Problems with an Intel iMac (Late 2006)

[007 Junior]

Hi there!

I'm new to these forums and I'd like to start off directly with a problem I have with my iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 Ghz from Late 2006.

There are actually two problems:
1. Only the right part of my screen is working correctly.
2. My iSight-camera isn't recognized/working anymore.

When I start up my Mac, the screen starts flashing and flickering on the left side. For half a second the screen is fine and then display disappears, separated from the right half of the display with a black line in the middle of the screen. When the iMac comes out of sleep mode, the same thing happens. I connected the iMac to an external monitor which worked out fine. I also did an Apple Hardware Test and it didn't find any problems. So, the logic board seems to be ok. AHT didn't warn me about any problems with the LCD too. I'm now thinking of a loose connection anywhere in the computer, but I have no idea what to try.

My iSight-camera isn't working too. But everything looks well connected. The camera is not recognized by the iMac in the way that it's not detected in the System Profiler.

Any ideas on how I might fix these problems?
Your help will be much appreciated!!

(Update: Photo's of the problem are now added!)

 

[bmcgrath]

If it was a problem with the connection for the screen I don't think the screen would work at all. I think this is a problem with the LCD itself.

As for the iSight. Not really sure. This could just be kaput. Does the system not see it at all?

 

[007 Junior]

Thanks for your quick reply! No, there is no sign of the iSight-camera at all. The iMac says there is no camera connected when I start up a program like Photo Booth, and it's not recognized in the System Profiler too.

 

[bmcgrath]

I think that's a sign that it's goneski. However someone else may have other ideas.

 

[ickystay]

iMacs with serial numbers starting with W86 and (at least) W87 have screen that often go bad. Google "imac 17 screen lines" and you'll see how common this is. From what I've read, the way to test that it is a bad screen is to take a screen snap. If the picture shows your desktop as normal, you've got a bad LCD.

Solution- new screen. Apple has replaced peoples screen in the past. Maybe if you are a big enough pest, they will help you out.

http://www.realmacmods.com/ has an adapter so you can use less expensive screens to replace the original. You can even go with higher resolution. $150 gets you an adapter with a 1900 X 1200 screen. There are plenty of youtube videos on how to replace a screen for your model.

I have no explanation for the camera not being recognized. When taking the front bezel off the computer, you have to disconnect the camera. Has anybody been inside? Maybe get a credit card and follow bezel removal instructions. You can just take a quick peek inside to make sure it's still connected.

 

[toddzrx]

I had the same problem on an early 2006 17" MBP. In short, you need a new screen. Or hook up an external monitor like I did until the rest of the computer dies.

Not being mean here: don't get too attached to your Mac. If you have the cash, you'll be happier with a newer machine. Sometimes it's not worth the time, money, and/or effort to fix old gear.

 

[007 Junior]

I had the same problem on an early 2006 17" MBP. In short, you need a new screen. Or hook up an external monitor like I did until the rest of the computer dies.

Not being mean here: don't get too attached to your Mac. If you have the cash, you'll be happier with a newer machine. Sometimes it's not worth the time, money, and/or effort to fix old gear.

Hmm.. I bought it for 40 bucks, especially to fix it up, so it's not the one I have for everyday use, like my iMac 21.5" from Mid 2010. But if you think fixing it up isn't worth it, I might gonna sell it in parts. The logic board works great and seems to replaced not a long time ago.

I'll keep an eye on any similar second hand iMac's with a working LCD I can use. Otherwise, it's going to be a very expensive joke, I guess.

 

[zackkmac]

Sometimes you can get the LCD itself for a good price. Just keep looking. Those are easy to replace if you follow ifixit.com's guide. If you do that you might wanna try throwing a replacement iSight camera in there at the same time. I can't imagine those being too pricey.

 

[007 Junior]

So, I'm back here again. I managed to get a working replacement LCD-display from eBay, which will arrive somewhere next week. The next problem is my iSight-camera. I can't imagine the camera itself is broken. I've been searching around the internet and came up with this website, describing that it COULD BE a software problem: http://www.codium.co.nz/isight_fix/

I'm gonna try it directly when I got back from school.

 

[justperry]

So, I'm back here again. I managed to get a working replacement LCD-display from eBay, which will arrive somewhere next week. The next problem is my iSight-camera. I can't imagine the camera itself is broken. I've been searching around the internet and came up with this website, describing that it COULD BE a software problem: http://www.codium.co.nz/isight_fix/

I'm gonna try it directly when I got back from school.

Always try with a clean OS X Install before thinking about hardware problems, the easiest way is to install a clean OS on an external HD, then boot from it, if that does not work it is likely to be hardware.

 

[007 Junior]

YES!! I used the method described in the link I posted above here and now everything is working fine!! I'm happy! Thank you guys for all your assistance!

 

[Sup3rknova]

Hoping I could revive this thread a bit to address my similar issues. Your screen looked like mine did. Except mine had lines going across it and I don’t recall one whole side being faulty. I was told by Mac experts and message boards for awhile it’s a logic board issue(?) and that it’s easier to just toss the mac and replace it. I installed an app to make the fan run faster and it would revive it for awhile and the lines didn’t show up as quick. I’m wondering if our issue is the same. I was going to toss it since I got a new MacBook pro for school but it was my first one and I don’t want to and I’ve hung onto it hoping I’d find a solution and put it in the kiddos bedroom. Thoughts?