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User profile for user: Drcola2
Drcola2 Author
User level: Level 1
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Macbook Pro 2010 GPU Issue

Hi! My 2010 15 inch A1286 Macbook Pro is having a screen issue. I have a 512gb 850 EVO SSD and aftermarket 8gb of Corsair RAM. Neither of these aftermarket hardware parts caused this issue after installing them. This issue only showed up very recently. I am concerned that it may become a serious problem.
User uploaded file

This yellow, sometimes greenish line keeps popping up and twitching on the left side of my screen. It becomes much more intense while running Windows 7. It does not go away when I switch graphics cards. I reset the PRAM, still no difference. Finally when I reposition the laptop, say put it upside down or put it on its side it does not change. When I do a screen recording with quicktime it disappears in the footage


All of these pieces of information point to a hardware issue, am I correct in that deduction?

I do not think that reinstalling OS X will fix it.
I do not think its a cable connection issue because of the wobbling. (I may be wrong here)
I am unsure if its a graphics card issue.

I suspect it may be a screen problem


What do I do? What is a potential course of action? Should I be concerned? If so, about which component?


Thank you for any help in resolving this issue!

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), null

Posted on Aug 28, 2015 3:48 AM

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8 replies
User profile for user: Lexiepex
Lexiepex
User level: Level 6
14,102 points

Aug 28, 2015 4:27 AM in response to Drcola2

Did you have this issue before you updated to 10.10.5?

Does the Corsair Ram have the exact specifications for this mac? Can you take it out and put the original Ram in, to see if this gives the same issue?

Did you install any non-Apple software lately?

Do you have any "tools" installed, like Antivirus apps, Cleaners, Keepers, and what have you?

Download Etrecheck from www.etresoft.com and run it, click the Copy button at the end of the lsit, paste it in your replay post.

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User profile for user: Drcola2
Drcola2 Author
User level: Level 1
0 points

Aug 28, 2015 5:27 AM in response to Lexiepex

I was having this issue in 10.10.4 right before and right after I updated to 10.10.5
The corsair RAM is definitely supported. I got it 3 years ago and has never malfunctioned. I do not have the original RAM on hand. I highly suspect this is NOT the issue


This cannot be a software issue if the same problem shows up in Windows 7. SMC Fan control is the only program which I installed after this issue cropped up to test if it was a heat related concern. I don't think that's the issue though I could test it some more. None of my other non apple software caused conflict like this after installing.
None of my other non apple software pieces caused this issue. This issue started immediately after I got home from a LAN party.


No antivirus programs are installed whatsoever.


Here is the etrecheck

Problem description:

Display problems


EtreCheck version: 2.4.1 (137)

Report generated 8/28/15, 5:24 AM

Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck


Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.


Hardware Information: (What does this mean?)

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)

MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro6,2

1 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core

8 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 11 - SN = W01107AW7D3BA


Video Information: (What does this mean?)

Intel HD Graphics

NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M - VRAM: 256 MB

Color LCD 1680 x 1050


System Software: (What does this mean?)

OS X 10.10.5 (14F27) - Time since boot: less than an hour


Disk Information: (What does this mean?)

Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB disk0 : (500.11 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

BOOTCAMP (disk0s4) /Volumes/BOOTCAMP : 301.00 GB (121.32 GB free)

COKE (disk1) / : 197.90 GB (95.99 GB free)

Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

Core Storage: disk0s2 198.25 GB Online


MATSHITADVD-R UJ-898 ()


USB Information: (What does this mean?)

Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Apple Inc. Built-in iSight


Gatekeeper: (What does this mean?)

Mac App Store and identified developers


Kernel Extensions: (What does this mean?)

/Applications/DAEMON Tools/DAEMON Tools.app

[loaded] com.disc-soft.DAEMONTools.VirtualSCSIBus (1.0.2 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]


/Applications/Karabiner.app

[loaded] org.pqrs.driver.Karabiner (10.6.0 - SDK 10.10) [Click for support]


Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]


Launch Daemons: (What does this mean?)

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.disc-soft.DAEMONTools.PrivilegedHelper.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]


User Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

[failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist [Click for details]

[running] com.disc-soft.DAEMONTools.DAEMONToolsAgent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist [Click for support]


User Login Items: (What does this mean?)

gfxCardStatus Application (/Applications/gfxCardStatus.app)

Karabiner Application (/Applications/Karabiner.app)


Internet Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 [Click for support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 18.0.0.232 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.1 [Click for support]

Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.232 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10


3rd Party Preference Panes: (What does this mean?)

Flash Player [Click for support]


Time Machine: (What does this mean?)

Time Machine not configured!


Top Processes by CPU: (What does this mean?)

8% WindowServer

2% fontd

0% taskgated

0% notifyd

0% askpermissiond


Top Processes by Memory: (What does this mean?)

599 MB kernel_task

344 MB thunderbird

98 MB WindowServer

90 MB mdworker(7)

74 MB mds_stores


Virtual Memory Information: (What does this mean?)

4.90 GB Free RAM

3.10 GB Used RAM (1.13 GB Cached)

0 B Swap Used


Diagnostics Information: (What does this mean?)

Aug 28, 2015, 05:21:45 AM Self test - passed

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User profile for user: Lexiepex
Lexiepex
User level: Level 6
14,102 points

Aug 28, 2015 5:54 AM in response to Drcola2

I agree about the Corsair Ram: specs correct, unlikely cause.

But you have some strange softwares:

-- Daemon-tools: I don't know this, it says it is Yosemite proof, but it "delves deep" (Kernel extensions).

-- Karabiner keyboard customizer: I don't know this, and never had any need to use it, it seems Yosemite proof also, but also delves deep when used.

-- gfxCardStatus: is already a long time unsupported, but it works correctly still, I would take it out of the LoginItems, or uninstall.

-- There was an Adobe software without license one time, you have a license now I suppose. You must delete the following leftover plist:

/Library/LaunchDaemons/ adobe.Switchboard. Consumes resources and serves at nothing.

None of these I see as an immediate cause of the issues, but you never know.

You must really uninstall them including the extensions and plists, and restart, to see whether they cause the issue.

Did we already test the SafeBoot mode: Shtdown, startup while holding the Shift key immediately when you hear the startup tone, you can let go when you see the grey progress bar. Browse a bit with Safari, any issues?

Restart normally.

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User profile for user: Linc Davis
Linc Davis
User level: Level 10
209,547 points

Aug 28, 2015 8:14 AM in response to Drcola2

You have the MacBookPro6,2—the Edsel of Macs. It may have the logic-board defect that was covered by a recall program that has now ended.

Residents of the EU may be entitled to warranty service for up to six years after purchase.

Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider, to have the machine tested. The routine hardware diagnostics used by service providers do not detect the fault. There is a specific test for this issue that Apple calls "VST" (for "Video Switching Test.") Ask for it. A "Failed" result means that the fault is present.

You may be quoted a price of about $350 (in the U.S.) for a "depot repair," which involves shipping the unit to a central repair facility and takes about two weeks. For that flat fee, anything found wrong with it should be fixed, not just the logic board.

Sometimes the replacement part is also defective, so be prepared for that possibility. If you decide to pay for a new logic board, test thoroughly during the 90-day warranty period on the repair. Some owners have reported that they went through as many as three replacement boards before getting one that worked.

If you don't want to pay for the repair, you may (or may not) be able to work around the problem by disabling automatic graphics switching. To use the discrete graphics processor, you'll need a third-party utility to switch to it manually.

Often the problems start after an OS upgrade. If the upgrade was recent, and you have backups, then you can revert to a previous OS X version.

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Macbook Pro 2010 GPU Issue

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