Macbook Pro (15" early 2011) horizontal lines on screen and not booting...?

No, nothing to do with Mavericks, everything to do with 'timing' - and I'm predicting (although not wishing it upon you) that your problems will return. The problem, essentially, is caused by a defectively soldered GPU. When it gets hot enough, the contact 'breaks' and you first get graphic glitches and, in the end, a machine that won't turn on at all.

Just be prepared!

Clinton

Yikes! Did you actually have to pay for a new logic board? I sure wish that you'd gone the reballing route - much less expensive and a certain fix.

My machine was 'repaired' with a new logic board in January - just because I still have AppleCare. When my machine (inevitably) chokes again, I'll let Apple put in a new board under AppleCare but if I'm no longer under AppleCare, my machine is definitely going the reballing route (perhaps even the day that my AppleCare ceases and before my machine does a nosedive again).

Good luck to you, though...

Clinton

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS Mavericks 10.9.3, 16GB RAM, 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

YEah' I have a feeling it's gonna come back anytime soon. This issue is been going on lately. Apple must do something about it. I'll have it checked anyway .. But good to know It was not the logic board (hopefully) that causing the problem. if the problem persist ' I rather buy a new one.. or try the reball for less cost. it's just frustrating coz I just upgraded the ram' changed the battery' bought new charger few days ago .. and then boom! another problem came. So do you have any suggestion to prevent it? What is this gfxCard? Does it really helps? Thanks.

Hackintosh_User,

The only true fix for the problem is reballing. gfxCardStatus may help you temporarily by disabling the discrete video card but since the discrete card is checked and activated at startup, it's no real solution.

Sorry,

Clinton

My early 2011 mbp 15" just started this behavior in the past 2 weeks. Without any real consistency each time (after resetting PRAM, SMC, multiple reboots, etc) I was somehow able to get back in.

Yesterday was a bad day, but I managed to get a SuperDuper copy of my hard drive and then late last night poof, system froze and could not recover at all. At this juncture I just want the pain to stop as I've already been researching used mbp's as well as pc/laptop for a replacement.

This morning was the worst. While googling and youtubing for help I must have tried rebooting and resetting about 40 different times, including using Internet Recovery (cmd + R) multiple times. Not sure how but I eventually got in. I thought what the heck I may as well upgrade from OS 10.7.5 to Maverick. Since the internet OS upgrade appears to occur at the base level with an internet connection, the entire upgrade completed without a hitch. Upon reboot, everything came up quickly and normally.

Without hesitation, I invoked a time machine backup and another SuperDuper disk clone which took about 3 hours total.

It's now been up and running without a single glitch for about 9 hours. I've yet to reboot again as I'm too afraid and I hold my breath with every keystroke/typed. I'm sure it's just a matter of time but this afternoon was a good day for the mbp.

I am gearing up for a pc/laptop replacement as I think it's appalling that IMO Apple hasn't found a fix, issued a recall, or stood behind their product.

One thing I'm convinced about, is that this is primarily a software issue, not hardware. Why? Because upon immediate reboot almost every time hot or cold I get the appropriate gray screen with the apple in the center and the gear turing. However basic, that's still complete control of the graphics in my opinion. It's only after the gearing stops and advances to the next screen to open the system up that I might get a blue screen, stripes, split, scrolling lines, or a simple blank gray screen.

Moreover, this morning when I performed a complete Maverick upgrade via the internet that upgrade process took complete control of all the nice graphics without a single hitch. If it were hardware, I'm convinced I never would have made it through the OS upgrade.

Moreover, since the upgrade, I've attempted to conduct business as usual without a single hitch and not once have the cooling fans engaged. Normally the fans will turn on 10 - 20 times per day over the past 6 months. If anything, the fans should have engaged somewhere during the backups after the OS upgrade as I was transferring several hundred GB's in a very short time while also browsing the internet and caught a video or 2 during the process.

So IMO, the hardware story is bunk. It's either in the firmware or OS and perhaps the Maverick upgrade corrected the problem accidentally.

Before going to bed, I will try a clean reboot or two. But right now I'm just enjoying what I have.

One more note. When closing the mbp and then reopening, it now almost instantaneously brings up the backdrop screen and login prompt. Whereas, prior to the Maverick upgrade, it could take 5 - 10 or even 20 seconds to appear (if at all).

So maybe, just maybe something was inadvertently corrected during the OS upgrade.

Time will tell.

Rebooted several times last night after being on for several more hours. No issues and reboot was as quick as it's ever been.

This afternoon I'm back on my mbp 15" early 2011. Again desktop screen and login prompt appear quickly when the lid is still only half open.

Since the upgrade to Mavericks, I don't recall the cooling fans engaging even once.

No telling what tomorrow may bring, but I'm suspecting my supposed issue with the "graphics card improperly soldered to the logic board" has subsided.

I'll try to post once or twice more over the next few days or weeks.

Last note. Based on my successful Internet Recovery/Mavericks upgrade taking full control of all graphics (successfully) at the low level boot stage and no issues since, I have to believe that hardware is not the issue, but rather at the firmware or software levels when attempting to open up the OS for general use.

For this effort, I think Apple should give me free hardware for one year (with Apple Care of course).

MBP Config:

mbp 15" early 2011

256GB SSD sata III

16GB RAM 1600 MHz DDR3

CPU: I7-2820QM @ 2.3 GHz

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6750M(1024MB) + Intel HD Graphics 3000 (512MB)

From About this Mac:

Model Name: MacBook Pro

Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,2

Processor Name: Intel Core i7

Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 4

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 8 MB

Memory: 16 GB

Boot ROM Version: MBP81.0047.B27

SMC Version (system): 1.69f4

Serial Number (system): xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hardware UUID: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sudden Motion Sensor:

State: Enabled

I Have just ran into similar problems described in the last two pages; starting last night the screen went googoogaga, glitching and froze, had to force restart, only to get glitchy screen same as posted pics, some times go to dark blue glitchy screen instead of all grey, then gets extremely hot and noisy has to be forced off again.

Tried everything short of replacing hardware. I use my mbp for work, so I'm losing business.

Shocking to see how many others have same problem. Light bulb conspiracy comes to mind. Devastated. Please continue to post possible fixes!

In my opinion, you're experiencing what thousands (upon thousands?) of 2011 mbp users have been experiencing for over 2 years solely due to Apple's failures. Those failures include but are not limited to the following:

1. Apple failed us by incorporating a bad AMD chip and/or connection at the logic board.

2. Apple failed us a 2nd time by not owning up to their first failure and offering a cure or recall at their expense.

3. Apple really failed us a 3rd time by not forcing the video control back to the integrated Intel chip at every reboot. This 3rd failure by Apple is FAR worse than failures 1 or 2 as this seems to be the failure that renders most mbp's useless.

4. Apple failed us yet a 4th time by not even bothering to diagnose and address their 3rd failure.

5. Apple failed many of us yet a 5th time by suggesting many of us have our mbp's repaired at a cost to us of $150 - $700+ USD only to have the same failures 1 through 4 to continue to persist.

But since Apple fails to engage in any responsible way, it's all just a SWAG.

I, too, have just suffered this problem.

As an avid Apple fan, who brought this product thinking MBPs were bulletproof, this is really sad and disappointing.

I really hope Tim Cook takes steps to address this wide-spread problem for the affected users.

Mine is a late 2011. I took mine to the apple store where I bought it, addressed issues mentioned here, they denied that there was any worldwide hardware problem with 2011's and I disagreed but left it with him. They ran test with another screen to see if that was the problem then said it was the logic board needs replaced and that it it would cost £369, BUT since I had bought the product there they would do it free (result!) as they should in my opinion. Next day picked it up, fixed, now she purrs like the day before it broke.

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hi Rockbert77,

are you sure that you are not in any hardware cover plan or in guarantee period? I just make a direct call to one of the service provider in my area and they say that there are no such free charge and i still have to pay $875 if i want it fixed !!

Hi. I had no applecare, cover plan, nor am I in the guarantee period.

In Norway we have no Apple Stores, so the only way of repairing a mac is by going to a retail shop, who again sends the MBP to Apple (I would guess).

This retail shop needed my receipt and then they submitted a claim/complaint which obviously went through.

By law, we do have a 5 year "claim/complaint deadline" in Norway on electronic devices. It could be that this law kicked in and that´s why Apple approved the complaint and gave me a new board. But now I´m only guessing...

I should also mention that I explained every step I performed before delivering the MBP to the shop, and that the last thing I did was format the system drive and reinstall a fresh copy of OSx. This makes it easier for the repair guys to troubleshoot the Mac. So the first thing they said was "well ok, then it´s probably hardware related". Which we all agree it is, but Apple won´t state that it is until you have a fresh OSx installed and the issue still remains.