Screen flickers badly after HD upgrade on an Early-2009 iMac

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Screen flickers badly after HD upgrade on an Early-2009 iMac

I just replaced the 640 GB HD on my Early 2009 iMac with a 2 TB Western Digital HD. After starting up the system, the screen came up nicely; however, after a few minutes, it began to black out momentarily...then frequently. I reformatted the new HD (which can be seen successfully in Disk Utility) and have been restoring the system from a Time Machine backup. The iMac screen will perform normally for approximately 90 seconds and then begins to flicker badly. Please help! A prompt reply will be greatly appreciated as I need to get this iMac humming again quickly. Note: This iMac has NEVER had this problem before and I was very careful to install the new HD properly. Thanks for any guidance you can give!

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Oct 12, 2015 9:35 AM

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Answer 1

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,550 points

Oct 13, 2015 7:59 PM in response to danlch

The HD may be connected properly however you may not have connected other internal cables correctly. I would recommend disassembling and checking all of your connections. This does not sound like a software issue and may be a good reason to spend a few bucks to have a professional Apple Authorized Service Provider do the work for you.

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Answer 2

danlch Author

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Oct 12, 2015 10:01 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you for your prompt reply. Given that the screen comes up normally throughout the entire startup routine and then remains normal until I invoke some type of command (e.g., reformatting the new HD, etc.), does that tend to signify which internal connection might be problematic? Should I remove the bezel and watch the LED troubleshooting indicators for a possible cause?

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,550 points

Oct 13, 2015 7:59 PM in response to danlch

You should do what I recommended, totally disassemble and look for cable connection issues. If you don't see any then contact an AASP in your area.

In addition, beginning in 2009 Apple began using HD's that included temp sensors in the HD's. I don't know if this switch began with the early 2009 machines or the late 2009 machines. If it began with the early 2009 machines then you need to come up with a solution to manage the temp because almost all off the shelf HD's do not have temp sensors integrated in to the HD. OWC makes a solution (www.macsales.com), however you would need to contact them and ask if your machine would be a candidate of not. If you took your machine to an AASP, they would know about this issue.

The point I am trying to make,is sometimes in an attempt to save money by doing something yourself you make errors because you simply don't know. These errors can have various consequences including damaging what you are attempting to fix or taking an extended amount of time to correct your errors. When it comes to working on iMacs, unless you are highly technical, very well educated on the subject and willing to take the risks it may be in your best interest to have a pro do the work.

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Answer 4

danlch Author

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9 points

Oct 13, 2015 7:31 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Hello rkaufmann87. I did as you suggested and completely disassembled the iMac. There were no obvious cable connection issues; however, I got lucky…the process of disconnecting and reconnecting everything appears to have worked as the iMac is operating normally again. Yes, this Early 2009 iMac does have the temp sensor attached to the HD. I had watched the excellent tutorial video by OWC on YouTube multiple times prior to attempting this operation and have delved into the innards of other Macs and PCs, so I felt comfortable attempting this myself. Thank you for your prompt responses and good advice. BTW, I used to live in Sacramento and would fish for salmon below Nimbus Dam. We miss several things about CA. Thanks again, Dan

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,550 points

Oct 13, 2015 7:52 PM in response to danlch

Your welcome and glad it is working again. If you are satisfied this thread has been answered please mark it as such, it may help someone else.

I just went salmon fishing last month out of Sausalito and out through the Golden Gate, caught a nice 21 lb one.

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Answer 6

danlch Author

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9 points

Oct 13, 2015 8:21 PM in response to rkaufmann87

That's a VERY nice fish..great catch! We loved visiting the Bay Area. Thanks for sharing!

Question…in the screenshot below, I can click on the left side and it shows that your response helped me; however, when I mouseover the right side, it acts like a link but does nothing when I click on it. Am I supposed to get some kind of message/response when I click "This resolved my question" ?

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Answer 7

danlch Author

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9 points

Oct 13, 2015 8:25 PM in response to danlch

No need to respond…the message has reverted to "Solved" and what I was questioning has disappeared. There was obviously a time lag that I wasn't expecting...

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