I've rebooted with (Command option r p) twice, yet on startup I'm seeing a bunch of vertical bars on my screen, in front of the apple logo in the centre of the monitor. Perpetually stuck in that mode. Is it the video card that's shot?
We can't help you when you don't tell us anything about the Apple hardware you are using. from Apple's article," How to Writea Good Question":
To help other members answer your question, give as many details as you can.
- Include your product name and specs such as processor speed, memory, and storage capacity. Please do not include your Serial Number, IMEI, MEID, or other personal information.
- Provide the version numbers of your operating system and relevant applications, for example "iOS 6.0.3" or "iPhoto 9.1.2".
- Describe the problem, and include any details about what seems to cause it.
- List any troubleshooting steps you've already tried, or temporary fixes you've discovered.
And, although not clear from Apple's poor choice of forum title, this forum section is for Macs made before 1998 so I suspect we need to get you moved to an active forum where people will actually see your post. But we can't even do that without more information from you.
Thanks for your help, it's an original Mac Pro bought in 2006, running on OS X 10.7 Lion
Perfect. Getting you moved to the MacPro forums.
When your Mac starts up, the display card is in simple mode, where what is shown is a direct window into part of the display memory. If you have one or more vertical bars, it is usually an indication that there is a chunk of display memory that is dead.
Apple tends to only be willing to replace cards like-for-like, so you should probably decline their offer of direct card replacement and read this tip instead.
User Tip: Mac Pro silver tower (2006-2012) Replacement Graphics cards
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Try running Apple Hardware test.
What graphics card is installed?
Is it the original card?
Vertical line on screen during restart?
