MBP 15" CD 2.0 : No Video

[RupertJ]

Hi all,

My MBP doesn't seem to want to output video any more... Currently when it switches on, I get the chime, and then it just sits there with the screen black. I thought it was crashing on boot for a while, until I spotted the shared volumes appear in the Finder on my iMac.

I've tried the usual suspects like booting into target mode (still no video, otherwise fine), zapping the PRAM (no effect), trying to boot from a Leopard install DVD (still no video) and connecting an external display (no signal).

Ideally I'd like to SSH into the thing and see if it can see the video chip, but it's got SSH disabled - Does anyone know how to switch it on by altering a file with the MBP mounted in target mode?

Otherwise, anyone got anything to try? (I'm fearing it's a logic board replacement at the moment....)

 

[Eidorian]

Have you tried an external display? It could be a dead backlight.

 

[RupertJ]

Hi,

I did, yeah. Hooked it up to my TV on DVI, which usually works, but just got no signal this time. I also tried shining a torch through the apple in the lid, and there didn't seem to be anything on the screen.

 

[rolex54]

can you see anything when shining a light in from the front??

 

[RupertJ]

Nope, nothing at all. I just tried a much brighter light from the back too - there's definitely no picture.

 

[RupertJ]

Well, I just tried booting the MBP into target mode to try and mess with the conf files and enable SSH, and the screen turned on! (Amazing, given how I didn't think I'd changed anything, and it had been dead for over a week).

It doesn't feel like this is fixed for good, but at least I get to enable SSH the easy way and use my laptop again for a bit

Cheers for the help guys - if anyone's had the same issue and found a permanent fix, please shout.

 

[RupertJ]

It's done it again.... I put the MBP to sleep last night, and on waking it this morning, when I opened the lid it instantly chimed (Oh-oh) and then went on to boot with nothing on the screen like before.

At least now I can SSH in Running system_profiler gives:

Graphics/Displays:

Intel GMA 950:

Chipset Model: GMA 950
Type: Display
Bus: Built-In
VRAM (Total): 64 MB of shared system memory
Vendor: Intel (0x8086)
Device ID: 0x27a2
Revision ID: 0x0003
Displays:
Display Connector:
Display Connector:

Which looks pretty damn wrong to me. For starters it should be reporting an ATI chip! It either can't see the ATI chip and OSX just loads the Intel driver anyway, or it can see the ATI chip and doesn't recognise it....

 

[Beau10]

It's done it again.... I put the MBP to sleep last night, and on waking it this morning, when I opened the lid it instantly chimed (Oh-oh) and then went on to boot with nothing on the screen like before.

At least now I can SSH in Running system_profiler gives:



Which looks pretty damn wrong to me. For starters it should be reporting an ATI chip! It either can't see the ATI chip and OSX just loads the Intel driver anyway, or it can see the ATI chip and doesn't recognise it....

This is exactly what happens with the Santa Rosa based units when the GPU dies, showing the built-in GPU.

 

[RupertJ]

Ah, damn

(Although mine's not a Santa Rosa one. It's one of the original MBPs. Guess they could show the same fault though.)