MBP 17" HR Screen Problem - white-out of odd # columns

[technogeek]

Here's a problem that just appeared on my 17" Santa Rosa HiRes MacBook Pro. For a few seconds, every other column of pixels turns white (R G and B subpixels together). Fortunately, after a minute or so, it goes back to normal. But if this is like a typical hardware problem, some component is starting to fail, and will eventually go irreversibly. But I am wondering if this could possibly be a software problem. It would seem unlikely that every other of the 3 subpixel columns would all go to maximum brightness together. But I don't know how the hardware might make this possible. I could imagine some kind of driver problem where a buffer got corrupted in such a way as to do this. Any replications out there? thoughts? Or is this just a simple hardware failure and time to call AppleCare?

 

[aforty]

It sounds like a loose cable inside. My current laptop has done this (I had to take it apart to replace the power connector) and that was the cause. Take it to Apple if you don't feel brave enough to take it apart.

 

[technogeek]

It sounds like a loose cable inside. My current laptop has done this (I had to take it apart to replace the power connector) and that was the cause. Take it to Apple if you don't feel brave enough to take it apart.

I would think that if it were a loose cable, then tapping on it or other jostling would bring on the symptom. But it comes out of nowhere, lasts less than a minute, then stops. It happens a couple of times a day. It will probably require AppleCare to fix.