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Screen flickering on startup - MacBook Pro 13

C

Chomp81

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 23, 2014
203
160
At the login screen and during usage, a flickering dark shadow appears on the top half of my screen.

Please check the videos:



I have done:
* Apple Diagnostics and it says that there is no hardware problem.
* Safe Mode and it continues.
* I reseted NVRAM, still there.
* SMC reset; nothing
* macOS Sierra, clean install; now its even worse.

Any advice?
What could it be?
 
JCarmona said:
Ok, it changes that Apple logo flicker, but I like the "scaled" res....

Nevertheless, the resolution does not change the dark shadow that is flickering on the login screen... Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Sorry, not direct ones. I've never owned a Mac laptop. I would --

Boot into Safe Mode. Look for any change both while booting into it and on the subsequent regular boot. Reset the NVRAM and do an SMC reset. Check for any changes after the steps are individually performed. ETA : I know you've already done these steps but it can't hurt to try them again.

Search the forum for any similar posts.

Enter the conversation at the thread I linked to earlier. If necessary, ping the experienced members who've contributed there.

If the laptop otherwise ran well but I couldn't let go of the possibility that the flicker/shadow might represent a hardware problem, I'd make an appt. for diagnostics at an Apple store.


(As always, have proper backups.)
 
Last edited:
Yep, same as I mentioned in the posted thread.

This is the transition from native resolution to something scaled. Yours is faster than mine because of the faster processor and GPU, but still the same issue. Apple needs to work on the boot cycle to get rid of this transition.

Basically the Apple logo on start up is of a fixed resolution and size, so when OSX boots and switches the hardware to a selected resolution it seems to not change the size of the boot image. Interestingly this did not happen on my older Air, nor doe it happen on my Mini desktop, which means it's unique to the retina series.

After boot up it's a non-issue.
 
rshrugged said:
Sorry, not direct ones. I've never owned a Mac laptop. I would --

Boot into Safe Mode. Look for any change both while booting into it and on the subsequent regular boot. Reset the NVRAM and do an SMC reset. Check for any changes after the steps are individually performed. ETA : I know you've already done these steps but it can't hurt to try them again.

Search the forum for any similar posts.

Enter the conversation at the thread I linked to earlier. If necessary, ping the experienced members who've contributed there.

If the laptop otherwise ran well but I couldn't let go of the possibility that the flicker/shadow might represent a hardware problem, I'd make an appt. for diagnostics at an Apple store.


(As always, have proper backups.)
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1475662190][/doublepost]
rshrugged said:
Sorry, not direct ones. I've never owned a Mac laptop. I would --

Boot into Safe Mode. Look for any change both while booting into it and on the subsequent regular boot. Reset the NVRAM and do an SMC reset. Check for any changes after the steps are individually performed. ETA : I know you've already done these steps but it can't hurt to try them again.

Search the forum for any similar posts.

Enter the conversation at the thread I linked to earlier. If necessary, ping the experienced members who've contributed there.

If the laptop otherwise ran well but I couldn't let go of the possibility that the flicker/shadow might represent a hardware problem, I'd make an appt. for diagnostics at an Apple store.


(As always, have proper backups.)
Click to expand...

Thank you,

As I commented on the original post, I have done:

* Apple Diagnostics and it says that there is no hardware problem.
* Safe Mode and it continues.
* I reseted NVRAM, still there.
* SMC reset; nothing
* macOS Sierra, clean install; now its even worse.

The flickering at the start is "solved" with changing the resolution to the original one, but it's too large for me and it doesn't take advantage of the retina display.

What concerns me the most is the dark shadow flickering on the login window...
[doublepost=1475662278][/doublepost]
bjet767 said:
Yep, same as I mentioned in the posted thread.

This is the transition from native resolution to something scaled. Yours is faster than mine because of the faster processor and GPU, but still the same issue. Apple needs to work on the boot cycle to get rid of this transition.

Basically the Apple logo on start up is of a fixed resolution and size, so when OSX boots and switches the hardware to a selected resolution it seems to not change the size of the boot image. Interestingly this did not happen on my older Air, nor doe it happen on my Mini desktop, which means it's unique to the retina series.

After boot up it's a non-issue.
Click to expand...
Thank you!

My main problem comes after boot; the dark shadow flickering in the top half of my screen; check the first video.

Any thoughts?
 
It is good to know you got the problem resolved by changing the resolution. Other people have had issues with rMBP displays when running at higher resolutions. There are several thread that discuss this. But the bottom line is that minor video glitches appear at higher resolutions.

I suggest that anyone that experiences display issues, set their device to "Best for retina" and see if the problem persists. If nothing else, this will help others help you.
 
jerryk said:
It is good to know you got the problem resolved by changing the resolution. Other people have had issues with rMBP displays when running at higher resolutions. There are several thread that discuss this. But the bottom line is that minor video glitches appear at higher resolutions.

I suggest that anyone that experiences display issues, set their device to "Best for retina" and see if the problem persists. If nothing else, this will help others help you.
Click to expand...

The ACTUAL problem was not solved... the flickering dark shadow on the top half of the screen is still there.... =S
 
I'm sorry I missed the after boot issue.

The boot issue can't be fixed until Apple does a software update to address it, but the flicker after boot is another. While I'm not an Apple repair person I have seen people I know with that problem and I believe it's a hardware issue. One person I'm familiar with got a similar flicker after an acidental drop of the computer.

For the second problem you're going to have to take it to Apple.
 
So I went to the Genius Bar reservation at Covent Garden store in London.

The tests made to my Macbook Pro seem quite basic. Those are the same tests I have done in order to analyse and research about my flickering screen.

He concluded that the problem was not software, but hardware (by connecting to a monitor, input that I gave in July in one of the many chats I had). He concluded that the problem is the screen, without knowing what caused it (saying that probably was shock, when the computer has never been hit) and not giving a particular component to fix for this issue.

Since July and after 7 interactions, I am surprised that even at the Genius Bar, there is no clear explanation of what the problem could be and what has caused it, being the only solution to pay £350 to change the screen, and not giving full certainty that this would solve the issue.

What shocks me even more, is the insulting treatment I received from the manager, John, which didn't intend to solve the situation, except demanding to pay 25% of the value of a new MacBook Pro, without guaranteeing that this would solve the problem permanently and contradicting the information I received over the phone that I was under the UK Consumer Rights Act. He told me he did not care about providing a good customer experience and to explore the problem on a deeper form.

I am a great brand advocate, hardcore user of the Apple ecosystem and this experience not only hurts me in my computing needs, it hurts the brand love and loyalty I have had in the last 10 years.
 
First, I wouldn't judge the company using such a small sample. If I were you (I don't know the full circumstances and am not sure what you deserve in this case) and thought I deserved more, I would escalate the case through the proper steps, if necessary up to the CEO. If nothing else, I might be able to right the wrong committed against me.

(EDIT -- post from someone who didn't give up : https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ough-i-have-apple-care.2008009/#post-23751110)

You say --
JCarmona said:
[...]He concluded that the problem was not software, but hardware (by connecting to a monitor[...]
Click to expand...

If this means the flicker doesn't occur when connected to an external monitor, it most likely is a hardware issue. But if it were me and my machine got worse after installing a new OS, I'd try the various troubleshooting steps yet again, including the ones that would rule out a software problem, such as Safe Mode, creating a temporary new user test account and lastly, a clean OS install.

Possibly a waste of physical time, but it would settle any doubts I might still hold.
 
Last edited:
rshrugged said:
First, I wouldn't judge the company using such a small sample. If I were you (I don't know the full circumstances and am not sure what you deserve in this case) and thought I deserved more, I would escalate the case through the proper steps, if necessary up to the CEO. If nothing else, I might be able to right the wrong committed against me.

(EDIT -- post from someone who didn't give up : https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ough-i-have-apple-care.2008009/#post-23751110)

You say --


If this means the flicker doesn't occur when connected to an external monitor, it most likely is a hardware issue. But if it were me and my machine got worse after installing a new OS, I'd try the various troubleshooting steps yet again, including the ones that would rule out a software problem, such as Safe Mode, creating a temporary new user test account and lastly, a clean OS install.

Possibly a waste of physical time, but it would settle any doubts I might still hold.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your comment!

I will do the steps all over again, I just did a clean install of the macOS Sierra... nevertheless, I don't lose anything.
Doing a clean reinstall again, I would prefer to avoid it, since it really takes a long time to have everything in place again.

Being a hardware issue, honestly I came to the same conclusion by myself, but in 6 out of 7 interactions with Apple Support they told me that if Diagnostics is not returning an error, it had to be software. At the Genius appointment, they conclude it is hardware. For me this come and go its idiotic. Apple has lowered the standards of the so-called geniuses, it is just another tech support like Sony, Panasonic ow whichever brand was big in the 80's and now is a piece of crap. Apple is going in the same direction.
 
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