[kennedy]

Not sure what to call this problem... or what to search on...

I've equipped myself, my wife, and my dad with PowerBook 12's.
Have only seen this problem with my dad's PB12 (rev C, I believe)...

We'd seen it a few times when waking it up from sleep; and yesterday after a system update, we restarted and got a new flavor of the problem...

The after-sleep problem: the display on the screen looks like you took random rectangles of what's supposed to be displayed and replicated them in random places on the screen. If a dialog pops up, you might see it fairly intact in two places, but then a corner of it in a couple other places. If you try to pull down the apple menu, an appropriate area "pulls down", but its alternating strips of the desktop and the menu in such a way that you can't read the menu at all. As you drag the mouse down, you can see it highlighting each, so if you count carefully you can select the desired item. If you pull up the dock from the bottom, it shows up somewhat munged underneath the menu bar.

The after-restart problem: each window displayed would display its appropriate rectangle, but the entire inside of the rectangle would be some portion of the desktop image. Kind of like the windows were "cloaking" or doing the "Predator" thing... you can sorta see their outline, but otherwise it looks like nothing is there but a shifted desktop pattern.

Re-starting the computer seems to clear up the problem.


Any ideas? Bad video card? Bad OS X install?
(Its 10.3.7 running on a PB12 rev C.)

[larkost]

This sounds like a bad video card driver. When they get messed up things like this happen. I would do a reinstall, but keep your settings (this will make sense once you start).

[Dr. Smoke]

1. I suggest you run the Apple Hardware Test that came with the affected computer. This is usually on a separate Apple Hardware Test CD, but with the latest Macs it may be on a special volume on the Software Restore and Install DVD. Each Apple Hardware Test is specific to the type and model of Mac with which it was distributed:

- If you have an Apple Hardware Test CD, boot from it as you would any other CD.

- If your Mac has an Apple Hardware Test volume on the Software Install and Restore DVD, see the AppleCare Knowledge Base document “PowerBook G4 (17-inch): How to Run Apple Hardware Test” for an illustrated example of how to use it.

- Otherwise, consult the printed manual that accompanied your Mac for instructions on how to use the Apple Hardware Test that shipped with your computer.

After you startup from the Apple Hardware Test, run the Exended Test.

You may want to run the Exended Test several times in a row as sometimes intermittent problems don't show up on every test.

If the test fails, be sure to write down the exact message associated with the failure.

You can run the Extended Test in Loop Mode by pressing Control-L before starting the test. Looping On should appear in the right window. Then click the Extended Test button. The test will run continuously until a probelm is found. If a problem is found, the test will cease to loop, indicating the problem it found. Running the test is Loop Mode overnight is sometimes the only way to find an intermittent problem that is not uncovered by running the Extended Test once or twice in a row. I've read of cases where RAM problems did not show up until nearly 40 loops, so give it a good run.

If no problems are found after running the Extended Test in Loop Mode overnight, you will have to manually restart your Mac. It is nearly impossible to click the Cancel/Stop Test buttons between tests -- the only time you can move the mouse pointer and click -- when running in Loop Mode. However, restarting manually when you have started up from the Apple Hardware Test should not cause problems.

2. If you decide to reinstall, see my General advice on performing an Archive and Install FAQ. Perform the steps therein in the specified order.