Screen flicker issue

Sometimes, my screen flickrs black for just a millisecond. I don't know what it is causing. But it is happening as well on my Imac, as on my macbook. What could it be? It always seems to be happening when I'm loading something or safari opens a website or page. help!

What I'm experiencing is an occasional flicker here and there that lasts for a fraction of a second. I think, I'm not 100% sure, but I think it happens only, or more frequently, when I'm running off battery; again, I haven't tested that so I'm not sure.
I know no one is responding, but just to add some more info, this is happening both when it's plugged in and not plugged in.
I also notice the battery is having a difficult time getting to 100%. It hangs at 99% for a long time. (And I do let it drain all the way to 0% about once a month.

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HELP?!? - iMac 2011 i7 Screen Flicker issue (OSX 10.8.3)

I have a Mid 2011 27" iMac with i7
Since the latest OSX update (OS X 10.8.3 (12D78)) I am getting a very concerning issue where my secondary monitors and my iMac screen 'flicker' and show horizontal bars (green in colour) the audio then seems to stutter and crash before eventually the computer freezes and I have to hold the power button to shut down.
This happens once or twice a day, however a related issue that happens every few minutes is that just my secondary monitors flicker white in places and go completely black for a few seconds at times too.
I have run the Apple Hardware Test and it reported no issues, I also reinstalled OSX from recovery and it is still happening.
I am hoping (praying) this is an issue with OSX and not my hardware. Can anyone shed any light on this - I'm seeing reports of 'similar' sorts of issues with the latest OSX update. But nothing like the issue I mentioned first (the one that forces me to shut down)
I have a Time Machine backup, is it possible to use Time Machine to revert my OSX to 10.8.2 to see if it is indeed the OS that has the issue?
Thanks for any help you can give!!!
Jay

Hi, I'd try the 10.8.2 restore.
I never use it, I use cloning myself, but...
Have you looked through Pondini's extensive TM help site?
http://Pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Can't imaging something not being covered there.

2011 i5 2.5Ghz Mac mini screen flicker issue...

Hey all,
Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this issue. I have my 2011 Mac mini connected via HDMI to my TV, and each time I turn the TV on,- after about 5 minutes I get one single flicker where I lose picture and it comes back immediately. This never happened with my 2010 Mac mini connected the same way, which is why I'm surprised.
Again, this only happens once. After I turn the TV off and then back on, it will do the same thing again after 5 minutes. Very odd.
Thanks, guys.

After 3-4 calls to the support the last thing I was asked to open the terminal and digit :
cd /System/Library/Displays/Overrides/DysplayVendorID-410c
push enter. You'll get a warning but you can continue.
Then :
sudo mv DisplayProductID-0 DisplayProduct-0 old
push enter and restart the mac.
the person on the phone told me that this solution is studied for a known issue with Philips screen, and exactly blank screen not fl ickering.
In any case it didn't work for me
I'm starting to think that maybe it's something about new macs and Lion. I have seen discussions in which people complain about flickering issue with the new MBA.
On Monday I'll call the support and then ask for a new mac,still don't know which one,I bought mine less than 14 days ago.
Hope this will be fixed soon.

IMac 27" inch display screen flicker issue when moving files

Whenever a drop a file from Finder to my desktop, the screen flickers. Occasionally, when I move a window, it also flickers, but it's a more consistent problem when dropping the files on the desktop. It only flickers once and returns to a completely normal state.
It does NOT happen when going the other way - from the desktop to Finder.
I purchased the iMac AFTER the original firmware updates, so I haven't had to install any of them from the original problem a couple years ago.
I am wondering if this is a problem that is discussed or if there are any suggestions.
Thanks....

I'm having the same problem. Here are the details I was about to post as a separate thread:
27" iMac 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 with 16Gb RAM. I'm also using a 20" ACD alongside, a set up I have used with my previous 24" iMac. The ACD is being used as an extended desktop (not mirrored).
I've just started noticing an odd effect: When moving a file from a folder onto the desktop, the entire iMac screen flickers and breaks up momentarily before reverting to normal. It is an effect which lasts a fraction of a second and is visually very intrusive.
Weirdly, if I move the file but continue to hold it for a second before releasing to place it on the desktop, there is no flicker.
Similarly, if I open another folder and place the window alongside, moving a file from window to window produces no flicker. It only happens when moving something to the desktop.
The effect does not happen if the ACD is turned off (but connected) or the ACD is used in Mirror mode.
Does this sound like a hardware or software fault?

13" MacBook Pro - Screen Flicker / Windows 7 Bootcamp

I have a 13" MackBook Pro with Retina display that I purchased last December (8 months old). I am running Windows 7 in Bootcamp and the last few months the screen flickers on occasion (becoming more frequent). I launched the Mac OS to ensure I have the latest updates and I believe I do (nothing new to install within the Mac OS). Majority of the time I'm hooked up to an external monitor / lid is closed, but obviously that is a challenge when traveling.
I did do some searches and see other posts around screen flicker issues, but those appear to be on the Mac OS side. What is odd about my scenario is that it only seems to appear on the Windows 7 side. I can't seem to find a fix for this / really would hate to have to reload the machine.

Running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 on my brand new 15" MBP right now.
The only problem I'm having is the USB controller issue that is reported in the following thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2411685&start=30&tstart=0
I ran the Boot Camp assistant, made the partition, rebooted with my 7 DVD, formatted the partition, performed a clean installation, & then installed the drivers from the OSX DVD when Windows booted the first time.
Replaced the NVIDIA drivers with the latest Verde release. 258.96notebook_winvista_win7_64bit_internationalwhql.exe
Everything seems to be running just fine at this point.
Message was edited by: jdamien75

How can I reproduce my screen flicker so they'll believe me?

The intermittent nature of the annoying screen flicker on my Macbook makes it difficult to show a tech that it is a real problem and not some figment of my imagination. Does anybody know of a "sure fire" way of reproducing it? I have been able to recreate the rapid dimming and brightening of my Macbook screen by moving the brightness indicator all the way to the left and then bumping it up one click. This only works sometimes and it only works when I do it by clicking and dragging on the ball on the display screen in system prefs. It doesn't work by using f1 and f2. I made a video of my screen while it was flickering and put the video on the desktop. I'm sending it in as soon as my box arrives on Tuesday. They're also replacing my stained top case. I hope they will look at the video and at least test the inverter and cable to see if they're the problem. Any help with how to encourage them would be greatly appreciated.
macbook Mac OS X (10.4.9)

I am the victim of this problem also. The screen flickering & brightness of the screen suddenly fade to low intensity. The screen flickering happened everytime I use my MacBook.
May MacBook was the initial Jun 2006 version.
I already get those problems (a) sudden shutdown (replace the logic board), (b) palm rest area discoloration (change the bottom case), (c) power adaptor pin contact problem (replace the new one), (d) poor performance of battery life (awaiting confirmation from local Apple support, 180cycle max. charge only 50% of initial capacity) & (e) screen flicker issue (today just send in my MacBook for them to do diagnostic).
I really lost confident with my MacBook.
Should I request a replacement of entire MacBook?
My warranty period will be expired mid of next month & the are asking me to purchase the apple protection plan. But, I claim that the unit is poor in initial build quality & why I should considered the plan. It is unfair to me.
If the MacBook is in good condition then I will consider the plan for support another 2 years (fair), not in this reverse way.
Anybody please guide me how to pursue this matter.
I previously own an iBook G4 & PowerBook G4 TI don't have these problem at all.
CK Lim (Penang, MALAYSIA)

Mac mini Late 2014 screen flicking

Just got the Mac mini Late 2014 a week ago. It serves me well except the screen flicks randomly.
I have connected Mac mini to two BenQ monitors, one via mini-display port HDMI adaptor (lets said this is port A), another one via mini-display port to HDMI or HDMI cable directly (tried both) (lets say this is port B or HDMI).
The issue is, screen from port B or HDMI flicks randomly, sometimes 1 or two times within a minute, sometimes even half hour or an hour without issue.
Connection with port A is always good, no flicking, I even switched two monitors, the problem still there, so it shouldn't relate to the monitor.
I also tried different mini-display to HDMI adaptor on port B, also tried different HDMI cable, the problem still exists.
I have no idea what happened here.
Maybe something not related, but I want to mention, When setting up the new Mac mini, I tried to migrate my old account on Macbook Pro (Mavericks) to Mac mini, but It was interrupted, (the user accunt was created, but then I manually migrated some other stuff manually), not sure if this interruption plays a part in this screen flicking issue.
Any idea? Thanks for any helps in advance.

Hi there bluemoonj,
I would recommend taking a look at the video troubleshooting steps found in the article below.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
-Griff W.

Any solution for having daily screen flicker on my 2.13GHz 13" 2011 Macbook Air (running 10.6.8)???

well, the title says it all...I see on the Macbook Pro support threads that this is a continuing issue for that model and people seem frustrated that repeated replacements of motherboard and/or displays are not solving the problem.
I can still use the computer but it is a little disconcerting to have the screen flicker and it seems to be happening almost daily now whereas it used to be more of an occasional thing...
I run Onyx and fix disk permissions and clean out various caches at least once a month...but other than that, I just use the computer for low-intensity tasks of word-processing and web browsing mostly...
just wondering what people have done with this problem?
Thanks,
Eric

I finally found a solution. In about:config, under browser.sessionhistory.max_entries, I changed 5 to 20. End of problem.

Qosmio F10-124 - Pixelated screen, flicks into blank, then comes back to normal

It looks like the graphics hardware has failed on a pc bought in April 2005.
This occurred in stages, starting from around the time when I received
1) An automatic download of windows updates and
2) And Adobe upgrade.
In Sept 07. Do not know if this is at all related with the screen malfunctioning.
The screen has at best operated intermittently, with only access being possible using the external VGA port.
The latest Toshiba screen drivers for the WMD operating system did not rectify the problem.
In the last couple of days pixilation has occurred in various parts of the External monitor screen, whilst the laptop was just blank, up to that point the external screen was displaying my work just fine. Occasionally the laptop screen flicked into life and the pixilation has become more prevalent recently. The occurrences of the laptop screen working were random.
I need to have the screen settings such that the external monitor is a mirror of the Laptop screen to do anything on the laptop.
Rebooting the PC has no effect.
The latest symptoms are that the external screen shows that the OS has booted, but there is an alignment problem causing a pattern to appear across the screen, and this is "ghosted" ?? with several iterations of all screen events across the width of the screen output. The Laptop screen is not working at all at present.
Anyone have any ideas what could have caused this, and/or how to fix it??

The graphic card chip seems to malfunction. Your described issue sounds really like a chip fault
But please note that this is only my personal assumption and if you want to be 100% sure whats wrong then you will have to contact the service provider in your country for a detailed check.
In worst case the motherboard must be replaced because the GPU chip is fixed on the motherboard and cannot be removed.

Screen flicker when copying to desktop

I am experiencing a sudden screen flicker when I copy files or folders to my desktop? Doesn't seem to affect the system in any way, just very annoying. Anyone else having this issue? Is there a fix for this?
Thanks, Rick

Step one is to log into a newly created admin user account and see if the problem persists.

Screen flicker

I am having issues with screen flicker. Occasionally it flickers, without going completely dark. It is accompanied by clicking (or is it arcing) sounds up near the esc key! Not good. I am wondering if a failure is imminent.

I'm having the same issue.... I'm waiting to hear back from tech support, so I hope they can fix it. I had this happen to my old MacBook, and they had me send it in so they could fix it, it worked and I was happy with it.... i'm crossing my fingers.
Andrew

Screen flicker when dragging documents

Does anyone experince screen flicker when dragging files from the Finder to the Desktop?
Here's a short video showing the problem.

I am running Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8 (12A206j)) and just started to experience similar issues (see image below) When scrolling up or down a webpage. It happens randomly, and there are only a few applications open (Photoshop, Pages Safari). I have reset PRAM, but am not holding my breath on that...

Screen flicker on Macbook

'm on a Macbook (Intel Core Duo 2gHz Processor, 1Gig of Ram, 10 gigs of space left on an 80Gig drive).
The issue is that, at seemingly random times, my screen will flicker, as if the power management was trying to dim the screen during a period of inactivity period.
I called Apple support and they told me to:
1) Disconnect the power
2) Remove the battery,
3) Hold down the power button for 5 seconds
4) Reconnect the power and the battery
5) Power up, and when the system started to boot, hold down ALt-Option-P-R until the second boot cycle.
At first, it seemed to work. The screen flicker stopped. However, now when I boot, I get a grey screen of multi-colored vertical lines, and I need to Alt-Opt-P-R each time to get into the OS.
And, as of yesterday, the screen flicker is back.
I have no ambient light detector like the Macbook Pro, so I know that's not it. I've not seen any other reference to this on the web, so I'm stumped.
Thanks for any insight you might have.

I've experimented a bit, and I've found that the screen usually starts to flicker when the computer is under high load, such as playing a few YouTube videos, or playing a game.
When it started flickering for me, I was running on battery power. My first theory was that the battery could possibly not be supplying enough power to keep everything going (even though it was > 50% charge), but then one day I started getting the flicker while I was plugged into the power adapter. I could still be that the MacBook's hardware is requiring more power than it is getting, but if that were the case, more people would be having this issue.
The flickering doesn't really annoy me that much, as it only lasts for about a minute or two at the most, and it seems to come around once a day or so. It does worry me though, the way in which it flickers doesn't seem good -at all-, and I'm afraid that one day the screen will flicker and it'll get stuck like that, or even not turn on properly again. With my luck it'll be the day the warranty runs out.
As of right now I can't afford to part with my laptop either, as I also have school.
Hopefully someone finds a software fix, or Apple figures out the exact cause of the problem so it can be sent in for a quick hardware fix.

Screen flicker..is everybody experiencing this?

before i soon go out and buy the mba 13",
can any body say that they are _not experiencing_ the screen flicker when scrolling issue.
if everybody is,
is apple expecting this to be regarded as normal?

The 10.6.5 update fixes the flicker issue that some users experienced after waking their MacBook Air from sleep. The flicker issue that "ashhast" is asking about is unrelated, he's asking about the flicker while scrolling issue. As far as I understand, this issue is caused by a problem in the hardware that can not be repaired through software. I personally am experiencing this issue on a 13" MacBook Air (and have installed all the software updates available up until today, December 17th). You could take a look at the thread "Flickering screen when scrolling" started by "nonicoclolasos" for some more information:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2645516

Screen flicker issue

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