White screen on my Macbook Pro

I just had the same problem and tried all the recommended solutions without success. I then came across thread with a similar issue and the solution was to remove the fan cable. I tied this and presto, computer boots up normally and I can login.

So, it is an issue with the fans and perhaps the temperature controll. I am not sure if replacing the fans will work but it seems like the next logical step. They means 2 fans. Ouch.

Follow up: I tested booting with one fan attached at a time and found that it was the right fan that is faulty. I am ordering a replacement fan and expect that will solve my white screen of death problem.

hey so i took your suggestion and it actually worked. right now im helping someone with their 2011 macbook pro and was finally able to log in. so did you install the new replacement fan and did it work? do you think it would be safe to just give it back to my friend with only the left fan connected?

if the new fan worked, can you tell me where you got it? and what kind of screw driver do i need? i see that it has a "torx" like screw.

thanks.

Yes, it did work for two weeks. I installed the new fan and reset the PRAM and SMU and it booted just fine. However, after two weeks, the computer would not boot past the white screen and I was getting a strange line of artifacts at the top of the screen after boot. The problem ended up being the graphics card.

It is an inexpensive solution and will probably work for many people.

I found the replacement fan on amazon/ebay, can't remember off the top of my head. On the 17" there was a right and left fan. Yes, it was either a T6 or a T8. Once the back case is off, the fans are right there and its a quick fix. I ended up paying about $30 for the fan. Hope this helps.

You can start here:

OEM Apple MacBook Pro A1286 Unibody Laptop SUNON Right Side Fan | eBay

Question (?) Mark, Blinking Folder, or Gray Screen at Startup

These are related but not identical issues. Their causes are outlined in Intel-based Mac- Startup sequence and error codes, symbols. Solutions may be found in:

A flashing question mark appears when you start your Mac

Mac OS X- Gray screen appears during startup

In most cases the problems may be caused by one or more of these:

a. Problem with the computer's PRAM - See Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM.

b. Boot drive's directory has been corrupted - Repair with Disk Utility.

c. Critical system files are damaged or deleted - Reinstall OS X.

d. The disk drive is physically non-functional - Replace the hard drive.

Note that the information I have provided is what Apple recommends, If other users suggest different solutions than found here, then be sure what they recommend does not impact on your warranty, if any, or ability to get continuing Apple service.

Please don't start removing drives or changing cables unless you know what you are doing and have exhausted other non-invasive alternatives outlined here. If you perform any work yourself that is unapproved by Apple, then you will void any warranty you may have and lose all further Apple Support.

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions

Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.

If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

The main difference if you are using Lion or Mountain Lion is that you must first boot from the Recovery HD. Simply boot from the Recovery HD to perform the above.

Reinstall Snow Leopard Without Erasing The drive

1. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions

Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.

If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.

2. Reinstall Snow Leopard

If the drive is OK then quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed with reinstalling OS X. Note that the Snow Leopard installer will not erase your drive or disturb your files. After installing a fresh copy of OS X the installer will move your Home folder, third-party applications, support items, and network preferences into the newly installed system.

Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.

Reinstalling Lion/Mountain Lion Without Erasing The Drive

Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.

When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Continue button.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

What happens when you try booting from the Recovery HD?

Boot Using Command+R keys:

1. Restart the computer.

2. Immediately after the chime press and hold down the

"COMMAND" and the "R" keys together.

3. Release the keys when the Utilities Menu appears.

OK. Here's what you must do:

Clean Install of Snow Leopard

1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came

with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.

After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see

a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.

2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue

button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.

After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive

size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of

partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button

and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended

(Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.

3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed

with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.

4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup

Assistant. After you finish Setup Assistant will complete the installation after which

you will be running a fresh install of OS X.

Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1. From here you can download and reinstall Yosemite from the App Store.

Then do the following:

Install OS X Using Internet Recovery

Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:

Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.

Partition and Format the hard drive:

1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

Hi,
unfortunately I have the same problem as you (and many others) and nothing worked.
Even if i start with the boot disk I end up with the same gray screen.

It's a common problem with 2011 MacBooks:
2011 MacBook Pro and Discrete Graphics Card

It's a hardware problem and Apple is doing nothing about it, there's a petition online to make them fix it:
https://www.change.org/p/timothy-d-cook-replace-or-fix-all-2011-macbook-pro-with -graphics-failure

Guess they are being sued:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/mac/widespread-2011-macbook-pro-failures-continue -petition-lawsuit-3497935/

Cheers.

Hi,
well, they are doing it because... they can 😐

It's not the nicest behavior though for a company that just had the most profitable quarter in history
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/27/apple-just-had-the-biggest-quarterly-earnings-o f-any-company-ever/

Man, they make 8.3 million dollars PER HOUR!

Yesterday i saw this link and #10 annoyed me even more:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/patriciac13/reasons-why-apple-should-resolve-the-macbook -pro-2-bcigThey already replaced the same defect GPU on iMac 27", exactly for the same reason, but they don't
seem to care about the MBP 2011...

it looks like there is now a repair extension for macbooks with the gpu issues:

https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/