:( wtf? how do i fix this

[The General]

if you guys cant help by tomorrow, i'm just gunna take it to the apples store, i need this fixed NOW! (sorry for the attitude but this is HORRIBLE!! )

macbook pro, 2.16ghz, 2gb ram, 120gb hdd, had it for 2 weeks :-S

i was playing a game in windows, and there were some bugs with the graphics, a bar on the left that wasjust all weird, so i was like wtf? ill try installing the new version of the ati drivers.

it wouldnt let me, said i needed to uninstall the old ones first

i went to add or remove programs and removed the ati software, rebooted and the video was ****ed. there are all sorts of weird colors and stuff. even just in the boot loader its all messed up, boot to mac osx and its messed up

i deleted windows and its still messed up, i dont know what to do!

if i plug a monitor into it, it works just fine, and when i take screenshots and put them on my desktop they look totally normal.

i'm not a computer noob, i use linux (debian) on my desktop and i know a fair deal about computers, but this doesnt make any sense at all. it's as if the video cable in it is shot, because firmware issues wouldnt cause this.

any ideas?

 

[mduser63]

That'll teach you to run Windows . Sorry to joke . Really this sounds like a hardware problem to me, most likely the logic board itself (where the video hardware lives). I don't really think you have an option other than to take it to Apple for warranty repair.

 

[The General]

any chance i can walk out of the apple store with a working macbook pro tomorrow?

 

[dextertangocci]

any chance i can walk out of the apple store with a working macbook pro tomorrow?

If there's something wrong with it, I don't see why Apple wouldn't give you a new one

 

[Fearless Leader]

any chance i can walk out of the apple store with a working macbook pro tomorrow?

your funny, all they can do is send it back ,because of your upgrades, also i woudn't mention if at all possible the source of the problem was windows hickup on boot camp. just becuase its a "beta" and most compaines dont claim responsibility for damages when using "beta" software.

 

[The General]

That would be sweet.

Hey, I got ram from newegg (Corsair DDR2-667 PC-5300), should I take it out and act like I never put it in?

And should I play dumb and act like I don't know anything about computers?

Bottom line, what can I do to ensure that I come home tomorrow with a working Macboo kPro?

I don't have much experience with RMAing or returning things. Also, I ordered this on Apple.com, would they do an exchange like that, or are the Apple stores 3rd party or something? I mean, I'm not going to like Bestbuy or something, It's an actual Apple store.

I dunno, I've never been to one and I don't know how they work..

 

[EricNau]

I would remove the RAM, but since it is user upgradable, I don't think it matters either way (Although they may try and blame this problem on bad RAM).

I think there is very little you can do to ensure you get a new MacBook Pro the same day. Apple will most likely ship it out, repair it, and have it back to you within a week.

Do you have a genuine reason reason why you need it back the same day (e.g. your business depends on it)? If so, telling Apple this might help.

 

[The General]

Yeah, I need it for work. I do design work for steel structures w/ AutoCAD and my other computer went Kapoot.

I'll let them know. Even just a loner would work, but it'd be a PITA to install Windows and do all that junk just for a couple days of AutoCAD. Maybe I'll just take a vacation.

 

[EricNau]

...Maybe I'll just take a vacation.

That's the spirit!

 

[NJuul]

This might sound stupid but...
Try reinstalling Windows and the Windows video drivers.
Since your computer looks fine when its connected to an external display, the ATI card obviously works. Sounds like a driver issue.
Maybe when you rebooted windows without the drivers, windows changed settings on the card itself. Don't know if this is possible, but since the problem arrived in Windows, fixing it in windows might be the key.
Good luck.

 

[The General]

I did that already, and I just reinstalled Mac OS X and it's still messed up.

I'm heading out right now to go to the Northridge Apple Store. I'll let you guys know what happens.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Electro Funk]

I did that already, and I just reinstalled Mac OS X and it's still messed up.

I'm heading out right now to go to the Northridge Apple Store. I'll let you guys know what happens.

Thanks for the help.

did you wipe the exhisting windows partition with bootcamp? reinstalling OSX will not wipe this partition and it will still be on your HD...

 

[benthewraith]

did you wipe the exhisting windows partition with bootcamp? reinstalling OSX will not wipe this partition and it will still be on your HD...

Agreed. I'd back up your files (and burn or transfer your apps to a DVD or external hard drive). Then, I'd wipe the entire computer. Completely reformat it (leaving no system file remaining). Then just reinstall OS X. If you don't use iLife, you can just select install OS X core components, X11, and the other stuff and disregard the other languages and bundled software. It is unfortunate though that if you decide to install the Bundled Software down the road, it will install iWork '06, especially if you have iLife '06 already installed.

A complete reformat would help. It might help to repair disk permissions, and maybe resetting the PMU would help too, though I don't know how to do that.