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1/8 of screen black after SSD upgrade

mfortunato

mfortunato

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 15, 2016
3
1
Sacramento
bad_screen.jpg


I am using a Late 2012 27" iMac and the HDD was failing so I replaced with an SSD drive.
I followed multiple tutorials online so that I wouldn't damage anything internally while I upgrade the SSD. Everything appeared to go swimmingly, however, when I booted back up, the right 8th of the screen was black.
I double checked the ribbon cables that connect the monitor to the motherboard and those are secure and nothing appears to be broken or damaged.
Anyone else have this issue or have thoughts on how to correct it?

I can still use the machine, I just have to move windows over to ensure I can entirely view the contents (and the new SSD has greatly sped up the machine - it's like a new mac, sans 1/8th of the screen).

Thanks.
- Michael
 
Only thing I can tell you is to check the cables again. Try to unplug them and plug them back in. Look at the cables when you unplug them and make sure none look damaged as well as the socket that the cable connects to. Basically take it all apart and put it back together. Sometimes even if something isn't damaged it isn't seated properly and not making a proper connection.
 
Tell me about it, "Fried Chicken." I have searched high and low on ye olde interwebs and cannot find anyone else that has had this issue.

I had previously unplugged, checked, and reseated the cables multiple times. Nothing looks damaged in any way. I am going to open this puppy up once again and quadruple check, this time with a magnifying glass and will update you if I discover anything new.
 
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mfortunato said:
I had previously unplugged, checked, and reseated the cables multiple times.
Click to expand...
Its possible you damaged a cable, i.e., one of the wires in the ribbon cable is damaged, but you cannot visually see the damage. Good luck, its these risks that scare the crap out of me opening up my iMac. I hope you get it working.
 
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1/8th is the clue, this just HAS to be in the LCD signal connections, either a connector has a single damaged pin or you have a damaged cable with a broken single line.

I've just swapped my HDD out for an SSD in my 21.5" and didn't disconnect the LCD cables for exactly this reason (and there is plenty of room to remove the HDD without removing the LCD completely).
 
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I checked the pins on the motherboard and on the monitor with a magnifying glass, my phone camera, and a light, and there is nothing that looks bent or out of the ordinary (darn tiny pins). I have even replaced the cable, just to be sure. Looks like I'm going to have to take this in for repairs. But in the meantime, at least I can still use the iMac as I have 7/8ths of my screen.

Thank you all for your assistance.
 
When I was upgraded a 2012 21.5" iMac I had a similar thing happen. It happened when I was removing the adhesive with a tool and must have gone in too deep damaging the LCD panel itself. I had to replace the panel.
 
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maflynn said:
Its possible you damaged a cable, i.e., one of the wires in the ribbon cable is damaged, but you cannot visually see the damage. Good luck, its these risks that scare the crap out of me opening up my iMac. I hope you get it working.
Click to expand...
Me too. I'm finally at the point of installing an SSD in my mid 2010 21.5" but I'm prepared to let the local Apple authorised store do the job for £70. Any bust cables, fingerprints, dust, etc., they can have the pleasure of re-opening and remedying.

I've used Macs since 1985 and been happy opening most of them (well, OK not the Mac Plus or SE) for basic tinkering but even on the relatively easy to open 2010 iMac it's stories like this that give me the willies.
 
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Regretably, Apple has made it so difficult to get inside the current iMac design that there are significant risks involved for the do-it-yourselfer.

As the OP has discovered.

This is why I always advise those who have a Mac with USB3 (iMac or Mini) to upgrade to an SSD via USB.
NO hazards of damage due to opening, and essentially "as quick as" running from the internal SATA bus...
 
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Fishrrman said:
Regretably, Apple has made it so difficult to get inside the current iMac design that there are significant risks involved for the do-it-yourselfer.

As the OP has discovered.

This is why I always advise those who have a Mac with USB3 (iMac or Mini) to upgrade to an SSD via USB.
NO hazards of damage due to opening, and essentially "as quick as" running from the internal SATA bus...
Click to expand...
But this is an incredibly inelegant solution, especially for a boot drive.
 
Fried Chicken said:
But this is an incredibly inelegant solution, especially for a boot drive.
Click to expand...
Well, speaking as someone who has been running the OS off an external USB 2 drive for 21 months I can confirm this!
Actually it's not too bad except for system restarts.

Like the OP though, my main reason for getting rid of the failing internal drive is that certain tasks (e.g. running installers) take forever while it tries/fails to mount unreadable partitions.
 
Fried Chicken wrote:
"But this is an incredibly inelegant solution, especially for a boot drive."

"Elegance" means little to me (I'm a roughneck).
"What works" means much.
Actually, one can velcro the drive to the back of the iMac's stand where it will be pretty much out-of-the-way and even out-of-sight...
 
Fried Chicken said:
But this is an incredibly inelegant solution, especially for a boot drive.
Click to expand...
I think its fine, while it is inelegant, its functional. I have external drives for my iMac anyways (backup purposes), so why not have one for booting up?
 
Fried Chicken said:
But this is an incredibly inelegant solution, especially for a boot drive.
Click to expand...

All anyone needs to do is buy a pack of damage-free velcro hanging strips like these:

51U6kszlPWL._AC_UL320_SR244,320_.jpg



And stick the drive/drives to the back of the stand like so:

mback2-800x600.jpg




If placed horizontally, at least two external 2.5" drives will fit and will not be visible from the front. I think three could fit, if two go above the hole for the power cord and one goes below it. This is how my external drives are attached.

I use a backpack for other things


c46dd62b09684a20b3cdc2e8b37f35134271443f.jpg


but this product is not worth the money, in all honesty.
 
bent christian said:
All anyone needs to do is buy a pack of damage-free velcro hanging strips like these:
Click to expand...
I used to use those (well the picture hanging variety of those hanging strips) and I had those pictures fall after about a year of hanging there. I'd probably look for another solution.

bent christian said:
I use a backpack for other things
Click to expand...
I may get something like this for my iMac - provided the price is right
 
maflynn said:
I think its fine, while it is inelegant, its functional. I have external drives for my iMac anyways (backup purposes), so why not have one for booting up?
Click to expand...

Because macs are supposed to be elegant and beautiful
bent christian said:
All anyone needs to do is buy a pack of damage-free velcro hanging strips like these:

51U6kszlPWL._AC_UL320_SR244,320_.jpg



And stick the drive/drives to the back of the stand like so:

mback2-800x600.jpg




If placed horizontally, at least two external 2.5" drives will fit and will not be visible from the front. I think three could fit, if two go above the hole for the power cord and one goes below it. This is how my external drives are attached.

I use a backpack for other things


c46dd62b09684a20b3cdc2e8b37f35134271443f.jpg


but this product is not worth the money, in all honesty.
Click to expand...
These solutions are atrocious


 
I've done the exact same thing with many office iMacs. They would need external drives for Time Machine anyway so this is a reverse role scenario. The external SSD is the boot drive while the internal 2.5" 5400RPM hard drive serves as the backup drive.

You know what an elegant and functional Mac looks like? Power Mac G4 Cube. The Mac Pro tower is a more modern Mac that's elegant and functional. Apple has crippled its Mac computers so much we, the users have to resort to unorthodox solutions to otherwise non-issues.
 
Fried wrote above:
"Because macs are supposed to be elegant and beautiful"

I disagree, totally.

Yes, Macs are supposed to be on the stylish side.

But when it gets down to the brass tacks, a Mac is just another computer, and how one sets it up and uses it depends on who the user is and what his/her goals are.

I don't shop for and buy a Mac based on style -- I do so based on what's inside, what connection ports are available, etc.

BTW, my desk is probably amongst the messiest of all who post to this forum.
So what...?
 
bent christian said:
Unless you want to look up and over the back of the machine, there is no visible difference between how the unit looks on my desk the day I got it and now. The back of the unit is against a wall.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I tend not to go behind my Mac, nor do I peek back there. I prefer to work with my mac by seeing the front and the display ;)
 
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