Dying screen

Question

I already posted this to a different thread and was pointed here, so apologise for doubling up.
I have a pretty new intel iMac. Over the last month or so it has developed a number of quirks. First off was kernel panic, then an occasional relutance to turn on. These stopped for a few weeks but now I keep getting instant screen death. That's it, the screen goes black although the machine still hums quietly o itself and even has a go at reading the CD drive. I've run the hardware check which, when it doesn't freeze says things are ok, I've tried doing a clean re-install but get the blck screen of death before getting passed the checking the disk stage. I'm starting to suspect the RAM, they are the ones that came with the machine, anybody else had this, any suggestions. I'll send this before it crashes again. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi Jimmymack!
Check the System Profiler's listing of the "Boot ROM Version" and the "SMC Version" against the Firmware Update's Read-Me to verify that your Core Duo iMac's firmware and SMC firmware are up-to-date, or if you have a Core 2 Duo, you only need to check the firmware. If necessary, update the firmware or the SMC firmware (one at a time). http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303903
Once it's up-to-date, reset the SMC by following these instructions: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446
Since it's an absolutely no-risk procedure, it may be repeated several times until one feels certain they've done all they can with that possible solution.
If it's then necessary to find another solution, try a single PRAM reset. It's NOT something you would do every day - but to reset the PRAM:
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Locate the following four keys on the keyboard: Command (Apple logo), option, P, and R. You will need to hold these four keys down simultaneously in step 4.
3. Start up the computer.
4. Press and hold the Command-option-P-R keys. You should press this key combination immediately after the startup chord sounds, and certainly before the gray screen's Apple logo appears.
5. Hold all four keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup chord for the second time. The PRAM reset will reset your sound level preference to the mid-point, so the second time may well sound more or less loud than the first.
6. Release the keys.
Also reset will probably be Startup Disk in System Preferences.
I don't really believe any of the above will help, though they might (one never knows), as your description still sounds like it's most likely a RAM seating problem, as every symptom you mentioned fits that scenario. That doesn't make it so since they probably fit a bad logic board scenario as well, but you can easily confirm or deny the loose RAM all by yourself if you wish, or have Apple do it when you take it in for repair, which otherwise it's most certainly going to need. Good luck:)