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IMAC (27”, late 2009) only loads in Safe Mode with Pink/Green vertical lines

Hey!


I am able to start up my old iMac, which I intend to sell, only in a safe mode which then has green vertical lines all over the screen. (See photo attached). I have a feeling it’s related to a graphic card, but I might be wrong. I have two questions:


1. If it’s not related to graphic card, how can I fixed this?


2. If #1 will not work, I’d like to completely erase all content on a hardrive, how can I do that?


Thanks! User uploaded file

Posted on Mar 17, 2018 7:39 PM

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Posted on Mar 17, 2018 7:58 PM

It is a hardware problem. Most likely the GPU. That is an expensive repair. If you do plan to sell the computer then you need to reset it to original factory state.


How To Do A Factory Reset


Your computer came originally with Snow Leopard or earlier. These models shipped with Software Restore DVDs when new.


Snow Leopard Erase and Install


  1. Insert Snow Leopard DVD into the optical drive and restart the computer.
  2. Immediately upon hearing the chime hold down the C key.
  3. Release the key when the Apple logo appears and wait for the loading to finish.
  4. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities' menu. After Disk Utility loads select the out-dented disk entry from the side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive size.) Click on the Partition tab in the Disk Utility’s right window. Set the number of partitions to one (1) from the drop down menu. Click on the Options button and select GUID, click OK button, set the format type to MacOS Extended, Journaled. Finally, click on the Apply button.
  5. After formatting has finished quit Disk Utility. Continue with the OS X installation and follow the directions.
  6. When the installation has finished the computer will restart into the Setup Assistant. After you complete the Setup Assistant you will be running a fresh installation of Snow Leopard. Open Software Update and install the recommended updates.
  7. If you are planning to sell or give your computer away, then do the following: After you reformat your hard drive and reinstall Snow Leopard, the computer restarts to a Welcome screen. To leave the Mac in an OOTB (Out Of The Box) state, don't continue with the setup. Instead, press Command and Q keys to shut down the computer. The Setup Assistant will guide the new owner through the setup process after he/she turns on the computer.
  8. Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1. It is not needed if you are selling or giving away the computer.


If you are not going to do the repair then sell the computer for parts. Remove the HDD from the computer and skip the above procedure.

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IMAC (27”, late 2009) only loads in Safe Mode with Pink/Green vertical lines

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