grannyshagger
Level 1 (4 points)
Desktops

Q: What's wrong with my mid-2011 iMac

Hello,

 

Looking for help to know what's wrong with my mid-2011 iMac.

 

Yesterday during a restart it just never came back to life again.

 

On power up, I get the start up CHIME and that's it. Screen is totally black. Nothing behind tried with a torch.

 

So far tried resetting vram several times, unplug and plug, all kinds of key combinations at the chime and nothing.

Connected an external monitor and shows nothing too - no signal.

 

Any way I can know what's wrong with it before sending it to the tech service? I'm suspecting bad graphics card but how to make sure?

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), null

Posted on Sep 4, 2016 7:59 AM

by John Galt,Solvedanswer
John Galt John Galt
Level 8 (48,633 points)
Mac OS X
A:

.

Posted on Sep 4, 2016 8:49 AM

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grannyshagger

Q: What's wrong with my mid-2011 iMac

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  • Helpful answers

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 4, 2016 8:27 AM in response to grannyshagger
    Level 8 (48,633 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 4, 2016 8:27 AM in response to grannyshagger

    From what you describe, it sounds like a hardware problem that only Apple will be able to fix, but don't give up hope just yet.

     

    Please read Get help with video issues on external displays connected to your Mac - Apple Support.

     

    I realize the title and subject are not relevant to your concern, but buried within that document is the following passage containing three links describing the steps to follow.

    If you can't change the resolution of your display because you can't see an image, restart your Mac in safe mode to reset the display resolution to defaults.

    If starting in safe mode doesn't resolve the issue, reset your Mac's NVRAM and SMC to reset the video ports on your Mac to their defaults.

     

    Do that first, then write back for additional suggestions if you still experience trouble.

  • by grannyshagger,

    grannyshagger grannyshagger Sep 4, 2016 8:39 AM in response to John Galt
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 4, 2016 8:39 AM in response to John Galt

    Thank you John for your input, I proceeded to perform those 3 actions without any improvements.

     

    I thought about starting up in disk target mode but unfortunately don't have the required hardware to connect to another computer.

     

    Cheers from a fellow (airline) pilot

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 4, 2016 8:45 AM in response to grannyshagger
    Level 8 (48,633 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 4, 2016 8:45 AM in response to grannyshagger

    It's almost certain to be a hardware fault. You could run Apple Hardware Test / Apple Diagnostics but each of its possible results leads to the same outcome:

     

    • identifying faulty hardware that only Apple will be able to fix,
    • "no trouble found" despite the fact something is obviously wrong,
    • or an inability to run AHT due to the problem you're experiencing.

     

    In any event, you've done all you can do, and you'll have to have your Mac evaluated by Apple for repair: Contact - Official Apple Support.

     

    Your iMac's hard disk contents will not be affected by that repair, but you should have a backup anyway. If you don't already have one, Apple can perform a backup for an additional fee.

  • by John Galt,Solvedanswer

    John Galt John Galt Sep 4, 2016 8:49 AM in response to grannyshagger
    Level 8 (48,633 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 4, 2016 8:49 AM in response to grannyshagger

    .