MacBook Pro 15-inch, Late 2011 black screen

[ThoseBackPages]

Sorry if this has been covered.

a few weeks back, my MBP 15-inch, Late 2011 edition laptop "froze" when i opened the lid to wake it from "sleep"

No big whoop i thought, as it never happened before. Well, no dice, i held down the power button and restarted it like i normally do when i boot it up as normal, and i heard the motor power up, then the chime, but the screen did not power on.

panicked, i searched google and found out about the SMC and PRAM resets.
The SMC did the trick that time. So then i decided to just avoid putting it to sleep

Then, while trying to skip to the next track on Pandora Radio, it froze up, so i pushed the power button to shut it down and try to restart it. the SMC didnt work, but the PRAM did. The time after that, neither worked initially, but eventually the combo of some of them (i dont remember) did the trick.

Tonight, the laptop was running slowwwwly, so i went to restart it, and it froze up again. This time, nothing worked at all....for about two hours, when some combo of the above managed to work, and here i sit, coming to the pros to ask for any assistance that you can provide.

Anything else I can try or does anyone have any ideas?

Please forgive me, as i am about as computer challenged as they come.

i appreciate your help with this matter

-Eric

 

[yjchua95]

Sorry if this has been covered.

a few weeks back, my MBP 15-inch, Late 2011 edition laptop "froze" when i opened the lid to wake it from "sleep"

No big whoop i thought, as it never happened before. Well, no dice, i held down the power button and restarted it like i normally do when i boot it up as normal, and i heard the motor power up, then the chime, but the screen did not power on.

panicked, i searched google and found out about the SMC and PRAM resets.
The SMC did the trick that time. So then i decided to just avoid putting it to sleep

Then, while trying to skip to the next track on Pandora Radio, it froze up, so i pushed the power button to shut it down and try to restart it. the SMC didnt work, but the PRAM did. The time after that, neither worked initially, but eventually the combo of some of them (i dont remember) did the trick.

Tonight, the laptop was running slowwwwly, so i went to restart it, and it froze up again. This time, nothing worked at all....for about two hours, when some combo of the above managed to work, and here i sit, coming to the pros to ask for any assistance that you can provide.

Anything else I can try or does anyone have any ideas?

Please forgive me, as i am about as computer challenged as they come.

i appreciate your help with this matter

-Eric

Radeongate (the infamous GPU failure that has been affecting the 2011 15"/17" MBPs) has hit your Mac.

There is no permanent fix for it.

Sell it off and get a new rMBP.

 

[prisstratton]

Sorry if this has been covered.

a few weeks back, my MBP 15-inch, Late 2011 edition laptop "froze" when i opened the lid to wake it from "sleep"

No big whoop i thought, as it never happened before. Well, no dice, i held down the power button and restarted it like i normally do when i boot it up as normal, and i heard the motor power up, then the chime, but the screen did not power on.

panicked, i searched google and found out about the SMC and PRAM resets.
The SMC did the trick that time. So then i decided to just avoid putting it to sleep

Then, while trying to skip to the next track on Pandora Radio, it froze up, so i pushed the power button to shut it down and try to restart it. the SMC didnt work, but the PRAM did. The time after that, neither worked initially, but eventually the combo of some of them (i dont remember) did the trick.

Tonight, the laptop was running slowwwwly, so i went to restart it, and it froze up again. This time, nothing worked at all....for about two hours, when some combo of the above managed to work, and here i sit, coming to the pros to ask for any assistance that you can provide.

Anything else I can try or does anyone have any ideas?

Please forgive me, as i am about as computer challenged as they come.

i appreciate your help with this matter

-Eric

Hi Eric,

I am sorry to say, but your system sounds like it is probably on the edge of failing due to an issue with the graphic processor installed in 2011 models. As you will note in my signature I am in the same boat and it is not a matter of IF it will fail, but WHEN it will fail.

This has been called “Radeongate” my many users and you will find information pertaining to this if you use that search term.

I would suggest that you make sure you have a complete backup of your system.

So far, Apple has been refusing to recognize this as a problem. Some people have been able to get replacement motherboards, but, as they are being replaced with the same faulty parts they also will inevitably fail.

Some services ($$$) are offering a “reball” and GPU replacement, which is the removal of the old GPU and replacement with a new chipset. I am just starting to look into this for my own purposes, but I have no information to share on this at the moment.

One thing you can do to try and extend your usability is to install gfxCardStatus, using this you can force your system to use the integrated (Intel) graphics card on the motherboard rather than the discrete (AMD Radeon) graphics card that is causing the problems.

Link here: https://gfx.io

Good Luck………

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Hi Eric,

I am sorry to say, but your system sounds like it is probably on the edge of failing due to an issue with the graphic processor installed in 2011 models. As you will note in my signature I am in the same boat and it is not a matter of IF it will fail, but WHEN it will fail.

This has been called “Radeongate” my many users and you will find information pertaining to this if you use that search term.

I would suggest that you make sure you have a complete backup of your system.

So far, Apple has been refusing to recognize this as a problem. Some people have been able to get replacement motherboards, but, as they are being replaced with the same faulty parts they also will inevitably fail.

Some services ($$$) are offering a “reball” and GPU replacement, which is the removal of the old GPU and replacement with a new chipset. I am just starting to look into this for my own purposes, but I have no information to share on this at the moment.

One thing you can do to try and extend your usability is to install gfxCardStatus, using this you can force your system to use the integrated (Intel) graphics card on the motherboard rather than the discrete (AMD Radeon) graphics card that is causing the problems.

Link here: https://gfx.io

Good Luck………

Well, this is a true kick in the junk indeed

i appreciate your honesty. i knew i'd find just that here on MR

i went ahead and added that gfxCardStatus and put it on "Integrated Only" like youve recommended.

Thanks Again,
Eric