Advice? 2.33 GHz 17" MacBook Pro - screen has thick vertical band after wake

[hack-the-planet]

Problem Description:

So I have a 2.33 Ghz 17" MBP, 3 GB of RAM, Late 2006 model (MA611LL/A). OS is 10.5.6.

Upon wake from sleep, I get a wide vertical band on the screen that looks somewhat like:

Click here for the full 1680x1050 image.

Note that this is not a real screenshot - I edited the band in. (The band does not appear in screenshots.)

I don't think it's the dreaded NVidia bug (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377) because A: this machine wasn't produced in the correct time period, and B: System Profiler reports my graphics chipset as "ATY,RadeonX1600."

Attempted fixes:

I thought it might be a software issue, but it persists even after I restart the machine - even during the boot sequence. I've also tried things like creating new ColorSync profiles. etc. Further, the band continues to appear on the laptop's display even if I connect a external monitor and make the external display the primary display.

The band eventually fades and usually goes away after a couple of hours, but it's a real distraction in the meantime.

Any ideas on where to start? I'm relatively handy and don't mind swapping out the LCD, inverter (high voltages FTW!), or cables, but I'd rather not thrown down $185 for the LCD if the inverter is the problem...

Google is not exactly my friend on this one.

 

[MacinDoc]

I have a similar problem with a 13" unibody MacBook. Look familiar?

My problem lasts seconds to minutes, and does not happen just after waking from sleep. The images in the band appear to be inverted. (Ignore the smudges, they are my own edits for privacy).

Anyone else familiar with this problem?

 

[snowmoon]

Based upon the fact that it goes away after a while I would say motherboard failure ( some loose pin on the videocard ) or video cable is loose or broken.

 

[rodman109110]

I don't know if this is what your experiencing but I had a similar problem but with horizontal banding instead of the vertical banding. I had the problem on a '07 15" MBP. The picture shows how it looked at its worst. I eventually, after 3 logic board and two lcd replacements, got a new laptop. Apple apparently had no idea what it was and I gave the Genius who worked on it a challenge.

 

[rmendez54]

Place something between the display and the case.

Problem Description:

So I have a 2.33 Ghz 17" MBP, 3 GB of RAM, Late 2006 model (MA611LL/A). OS is 10.5.6.

Upon wake from sleep, I get a wide vertical band on the screen that looks somewhat like:

Click here for the full 1680x1050 image.

Note that this is not a real screenshot - I edited the band in. (The band does not appear in screenshots.)

I don't think it's the dreaded NVidia bug (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377) because A: this machine wasn't produced in the correct time period, and B: System Profiler reports my graphics chipset as "ATY,RadeonX1600."

Attempted fixes:

I thought it might be a software issue, but it persists even after I restart the machine - even during the boot sequence. I've also tried things like creating new ColorSync profiles. etc. Further, the band continues to appear on the laptop's display even if I connect a external monitor and make the external display the primary display.

The band eventually fades and usually goes away after a couple of hours, but it's a real distraction in the meantime.

Any ideas on where to start? I'm relatively handy and don't mind swapping out the LCD, inverter (high voltages FTW!), or cables, but I'd rather not thrown down $185 for the LCD if the inverter is the problem...

Google is not exactly my friend on this one.

I read a thread on appledefects that said the problem was physical. I removed the display from the machine and then the lcd from the assembly. Behind the screen, you can see the back side of the metal and the plastic circle that is the illuminating apple. There are some pieces of padding stuck to the metal surrounding the apple. Also, there is a piece to the upper left of the apple. The post on appledefects said to place something between this piece of padding and the lcd. I folded a small piece of paper about four times and taped it over the piece of padding. The problem is now completely fixed. I have an early 2006 2.16 Core Duo 17 inch MacBook Pro. Hope this helps.