ARGH No display on MBP

Westyfield2 · 3 May 2010 at 12:57

Um, HELP GUYS!!!

Just gone to use my MBP today and it's dead

.

I opened it up from sleeping last night, and absolutely nothing on the screen. So I hard powered it off and booted it up again (hearing the startup bong and the hard-drive spin) and still absolutely nothing on it's screen. Once the hard drive had stopped spinning and I'd waited the normal time it takes to boot I was able to use the volume adjust buttons and it will make the 'volume bongs' and NumLock will light up, but still nothing on the screen.

Hard powered it off again and did a PRAM and NVRAM reset but nope, still nothing on the screen.

Once I've heard it do the startup bong and given it time to boot up, aswell as the volume adjust and NumLock I can ping it from my PC, so it's obviously running.

I've now tried booting it up plugged into the TV, booting it up not plugged into the TV but then plugging it in once I can ping it, but it won't output to the TV either.
I've also tried booting it up and (once I can ping it) typing in my password and hitting enter and then plugging in the TV but nope, still nothing.

Oh and before anyone says it (though to be fair I have made this mistake before) I have tried the brightness adjust keys

.

Ideas?

Right now I'm really ****ed off and don't know what to do!?

Jeff90 · 3 May 2010 at 13:20

It is probably one of two possible. The first is the graphics chip is dead which would probably be an expensive fix ot the other reason is the connection from the main board to the screen is disconnected or broken. But as you have said that it will not power up an additional screen it suggest that the chip has gone.
I hope I am wrong.

Cheers

Jeff

SS-89 · 3 May 2010 at 13:23

Jeff90 said:
It is probably one of two possible. The first is the graphics chip is dead which would probably be an expensive fix ot the other reason is the connection from the main board to the screen is disconnected or broken. But as you have said that it will not power up an additional screen it suggest that the chip has gone.
I hope I am wrong.

Cheers

Jeff

The first option is most likely...if this is the case book an appointment with a genius at your nearest store and get it fixed if it's still under warranty.

Westyfield2 · 3 May 2010 at 13:43

Thanks both of you

.

I've just checked online (as I couldn't remember which month in 2007 I bought it) and

https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do said:
Repairs and Service Coverage: Active
Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under the AppleCare Protection Plan.
Estimated Expiration Date: 24 July 2010

It's a 2007 15" 2.4GHz C2D Santa Rosa with the NVIDIA 8600M GT (since been upgraded to 4GB and 500B 7200RPM) and from looking online the 8600M GT isn't exactly known for its reliability... http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377?viewlocale=en_US

Wonder if that's it then?

NickK · 3 May 2010 at 14:04

Ahh the nVidia 8600M GT has the bump-gate issue.

It's the reason I got a mini rather than a Revo, just in case my MBP (exactly the same model as yours) goes pop.

You should still be able to boot the machine in disk mode and get all your data off (it'll also backup to Time machine if you plug it in too).

If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within three years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.

Westyfield2 · 3 May 2010 at 14:21

NickK said:
Ahh the nVidia 8600M GT has the bump-gate issue.

Damn

.

NickK said:
You should still be able to boot the machine in disk mode and get all your data off (it'll also backup to Time machine if you plug it in too).

I don't use Time Machine, but anything critical is on other machines hard drives too.

It's my only Mac at home currently, so no Target Disk mode for me

.

I've booked a Genius Bar for 4PM this afternoon....

Westyfield2 · 3 May 2010 at 16:33

Westyfield2 said:
I've booked a Genius Bar for 4PM this afternoon....

Yep, confirmed GPU failure. Plugged a magical test box thingy into it. Bloke was surprised that it's only just gone though, as most that were gonna break have already failed by now :confused:

. As it's a known fault the warranty of the GPU was extended to three years, and I bought Apple Care anyways.

As the GPU soldered onto the logic board (Apple-speak for Motherboard) they're going to replace the entire logic board. Also soldered into the logic board is the CPU, so if it weren't being covered the cost would be £750 :eek:

.

Didn't have any in stock, but should get one in tomorrow and be done by Wednesday (though worst case scenario it would be Friday he said).

NickK · 3 May 2010 at 16:43

Westyfield2 said:
Yep, confirmed GPU failure. Plugged a magical test box thingy into it. Bloke was surprised that it's only just gone though, as most that were gonna break have already failed by now . As it's a known fault the warranty of the GPU was extended to three years, and I bought Apple Care anyways.

As the GPU soldered onto the logic board (Apple-speak for Motherboard) they're going to replace the entire logic board. Also soldered into the logic board is the CPU, so if it weren't being covered the cost would be £750 .

Yikes.. I think I bought mine Jun-Aug 07 time.. although they'd probably point at the SSD and 4GB of third party ram in my case!

I've been thinking what happens when it finally gives up the ghost. I've always been very careful to keep the temps low for the GPU issue. In hind sight I should have hammered it and then got it replaced. When it goes I'll probably upgrade it to the latest and greatest.. the mini will cover until the next release (especially as it'll take 8GB

).

Westyfield2 · 3 May 2010 at 17:26

NickK said:
although they'd probably point at the SSD and 4GB of third party ram in my case!

Not a word was mentioned about the 500GB 7200RPM or 4GB that's made its way into mine!

NickK said:
When it goes I'll probably upgrade it to the latest and greatest

Same, when mine does die it'll be replaced with a 15" HR Matte i7 (or whatever the top is when it dies), but I'm gonna keep it soldiering on as long as it'll last..

Westyfield2 · 4 May 2010 at 19:02

Using a XP PC at work all day and coming home to my old gaming PC.... I miss my mac

.

One thing someone at work pointed out... I had to give them my user account password to be able to go in and test it once they've replaced the Logic Board as that's the only account on there (doesn't really bother me, I don't use that password for anything else and half my mates know it anyways) but "What are they gonna say when they see BitTorrent running at Login?".

. Wonder which Linux distro's I had downloading....

Westyfield2 · 6 May 2010 at 13:25

Still missing my Mac

Just rung them as using a PC at home after using a PC at work is depressing

!

They reckon it'll be done Friday or Saturday. Guess that means the Logic Board has arrived and it's just waiting for a Genius to have the time to fit it.

Or that they've fixed it and are busy posting stuff on my Facebook (and everything else my user account has saved in its keychain!), stealing any interesting documents, revealing whatever my mates have been upto on my account :mad:

(TBH I'm too layed back and relaxed about leaving people logged into my account) and telling the CIA.

<Removes Tin Foil Hat>

Nah, I trust Apple not to go snooping around

. Though I'm all for it if the persons background is Child Porn or something equally disgusting (sure I remember reading a news story here of some sick ******* getting caught because the PC repair guys noticed what his background was).

Once I've got it back I'm gonna make a guest account on it and change my password though so that A) All my cookies/passwords are only saved in my account (I've just trusted everyone I let use my account), B) I don't have to worry about the security of my documents (Again I've just trust anyone I let use my account not to copy the document with my FTP details etc) and C) Anyone I let use it uses the guest account not mine to keep their crap out of mine (I'd hope they haven't done anything illegal on my laptop, and I'll be mad if they have, but that guy in the store could be the CIA or whatever and think that only I knew the password!)

feriso · 6 May 2010 at 16:39

Erm, you could have taken the HD disk out when you gave it to them? Would they not have done that for you there and then?

Westyfield2 · 6 May 2010 at 18:43

Well guess what

About 4pm I had a call at work, "Hi it's the apple store. Your MacBook Pro is ready"

so me and Mac are now re-united! :cool:

Oh and mate at work; no they didn't steal my midget pr0n

. Mainly because I don't have any!

feriso said:
Erm, you could have taken the HD disk out when you gave it to them? Would they not have done that for you there and then?

Yeah I did realise once I'd dropped it off that I have the stock HD still here and blank drives at work anyways. Meh, forgot about it.

It's all working perfectly, and no mention was made of the aftermarket 500GB 7200RPM HD or my 4GB RAM

.

So yeah, I'm a happy chappy with the repair process, but of-course a £1700 laptop shouldn't have broken and perhaps a known manufacturing defect should have caused a recall?

EDIT: Having said that it's working perfectly.... the fans are kicking in far more than normal