Q: Colored vertical lines on PB 17" display

I also have the vl problem which currently stands at 26 vertical coloured lines. My model has the same w8 serial number and was bought in october 2004.

As mac dont seem to be interested in recalling this model i have tried to find a fix. It seems to be one cable from the power inverter to screen and can be bought online from secondhand mac part suppliers.

Does anybody have more info?

I'm plagued with the same problem and it's only getting worse. Can't even get anyone at Apple to reply to my emails.

I've joined the sad W85-club about a month ago. It started with just one line, but continued with several after only a couple of days.
I'ts a mint PBG4 17, that's NEVER left the house. Just turned it in on AppleCare repair (32 days left, phew) for this problem. Hope the DON'T charge me anything for this obvious hardware problem.

/ E

Add another user to the batch of unhappy PowerBook 17" customers. I have 3 lines now and started seeing them months ago... the news on this board is not comforting.

MC
Miami, FL

My PowerBook G4 17" has developed this problem too, and so has my brother's. Right as the extended AppleCare ended

So all we can do is get a case # with U.S. AppleCare, and ask them how we can file a formal complaint? But apparently even after you pay to get it repaired yourself, some people have been having it happen again? <edited by host>

I too have the vertical lines on my PowerBook 1.67 G4 17" with serial number starting W85... bought from Apple, Regent Street on 30th April 2005. There are currently four vertical lines of various hues.

I rang Apple (UK) and was told that they knew nothing of the problem. I mentioned this discussion and the 'Bridget Riley" site and was told that "anybody can write what they like on the web".

So obviously, every report here is a blatent lie and you are all Microsoft Stooges

In the meantime, I'm still making presentations on that PowerBook and when people ask, I tell them it is an illusion and they need their eyes tested. Then I tell them the truth!

I too have a Powerbook G4 that had vertical screen line problems. I did get Apple to replace the screen with a new one. That one then went dead 2 weeks later. I took it back and they put a third screen on the laptop along with a new keyboard, track pad and motherboard. It worked fine for about 120 days, just 30 days more than Apple allows for warranty on repairs and then a vertical line appeared. Because of the timing, Applecare won't fix it. Does anyone know if there is something that I can pay to have done short of replacing everything again, that would fix it before it gets even worse?

Hmmm, do you even know (or can you find out) if, when they fixed it, did they examine it to see if it had the whole problem with the plastic hold-down post grinding away at the inverter cable? If they can tell you whether you had that problem and whether they corrected it or not, that tells you something about what might (or might not) work next. You might check at a brand-new site I found that's trying to analyze this problem and repair options, etc. I can't tell when the forum moderators let you post a web address, so, if you're interested in this site, email me, you can get my address via my forum profile.

Hello

I had the lines untill I count 50 and I decided to repair the screen. I brought the PB to the apple store at shibuya in tokyo, (was my third time and of course "I never heard about this problem") So I repeat my speech again and show them the Bridget Riley's site and also this forum. They put a new screen in only two days very efficiently (not only the screen, they've changed also the alluminium cover of the screen) BUT AFTER THREE DAYS THE FIRST LINE CAME AGAIN! . おひさしぶり！！！ (long time no see)

I will go again tomorrow. I hope I can get the money back. I don 't want to pray for a "non Bridget Riley screen" after the three months of that ridiculous warranty of a factory defect .

kromey wrote:
Has ANYONE figured out a way to be heard, because this is ridiculous. This was the top of the line model that costed $3,000+. Is the only resolve to file a claim? Anyone find a particular name to contact?

Not sure. I found a brand-new site that might have whatever solutions you're looking for, they're trying to analyze the problem, etc. I can't tell when the forum moderators let you post a web address, so, if you're interested in this site, email me, you can get my address via my forum profile.

I would also like to be added to this list of W85 Shanghai users with vertical lines on LCD.

I have a early March Shanghai PB G4 17" s/n W85***RJ3 now with 8 lines and seemingly appearing almost daily...

I also wish Apple would address this issue. I am totally disabled and unable to work so I can't afford the $400 USD to get a new LCD. If I did have a replacement LCD I could replace it myself...I still have the use of my hands.

Does anyone know of any official complaint thread, email address or person at Apple we can use to bring this to Apple's attention, letting them know that it may not be "widespread" but all of us Shanghai recipients have been "Shanghai'd" by Apple. I bet there are alot of others with the same W85 Shanghai issue that are not voicing there problem...some people are not vocal or feel that the big Apple will not stoop low enough to help out their users.

<Edited by Moderator>

homemadefading wrote:
Another W85 bites the dust. Is it worth reporting it to Apple? Does it help? My AppleCare expired a month ago, so I don't think it will be of any help...

Some have said you definitely should anyway. There's various advice in this thread on who to contact. Or try the brand-new site on fixing this problem, they've summarized "who to call" advice, hardware troubleshooting resources, they've got a forum, etc. You can't post URLs in this forum, if you want the web address email me, you can get my address via my forum profile.

Hi I don't think that it is all to do with the power book range as my g4 ibook circa 2005 also had the display problem after about 15months. Any other people with ibook or is it just me?

Konstantin wrote:
My s/n starts with v7. Is it still possible that our problem has the same origin?

Hi Konstantin, betty had a similar question...

betty b00p wrote:
Hi I don't think that it is all to do with the power book range as my g4 ibook circa 2005 also had the display problem after about 15months. Any other people with ibook or is it just me?

For both of you, there'd be similar questions...is your problem caused by the same cause as the rest of us...and even if it is, does that put you in the same boat as the rest of us.

Though unless Apple investigates, we may never know what the common cause is (many point fingers at a clamp grinding away at the inverter cable).

And even if we do, well, if this is a random problem that occurs in 1 out of 10,000 LCD notebooks regardless of model, year, or factory, and you guys have been bit by the 1 in 10,000, then you may not be in the same boat as the rest of us. The rest of us have a common complaint because it's sounding like there was a run of thousands of notebooks in spring of 2005 that all have this problem.

Betty, have you searched or posted in the iBook forum?

ValveMachine wrote:
Does anyone know of any official complaint thread, email address or person at Apple we can use to bring this to Apple's attention

Konstantin wrote:
Does one of you know an official email address of apple where we all could email our problems at one place to force apple to react?

You can read through this entire thread, or, more speedy, head to that brand-new site that summarizes "who to call" info. If you don't know the site I'm referring to, well, you can't post URLs in this forum, if you want the web address email me, you can get my address via my forum profile.

@Konstantin: Since that site is trying to analyze the problem, and it has a user forum too, you might find out through there if there are many other v7's out there that are like you.

MY W85 Powerbook got the yellow line of death just last night. I'm not very happy about it, obviously. I'm a life long Mac user and this is the first machine that's given me this much trouble. For $3000.00 and from Apple I expected more for my money. First the hard drive went out, then the display failed, and now the yellow line of death. I will be calling Apple today to lodge my complaint. I suggest everyone else do the same. If the person I speak to cant give me a straight answer i'll ask to speak to their superior and continue up the chain. The W85 Powerbooks are a problem and they KNOW it. I will not be satisfied until I'm told that it will be fixed for free. I was planning to purchase three new Imacs for my small business next month, but now I'm hesitant. I want my machine fixed or i'll deeply consider going to (dare I say it?) Windows. I expected more from Apple.

Marcus