2 "stuck" pixels

[Cypher3]

I just bought my iBook 6 days ago. The minute I got to the desktop i noticed 2 "stuck" pixels. One is Green on the blue default background and the other is yellow on the HD image. Is there anything I can do, because I've read in numerous forums that apple only replaces LCD screens if there are 7 or more.

Thanks,
Cypher

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

try massaging them out. i have never done this but have seen it posted many times. i use a crt desk top.

 

[mystixman]

no, DONT try to rub them out. You can just make things worse.

 

[virividox]

theres a program called dead pixel test

or something of that nature on versiontracker.com

sometimes the pixels just need to be activated vigorously i think and they will go away

its worth a shot

 

[Cypher3]

I tried rubbing lightly before I saw your post MystixMan but it didnt fix the stuck pixels nor did it make it worse. I have used that dead pixel test once. I guess I will download it and try it again.

 

[JFreak]

unfortunately the dead/stuck pixels will not go away with anything, and if you have those, it's just bad luck. it is known problem with lcd displays and one would do wisely to inspect the product in store so it is much easier to change it to a working one. usually dealers are not so keen to exchange anything that has already left the store once.

there's a simple utility to check pixels, it is called "pixeltester" and it is available from versiontracker free of charge.

i also had bad luck with my first laptop - it had one green and one blue pixel in it. now that i bought a second one, i made a deal with my dealer that i will accept only perfect display. to the dealer's bad luck, they had to order five laptops to get this one perfect for me i almost didn't believe it - first four were bad and fifth was ok. oh well, i don't care, this display is perfect.

 

[RBMaraman]

Originally posted by mystixman
no, DONT try to rub them out. You can just make things worse.

I think you'll find that a lot of people are going to disagree with this statement.

Many, many, many, many, many people have successfully massaged stuck pixels back to life. I've never heard of massaging making things worse.

Cypher3,
Hold the display firmly, and using a soft cloth, massage the stuck pixels very slowly. Hopefully, you'll nurse those babies back to life.

Good Luck!

 

[slipper]

if i got a notebook with stuck pixels i would be pissed. there should be some sort of disclaimer stating the stuck/dead pixel policy cause most people are not aware of this problem.

 

[Rower_CPU]

The trick to massaging pixels back to life is not to rub them too hard. If they don't come back after a light-medium massage, they probably are "dead" rather than "stuck".

 

[blue&whiteman]

trying to rub out dead pixels cost me $650 on a new lcd a few years back when I tried that on my PB 540c. there were 2 near the bottom and after about 3 sec. of rubbing the whole lower half of the screen died.

 

[Rower_CPU]

Originally posted by blue&whiteman
trying to rub out dead pixels cost me $650 on a new lcd a few years back when I tried that on my PB 540c. there were 2 near the bottom and after about 3 sec. of rubbing the whole lower half of the screen died.

Then you rubbed too hard, and/or the dead pixels were a symptom of something wrong with the whole panel that the rubbing exacerbated.

I've yet to come across a tech doc that says rubbing pixels will cause display damage. I'd be interested in seeing it if anyone has one.

 

[Applespider]

Originally posted by Rower_CPU
The trick to massaging pixels back to life is not to rub them too hard. If they don't come back after a light-medium massage, they probably are "dead" rather than "stuck".

At which point you have more than 7 dead pixels and can exchange it in any case?

 

[Cypher3]

I have decided i will try to "massage" them out. Is this done with the screen on or off, or does it not matter?

Cypher

 

[Rower_CPU]

I've done it with the screen on. It's tough to tell where they are otherwise.

You'll know after a very short period of gentle rubbing if it's going to work or not.

 

[spencecb]

I don't know if there is a whole lot you can do about it...I have had a very fortunate case with my PowerBook...there is not one dead or stuck pixel on the entire screen. I did have one stuck pixel before...but it just eventually went away and became active again. Maybe just give it some time?

 

[johnnyjibbs]

The yellow one on the HD image... are you sure that is a dead pixel? There is a yellow 'LED light' on the hard drive icon (1 pixel wide at default 48x48 size) in the lower right corner. Try moving the icon to see if it moves with it.

I have one dead pixel near the left hand side of my PowerBook screen, half way down - it's a pinky colour and I never really notice it. I have tried unsucessfully to remove it but it doesn't bother me. You could try that program, but some would say it is best not to as you may notice ones that you didn't see before, and this may draw your attention to them for the rest of time...

 

[slipper]

Originally posted by blue&whiteman
trying to rub out dead pixels cost me $650 on a new lcd a few years back when I tried that on my PB 540c. there were 2 near the bottom and after about 3 sec. of rubbing the whole lower half of the screen died.

you know that when were talking about massage, we dont mean deep tissue massage

 

[khr]

which one to massage, dead or stuck?

just to make clear, bringing a dead pixel back to life is difficult - if not impossible.

A DEAD pixel is WHITE.
A STUCK pixel is BLACK.

so when you see a black pixel there's hope...

 

[jxyama]

A DEAD pixel is WHITE.
A STUCK pixel is BLACK.

not necessarily...

the term "dead pixel" often refers to a "dead" looking pixel - there's no light from it, meaning it would be black.

if three TFTs are "dead" in the conducting state, then the pixel would be black. if they are "dead" in the non-conducting state, then the pixel would be white.

stuck pixels could be any color - depending on the degree of "stuckness" of each of three TFTs.

 

[macguymike]

i also had bad luck with my first laptop - it had one green and one blue pixel in it. now that i bought a second one, i made a deal with my dealer that i will accept only perfect display. to the dealer's bad luck, they had to order five laptops to get this one perfect for me i almost didn't believe it - first four were bad and fifth was ok. oh well, i don't care, this display is perfect.

You got lucky with that reseller. Most won't order and reorder machines just because of dead/stuck pixels.

I had a customer try to pull that on me: insisting that we open the box before he even paid for it to inspect the machine and I refused. When you buy an LCD, you run the risk of getting dead pixels. That's just the way things are. We're not going to lose money just because one customer can't deal with it. Not that I didn't understand his concern but we certainly NEVER would have ordered five machines to make one picky customer happy.

Apple has their "7 dead pixel" rule for just this reason.

 

[thejazzman10]

The yellow one on the HD image... are you sure that is a dead pixel? There is a yellow 'LED light' on the hard drive icon (1 pixel wide at default 48x48 size) in the lower right corner. Try moving the icon to see if it moves with it.

Yes, and to prove that point, go to the HD icon, press the apple key+I , and then click the little arrow on preview...close call though!!