Mac - Dead screen fix but no Mac Keyboard

[FatRakoon]

I have been told that the display on the Mac can be solved by a keyboard solution?

The trouble is, I dont have a Mac Keyboard...

A Solution is :-

Hold down the Shift, Control, Option, and the Power button at the same time for a few seconds.
Then let them go all together and then it should boot up normally???

I am unsure that this will work, however I have to try, cos the screen went off wqhile I was looking at it, and it kind of fizzled LOL


But can Iuse a Windows keyboard? I have tried the Windows key and a few ALT / RIGHT ALT / LEFT SHIFT RIGHT ALT CONTROL CAPS AND NU@MLOCK then Dance around the table 3 times with undies on my head... They are all failing...

Any clues? I dont want to have to buy a keyboard just to know it was a waste of time!

 

[Jenz]

I've always held down Command - Option - P - R on boot up to fix my HDMI black screen issues which I think would be ALT - Windows - P - R on a Windows Keyboard? Worth a try?

 

[FatRakoon]

Ok I will do that...

Ah, ok, well it did not seem to sort it, however, I remembered that the DVI port had a VGA adapter and so I thought Id connect it to the VGA instead! - It works.

Bit useless however as its running 10.5.8 so I was rather hopingg it would run some tools and get one of the others up and running, but hey ho!

Thanks though.. you may have sorted it, but not through the DVI-HDML adapter ( it is also through a KVM ) however it diod work then it decided not to!

 

[dirtybeatfreak]

Ok I will do that...

Ah, ok, well it did not seem to sort it, however, I remembered that the DVI port had a VGA adapter and so I thought Id connect it to the VGA instead! - It works.

What you were describing was an SMC reset which should have been possible with a Windows Keyboard. Jenz was describing an NVRAM reset. SMC is more for power management/fans/sensors etc, whereas NVRAM for system settings like res, volume etc etc.

When you say you were looking at it, what exactly did you mean? And did you say you got it working on an external monitor using the VGA port?

What you can try is to switch the mac on holding down D (making sure magsafe plugged in and connected to net). It will carry out some diagnostics and might give you an idea on whether you have actually fried the display or something else is awry (it should tell you).

 

[FatRakoon]

Well, this is confusing.

I am using a DVI KVM switch to go between 4 PCs.

Connections Number 3 I have at the side of me here and thats normally got my Test PC.

Although the KVM is DVI, and the cable to the Screen is DVI, I am using HDMI Cables... I use another connector to put it back to DVI if the PC has no VGA.

Now... Given that the Mac has a DVI Port, and that there was a small DVI to VGA adapter, I then thought... Maybe because I am using DVI/HDMI that perhaps I am trying to display analog onto digital?

The idea came because the screen light was going blue ( definitely getting something ) rather than orange ( nothing there matey ).

The thing is, that when I started the Mac up, there was a display, I got the apple logo and then a few hours later ( Its slow ) the desktop came up... I moved the mouse around and it all seemed to be fine and then I opened the About thingy to see what version it was and then the screen kind of went fuzzy, displaying very bitty, as if every other pixel was pink, and then I thought the connection was iffy, so I moved the Mac ( It was opn top of the test PC and that was right on the PSU ) and I moved it down and it was ok again for a few seconds and then it went fuzzy again and then off.

So, it did work for a minute or two but then it stopped working completely.

--

And yes, I have a VGA cable also plugged in, so based on the fact that the thing came with a DVI-VGA adapter, I knew that it is VGA capable, and so maybe its not Digital?
I selected D-SUB on the screen, PC 3 on the KVM and used the VGA Cable instead and there was the display laughing at me.

Had a little play, its a 1.25Ghz G5 running 10.5.8.. I thought 'oh bugger'. I had a look to see if unibeast would start up to see if thaty will get one of the Hackintoshes running again, and NO!!!!

So, looks like my real mac is about as useful as a chocolate fire guard, so I think I will have a play with Linux on that to see if it can have some life breathed into it.

 

[dirtybeatfreak]

ahh ok, I thought you when you mentioned you were looking at it and you fizzled, you mean you had taken the mac apart and it did it then.

The fuzzy display thing does sound like a hardware problem, but without seeing it first hand, that would be pure speculation

 

[FatRakoon]

ahh ok, I thought you when you mentioned you were looking at it and you fizzled, you mean you had taken the mac apart and it did it then.

The fuzzy display thing does sound like a hardware problem, but without seeing it first hand, that would be pure speculation

I fizzled? LOL No, the screen.

And no, it did nto do it BECAUSE I took it apart... I upacked it from the box, turned it on, It booted up just fine, and then after a few moments, the display looked fuzzy for a split second, the nwent black... I moved the Mac and it did come on for a second then fizzled and went out again, this time staying off.

It definitely looked very similar to a graphics card starting to fail, where they can often display lots of artefacts or weird iffy lines across the screen. Well, it kind of looked a little like that, kind of.

so no, it did NOT do it when I took it apart.

I have had it apart before and since, but not at the time.

I did douse it in isopropyl alcohol in a hope that it will help clear any crud up but that was the other day.