Please help! Macbook Air freezes with stripy screen. Becoming more frequent. Photos included.

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Please help! Macbook Air freezes with stripy screen. Becoming more frequent. Photos included.

I'm desperate for some help with this problem. Somehow, I've been putting up with it for about a year. Included below are pictures of the problem - my Macbook Air will just freeze, and these stripy areas come up that contain other parts of my screen. The computer is frozen and I can't do anything. Usually I restart the computer by holding down the power key, but if I don't, after about 30 seconds of this happening the computer just turns itself off anyway.

It's a 13" Macbook Air (mid 2012) with the latest software update.

This used to happen once a week MAX, but now is happening every day, up to 3 times a day. I just don't know what it could be, because I turn the computer straight back on and it is fine (though lately it sometimes happens again shortly after, as it's happening more often), so it's not like it's too hot or anything is loose, because then it wouldn't work straight after restarting?

There's no common program or any other factor that causes it, it happens no matter what application I am using at the time.

I've taken it to Apple and they said they couldn't do anything unless I left it with them for a week and they tried to prompt it to happen, and that just isn't an option for me as I use it daily for university.

It was under warrantee when I first took it in, but I doubt it still would be. Is this going to be expensive to fix?

Thanks in advance, and please see photos below!

Also please let me know if any more information is required.

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 4, 2015 9:45 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 4, 2015 10:23 PM in response to rk6547

I can't be certain as to the cause, however I experienced the same symptoms on a MacBook pro 13", several years ago. Taking it to the nearest Apple Store Genius Bar, the cause was rather quickly determined to be a failed/failing graphics subsystem on the main logic board. Since the unit was only 3-4 months old, they opted to replace the whole unit on the spot.

If yours turns out to be the same cause, you may be presented an option to replace the logic board. It will be pricey, perhaps equaling or exceeding the current value of the unit.

Make sure you have a good backup, and take it in.

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Answer 2

rk6547 Author

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Oct 5, 2015 1:00 AM in response to SP Forsythe

When I took it to Apple they couldn't figure it out (not sure what they did or how hard they tried). I've run the diagnostics and it came back with no problems, and I saw that it specifically checked the main logic board.

So I think it might be a different issue?

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Answer 3

Oct 5, 2015 3:17 PM in response to rk6547

Did you take photos/video of the problem with you, so that you could demonstrate the issue? That was crucial in my case, for the problem exhibited sporadically and randomly.

Just so that you strengthen the case that it is hardware, and not software, install a fresh copy of OS X onto an external drive. Then boot up to that copy, and "play" around to see if it happens using that isolated drive. If the problem is hardware, you have then virtually assured yourself that it isn't something going wrong with you main installation of OS X.

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