After I updated to Mavericks I noticed that a strip of pixels will randomly flash at times right under the menu bar. The line is maybe 1/4 of the screen in the center. If I go into mission control or launch pad it goes away for a while but comes back eventually. Does anyone know what would cause this? I have tried rebooting/updating to 9.1 and it still happens.
MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9)
Hello there, TheNerdHerd.
The following Knowledge Base article provides some great information for troubleshooting your issue:
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573
Particularly:
Pixel anomalies
If you have concerns about pixel anomalies, refer to these articles for more information:
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.
Hey TheNerdHerd,
Did you ever sort this issue? I've got the same thing on my MBP Retina. A line of pixels just below the menu bar flickers. If I change application or go to dashboard it goes away, then comes back after a while. Only started noticing it on Mavericks.
I never found a solution for it but it hasn't done it in a while. I started shutting down at night and rebooting in the morning and it seems to have went away. What it was or what was causing it I have no idea or explanation. It didn't seem to be in the GPU since it wasn't system wide which makes me think it was something in safari. I would try completely resetting safari and see what that does. Like I said I don't have an exact explanation but something that I did fixed it (knock on wood lol)
I got this same issue yesterday. On a MacBook Air 2012 running Mavericks. I thought it might be either Screen Sharing, VLC or Messages causing it but couldn't tell for sure.
I've had this since getting my Late 2013 rMBP back in November. I have tried to figure out what it is and so far I have narrowed it down to the following:
It occurs when using the 'Desktop' Hot Corner feature and only when one of the apps you have open slides off the top of your display i.e. upwards through the menu bar. It is not specific to any particular app, it occurs with whichever app window slides off the top of the menu bar when you use the 'Desktop' Hot Corner.
Annoying thing is that I don't know how to make it go away, I did however create a new user account on my MacBook recently and on that new account the issue was non-existent, so it would seem that it is some little bug that has managed to get its way into my user account rather than it being a bug on my copy of Mavericks, just wish I new which system file was the offending one, so I can get shut of it!
Anyone one else got any better solutions?
Looks like I jumped the gun as after doing some more testing with the new user account I created, the problem occurred on that account too 😟, so it looks like it probably is a bug within my copy of Mavericks, this ***** as I don't really want to have to do a fresh re-install of mavericks then have to migrate all my files over manually in order to avoid this bug being transferred through a TimeMachine backup restore.
I've tried resetting the PRAM, SMC and done repair disk permissions numerous times and that hasn't stopped it occurring.
I have the exact same problem with Macbook Pro Retina 13" (late 2013) and Maverick 10.9.2. Flashing line of pixels under the menu bar that apperas randomly (and always when using hot corners to display the desktop).
Did you find any soltion, I did reinstall for another issue and it didnt solve this.
JJ 101 wrote:
I have the exact same problem with Macbook Pro Retina 13" (late 2013) and Maverick 10.9.2. Flashing line of pixels under the menu bar that apperas randomly (and always when using hot corners to display the desktop).
Did you find any soltion, I did reinstall for another issue and it didnt solve this.
Still not found any solution unfortunately.
It's useful to know that a re-install hasn't solved it, saves me wasting time trying that method of elimination so thanks for that mare.
It seems like a bug with hot corners and Mavericks but if that was the case then it would do it with all people using hot corners in Mavericks and with this thread being so small I would say that this might not be so.
Next time I go through to my Apple store I am going to mess with hot corners on a laptop there and see if it does it on theirs too.
Surely it couldn't be a graphics/video card related issue?!?
I just had a go with my dads old 2008 MBP running Mavericks and this problem doesn't exist on his machine so I've just called my local apple service provider store and arranged to take my rMBP in to them this coming Friday for a 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test which will give the hardware a thorough looking over, I should have it back the next day, so hopefully by this weekend I will be able to say yes or no to this being related to an issue with hardware.
Thanks for the info and let me know what they say. I haven't had this issue in a while and I'm not real sure of what made it just go away but I would think that it would have to be a bug in the software since there has been three different models of macbooks appear in this discussion and none of them run the same GPU. I would have suggested the display if it weren't for you saying you are using a Retina Pro that has a far better display. If it isn't a software issue then I would really have no other idea what it could be. But like I said it hasn't happened to me in a while so it's really got me baffled.
TheNerdHerd wrote:
Thanks for the info and let me know what they say. I haven't had this issue in a while and I'm not real sure of whtat made it just go away but I would think that it would have to be a bug in the software since there has been three different models of macbooks appear in this discussion and none of them run the same GPU. I would have suggested the display if it weren't for you saying you are using a Retina Pro that has a far better display. If it isn't a software issue then I would really have no other idea of what it could be. But like I said it has'nt happened to me in a while so it's really got me baffled.
Yeah that's strange, I've noticed it since buying my new rMBP in November 2013 and it's been occurring ever since.
Did the issue ever occur on your Mac prior to updating to Mavericks?
Do you still use the Hot Corner feature called 'Desktop'? As it is that feature and only that feature which causes the issue to rear its ugly head.
No, I never noticed until after I updated to Mavericks.
Yes I use it all the time. Using my hot corners to go to Mission Control or Desktop would actually make the line go away for a while.
JJ 101 wrote:
I have the exact same problem with Macbook Pro Retina 13" (late 2013) and Maverick 10.9.2. Flashing line of pixels under the menu bar that apperas randomly (and always when using hot corners to display the desktop).
Did you find any soltion, I did reinstall for another issue and it didnt solve this.
Apple did the ASD diagnostics test on my 13" rMBP and it came back fine, but the Apple technician got the flickering to reproduce in his testing and so he is ordering me a whole new logic board!
JJ 101: Did you definitely do a totally fresh install of Mavericks erasing out the original one on the hard drive? and it still continue to have the problem?
After going to the Apple Store friday night I did not think to ask them about the issue. However, I bought my girlfriend a MacBook Air and after geting home and messing around with it IT STARTED DOING THE SAME THING! Brand new and it was doing it. If it continues I will have them look at it. Did the technician say why the logic board would cause that or if it's something that has been occuring more recently?
Well he had not seen it occurring on any of the Macs at the shop, they don't really know what it is, I mean it's obviously some graphical error when a application window passes through the top menu bar (which only occurs when using the 'Desktop' feature of Hot Corners), whether that's to do with he Graphics Card or not I guess I will find out, but in rMBP's and MBA's the Graphics Card and other things are all soldered to the main motherboard so they don't have any other option but to replace the entire logic board just to find out if the Graphics Card is the culprit. Stating the rather obvious, if the change of motherboard doesn't fix it then it must be software related.
I'm surprised that yours just stopped one day, mines being doing this for 4 months solid since I bought it.
Flashing pixels below menu bar?
