lynnelovestorun

Q: Photo images "scrambled" - unviewable (on 2011 MBA)

2011 Macbook Air

OS: El Capitan 10.11.4

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 384MB

 

About 2 1/2 weeks ago (mid-March 2016), when I go to view a photo in Preview or just move the cursor down the lists of jpg's to get a quick look on the right-hand side in Finder, the photos briefly show and then are completely scrambled.  They look almost like a Jackson Pollock painting.  Once that starts happening, I can't view photos anymore.  Note that these are in my Pictures folder, Google Drive, or Dropbox (Google Drive and Dropbox as viewed from the Finder window, not via Safari) or elsewhere.  I don't use iPhoto much unless I am editing or doing a slide show.  When I hit this problem, I have forgotten to see if it occurs in iPhoto.

 

So far, I have been able to get back to normal with a restart, but I don't want to do this all the time.  I am concerned my graphics hardware has an intermittent problem and could be dying a slow death.  I also wonder if this is a known defect for the 2011 Macbook Air (which I purchased in August 2011).

 

Below are 2 examples.  Any help and advice is appreciated.  Thanks.

 

scrambled-photo-image-example1.png

 

 

scrambled-photo-image-example2.png

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), Time Capsule 4th gen

Posted on Apr 11, 2016 6:57 PM

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Q: Photo images "scrambled" - unviewable (on 2011 MBA)

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  • by alex_h1,

    alex_h1 alex_h1 Apr 13, 2016 6:21 AM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Community Specialists
    Apr 13, 2016 6:21 AM in response to lynnelovestorun

    Hello lynnelovestorun,

    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

     

    From your description and screenshots you provided, I see you're seeing some pixelated artifacts on your screen after scrolling through photos within a Finder window.  To help isolate this issue and determine if it is a software or hardware issue, please start off by trying to reproduce this issue in safe mode:

     

    1. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down.

    2. After your Mac shuts down, wait 10 seconds, then press the power button.

    3. Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold down the Shift key.

       

      You should press the Shift key as soon as possible after you hear the startup tone, but not before.

    4. Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple logo and progress indicator.

    To leave safe mode, restart your Mac again, but don’t hold down any keys during startup.

    OS X El Capitan: Start up in safe mode

     

    If the issue persists in safe mode, then create a new user on your Mac, and again try to reproduce the issue.  

     

    How to test with another user account

    You can figure out if unexpected behavior is related to user file or setting by trying to reproduce the issue from another user account. This process includes creating a new user account, logging in to it, and testing for the issue.

    Create a test user account

    1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
    2. Click the Users & Groups icon in the System Preferences window.
    3. Click the lock icon, then enter an administrator name and password.
    4. Click the Add button (+) below the list of users.
    5. Choose a type of user from the New Account pop-up menu.
    6. Give the user a full name, account name, and password.
    7. Click OK.
    8. Close the System Preferences window.

    If there are documents from your original user account that you want to test with, place a copy of these items in the Shared folder in the Users folder. Press the Option key while dragging a file to this folder to create a copy.

    Log in to the test user account

    Log out of your current user account by choosing Log Out from the Apple menu, then log in to the new account you created. If you're prompted to sign in with your iCloud account or Apple ID when you log in, skip this step.

    Try reproducing the issue

    Try the same steps that caused the unexpected behavior to appear before. For example, if you were unable to print, try printing from this user account. If you were unable to connect to the Internet, try browsing a website from this user account.

    If you were using any specific settings that testing depends on (such as using a specific email account or iCloud account) set up the same account in the test user. For email and most other settings you can use the Internet Accounts pane in System Preferences to set up these kinds of accounts. If files from your home folder are needed for testing, copy them to Shared folder in the Users folder (/Users/Shared). After logging in as the test user, copy these items to the same location in the test user's home folder to test with.

    If an issue happens in only one user account

    If performing the same steps in a test user account doesn't result in the same unexpected behavior, you most likely don't need to reinstall any apps or OS X.

    • If an issue only happens in one app, check the app's documentation or support website for instructions on troubleshooting specific preference or setting files.
    • If you need help with a specific alert message or issue, search the Apple Support website for the text of the alert message you're seeing.

    If an issue happens in more than one user account

    If the same unexpected behavior happens in more than one user account on your Mac, try checking for software or hardware issues.

    How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

     

    Take care.

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 13, 2016 8:24 AM in response to alex_h1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 13, 2016 8:24 AM in response to alex_h1

    Hi alex_h1,

     

    Wow, thanks for the wonderfully detailed (I need that) list of what to do.  It will take me awhile to do all this in between everything else I'm dong, but I will set aside time to work on this and report back. 

     

    If I do need new hardware, part of the problem is that I have to have my photos displaying properly for a memorial service mid-May, so I am running out of runway.

     

    Thanks again.  I will try to get to this asap.  Regards, Lynne (lynnelovestorun)

  • by DuggieDooby,Helpful

    DuggieDooby DuggieDooby Apr 19, 2016 9:45 AM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Apr 19, 2016 9:45 AM in response to lynnelovestorun

    I have this exact same problem with the exact same model and year of computer. I would just add that the problem is unpredictable and does not seem to be due to the type of image or file type. I sure hope my MacBook Air is not on it's death bed.

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 19, 2016 9:50 AM in response to DuggieDooby
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 19, 2016 9:50 AM in response to DuggieDooby

    DuggieDooby,

     

    As saddened as I am to hear you are having the same problem, I am glad I am not alone

     

    I rebooted into Safe Mode the other day and ran that way for 2 days and didn't have the problem.

     

    I have been in Normal Mode since Monday afternoon and have no problems.  I think it starts to occur the longer you stay up and in sleep mode without rebooting.  And the longer you go between reboots or shutdowns, the worse the problem gets.

     

    My problem has morphed from just photos (and it doesn't matter if it's in the cloud or on the MBA's actual hard drive) to, sometimes, when I lift the lid to use the MBA, my email inbox is all pixilated, too, or an article in the online newspaper.  So far, just a refresh of the particular tab has resolved the problem for my email but not usually for the news articles.  For the news articles, the refresh sometimes gets the text back OK, but usually not any photos or graphics in the page.

     

    I am going to be calling Apple support later today.  I want to make an appointment at the Genius Bar.  I also want to know if this is a known defect for this particular year/model of MBA.

     

    Good luck! lynnelovestorun

  • by DuggieDooby,Helpful

    DuggieDooby DuggieDooby Apr 20, 2016 8:20 AM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Apr 20, 2016 8:20 AM in response to lynnelovestorun

    Problem SOLVED for me. At least so far : )

     

    I hope this helps you too. You need to reset the System Management Controller:

     

    Note: Portable computers that have a battery you should not remove on your own include MacBook Pro (Early 2009) and later, all models of MacBook Air, and MacBook (Late 2009).

    1. Shut down the computer.
    2. Plug in the MagSafe power adapter to a power source, connecting it to the Mac if its not already connected.
    3. On the built-in keyboard, press the (left side) Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.
    4. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
    5. Press the power button to turn on the computer. 
      Note
      : The LED on the MagSafe power adapter may change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

    Let me know if this is successful for you, my fingers are crossed LOL

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 20, 2016 8:28 AM in response to DuggieDooby
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 20, 2016 8:28 AM in response to DuggieDooby

    Hi DuggieDooby,

     

    THANK YOU for the tip to try.  I just did the procedure, and now I will wait and see.

     

    When I rebooted into Normal Mode Monday, it took till Tuesday (April 19) for things to go weird with the photos and pixilation everywhere -- photos, certain tabs on various web sites, etc. 

     

    For anyone else who gets this problem:

    • I cannot find a pattern, but it "appears" to be that the longer you stay up (with sleeping in between) with no reboots, the problem occurs.
    • The problem did not occur in Safe Mode for 2 days.
    • The problem occurred more quickly after the reboot to Normal Mode on Monday (April 18) -- certain photos went bad by the 19th.  I don't know if this meant the problem was getting worse.
    • It doesn't matter if the photos are in the cloud or on the hard drive.  I have had the problem since mid-March, and interestingly, it wasn't until this past weekend that iPhoto started to have the problem.
    • Certain photos in online news articles had the problem, usually the first screen, but then often, other photos throughout the article were OK.
    • Every so often, when lifting the lid, my email inbox would be entire messed up.  Luckily, just refreshing that tab would solve the problem without a reboot.
    • So far, each reboot has cleared the problem temporarily.

     

    NOW:  With this tip from DuggieDooby to reset the System Management Controller, I am hoping my problem will be permanently resolved like it was for DuggieDooby.

     

    I will post results in about a week -- I should know by then since the problem has been occurring more quickly in the past week.

     

    Thanks, lynnelovestorun

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 21, 2016 7:10 AM in response to DuggieDooby
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 21, 2016 7:10 AM in response to DuggieDooby

    Unhappily, resetting the SMC did not work.  Or, perhaps the SMC didn't really get reset? 

     

    I thought things were fixed.  Today, I looked at a NY Times article that had a link to "see the slide show" of 9 photos -- I went to the link, and the photos are all scrambled.  Tried another article -- photos are fine in the article, but when I click on the slide show link - scrambled again.

     

    As an experiment, I did an "export as PDF" to see what I'd end up with downloaded.  I could view the photos in the article in the right -hand gutter, but as soon as I opened Preview, all the photos were scrambled.

     

    Looks like it is definitely time to call Apple and get that Genius Bar appointment.

     

    I was so hoping the SMC would work. 

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 21, 2016 7:12 AM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 21, 2016 7:12 AM in response to lynnelovestorun

    Another thing I have noticed that appears to be related to the problem:  After lifting the lid and coming out of sleep mode, I notice that the screen where you enter the password is black instead of gray.  When I see that, I know that photos will be scrambled somewhere. 

     

    I am debating on doing a reboot today or waiting till I can get to a Genius Bar, but that won't be till next week, esp. since I have to travel 45 minutes to get there.

  • by DuggieDooby,

    DuggieDooby DuggieDooby Apr 21, 2016 10:21 AM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Apr 21, 2016 10:21 AM in response to lynnelovestorun

    Wow. Every single symptom you describe was repeated on my MacBook Air prior to the SMC reset. And something you didn't mention, mine was getting progressively worse as time went on. t am now on three days without a single problem or scrambled photo, in other words the problem for me is solved. Maybe you should try the reset a few more times just to be sure.

     

    I also had reset my parameter ram prior to the SMC reset, so it wouldn't hurt for you to do that too. Just hold down the P and R keys after you hear the start up chime when you boot up and then let them go when the start up chime sounds again.

     

    Sorry to hear it didn't work, I was so looking forward to some good news on your end!

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 21, 2016 4:42 PM in response to DuggieDooby
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 21, 2016 4:42 PM in response to DuggieDooby

    OK, based on your input, I decided to give it another try tonight, 4/21/16:

     

    • 7:25 p.m. - shutdown
    • unplugged adapter
    • 7:28 p.m. - reset PRAM [NVRAM] (option + command + P + R keys pressed at the same time right after the start-up chime, then let go when the start-up chime sounded again)
    • checked a few photos in the articles I knew were whacked, and they were fine (no surprise since a reboot was "fixing" things temporarily before)
    • 7:30 p.m. - shutdown
    • plugged in adapter
    • 7:35 p.m. - reset SMC using the procedure you gave me in an earlier post

     

    I'll see how the next few days go -- I should know by Saturday/Sunday based on what's been happening in the past week. 

     

    Thanks, DuggieDooby!  lynnelovestorun

  • by garrelts2,

    garrelts2 garrelts2 Apr 22, 2016 12:53 PM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 22, 2016 12:53 PM in response to lynnelovestorun

    This exact problem started yesterday on my early 2011 MacBook Pro running El Capitan 10.11.4.  I think it may have had something to do with a Thunderbolt update installed on 4/21--there was some problem with the installation and it took a couple of tries to complete.  There was some sort of auto-update of RAW camera compatibility that occurred automatically on 4/20, also.   I will try to perform the indicated resets, but am not confident...

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 23, 2016 2:15 PM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 23, 2016 2:15 PM in response to lynnelovestorun

    Resetting the NVRAM (PRAM) and SMC from Thursday night (see prior post) did not work.  All was good on Friday and again on Saturday morning. 

     

    I used my MBA again around 3:30 p.m. today, Saturday, 4/23 - problem is back.  It's even a problem for some PDFs that have NO graphics in them -- just a list of names and other text. 

     

    I did not get any updates April 21 (at least to my knowledge) that garrelts2 mentioned.  But I may have picked up the same update and don't remember.

     

    I am beyond frustrated.  Truly time to get to the Genius Bar. 

     

    P.S. Fan is making more noises, too - seems to come with the problem when it occurs.

     

    Sigh.....

  • by DuggieDooby,

    DuggieDooby DuggieDooby Apr 23, 2016 4:32 PM in response to lynnelovestorun
    Level 1 (14 points)
    Apr 23, 2016 4:32 PM in response to lynnelovestorun

    So sorry to hear that didn't work for you. I am now on 4 or 5 days without a single reoccurrence of the problem. Given how exact a match my issues were with yours I was confident it would fix your problem too. Good luck with the Genius Bar!

  • by lynnelovestorun,

    lynnelovestorun lynnelovestorun Apr 27, 2016 7:45 AM in response to DuggieDooby
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Apr 27, 2016 7:45 AM in response to DuggieDooby

    April 25 & 26 updates:

    • Monday night (4/25), I backed up a bunch of folders/files to an external hard drive before calling Apple support in anticipation of perhaps needing to leave my MBA at the Apple "hospital" some time this week.  Scheduled a call back for 9:15 Tuesday morning (4/26).
    • Also on Monday night, around 9:30, after backing up the appropriate folders and erasing them and cleaning up trash, I installed the latest Adobe Flash Player that had been sitting there for 3 days.  With NO reboot or shutdown/restart, all of a sudden, all the files that had pixelation were PERFECTLY FINE!  I went back to all the articles I had up in tabs to save for PD, went back to photos on my hard drive -- all were perfect.  Note that since I started having this problem mid-March, I had installed at least 1 or possibly 2 updates to Adobe Flash.  Is a bad Adobe Flash part of the problem???!!!!
    • Tuesday, 4/26: Spoke with Apple Support.  Went through all the PD I had done, how long I've had the problem, and also updated her on what happened after installing the latest Adobe Flash.  She said I had done everything she would have recommended (Safe Mode, resetting the NVRAM and SMC) and recommended an appointment at the Genius Bar.
    • I have a 12:30 appointment at a Genius Bar Thursday, 4/28. I am keeping an eye on if the problem re-occurs with this latest Adobe Flash.  Usually, the pixelation problem occurs about a day and half after a shutdown/restart.  I have not done a shutdown or restart since Thursday night, 4/21. Adobe Flash was installed 9:30 p.m. 4/25, so in theory, I could see the problem by the end of today.

     

    I will update the results of my Genius Bar visit.  I am hoping to find out exactly what the problem is/was.

     

    - lynnelovestorun

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