IMac Display Freaking out

My wifes iMac (Intel 2.66 GHz/1 G Ram/ 20" display)has recently began to freak out with numerous blank blocks on the screen (up to 12) opening up when switching applications. It doesn't happen when working in an app, only switching between apps. The blocks can not be closed on the screen, they are frozen. You must shut the computer down and reboot to continue working. Sort of like Expose going nuts. Has anyone run into this situation? Any advise?

Did you try resetting PRAM as a first step? Some display settings are stored in PRAM.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

Similar Messages

  • MBP display freaking out :( pic inside

    I've had zero problems with my macbook (other than being refurbished and kinda lopsided) but this morning it started freaking out. I've never dropped it, never run the battery out. its about 3 weeks old.
    http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/2561/88263723tx5.jpg
    is this telltale for the "new" dispplay glitches tied to the last update?

    I am having a similar problem. Intermittent (seemingly random) display freezes where the screen "fragments" . See the photos:
    http://picasaweb.google.com/2DAnimationAcademy/SickMacbookDisplay
    The screen is fragmented into hundreds of little squares . Sometimes it is much worse than
    this and no discernible image on the screen is visible, just row upon row of these little square fragments.
    Hardware test shows No Trouble Found.
    Fsck from command line says Volume Appears Ok.
    Repaired Permissions and defragged hard drive with Disk Warrior.
    It happened the first time last week. I shut down , left it off for an hour to cool down (my first thought being it was an over-heating problem) . It started up again with no problem . Ran fine for another week , then the problem returned . This time multiple reboots did not fix the problem . Took it to the Apple Store genius bar. Display was totally fragmented (worse than in the attached photo) . Hard Drive seemed to be ok , so they advised backing up everything and sending it in to be repaired (I have Apple Care) . Last night I used Carbon Copy Cloner to get all my files over to an external firewire drive. Apple Care is sending me the DSL box to mail it in tomorrow.
    Here's the thing : I booted it up this morning just to check it one last time and everything looked normal; it's been on all day today and no sign of the problem . Frustration ! I'm afraid I'll send it in to Apple only to have them tell me there's no problem that they can see or detect (if they run Hardware Test it will show No Trouble Found as when I ran it . Just ran it again now and the same results : No Trouble Found) Then they'll send it back , I'll have lost a week or two use of my MacBook and no answers for why this is happening ... until next time the darned display freezes and fragments (?) . I'm hesitant to send it in . Maybe I should just archive and reinstall the OS . I'm still on OS 10.4 because some of my applications haven't "caught up" to OS 10.5 yet .
    Has anyone else ever seen this sort of screen fragmentation ?
    Could it be caused by a software conflict ? It seems like it must be a hardware issue, except Disk Warrior says the disk checks out ok and Apple Hardware Test says "No Trouble Found" .
    Message was edited by: David T. Nethery

  • Display "freaking" out, internal issue?

    For a long time now, my display will randomly "freak" out. What do I mean by freak out? I mean, it starts getting stretched vertically and horizontally, half of the top (lets say half of safari) will be at the bottom, etc. I have to move the display back and fourth until it stops. To see if this was an OS issue, I screen shared with someone else. I was able to finally recreate the issue, and they saw no problems. I'm guessing that this would be a wire being squashed or something.
    I've never dropped or done anything to my computer that would cause this. In fact, this started a month after purchasing it and I've been dealing with it for a year now. Recently, it's been getting worse and won't go away.
    Anyone got tips? Should I just go to the store and ask them what to do? If they are going to make me pay to fix it, I'll be pretty frustrated as I've done nothing wrong. Is this a faulty display? Am I liable for a replacement computer?
    Thanks.

    Do you have the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics chip? If so, you might be having this problem:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377
    If you have access to an Apple Store, there is a specific diagnostic test they can run to find this problem. If this is what it is, the repair will be done at no cost to you.
    I agree with eww that you should have reported this problem to Apple before the 1 year warranty was up. No matter what it was, they would have fixed it under warranty. Now unless it turns out to be the NVIDIA problem, you are on your own.
    Good luck!

  • Display freaking out, flashing, fan spinning

    Hello all. My MBP (from about February/March) just suddenly started flashing the display when I got home today - a regular, pulsing, strobe-like flashing that makes it impossible to look at it. The fan also starts spinning like crazy, though I wouldn't say the computer seems hotter than usual.
    I have rebooted, booted off the start disks, unplugged everything and rebooted again - nothing makes any difference. Trying to go to Displays in System Preferences just hangs.
    I'm writing this on an external monitor at the moment, which is behaving fine, so it's something about the laptop itself. I have an appt tomorrow at the Genius Bar but I'm freaking out because I have a deadline for some work... does anyone have any ideas? It does look like a hardware thing...

    Have you tried running the Apple Hardware Test? It's on Install Disc #1 of the gray discs that came with your computer. I don't know if you can run it given the way your computer is acting up, but if you can run it, you may get an error code which would point towards the cause of the problem.
    Also, if you can, open Activity Monitor (in your Utilities folder in your Applications folder). Select "All Processes" at the top, and see if you have something running amok in the background that is hogging the CPU. This is something that would cause the fans to spin like crazy.
    There is a "Flash Screen" option under the Hearing tab in Universal access, but I don't think that this is the problem here. You could check to see that it is turned off.
    Since the problem persists even when booted from a disc, I suspect it is a hardware problem.
    Do be sure you have an up to date backup before going in--there's a good chance your Mac will have to go off to be repaired.
    Good luck!

  • One Month Old Imac Display Bleached out

    The Imac is one month old, base model upgraded to 8Gb RAM. Not running anything too heavy. Recently the display became 'bleached out', for example I cannot see the black lines between columns on the Finder, and the icons seems washed out. in addition I cannot connect a second display as when I press detect displays, none are detected. I have done the usual resets and run an online hard ware test, nothing has changed and the ahrdware is running normally apparently. Have you any sugegstions please as to how to return things back to normal?
    Thanks
    Mike
    PS also recalibrated the monitor but again no change

    Hi
    I had the same problem and found the answer here :
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/602429?start=0&tstart=0
    Which suggested this :
    System Preferences > Universal Access > Seeing > look near the bottom, there should be a Contrast adjustment slide, all the way left is normal...
    Worked great for me - not sure how it was adjusted in the first place, but all is well now.

  • Display freaking out on me, any ideas?

    My display is doing something weird, and I was hoping someone else could shed some light on this for me. Every couple of minutes (4 or 5) the screen on my display will darken and then light back up. Never super dard (I can still see items on the computer) but it's annoying and I wonder if it is a symptom of a more expensive problem. It almost looks like someone is pressing the dimmer switch rapidly and setting it back to normal...any thoughts? Also, I have had this computer for about two years, do I still have a warranty?
    Thanks Guys

    Hi,
    The power inverter module might be weak. The fluorescent backlight needs several hundreds of volts to stay lit. When the backlight first ignites, it requires almost a thousand volts to establish ionization.
    The characteristic of the fluorescent backlight is that it will gradually get dimmer over its useful life, with about 50% of the original intensity after about 4,000 hours of operation. The touch-off voltage to achieve ignition will gradually increase as well with age, and that is what usually limits the usability of the backlight. The inverter won't be able to build up enough voltage to ignite ionization in the backlight.
    In your case, I suspect the MacBook doesn't yet have 4,000 hours of run time with the backlight on. ... and the inverter is able to build up enough touch-off voltage to get the backlight started. It looks like the inverter can't sustain operating voltage, so the display is periodically losing ionization and going dark. Once ionization is lost, there is no load on the inverter, so it will be able to once again build up to the touch-off voltage... the the whole process repeats.
    I'd take the MacBook to a service center or Apple retail store to see if the inverter can be replaced. It might be a warranty repair. Some other MacBook owners have had similar problems. Luckily, the inverter is only about $40 plus labor, if it is out of warranty. You may be able to replace the inverter yourself, but if you don't know how to work with high voltage components safely, let somebody else do the repair. See http://www.ifixit.com for additional repair information.
    Note the screen saver isn't so much the protect the LCD as it is to limit the number of hours the backlight is on. Luckily, notebook PCs are starting to move to LEDs for backlight. The LEDs consume less power and have essentially unlimited service life. The MacBook Air has LED backlighting.
    -Bill

  • IMac display goes out during Install

    Hi All;
    I have an iMac G5. While installing Leopard, the screen goes dark, and is unresponsive to keystrokes to bring it back. The installation is still taking place, as I can hear the DVD being accessed, I ust cannot see the install screen. What is happening here?
    Carcass

    How long has this install taken? Interrupting an install can cause it to fail, and it can also corrupt your directories. If you feel that the install has failed, eject the DVD, reset your SMU and your PRAM, repair permissions and try again.

  • My display freaks out and gets 4 of the same screen one it

    I have my display (apple cin of course), hooked to my Macbook Pro.  It has worked perfect for about a year and now it is clicking on and off every once in a while.  Then yesterday is went off and came back on with 4 of the same screen on the main screen and it was all jumbled up.  Why is it doing this and is the display failing?

    It sounds like the display or video card could be failing.  Try an smc reset but it probably won't have any affect.

  • Newly Puchased Refurb iMac Display blew; Send back or repair?

    Just wanted to get some thoughts from the forum gang. I just purchased a new refurb iMac Intel Core 2 Duo white from the Apple Online Store, and it worked great...for about 2 weeks, when last night the display freaked out and then blacked out. I took it in to my local Apple Store to be repaired, and they told me I had the choice, since I just received it May 9, to have them repair it or that I could send it back to Apple for a new one. Well, a new refurbed one. I was really torn. At least with this one I know everything else worked great, and if all they have to do is put in a new display, it will be a lot easier than removing the added RAM, repacking it, mailing it back to Apple, waiting for them to receive it and send another one, and then wait all day for FedEx to deliver it.
    If it had been a new computer, I wouldn't think twice about sending it back, but how do I know I wouldn't get a replacement refurb iMac with more problems? So I opted to let the Apple Store repair the one I have. As the replacement display was not in stock, I do have some time to weigh my decision. What do you all think is the better option? Thanks much.

    Normally you have the 14 day timeframe to reject the Mac. Sometimes with a refurb you pay for the model and occasionally you get an Easter Egg or two. Were there any free upgrades that came with the Mac? Upgraded HD or graphics card or extra RAM?
    With a brand new Mac you would not get a refurb replacement during the 14 day timeframe, you would get another brand new Mac.
    Since this is a refurb, this may not be the first thing to go wrong. It could be a lemon, it happens, even with Apple. I would definitely buy the Apple Care extended warranty with this one.
    Then again, replace the display and you may have the best 'puter you have ever had. One can never tell with electronics. But Apple always stands behind its product.

  • Display on iMac freaking out

    My wifes iMac (Intel 2.66 GHz/1 G Ram/ 20" display)has recently began to freak out with numerous blank blocks on the screen (up to 12) opening up when switching applications. It doesn't happen when working in an app, only switching between apps. The blocks can not be closed on the screen, they are frozen. You must shut the computer down and reboot to continue working. Sort of like Expose going nuts. Has anyone run into this situation? Any advise?

    Unless this happens only when playing a video, you'll probably want to ask this question in either the iMac or Mac OS X forums since it's probably not a QuickTime problem per se.
    Regards.

  • IMac Display stretched and out of focus

    My iMac display is not right. It is slightly enlarged and out of focus. I have already tried the display settings and holding the control key and scrolling down. I also tried restarting. Nothing is working. Last night I tried configuring my router for wireless. I supposedly made it secure with a password, which I had to use to connect to my network. The screen thing happened after that. This morning I checked the connection again and the little lock icon was no longer there. Could the two be related? Please help! I am obviously not very apt with computers, but I'm trying.

    This resolved my issues:
    Preferrences >  Accessibility > Zoom 
    then, uncheck Zoom and uncheck Zoom follows keboard focus. 
    Wait a few minutes.  You can rechec them again but it won't go back to the stretched and out of focus look.  I don't know why.

  • Putting iMac display to sleep, when using TV as a screen.

    I have just connected my iMac to my 42" Panasonic 1080p TV, the connection was easy and is working fine. My questions relates to putting the iMac display to sleep when using the TV as a monitor, if I am watching You Tube, Sky Player or a DVD, I intend to use my TV as the monitor. Is it possible for the iMac to puts its display to sleep, whilst leaving the TV on. I played around with this today, however was unable to manage this.
    Regards Craig

    Hi Craig
    There is no way to independently sleep either the iMac's Display or an attached Display/TV. However if in the Display Arrangement Preferences you set the attached Display or TV to be the Main Display and turn Mirroring Off, then FrontRow and the Full Screen Mode app's like, DVD player, QuickTimePlayer, etc. will black out the unused iMac display.
    Dennis

  • Intel imac display glitch and involuntary restart

    Just want to know if anyone else has experienced this specific problem, there are plenty of complaints about intel imac displays but I can't be bothered to sift through them all trying to find a match for my problem.
    A couple of months ago I was watching a video in quicktime and noticed that my screen was glitching and flashing fragmented diagonal lines - like a commodore 64 loading type thing. Then the spinning-ball came up and a force quit didn't do anything so I had to force shut down. I started up and it occured again. Then the screen went blank/black, but still lit up, and restarted without me doing anything. It also got stuck during start up the second time this occured. I panicked and ran out to buy a 500GB external drive, backed up all of my work and then re-installed mac osx from disk, archive and install job. This seemed to sort it and for the following two months it seemed OK. No sign of any problems.
    Since then I have updated from 10.4.7 to 10.4.10 (which I have suspicion that it screwed the firmware in my motu 828 firewire audio interface, costing me a £130 repair - but that's another painful story).
    It happened again tonight (the screen thing, not the motu). And the ball came up and I couldn't do anything. Force shut down, restart - screen glitching again. Then I had 2 unexpected restarts, one getting stuck in startup. Then a successful startup but accompanied by the glitchy graphics, mainly red/pink pixellated diagonal lines flickering in and out. I ran a disk first aid - no problems. Did a disk permission repair. Shut down and ran a hardware test, the first few minutes of the test the screen was still at it but then stopped glitching, hardware test found no errors (it was an extended test too). Now I'm back on it and it's all OK.
    Any suggestions/similar stories?
    When it occured 2 months ago I had the original ram that came with the imac. Now I have 2x1GB sticks of crucial ram.

    That's it! Well, that's what I have. Unfortunately, I don't know about the cause, but I don't ever recall having it prior to an update going back about a year ago. I recall an update, and that update being immediately followed by some sort of Apple Graphics something-or-other. I feel pretty certain that's when I first noticed this. I just had my LCD replaced for another reason, but I think you'll agree, it's not an LCD issue. In my case, browser activity, scrolling up or down in a page, seems to be the most common trigger. I've also seen "pieces" of the torn page, on the screen when minimizing the browser to the dock (usually Firefox, but I think I've seen it with Opera and Safari too). Is there a way to find update packages installed somewhere? I'd know it if I saw it, and I'd definitely try removing that suspect package/update.
    Message was edited by: geekboy2000 - corrected OS

  • Want to use Dell Laptop/Dock with iMac Display

    Hello, i currently have a MBP and a Work Laptop (Dell with Dock) and i would like to change my MBP to a iMac but i would like to use the same display on the iMac for the laptop dock too.
    Is this possible?
    I have read a couple of posts and am i right in thinking that there is no way of doing this with the new iMacs or the very new iMacs getting released in Nov/Dec?
    Do i need to buy a 2009/2010 iMac and if so, is this easy to hook up?
    Thanks
    Barry

    I just checked my laptop outputs, it does not appear to have a display port out, but the dell dock it sits in does.
    Will this just need a display port to mini display port?
    Thanks

  • User Contributed Tips in Intel-based iMac Your Intel-based iMac Display

    *The following User Contributed Tips are located in the Intel-based iMac > Your Intel-based iMac Display forum:*
    a brody - Using a second Mac as a display for a first
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1587927
    Publish date: July 7, 2008
    *The following related tips are located in other areas of Apple Discussions:*
    See also User Tips Library

    My 20" 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo had become almost useless due to freezes and crashes- with NO crash reports in the logs.
    They were often preceeded by video glitches, so I assumed it was a bad video card- unfortunately soldered to mother board.
    Apparently, from forum postings, this is not an uncommon problem. The computer would run longer if the day was cooler, but rarely more than 10 minutes, so I suspected it was aggravated by heat.
    Then I found this post from Bodomann on an Apple Support forum:
    "Following up on my previous posting regarding my son's late model 2006 iMac that required a $900 logic board replacement:
    Turns out the problem is apparently related to a bad CPU temp sensor. I installed 'iMac Fan Control' (Google it) which reported the CPU temp always at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (obviously incorrect). The same software allowed me to adjust the CPU fan manually. After multiple trials I set the CPU speed to 2800RPM after which the system would run forever - never freezing with the dreaded grey box 'reboot me' screen. I tried several times reverting the software to default speeds and the system would always crash within 10 minutes. "
    I downloaded free Fan Control 1.2 for Imac from Derman Enterprises (they have an Intel iMac and a Mac Book/Pro version). It installs as a system preferences control panel. I cranked up all three fan speeds. The fans sped up noticeably. Horizontal lines have gone from screen (so far), no color artifacts and no crashes yet. I may have a real computer back! Hope Apple checks this out-
    The control panel also gives the temps sensors are reporting at the CPU, hard drive and DVD drive. The CPU sensor reports the CPU temp as 32 degrees F- which is clearly wrong, unless Apple has been installing little refrigerators inside.
    So thanks to Bodomann for posting- Hats off and three cheers to Derman and Cristoph for source code.
    http://www.derman.com/iMac-Fan-Control
    http://www.lobotomo.com/products/FanControl/index.html

Maybe you are looking for