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non-functional LCD screen

G

gunnm74

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 13, 2000
Messages
1,749
All,

I'm hoping you can help me troubleshoot my problem.

I've got a 2.2GHz Macbook Pro non-unibody from 2008 with an nVidia 8600GT 128mb card. It's a 15.4" with a glossy screen.

Last night, I plugged in the MBP to the wall and set it on my coffee table. Opened a few tabs (gmail, youtube, CNN.com, the like) and started playing a youtube video. Paused it and got up to get a soda. When I returned, the screen had frozen and a jagged green pattern was covering it. Turns out the OS wasn't frozen, but the screen was not displaying me moving the mouse. I turned it off with the power button and tried powering it back on. When the grey screen comes up, half of the apple is covered in green jaggies. The spinning wheel appears and rotates for what seems like a normal amount of time, then it freezes. I'm guessing (based on the MBP's behavior) that this is when the blue screen normally loads. I've got it password protected but I obviously can't find my username to click on and get into OSX. I also tried booting into Windows 7 but the screen just stays black as soon as I've chosen the Windows partition to boot into.

After those two experiments, I zapped the PRAM twice but that didn't have any effect.

I plugged an external monitor into the MBP using a DVI cable but it never comes on, even if I hit the power button and quickly close the MBP. When I reopen the MBP, it's on, but the screen is black. The external monitor always stays black whether I try to boot into Windows 7 or OSX.

Anyone have any thoughts for my next step? Since I can't get the external monitor to initialize, I'm guessing that the video chip set has gone bad. If it were the LCD itself or a loose/bad video ribbon cable, wouldn't the external monitor initialize?

Regards,
Mike
 
Thanks! I called Apple support and they will repair it if the video test indicates that the video chipset has failed.

This is definitely preferable to buying a new MBP right now. I'm right at three years for this laptop and I wouldn't mind getting at least one more out of it.
 
yeah, I HATE it when people say "take it to the apple store and see what they say"...but this is one case where they will replace your logic board for free, as long as it passes the diagnostic test.
 
Or fails the test, as the case was. New logic board for me -- should get it back in a week or so, no charge.
 
nice, apple customer service is usually really good like that. as long as you don't get the emo girl who's all pissed off at the world helping you.
 
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