Hello everyone! I'm currently at a loss of what to do next. I have a MacBook Pro Early 2011 Core i5 with the Intel HD 3000 graphics. When I turn the laptop on, I get the chime and then a white screen. If I wait a minute or so, the screen dims and I hear my mail notifications and i'm able to adjust the volume and brightness with the keyboard buttons. However, it's still just a white screen, I can dim and brighten it with the keys but absolutely NO actual video what so ever. I've tried unplugging the battery, the charger, command+option+p+r, reseating the video connector, reseating ram, etc, any help? Thanks so much!
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Stuck at white screen!
- Thread starter arrfenwoof
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well it's past its warranty, so I guess its time to throw it in the rubbish then. not going to spend hundreds for someone to tell me the issue and have that issue be a $800+ logic board. Was hoping it was just something i'm missing and could fix it myself, whether it be a part I need or something. Thanks.
Yeah, I was hoping try an external monitor but I don't have a thunderbolt connector to do so. I only have two white macbooks, so the vga adapter from those don't work on this new one. Any way to hook up one of my white macbook LCD's to the pro since they're the same size, just for testing purposes if nothing else?
You could use a program like screen recycler to use the MacBook as an external display, but even then you'll need a Mini DP adapter to get video out of your MBP. If you mean taking the panel/display out of the MacBook, maybe, but it would be a lot of work. There's also the chance of a driver issue; displays actually have firmware installed to make them work. Apple won't charge you without your permission, so if the store is close it doesn't hurt to at least get a quote. Replacing a display is going to be a lot cheaper than getting a new computer, especially if the rest of the computer is fine.
Without ripping the screens out and transplanting them into your machine there's no way to do it without getting an adapter cable.
Cheapest way to do it if you live by an Apple store is to take it in and see what they diagnose. They will tell you which of the display or logic board you will need to replace to fix it, and how much it will cost. Then you can just say no thanks to the quote they give you and go home and buy the parts yourself off of ebay and do it for much cheaper. I'd advise against DIY though unless you've had some experience with it. Replacing the display is not as simple as changing the hard drive, etc. Check out iFixit for instructions (they might even have the display panel model numbers you'll need to order).
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Well, come to find out the LVDS connector on the logic board is fried (tested with another known working LCD. Put the hard drive in my older MacBook and turned on Screen Sharing and then put it back in the MacBook Pro, so I can access it from another Mac. I suppose rather than paying $400+ on eBay for a new logicboard, I could just get a thunderbolt-to-vga adapter (if these exist) and use it as a desktop type deal? Not sure if that would even work?
If you have an external monitor it should work. I'm using MDP to DVI. All kinds of adaptors:
http://store.apple.com/us/mac/mac-accessories/cables#!
Yes that would work. It's a bit clumsy looking as your Macbook display will sit in front of your external monitor, blocking a bit of the view. Another option is to hook it up to the external monitor and keep the case closed - but then you need to buy another keyboard and mouse.
What I ended up doing with an old Macbook that had the same whitescreen is hook it up via a mini display port to HDMI adapter (make sure it also outputs sound). That way you can hook it up to the tv and use it as an HTPC / Mac Mini style media center. Put Plex or XBMC on it and you're good to go.
Also like the previous poster mentioned, are you sure it's the logic board connector and not the LVDS cable itself? Usually with the white screens it's two causes - either the panel becomes faulty or the LVDS cable wears out from the hinge flex. If it's just the cable it's a really cheap fix (like twenty something dollars from ebay).
If it is the logic board connector that's tough luck as replacing the logic board probably isn't worth the trouble or expense.
It's definitely the logic board connector unfortunately. The H key stopped working right before the screen went white anyhow, so using an external keyboard and mouse really isn't a problem. I don't have an HDMI TV/Monitor, all I have is a spare CRT VGA monitor, so as long as a vga adapter will work with the macbook pro, i'll be pretty happy, since it's a Core i5 I really don't want to trash it but i'm certainly not looking to spend HUNDREDS on a logic board and then have to replace the keyboard since that H key wasn't working anyhow. It'll display on the vga monitor with the laptop closed, won't it? Sorry for all the confusion/questions, i've never used a MB/MBP on an external monitor before. Thanks so much for everyones help.
Also, really saddens me that the keyboard and logic board is acting up on my 2011 MacBook Pro when my Mid-2007 and Early-2008 white MacBook's are still 100% fully functioning! Very strange!
Also, really saddens me that the keyboard and logic board is acting up on my 2011 MacBook Pro when my Mid-2007 and Early-2008 white MacBook's are still 100% fully functioning! Very strange!
Yes the only "trick" to remember is that it will not work with the laptop closed UNLESS you have it plugged into the wall. This keeps tripping me up because usually when I plug my MacBooks into the TV they are not attached to the wall and are running on battery. In other words external monitor + laptop closed + battery doesn't work. Only external monitor + laptop closed + power cable works.
I'm in the opposite boat. My Macbook Pros have been running fine. It's my white unibody Macbook that developed two problems (first was the battery started giving warnings that it needed to be replaced and second was the white screen which turned out to be the panel). I figure replacing both of those isn't worth the cost.
That's quite alright, I unplugged the battery since I figured, what's the point in having it plugged in if i'm going to have it sitting on a desk and i'll never be taking it with me anywhere? Just hoping I get the adapter from Amazon in a reasonable amount of time. Another issue is one of the 2GB DDR3 sticks died, kinda strange. I don't know much about the white unibody MB's as I have two of the models prior. Only issue is the early-2008 has a weird white-washed look in the bottom corner which is incredibly annoying when watching YouTube or on a dark screen as it shows up so bright. Also kinda sad that my 2006 Compaq laptop has been through hell and back and the LCD, motherboard, ram, battery, hard drive, keyboard, you name it, all still work 100%. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple design and such but i'm starting to question the durability/quality. Ah well, what can I do.
That's another gotcha about the MacBooks. If you don't have the battery inside when running off of the power outlet, the machine will actually throttle itself because it can't draw enough power through the power adapter alone. It's one of those quirky things you can google to find out about and which doesn't really affect most people. But if you do any gaming/video rendering, etc, you will definitely feel the performance difference.
My Dell Lattitude from like a decade ago is still alive and kicking without issues. I've gone through so many Apple products now that statistics alone forced me to have issues. One Macbook Air the hard drive died. Another Macbook Air the panel stopped displaying an inch of the left side. My iMacs have been trouble free. So my experience roughly reflects the price of AppleCare. The notebooks have had a much greater tendency in my experience to develop issues versus the desktops.
Amen, I hear you there. I guess i'll plug the battery back in and use it like that when I get the adapter then. Since one of the 2GB sticks died, I really need all the power and speed I can get out of it until I feel like investing in DDR3 ram.
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I've never owned a Core i5 computer before. I'm assuming the Core i5 2.3GHz paired with 2GB should be much faster than my Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz 4GB?
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I've never owned a Core i5 computer before. I'm assuming the Core i5 2.3GHz paired with 2GB should be much faster than my Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz 4GB?
Yes the difference between an i5 and a C2D cpu is quite noticeable for performance related things. The i5 feels quite zippy while the C2D is a bit lethargic these days, imho.
Remember that when you replace/upgrade the RAM you can use any "made for PC / Windows" RAM and not the overinflated "Apple compatible" sticks. Just make sure the timings are the same as the factory sticks and you're good to go. The Apple compatible sticks are just the same thing as the PC sticks but with the model number changed and with the correct timings.
Well a little good news anyhow... USPS claims the adapter will be here tomorrow (so excited I could burst!) and I was looking at that RAM stick that appeared to be dead, noticed a little bit of "crud" on one of the contacts, so I rubbed it off, put it in the machine, no more 3 beeps! Did the chime like normal. Really hoping the adapter does indeed show up tomorrow. Also hoping the thunderbolt port isn't broken so this all goes smoothly. Thanks everyone!
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Merry Christmas everyone! Kinda late
But hey
When you have an ice storm and have no power for 4 days and 3 nights
What can you do? Anyhow. Got the adapter, MacBook Pro up and running great! However, I can't seem to get bootcamp to operate since when it starts to boot into the CD it's as if it doesn't see the Thunderbolt-to-VGA adapter and my external screen is totally black and it doesn't change
But at least Mountain Lion works great. If anyone knows how to get into Windows with the adapter that would be great! Also, any reason to upgrade from 10.8.5 to 10.9.1 or is Mavericks useless in this case? Thanks!