MacBook Pro boots to black screen

[elbirth]

Originally Posted by uthne

My trusty MacBook Pro screen just turned black. After trying all the tricks to fire up the videocard (i also tested with an external monitor) it is likely the Nvida GeForce 8600M GT have failed.

A quick search through support.apple.com turned up this document.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

It states that a if such a videocard fails in a MBP (may 2007 -- early 2008) within 4 years of original purchase it will be repaired free of charge

Uthne

that's interesting, thanks for the link. It's a terrible shame that mine is a first generation MBP from Feb. 2006... the laptop I made this thread about is still running fine (although it gets HOT)... I'd love to get a new model one but I rarely use my laptop now with my Mac Pro being the primary machine.

[isitme?]

Originally Posted by uthne

My trusty MacBook Pro screen just turned black. After trying all the tricks to fire up the videocard (i also tested with an external monitor) it is likely the Nvida GeForce 8600M GT have failed.

A quick search through support.apple.com turned up this document.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

It states that a if such a videocard fails in a MBP (may 2007 -- early 2008) within 4 years of original purchase it will be repaired free of charge

Uthne

I've had the same issue, (fan motor running and overheating if i leave it pluged in, but computer doesn't boot, just black screen) tryed the same tricks, reset PRAM, remove battery and press power for 10 seconds, nothings worked, took my 15" MBP (bought in 2007) to the apple store they ran some test "in the back" and came back saying that the logic board has failed and it would cost $1400 to replace.

after reading some of the forums, i wanted to verify that i had the faulty graphics card and indeed i do, the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT, took it back to the same apple store and told them to see if it's the graphics card and i brought with me a copy of the apple release http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377 document. and he went "in the back" to run the test and came back 2 minutes later saying he talked to the same guy i saw originally and it's not the graphics card but my logic board and it would be $1400 to replace. (i don't even think he ran any tests)

is there something i'm missing? i have noticed that in canada they are very reluctant to replace or fix anything for free, "apple hates canadiens" as Kanye would say....

am i **** out of luck? any suggestions? how would i be able to tell if it is indeed a faulty graphics card? and how do i get my computer fixed?

completly frusturated and pissed off....please help!

[raulroa]

It's a NVIDIA card problem. Apple will fix it for free!!!!

http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

Check this link out!!!!

[isitme?]

I have called apple several times about this issue and even mentioned http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377, and they refuse to do anything about it, they keep bouncing me from one place to another.

at the genius bar, all they keep saying is that it's the logic board and that they can't tell if its the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT card, because its attached to the logic board.

and because it's out of warranty there's nothing they can do. even if their website states that they will fix it out of warranty, if it's within 4 years of the purchase date.

i'm not sure how to escalate this with apple. they don't seem to be interested in helping me.

[isitme?]

Just phoned apple express line, and the service tech said to try one more thing to determine if it's the logic board or NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT card.

She said to power on the lap top and hit the caps lock key, if the light turns on then it's the graphics card, if not, it's the logic board (which they will not fix.) anyone heard of this?

it seems that alot of people on this forum ended up getting the entire logic board replaced free of charge... but apple wants to charge me $1400 for the replacement... what's up with that?

[raulroa]

Listen all of you,

GO TO THE APPLE STORE and tell them this is a FREE FIX BECAUSE THE NVIDIA CARD HAS SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE. IT'S RIGHT ON THE APPLE WEBSITE!!! INSIST YOU TALK TO A MANAGER OR GO TO THE GLENDALE GALLERIA APPLE STORE. THEY KNOW THIS AND FIXED MINE IN 3 HRS FOR FREEEEEE!

[d1mkaz]

Originally Posted by raulroa

Listen all of you,

GO TO THE APPLE STORE and tell them this is a FREE FIX BECAUSE THE NVIDIA CARD HAS SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE. IT'S RIGHT ON THE APPLE WEBSITE!!! INSIST YOU TALK TO A MANAGER OR GO TO THE GLENDALE GALLERIA APPLE STORE. THEY KNOW THIS AND FIXED MINE IN 3 HRS FOR FREEEEEE!

the same problem here... (MacBook Pro A1226 2007)
the only thing I have to mention that when the screen is black and led light on, the keyboard seems no responding as well, I tried to press volume up down buttons - no sound.
the Apple Genius Service said it's logic board but not the nvidia, how did they check? took it somewhere and after 5min brought back! 700£ charge for repair!

after reading this I booked another appointment at Apple, in different store. And I'm going to speak to manager if I need to.
Or I'm in different situation and it's logic board and it's not nvidia fault????

Can anyone tell me. Can Apple Genius Bar Service check it and tell that this is definitely nothing to do with the graphic card? Or they just detect that the problem is SOMEWHERE on logic board not knowing where?

[d1mkaz]

Originally Posted by raulroa

Listen all of you,

GO TO THE APPLE STORE and tell them this is a FREE FIX BECAUSE THE NVIDIA CARD HAS SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE. IT'S RIGHT ON THE APPLE WEBSITE!!! INSIST YOU TALK TO A MANAGER OR GO TO THE GLENDALE GALLERIA APPLE STORE. THEY KNOW THIS AND FIXED MINE IN 3 HRS FOR FREEEEEE!

I went to Apple store Genius Bar today again (2nd time), and they told me straight away, that it is NVIDIA GRAPHIC issue and it will be fixed free of charge in two weeks time.

So my advice with similar problem, if they send you **** off first time, go there again, and it's good to have an argument.. which is this http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

[isitme?]

Originally Posted by d1mkaz

I went to Apple store Genius Bar today again (2nd time), and they told me straight away, that it is NVIDIA GRAPHIC issue and it will be fixed free of charge in two weeks time.

So my advice with similar problem, if they send you **** off first time, go there again, and it's good to have an argument.. which is this http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2377

Hi,

Yup, i have gone 3 times and spoke to a manager and brought the apple notice and asked them to even just take the computer cause it's absolutly useless to me now.... still they say it's the logic board and NOT the Nvidia issue and they can't do anything about it. I have to replace the logic board and the cost will be $1400.

how can they even tell if it's the Nvidia card? or that it's not?

so i'm still stuck with broken MBP.... the only option i'm left with is to buy a logic board and try to intall it myself.

i have tried everything....

[gordiannii]

I had the same problem: MBP 2007 suddently does not boot (no chime, black screen). I brought it to an Apple Service and they tried to run the keyboard based PRAM reset (hold P+R+Option+Commad Key during start up) and the POST (power on self test: remove ram and see the light flash once per second) without any luck. The solution was that I had to reset the PRAM physically by removing the internal PRAM battery and plugging it back in and then on immediate restart run the keyboard based PRAM reset. After this the notebook booted fine with chime and black screen. I brought it back to the Apple Service and they could run the NVIDIA graphics test with success. Now I get a free logicboard replacement.

[259259]

Hi All,

I ran into the same issue:

- blank screen,
- blank external video output,
- front LED on,
- could hear Supredrive initial move,
- fans spinning as normal,
- could hear HDD spinning but no normal activity observed,
- apparently Mac OS not booting - could not access it trough my network,
- zapping PRAM didn't help,
- discharging didn't help - I removed every power source including PRAM battery (disconnected internally),
- disconnecting HDD didn't help either.

Going through this thread helped to recognize the problem but didn't solve it.

So I did the last trick left, old one actually: put it into my fridge ;-)
Yup. The MBP was very hot when it happened.
Maybe one of temp. sensors "stuck". Maybe something else but apparently related to excessive heat.
It was shut down properly so I knew it's not about any sleep image or corrupted software (it would boot anyway and then complain).

After some 10 minutes I took it out and allowed to warm up to avoid temperature shocks.
I connected the PRAM battery back, then the power connector but not the main battery yet. I started it and immediately pressed Option+Command+P+R to reset PRAM (I guess this wasn't really necessary step).
And this made the magic!
I'm writing it on the revived Macbook Pro 2008 :-)

Keep in mind I removed every power source - the PRAM battery was also disconnected during the cool down. This is very important. You have to open it to do it.
Also make sure it won't get wet - I put it into plastic bag first.

Hope this helps.

[drewbits]

"I solved the problem by removing the battery while the computer was running, then I put back the battery, turned on the my mac and the problem was sorted out."


------------------------------------------------------------
This worked perfectly. Thanks for the great info!!!

-=Drew

[Mitchelino]

Originally Posted by elbirth

A little while ago I went to pickup my MacBook Pro from the table and noticed it was extremely hot to the touch. It was supposed to be asleep, but for some reason had come back on. The fans were running at full speed, so I opened it up and instead of going through the shutdown process, I held down the power button to turn it off.

One morning, I woke up and went to wake my MBP. I had the exact same issue as this, though my fans were not running. I should've took it as a sign to do a backup, but I am not smart.

Originally Posted by elbirth

I let it cool down a bit and then tried to boot it back up and the screen never seems to come on (it was working when I shut it down).

I was lucky at this point, as my MBP booted up no problem after I removed the power cord & battery, letting it sit for 10-15 minutes. Though my fans kicked in at full speed when I started the Mac up.

I put my Mac to sleep a few times that day, and the problem didn't seem to come back. However, around 7 hours later, it wouldn't wake up from it's sleep. I removed the power cord & battery, did SMC resets, did PRAM resets, I basically did everything suggested in this thread, no lucky.

Originally Posted by elbirth

I hear it turn on and the hard drive spin up, and the small light on the latch on the front comes on.

For the next day, this is exactly what my Mac did when I tried turning it on. The HDD would make it's usual noise, simultaneous to the 'sleep light' turning on, but no more than 2 seconds later it they'd both shut off suddenly.

Originally Posted by elbirth

I've tried removing the battery and holding down the power button for several seconds to reset the PMU and also held down cmd+opt+p+r to reset the PRAM but I never see a grey screen, and it doesn't reboot itself like it's supposed to.

I tried this plus all other suggestions in this topic, with no success. A little while later I booked a reservation at an Apple Store. Because I live about 2 hours from it and don't drive, I had to wait around 5 days before I had a ride.

On the day that I had the ride to the Apple Store, I noticed the Mac no longer made any sounds when trying to turn it on. The sleep indicator light would light up for under 1 second, then turn off. So it seems after a few days the issue gets "worse" in the sense that your Mac is showing less signs of trying to turn on.

Upon bringing the Mac into the Apple Store, the genius started with the usual. Tried a bunch of "simple" things like SMC & PRAM reset. He then checked to see if it was the RAM. It wasn't. After that, he attached what appeared to be an HDD, with a label "NVIDIA GRAPHICS TESTER" which got me excited, as I know it's covered if that's the issue.

At this point, he said it was a logic board issue. I guess the issue was close enough to the NVIDIA issue, as he said it'd be covered. My receipt shows the cost of the logic board and repair totally $556.09 CAD, so I was really happy that it was covered. On the receipt, it also shows "Warranty Status: Quality Program(E1)" which I assume is the NVIDIA thing.

The next morning, I got a call from the Apple Store saying my Mac was repaired and ready for pickup. I'm very impressed with the service and will definitely be buying extended AppleCare with my next Mac.

I hope this info has helped you. My advice to you: bring it to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store, or find out from Apple how you can get it to them if you live too far. Also, I went in expecting the worst and hoping for the best, and it really made me feel much better. Hopefully anyone experiencing the same issues as myself, and others in this thread, will be covered.

Originally Posted by isitme?

is there something i'm missing? i have noticed that in canada they are very reluctant to replace or fix anything for free, "apple hates canadiens" as Kanye would say....

I am a fellow Canadian, so I was worried going into the Apple Store if they'd do the same to me. Luckily, the geniuses there all seemed to be in favour of helping the customers. I went to the Rideau Apple Store in Ottawa.

Edit: looks like I spoke too soon. After 4 hours of it working, it has stopped working. Instead of it shutting off 1-2 seconds after turning on, it shuts off after the apple logo appears. So it is on for maybe 20 seconds before shutting off.

Edit 2: I took it to the Apple Store. It was the hard drive that went. They said they'd try reinstalling Lion, but if it didn't solve the issue, that they'd replace the hard drive. I'm assuming reinstalling Lion didn't work, as my Mac has a new hard drive now. It's a bit of a bummer, as I now have to restore from my backup and redownload Lion after that (as my backup was pre-Lion and my Mac came back from repair with OS 10.6.3 – I had 10.7.1). I can't complain though, as I got a 250GB HDD (as they had no more 200GB ones) for free, as they put it under "Repeat Repair".

I'm not sure if the hard drive failure was related to my logic board failure, but I hope this information helps someone else. Cheers to everyone else who posted with helpful information!

[dreamies]

Had my late 2010 Mac Pro all unwired ready to haul out to the Apple Store because both my Cinema displays would go black after a few minutes. Tried everything imaginable to troubleshoot. No luck. Did notice that iTunes kept playing after screens blacked out and would not come back.

After my Mac Pro was on the floor, I hooked up my old Mac Pro G5 and bingo - the screens go black? Started to think it's not the Mac. I notice both display are plugged into an old old back up battery power supply. Plugged them in directly to power strip and the problem is solved. It was the juice to the displays. Not even going to try to figure out why or what - all I know is it was my 110V power, not the MacPro. Allah Akbar!

[Justinz]

Originally Posted by Funzo

Ok, so i have managed to get my mac going again, its not 100% and im never gonna switch it off or close the lid until i absolutely have to. Here is what i did:

1, switched it on
2, pressed the off button, then "S" then enter, this puts it to sleep
3, held the off button until hard shut down
4, switched it back on

the symptoms i had where:

my mac switched on, booted, made all the right noises, but had a black screen. When i closed the lid, the comp kept on running as normal and the light on the front glowed brightly (but did not pulsate). When i open the lid, it goes off.

Hey thanks bro, I had formatted my HD on my other macbook and put back in the HD i got the black screen the OP is talking about. Now its working again, I just wanted to say that your method worked!

[mujihi]

I had the same problem after computer going to sleep then hanging and having to do a hard boot. I resolved the issue by holding down Cmd+opt+r+p, and after the second beep, it booted into an OS with a blank screen. I then brightened the screen with the F2 function. It this sounds ridiculous, but for some reason, the screen had automatically dimmed all the way. Also, although the computer was plugged in, it was using the Energy Saver System Preferences of the Battery profile. Not sure if a second reboot has entirely resolved that.