[tmpilling]

So my PB is over a year old (one of the last of the PowerPC gen to be shipped) and recently it has had this weird thing going on with the display:

at random intervals green static will appear on a various portions of the display and for a few seconds (almost like interference although there are no appliances anywhere near it and it has only just started happening) and then it will go away. The whole screen is never affected, but it seems to be random in the part of the screen that it takes up...

So has anyone had this happen to them? Should I start to cry cause my old friend is injured and could die soon?

PB 1.67
15"


Cheers!

[tmpilling]

no one? anyone?

[Sherman Homan]

If it was a G3 iBook I would say that your motherboard is dying. That static display event was a sign that the GPU was either loose or busy failing. I don't think that was the case with the PowerBook G4s though. Does the machine freeze when the green static happens? Or does it just go back to normal? It could last for years, it could die tonight, back up your data!

[ShALLaX]

I had a similar problem with a PC with a dodgy nVidia graphics card. Yep, it could die any second.

[tmpilling]

No lock-ups what so ever, just keeps working normally even when the static is on the screen.

ah well, I hope that it isn't going to die too soon. Backups commencing.

Cheers.

[tmpilling]

So, went on holidays, camehome, started using PB. Was fine. Next day, start using it and it was fuzzy enough for long enough to take a photo.

Anyone seen anything like this before?!?!

the green is NOT supposed to be there.

I think I'm working a new MacBook into the budget... somehow.

[peeb]

This is an issue with the hinge and connectors - is it under warranty? It's not a big deal to fix.

[tmpilling]

unfortunately it is not under warranty, but I am glad that this is not the logic board or gpu. That would have been a worry. I'll take it to the apple store for them to have a look at it.

Thanks for the reply peeb.

[thickdrummer]

It doesn't matter if your computer isn't under warranty anymore mate. Under the trading standards act, your computer hasn't lasted for a reasonable amount of time without fault.

If the guys at the Apple store won't fix it, give trading standards a call or go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau. My hard drive died about 15months after I bought my PowerBook and after quoting the trading standards act to someone at Apple tech support, they arranged for it to be picked up for repair.
Bargin!

[outthere]

Originally Posted by thickdrummer 

It doesn't matter if your computer isn't under warranty anymore mate. Under the trading standards act, your computer hasn't lasted for a reasonable amount of time without fault.

If the guys at the Apple store won't fix it, give trading standards a call or go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau. My hard drive died about 15months after I bought my PowerBook and after quoting the trading standards act to someone at Apple tech support, they arranged for it to be picked up for repair.
Bargin!

magnificent!

[malone]

I wish I were British

[tmpilling]

I bought it in Australia, so I'm not sure if that would be an option. Regardless, I've got a new setup Black MB (it hurt the bank bad) so it'll last a while I hope. I think I'm going to get the applecare thing going as well..

[Powerbook]

Originally Posted by tmpilling 

unfortunately it is not under warranty, but I am glad that this is not the logic board or gpu. That would have been a worry. I'll take it to the apple store for them to have a look at it.

Sorry mate, but it sounds absolutely like a malfunctioning graphics chip and that means the logic board. We had two Powerbooks fail with exactly those symptoms. Needed new logic boards.

Regards
PB.

[ginoledesma]

I'll chime also that it may be a failing graphics chip (in the case of my old Macs, failing video memory).