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Orange pattern over screen

Some time ago

My Mac Pro 1/1 froze with an orange pattern across the screen.

I forced shutdown with the power button.

Restarted and could not get to the desktop.

I saw the orange pattern over the apple and the gear as it restarted

No desktop. Just a beach ball at the moment the desktop should be visible.


Tried to boot with another drive. No joy. Same thing happened.


Left it alone for some time. Restarted. It works

After 5-6 hours of no problem. It happens again

I forced shutdown and could not get the desktop to load


I then took it to the Genius Bar.

They tested the machine. Everything is in good working order

But my main boot drive would not show up as bootable.

I could not recreate the hour in my 2 hour visit.


Get home, start it back up. It's working fine. Like nothing ever happened

As a matter of fact, the drive that would not even show up as bootable at the store,

Started up like it should without any prompting.


The machine has worked normally for some time. For a month now I've had no sightings of the orange pattern.


Then it happened again last night


The orange line design is back on my screen


I was watching a few YouTube videos full screen last night then the last one would not close.


Beachball rolled for 10 minutes so I hit a bunch of esc space enter option control and clicked.


Beachball disappeared but the video was still full screen.


After a few more minutes I clicked again and beachball comes back.


5-10 mins later I give up.

Force a shutdown and

Go to bed


This morning I turn it on and the orange pattern is across my screen.


I see the apple, the gear

But no desktop


Restart it a number of times with the result, ending with a force shutdown.


Heard an unusual beep one time when I restarted.


Even tried to boot into another partition with the same result.


Zapped the pram


No change


I've unplugged everything and am waiting to restart when I get home from work.


Has anyone ever seen this before?


I would post a picture if I could but I'm on my iPhone and don't see any upload area if there is one.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), 1/1

Posted on Feb 9, 2013 9:26 PM

Reply
2 replies

Feb 9, 2013 10:09 PM in response to FUNKSTICK

This type of anomaly suggests a hardware fault in the system, likely with the GPU and/or the video RAM it uses. Sometimes specific uses of the GPU can spur this in a faulty system so while it may not happen for a while, it may suddenly kick in. When it happens, try booting the system to the Apple Hardware Test suite (see here for how to do this: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57352461-263/how-to-invoke-and-interpret-th e-apple-hardware-tests/) and then see if any errors are detected. Additionally, you can try booting to Safe Mode or to another OS X installation on an external drive to see if the problem persists there (especially if it continues on your current OS installation after you restart).

Feb 10, 2013 11:47 PM in response to Topher Kessler

Thanx for your reply


I tested the machine and it appears all the ram is fine, CPU good.

All sensors all good.

It passed every test except one of the hard drives (my main boot drive, I think) failed a scan

But I can't understand how that would be the cause of the orange lines and no desktop coming up on any volume.


I've booted into another drive in safe mode as you suggested and the desktop has been made available, but the pattern is still across the screen. It does however, allow me to work.


I verified all the (4) volumes with disk utility. They all appear to be OK.


When I took the machine to the Genius Bar the last time this occurred, the gentleman did the tests of the CPU and GPU and found everything in working order. (The main boot drive was the only thing that would not appear bootable and once I got the machine back home it worked fine... And let me add again, the pattern did not show up at the apple store)


I've been waiting to buy a new Mac Pro for two years but was hoping for a significant upgrade before I would buy. Thinking that I'd settle and then the next week Apple would come

out with my dream machine.

Of course anything would be much better than the Mac Pro 1/1 I've been working with.


I am about to go buy an iMac and be done with it.

Though I hear tell of a new Mac Pro soon to be released.

With this problem not resolving itself, I don't believe I will have the patience to wait much longer.

I've got work to do.


I don't know what else I can do.

Orange pattern over screen

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