freezes the entire system, only to be remedied by restart.

I will be contacting any apple support that's available, and will not rest until I am either compensated for this utter inconvenience and hassle, or they promptly release a software update, or driver update addressing the incompatibility with the graphics card, or it's software.

(note that the odd texture and wave-like things in the photo, are just the product of a phone-camera taking a picture of a display, and the real issue is the pink / purple and line green lines )

just got off the phone with apple support. They said they hadnt heard of this problem yet.  They suggested i create a new user account and see if the problem persists on there.  Otherwise, wait for 7.3 and see if that fixes it.  what the ***!

I spoke with them last night, 2 different reresentatives, and they suggested that I take it in to the apple genius' as it's likely a hardware issue.

This not only comes as a surprise, because I bought it not much more than one month ago, but also is a huge inconvenience, now I have to manage bringing my delicate 27" computer, which isn't particularily light, to the apple store.

I'm not impressed one bit, I've been a huge supporter of Apple, and their services, but this whole ordeal with the iMac is certainly disheartening.

I'll keep you guys posted on what happens

Oh... what a fallacy had been commited by the Apple Support!!! first, i have red here of many people that had phoned to Apple because of the same issue and second, assuming that nobody phoned Apple becuas of the issue doesn't mean that they don't have to provide you support! I personally would go to the consumer deffender. Don't know how's called in your country, but the institution that deffends the consumer and do a denoucement.

< Edited By Host >

So, none of us had a problem until we upgraded to Lion, but it's a hardware issue????  I don't think so.

As far as transporting your iMac, if you saved the box, etc., it's actually very easy to take it in, however, it will probably be a waste of time.

Toker, thanks for keeping us posted.  If you take it in and it checks out, we will have something to go back to Apple with.    We should all coordinate phone calls to Apple's headquarters.  Like some morning between the hours of 9 to noon. 

Wow, it amazes me that we're having to plan something like this!  I forgot to mention that I got the Apple care guy i was talking on the phone with to go to this forum. So i know that ONE of them has seen this. Who knows if he read any of it or reported it or whatever...

I posted in this forum about a month and a half ago and have been watching the posts come in ever since.  Most of the posts I have seen in here are from people with fairly new iMacs.  My iMac (24" 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo) was 4 years old and started having the issue after 10.7.1 came out.  I was running lion from day 1 and it was fine until the .1 release came out.  The problem sounds the same so even though my hardware was older, I will assume it was the same issue.

Anyway, I think I have solved it, at least temporarily.  Unfortunately, this fix won't fit most of you and it is probably not going to make you happy.  You see after about 30 crashes over the period of two months, and numerous attempts to turn off and on different services, try different drivers, and different browsers, plus stop going to sites like YouTube. My iMac hard drive finally crapped out on me.  Constantly having to do a cold boot took it's toll.

So, a glutten for punishment, I bought a new 27" iMac.  I also replaced the hard drive in my 24" and it has become the kids computer.  So far, no issues on either computer and it has been a week.  There is a possibility that my problem though could have been that my hard drive was going bad.  But I doubt it as I was seeing the same error messages in the logs and having the same symptoms as everyone else.

Like I said, this fix is not for everyone, and in fact it is not really a fix.  I just wanted to share that Apple stuck me for another $2000, but so far my new iMac running Lion 10.7.2 seems fine (knock on wood).  And it screams compared to my 24" so for me the fix is a bonus.

This is a very strange issue, it almost seems like the problem is intermittent. I tested leaving it on after criusing around on Youtube, like I did before and now it doesn't seem to do it anymore.

I have tried a few different things to get it to act up but its not doing it, anymore for some reason.

I wonder if this may be to do with some other software that we are all using on our IMACS? ie: Programs that may be having issues with OSX.

Question: Do you guys use your IMAC's for MUSIC Creation? If so, what programs do you have installed?

Do you use HARDWARE dongles for piracy software protection? I do ... Wonder if it's a driver for that, as my log file showed a driver for both my apogee duet audio controller and my Reason 6 USB dongle drivers for the piracy protection software.

Thought I would check on this with you all.

Thanks

Rob

OSX LION I Meant to say..

Interesting idea, I definately use Logic Pro for music creation.
No truly odd USB action going on, a midi controller, and my wireless mouse charger.

I'm almost sure that Lion 10.7.1 was the cause of broken video cards since many people got broken video cards after the Lion installation and/or video artifacts since then. I cannot do a test with it because I don't have the money to buy a new video card in case I'm correct, nor there is not hardware in my country. If any of you doesn't really matters doing the experiment of plugin a new video card into a Mac Pro with Lion 10.7.1 and run it for about a couple of months, and post a report here, would be enough evidence to take this problems into the court.

Yeah, I wonder.

I use Logic Pro 9 - latest version. 9,1,5 1700.5 version.

I have an Axiom 61 Pro Midi controller hooked up to it through USB

Wireless keyboard and wireless magic mouse

Yeah, I wonder that about the video issue - after that update because when I first installed and upgraded to OSX LION it ran like a treat. I recall it updating once and then it started happening...

I recall some other updates as well, ummmm... Iphoto and Logic Pro as well, I believe.

Not everyone can afford to do that. My suggestion is that everyone with older iMacs (those with Snow Leopard pre installed) go back to SnowLeopard the BEST OS that Apple ever devised to date. Those with Lion pre installed will have to go to the Applestore to get the motherboard exchanged to accept  SnowLeopard. Why suffer along with an OS that is not ready? Why suffer from missing features like Rosetta and a changed Spaces? Let the suffering end. I have a 21.5" iMac 2011 but with Snow Leopard installed before Lion came out and a 2010 iMac with Snow Leopard. I feel that Apple is playing "Ostrich" to the problems and there will be no "fix" in the near future.They are more interested in the iPhone and iPad than in Desktop Computers.If Apple is unresponsive to your problems the best thing to do is retreat and adopt an OS that "just works" rather than tenaciously suffering along.Apparently Apple has decided to test Lion with its users and consider them Beta or Alpha testers.