cerend
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Q: MacBook Pro screen dimming to black by itself and not coming back

Hello,

 

I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro 13". As I am using the computer, the brightness icon comes up by itself and I see it dimming the screen to black. My F1 and F2 do not work, and so I cannot bring the screen back up. The computer continues to run, as I can press the volume button and hear the sound, or I can call facetime and hear it ringing. The only way I get the screen back is to press the power button shut it down and press it again to restart. Initially it would give me about an hour before dimming to black, but now it does it in a few minutes after booting up. It has made the computer unusable. I'm not very computer savvy but looking online, I've tried the following things already and at each step the issue continued:

 

- I checked my computer and noted that it did not get hot

- SSH'd into the computer and ran the code to increase brightness (I tested the code while the screen was on and I saw the brightness icon come up and the brightness increase a notch).

- Went into energy saving settings and made the display sleep and computer sleep options at over an hour

- Went into settings again and turned auto brightness off

- Did an SMC reset based on instructions I saw online (not sure if there is any way to be sure this reset was done)

- Did a PRAM reset based on instructions I saw online, got a screen with a few options (install from time machine, install new osx, disk utility and online help). I picked the time machine option and restored from backup

- I updated to Yosemite (I was running the previous system, can't remember the name exactly). It did get stuck at 50% it seemed while installing, I let it sit for several hours like that and did a hard reboot, and it came up with Yosemite icons. I'm not sure if there is an issue with installation that I am not seeing.

 

I read online in discussion forums that people suggested this could be due to faulty lcd or related cables/parts or logic board. I noticed while doing the time machine and Yosemite updates that  the screen did stay on. Which leads me to believe this is a software issue, but of course as a non tech person, I am not sure if this assumption is correct.

 

I just did another PRAM reset, picked "Disk Utility", and clicked all the verify and repair options. Once that was done, I clicked to install new OSX and it's now downloading Yosemite again. It's been about an hour since I started with the disk utility and since then the screen has stayed on.

 

Do you have any further recommendations? Do you also think this is a software and not a hardware issue? Please help if you have any ideas. Thanks!

MacBook Pro

Posted on Mar 10, 2015 6:11 PM

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cerend

Q: MacBook Pro screen dimming to black by itself and not coming back

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  • by alex_h1,

    alex_h1 alex_h1 Mar 12, 2015 9:26 AM in response to cerend
    Community Specialists
    Mar 12, 2015 9:26 AM in response to cerend

    Howdy cerend,

     

    Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

     

    From your post I see that you're having an issue where the screen on your MacBook Pro is going black after some time.  The information you provided as far as resetting the SMC and PRAM indicates it might not have been done properly, so first I would like you to please reset those by following the directions below.  After that, try booting the computer into Safe Mode, and see if the issue occurs when in that.  If it does, then there likely is a hardware issue with the computer, and will need to be serviced.

     

    Reset the system

    You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.

    Reset the resolution

    Start by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:

    1. Start up in Safe Mode.
    2. From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
    3. Choose Displays from the View menu to open the preferences pane.
    4. Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.
    5. Restart your computer.

    If you tried all of these steps for your display and the video issues persist, contact Apple technical support or take your Apple computer to the nearest Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for diagnosis. If you plan to visit an Apple Retail Store, make a reservation at the Genius Bar using http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/ (available in some countries only).

    Note: Diagnostic fees may apply for issues not covered under warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan (APP).

     

     

    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays - Apple Support

     

    Take care,

    Alex H.

  • by cerend,

    cerend cerend Mar 14, 2015 8:52 AM in response to alex_h1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2015 8:52 AM in response to alex_h1

    Hi Alex, thanks so much for the suggestion. I recently saw your message and in the meantime I had given up, erased my hard drive and reinstalled yosemite, hoping that if i had a software issue this would fix it. Unfortunately the issue continued both in regular and safe mode. Sometimes after a minute, and sometimes over many hours. It is so weird I see the brightness icon come up and dim it to black. I have now picked a different scaling on the display and trying it out.

     

    Is there a way that I can re-assign the brightness keyboard shortcut to another key? I never use the keyboard lighting and wondering if I can assign the F1 to F5 and F2 to F6 for example. That way I can try if I can get the screen back up from the keyboard - currently my F1 and F2 are not working. I went into the keyboard settings but did not see anywhere F1 and F2 was assigned to brightness. I do have that use fn thing checked off. Thanks

  • by alex_h1,

    alex_h1 alex_h1 Mar 14, 2015 12:44 PM in response to cerend
    Community Specialists
    Mar 14, 2015 12:44 PM in response to cerend

    Hi,

     

    Given the troubleshooting you've done, and the fact that you're seeing the brightness controls popping up, it appears that there's a hardware issue with the F1 and F2 keys on your keyboard.  You will need to get the Mac serviced for the function to be restored.  Since you've enabled the option for the Function key to be held down, it should work as a temporary resolution.  You may also want to consider getting an external keyboard if you do not want to get the Mac serviced immediately.

     

    Apple - Support - Service Answer Center

     

    Take care,

    Alex H.

  • by cerend,

    cerend cerend Mar 14, 2015 5:51 PM in response to alex_h1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2015 5:51 PM in response to alex_h1

    Thanks Alex, I will make an appointment for service.