I very thin blue line has suddenly appeared vertically on the right side of screen, about 5 or 6" from the edge. It's going right through everything including the upper menu. What is going on here? Anyone have ideas? I was just looking at some email at the time. I restarted computer, but the line reappeared.
PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 1.67 GHz Memory 2GB DDR SDRAM
Hello,
Sounds to me like you have a problem with the actual display.
I've had one do the same thing before I changed the display on a my PowerBook 17" 1.67Ghz model.
Would suggest changing the display before it gets worse, other lines will soon follow in time.
Many PowerBooks having serial numbers starting with "W8" suffer a history of bad displays. There is in this forum a massive thread on the subject. To verify it is the display at fault and not the video hardware on the logic board, connect and external monitor to the DVI port and see if the problem repeats. If not, it's a bad display. If it repeats, it's more serious, requiring a logic board changeout.
Even the cheaper option of only the display being bad may cost more to repair than a used PowerBook is worth. Tread cautiously.
To Knucklesmac:
How do you suggest changing the display? And would it be worth the cost? I have the same configuration PowerBook as you, but no Intel. What did it cost you to get a new display?
Hello,
Mine had a vertical line running through the center of the display. Didn't look too bad until another line appear some time after.
I replaced the display myself, but didn't bother with taking the actual display panel from the housing.
It's lot more easier to replace the screen with the housing intact. I got one that was working from eBay for £50 ($76) It was a simple case of removing the top cover (keyboard), unpuagging the monitor cables (Airport cables) and unscrewing the display. Lift away the old one and replace with the replacement one.
Display removal instructions can be found here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+PowerBook+G4+Aluminum+17-Inch+1-1.67+GHz+ Display/258/1
With the right tools and careful attention, your PowerBook G4 display can be easily fixed for less than $100 (£60)
Since then I've had no further problem with my PowerBook.
Hope this helps.
Has any one seen a very slim blue line suddenly apear vertically on monitor, about 5" from right side of laptop screen?
