Does every apple laptop have this problem?

I love my Apple laptops, but my g3 900 iBook, my girlfriend's g4 800 iBook and my 2 day old 1.67 g4 Powerbook have this same problem. It happens to me all the time, but my girlfriend doesn't have it happen to her often (almost never), which leads me to believe it is something in particular that I do. The only real difference between our usage is that I'm a major user of X11, and while she uses it as well, not as much.

The problem is this - if I leave the computer to do some task (like compile a big project, make a large file transfer, etc) and let it turn off the screen on its own, then sometimes (like 10% of the time I'd say) when I come back to use the computer, the screen won't turn back on. I can ssh in and all is fine on the machine, everything is running as it should be, and there is no crash, but the backlight stays off. I can even see what's on the screen if I shine a light on to it.

I've seen this problem reported on the Apple forums - seems common enough that it should be a big issue - especially since I can trigger it on every apple I touch. Is there a solution? I don't think it is a failing backlight, just because it is so tightly related to how the computer is being used, and it has happened with every version of OS X since 10.2 (using 10.3.8 right now).

It is driving me insane because I end up having to reboot the computer to get the screen back on. Brightness controls do nothing to help, and if I close the lid, the computer will not fall asleep.

Any ideas? It’s making me crazy!

Placeofdis - it isn't really a lockup because I can ssh in and everything is running that should be. It is only that the backlight won't come back on and it won't sleep. It's like the PMU is stuck in a state trying to bring the screen back on, and can't move on until it finishes.

Lasuther - I don't think it *must* just be my machines - as I said - I have used other people's apples that have never had this problem and triggered it just by using it like I use it. Mail me yours for a month, I'll trigger it I'd also think the odds of 100% of the apple computers that I've really been exposed to exhibiting this problem when they are three different machines from different generations is very unlikely since no one else here has posted that they have had the problem at all. I'm convinced it is a usage pattern that I just can't identify (and yes, I have really really tried).

Its not just asleep - I ssh in and things are running.

Mitthrawnuruodo - It isn't stuck asleep (although I have had this problem happen when waking from sleep). I know to press the spacebar - I'd be afraid to meet a mac user who is ssh'ing into his machine to see how his X11 project compilation is going who doesn't know to press the spacebar when the computer falls asleep

hmmm...

Rapps - I don't think that is the same problem. My backlight will function again 100% upon reboot - I don't have to reboot more than once to solve the issue.

yeah

Fuzzwudd - that sounds about right. No real solution though? I've never actually been able to get it to come back - how long do you ususally have to leave the lid closed before the white light comes on again? I've tried this for a few minutes, but maybe I should close it and wait until it finishes all the jobs I've given it and then maybe it will fall back asleep. Powerbooks are OK to use with the lid closed, correct (I know that was not a good idea with my iBook)? I could just leave it overnight and see what happens.

Mitthrawnuruodo - hehe - I suppose that is very true! =-) ...and really there have been many little simple things that have got me in my journey to Macness, so I shouldn't have considered your suggestion unreasonable

...and yes, I've tried the usual suspects. Deleting preferneces, ran the hardware test disk, repaired permissions, fsck - all that. No change.

daveL - Yeah - that does help. That is how my iBook has been this whole time, I was just hoping that my powerbook wouldn't have the same problem. Unfortunately it isn't a 'sure' thing as it does happen sometimes when the computer is put to sleep. I don't remember it ever happening when I have manually closed the lid and then opened it, but it has certainly happened when my babies fall asleep on their own.

One of the big ones that recudes the frequency quite a bit is to turn off 'turn off hard drives when possible'. Strangely when the problem happens, I can verify that the harddrive has spun up - but this setting seems to affect it anyway.

So - of the people who have never had it happen - do you spent much of your time in X11 or using fink? I really just can't think of anything else I do that is unusual....

apparently...

From what I've read over at the Apple support forums, people who have contacted Apple about this recently have been told that it is an issue they are working on and that a software fix will eventually be available. Unfortunately I first heard this rumor almost a year ago, so who knows how reliable it is. I'll probably give them another call now that I have free phone support (new laptop with applecare). Of course it didn't happen when my iBook was new because I wasn't using it for anything interesting. I got my iBook as a portable web/email/mp3/word processor thing and it kinda took over all my computer use over the following couple of years - so at first I didn't have the problem. Basically I'm saying that when I used it like a normal user, there were no problems. The problems came when I started using it for everything in my life and my XP machine became a glorified xbox

Has anyone here actually had Apple acknowledge the issue at all? I'm kinda grasping for something here, and certainly any information I have is rumor.

stevehaslip - Thats a good idea, I'll try that. Unforunately I am compiling a HUGE project on my powerbook and it will probably be tonight before I can reboot. So sad - its brand new and the only way I can use it right now is SSH Let me tell you - for the day I used it before this it was great. I know these new powerbooks may be considered a little behind the curve, but with 2 gigs of ram in it, it just flies - I have no complaints with the speed. I suppose since my main use is programming, the slower FSB isn't hurting me much as I image complilation is strictly CPU bound. Anyway - I'm happy. I'll just turn off most of my powermanagement (like my iBook) and suck it up.

codycartoon - Sometimes that works for me, but often it will just not go to sleep when I close the lid once this problem has been triggered.

Mechcozmo - Yuo - that's what they claim Running 10.3.8 here on everything, and it just happened to me this morning. At least if they attempted to fix it, they are working on it and will keep trying.