radoor

Q: iMac 7,1 24" Black screen upon startup

Today when I came home from work I went to turn on my iMac. The chime sounded and I could hear the machine was running, but the picture was missing. I could hear it was booting up, and after a while I pressed the play button on my keyboard twice, and music from iTunes began playing. I of course tried turning it off and on repeatedly without any luck. Then I read somewhere to reset both the SMC and PRAM, both also without any luck. It seems like the computer is running, but the screen is off. I have no external monitors hooked up, and the only cable connected is the power cord. I also read on a page to remove and reinstall the SO-DIMM memory modules, but I don't want to do that myself, or without a second opinion.

 

So, what can I do? Will I have to take it to an Apple Store, for them to have a look at it? Or do you guys have any ideas as to what I can try before dragging it all the way down there?

 

Thanks,
Tobias

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.1)

Posted on Sep 10, 2012 10:55 AM

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Q: iMac 7,1 24" Black screen upon startup

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  • by BGreg,Helpful

    BGreg BGreg Sep 10, 2012 11:57 AM in response to radoor
    Level 6 (17,522 points)
    Sep 10, 2012 11:57 AM in response to radoor

    See this Apple note on starting with no video.  Beyond ensuring no exterior equipment attached, and SMC and PRAM resets, your next step is to bring it in for service. They do mention doing a safe start, which is a boot while holding the shift key down.

     

    Here's how to remove/reseat your memory.