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MacBook Unibody has 'Tearing' distortion when scrolling

N

Nate4747

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 7, 2006
131
0
Missouri
My MB started doing this really strange thing where the screen gets all weird and distorted when scrolling. There are photos to show what's going on.

I have 4GB of OWC memory installed, but this was happening before I installed that so I can kind of rule that out.

Has anyone else had this happen, or know what causes it. I've tried all of the usual fixes like a fresh Leopard install and combo updates.

Nate
 

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Nate4747 said:
My MB started doing this really strange thing where the screen gets all weird and distorted when scrolling. There are photos to show what's going on.

I have 4GB of OWC memory installed, but this was happening before I installed that so I can kind of rule that out.

Has anyone else had this happen, or know what causes it. I've tried all of the usual fixes like a fresh Leopard install and combo updates.

Nate
Click to expand...

This is quite possibly some fault in your graphics card. Especially if it happens during scrolling in other applications as well. Take it to the shop for repair.
 
I have this same thing in both my MacBook and MacBook Pro late 2008 models. I had a conversation with Apple about the Pro a month ago. It came down to reinstalling the OS nothing else would work. However it came back anyways. It seems it happens when on battery power but I can't be sure. Amazing to be sure and the only fix is a restart that I know of.
 
owc?

hey i just wanted to know your opinion on the 4gb of ram that you put in i heard that some brands make the laptop overheat (melting keys and crap like that). i'm using a 2.4ghz unibody macbook just wondering what your input is on the ram i was deciding between OWC and MUSHIN... thanks
 
I've never had that happen on my Macbook and it looks more like a graphics card problem than a "reinstall the OS" problem. I'd make sure to get Applecare to exchange the card before the warranty is up as that doesn't look like a simple software fix.
 
I went to the genius bar with this problem and was told it was a "known issue." The guy couldn't tell me anything else except to wait and it might be fixed in a future update. Sounded dubious.
 
jw74 said:
I went to the genius bar with this problem and was told it was a "known issue." The guy couldn't tell me anything else except to wait and it might be fixed in a future update. Sounded dubious.
Click to expand...

Yes it's a known bug in Safari.
 
Me too

I bought a unibody MacBook a month ago and am experiencing the same glitch. It is sporadic in its appearance and like the OP, at its worst, nothing will fix unless you restart the computer. Sometimes exiting the program will help, but not always.

When I do have these issues, it affects anything I scroll: Safari, Mail, iTunes, Word, even Dictionary. What's worse, I cannot watch any streaming media when I have these glitches. YouTube is impossible as the video itself will blink with white blocks of video interruption. Sound is good though...

Again, the issue is random... the burden of proof for the genius bar will be difficult...
 
jw74 said:
I went to the genius bar with this problem and was told it was a "known issue." The guy couldn't tell me anything else except to wait and it might be fixed in a future update. Sounded dubious.
Click to expand...

I had the same issue with a MBP about a year ago. I'd tried everything too, including trying out every browser there is to see if the issue spans all browsers, and it did. They told me too that it might be fixed with an update, but seeing it's been around for some time now I wouldn't hold my breath. I couldn't determine the cause of the problem, and can't to this day.
 
Mine started doing this yesterday.

I got the 2.0/4GB/500GB MB Aluminium.

My screen is a duplicate of your screens. OMG it is annoying.

For me it happens only in Safari.

EDIT: Problem appears in firefox as well now...
 
This is a known glitch, it happens after putting your Macbook to sleep. This happens with many browsers, not just Safari. Notice that if you reboot, the tearing goes away. Highlighting text "fixes" the issue, which indicates that its a display/rendering issue. I have seen numerous posts from people who have taken their Macbooks to the Mac store, only to be told that the issue is being worked on.
 
Insulin Junkie said:
I had the same issue with a MBP about a year ago. I'd tried everything too, including trying out every browser there is to see if the issue spans all browsers, and it did. They told me too that it might be fixed with an update, but seeing it's been around for some time now I wouldn't hold my breath. I couldn't determine the cause of the problem, and can't to this day.
Click to expand...

I guess there is no point in wasting my time to go to the Genius Bar. Still, I'm a little surprised that for a "known" issue, it hasn't been fixed yet. To me, it is highly disruptive and I would count this persistent issue as defective... I'm a student and reading text on my computer as well as typing it is the very reason I bought a MacBook and the glitch is very disruptive.

Maybe I'll go to the Apple store as soon as the semester ends.
 
dorqiekat said:
I guess there is no point in wasting my time to go to the Genius Bar. Still, I'm a little surprised that for a "known" issue, it hasn't been fixed yet. To me, it is highly disruptive and I would count this persistent issue as defective... I'm a student and reading text on my computer as well as typing it is the very reason I bought a MacBook and the glitch is very disruptive.

Maybe I'll go to the Apple store as soon as the semester ends.
Click to expand...

I know... you think they would, right? You're brave to put up with it, I had my MBP exchanged after I discovered and they confirmed that there was nothing to be done. A year ago the issue'd already been around for a couple of years... so I figured it was something Apple wasn't falling over themselves to fix.
 
Insulin Junkie said:
I know... you think they would, right? You're brave to put up with it, I had my MBP exchanged after I discovered and they confirmed that there was nothing to be done. A year ago the issue'd already been around for a couple of years... so I figured it was something Apple wasn't falling over themselves to fix.
Click to expand...

I guess people are bothered enough about it for Apple to care... or they're not loud enough in their complaints. In that case, (not that it would make any difference) I will go to the Genius Bar.
 
I just bought a new Macbook Pro and I have this problem too. It also happened in my old white Intel iMac a few years ago, which got fixed after about a year with an OSX update so I guess there's hope for us yet! By the way, I haven't really used it much but it appears that the tearing doesn't happen when switching to the integrated graphics but that eats up your RAM so not feasible all the time.
 
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