ibook G4 desktop & apps turned black?

[Ines]

Hello, I have a strange problem. My 3 yr old son knocked the keyboard on my ibook G4 10.4.9, and everything suddenly turned a black colour with photos on safari or in iphotos showing in a silver effect. By saying everything I mean the desktop, all applications and finder boxes (not sure if apple also calls them windows).

I rebooted. It seemed to correct it back to the normal graphite coluring and pictures but then at the last minute of loading up it changed back to this awful black effect.

I saved a screen shot, however if I view the Jpg via my PC it appears normal.

I checked system preferences etc to see if the settings had changed via a quick keyboard shortcut but them seem ok?

Can anyone help me please?

thanks I always appreciate your knowledge out there.
Ines

 

[bartelby]

He's hit one of the Universal Access key combos.
Ctrl + Alt + Apple + 8

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Hmm... he may have activated the Universal Access keystroke that reverses the screen to help those with vision problems see the display better. Try pressing Control-Option-Command-8 together, and see if that rectifies your problem.

 

[GodBless]

If command (apple) + option (alt) + clrl (control) + 8 doesn't work as the others suggested then I'd recommend taking a picture of your screen with a digital camera and then posting the picture in this forum for us to examine and advise you on.

 

[Ines]

THANKS SO MUCH, Bartelby and Jaffa Cake you have sorted the problem.

I really appreciate your quick response.

thanks again,
Ines

 

[bartelby]

THANKS SO MUCH, Bartelby and Jaffa Cake you have sorted the problem.

I really appreciate your quick response.

thanks again,
Ines

No problem.

It's a bit of a shock if that happens, accidentally, for the first time.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

You're welcome, Ines – glad to have been of assistance.

It's a bit of a shock if that happens, accidentally, for the first time.

It's also a fun practical joke to play on those who don't know about this feature, but I'm too nice to suggest doing something so cruel.

 

[bartelby]

You're welcome, Ines – glad to have been of assistance.

It's also a fun practical joke to play on those who don't know about this feature, but I'm too nice to suggest doing something so cruel.

I was going to suggest it too.

I must be nicer than you as I didn't

 

[GodBless]

THANKS SO MUCH, Bartelby and Jaffa Cake you have sorted the problem.

I really appreciate your quick response.

thanks again,
Ines

If you want to save battery power to run your iBook a little longer when you are away from an outlet--now you know how--just hit command+option+control+8. It usually darkens the screen and creates less light output which means less power will be drained from your battery. Dimming the display can help with battery life between charges too.

 

[Ines]

thanks to Godbless too our posts must have crossed.

Yes good idea about the practical joke .. unless they have a dodgy heart. Has anyone played the windows one on anyone (Ctrl + Alt + down cursor) to correct this enter (Ctrl + Alt +Up cursor).

Now I must let my 3 year old out the naughty cupboard ...

.... before anyone calls the NSPCC that was a JOKE too (honest).

thanks I had better get back to work.
cheers again
Ines

 

[GodBless]

Yes good idea about the practical joke .. unless they have a dodgy heart. Has anyone played the windows one on anyone (Ctrl + Alt + down cursor) to correct this enter (Ctrl + Alt +Up cursor).

No what happens when you do that on Microsoft Windows?

Now I must let my 3 year old out the naughty cupboard ...

.... before anyone calls the NSPCC that was a JOKE too (honest).

Boy I think that is too harsh and shouldn't be joked about.

thanks I had better get back to work.
cheers again
Ines

thanks to Godbless too our posts must have crossed.

No problem.

 

[Ines]

hello, its turns their screen upside down !! Very scary!

Yes I apologise and am sorry that joke was bad taste, honestly I didnt even shout at him or tell him off. I let him on the laptop all the time so its my own fault. Hey he is teaching me all these shortcuts. The last one was a zoom shortcut!

 

[GodBless]

hello, its turns their screen upside down !! Very scary!

Wow that's cool. Is there an easy way to reverse it? Control + Alt + up cursor perhaps?

Yes I apologise and am sorry that joke was bad taste, honestly I didnt even shout at him or tell him off.

Good--child abuse is a very serious and bad thing.

I let him on the laptop all the time so its my own fault. Hey he is teaching me all these shortcuts. The last one was a zoom shortcut!

That's great--fair warning though--when I let a little one around my computer (I think she was 2 or 3 at the time) she climbed on the table and picked up my car keys and jammed them right into my iBook's screen (I had an iBook G3 at the time) which was on the table too and the screen internally cracked and I had to buy a new one because only part of the screen worked. I was still able to use the computer for a while though by zooming--and by the way here are the following keyboard shortcuts for zooming:

To turn on and off zooming press: command+option+8
To start to zoom in press: command+option+= (press this twice then hold it and let go when your zoom in to a comfortable level)
To zoom out: press command+option--

You can hold the "control" key (the ctrl key that is) down and put two fingers on the trackpad (i.e. the mouse) and then drag your two fingers up and down to zoom in and out. Control and the scroll wheel works if you have an external mouse.

Just make sure that your little one doesn't hit your computer's screen with something that could damage it.