Computer starts with gray apple screen then turns white

[zacharyy123]

I am trying to fix a friends macbook pro. When I turn it on the screen shows the apple and the spiral underneath it spinning like it should then when it stalls for .2 seconds it goes to a white screen then there is vertical purple lines in groups across the screen. So the screen is white/purple. Then it fades to just white and I cant do anything. I hooked up my monitor with a DVI cable to see if it was the motherboard that was possibly bad but the monitor works just fine with the cable. I can use the computer with the laptop keyboard/mouse and it works just fine. The laptop screen just stays blank the whole time. I uploaded a vid to utube for it. If anybody has any ideas for me please help. I dont know if this is a monitor problem or the inverter or the motherboard, possibly some other piece of hardware?
Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JBFv-GTBmY
Thank you for the help!

-haryy

 

[davidlv]

In order for anyone to offer any help, it would be better to add some information on the computer in question. What model, year etc. Some older MBPs have a problematic video card and Apple has an extended warranty plan for that, with free replacements if the serial nimbers match. See the thread below, but without any info on that computer it is hard to say that this is related or not.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/515067/

 

[zacharyy123]

Here is my MAC serial number: w86291ksvwz

appleserialnumberinfo says this:

Model: - MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy) (CTO)
Build Country: - Your Mac was built in Changhai, China.
Build Year: - Your Mac was built in 2006.
Build Week - Your Mac was built in week 29 of that year (July).
Production Nr.: - Your Mac was number 740 to be built that week.

Processor:
Processor speed: - 2.16 GHz
Processor Type: - Intel Core Duo (Yonah)
Number of Cores: - 2
Bus Speed: - 667 MHz
Cache: - 2 MB L2 cache
64-bit Support: - No

Graphics:
Display Size: - 15.4-inch
Graphics Card: - ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
Card Memory: - 256 MB
Max. Resolution: - 1440 x 900
BLU / Coating: - TFT, CTO

Please let me know if you need any other info. This was just a quick find. Thank you!

-haryy

 

[davidlv]

Well, that computer is even older than the series with the known nVidia video card issue, so that extended warranty is not applicable. You will have to take it to Apple or a certified service agent, most likely the video card is toast.
If a repair is excessively expensive your friend may be better off buying a refurbished MacBook or MBP, rather than spending a lot of cash on an old machine. Because it works with an external monitor, you may be able to get some decent price for it on e-bay, sold as is.
Good luck.

 

[zacharyy123]

Well I was planning on fixing this myself whether it was the motherboard or lcd screen. Im just not sure which it is. I didn't know if it would possibly be the inverter for the screen that after a little bit of time being powered on would fail or whether it was something with the motherboard itself. Do macs have a separate video card in the laptops? I thought it was all integrated on the motherboard, at least in every other laptop I have taken apart the video card is integrated. Anyways I am wondering if anybody has some technical details about this with what it could be? Thank you for any help!

-haryy

 

[devilstrider]

Well, that computer is even older than the series with the known nVidia video card issue, so that extended warranty is not applicable. You will have to take it to Apple or a certified service agent, most likely the video card is toast.
If a repair is excessively expensive your friend may be better off buying a refurbished MacBook or MBP, rather than spending a lot of cash on an old machine. Because it works with an external monitor, you may be able to get some decent price for it on e-bay, sold as is.
Good luck.

you think its he video card even though it works fin going through a cable to a external monitor. If the video card was toast it would not display on the monitor as well right? After all the video going to the laptop screen and the external monitor are coming from the same video card.

 

[zacharyy123]

you think its he video card even though it works fin going through a cable to a external monitor. If the video card was toast it would not display on the monitor as well right? After all the video going to the laptop screen and the external monitor are coming from the same video card.

Agreed I dont think there could be anything wrong with the video card if it works perfectly fine using my external monitor. Its weird that the screen on the laptop works for 20 seconds and then goes to a white screen.