MacBook Pro 2007 10.7.5 Black Screen but everything works?

[leemidi]

MacBook Pro 2007 10.7.5 was working fine but now seems to be in Limbo.
Boots up Nice Chime Keyboard backlights Key/Num lock buttons good to go
just nothing on the screen?.?... Tried Fkeys brightness adj to no avail.
Seems like I've seen this before with some hibernation SMP? corruption of
some such thing. Can't get it to run Hardware test off of ORIG install &
can't check it with online version (not supported). Looking for places to start
troubleshooting or options to rebuild/over-ride sleep/hibernation function.
Any ideas will be welcome.
thanks in advance
leemidi

 

[pigoo3]

Could be a hardware issue if nothing changes when trying to boot from the original DVD. Could be a bad video cable, or bad display, etc.

Have you tried attaching an external monitor?

- Nick

 

[leemidi]

NICK - HEY! Thanks for the response!
I've pretty much ruled out BAD video cable display backlight because I do occasionally
get video on the display (even external) but it seems to be hanging up in the start-up
process & doesn't get past the APPLE (sometimes the wheel is there sometimes not)...
?4U I'm thinking the EFI or UEFI whichever is corrupted & what I'd like to know is:
Can I get into the 'system workings' via Target Mode using Terminal?
What should I try to capture or run for diagnostic purposes?
I used to use AppleJack in the old days ;-) for this but not sure now which tool.
I'd use another MacBook running 10.7.5 to do the surgery/analysis for compatibility.
Any help would be appreciated.
thanks in advance!
leemidi

 

[pigoo3]

I've pretty much ruled out BAD video cable display backlight because I do occasionally
get video on the display (even external) but it seems to be hanging up in the start-up
process & doesn't get past the APPLE (sometimes the wheel is there sometimes not)...

So are you saying this issue is intermittent? First post made it sound like you were getting nothing on the builtin display (you said "limbo" and "nothing on the screen").

In this post you mentioned "occasionally" getting video on the display. How does this happen (is it predicable)?…do you get video at certain predictable points…or is it random.

Also…are you saying you get the same behavior on an external display?

Regarding the startup process/getting past the "Apple"…these sort of issues could be OS install related (corrupted, missing, or misplaced files)…or signs of a failing HD.

- Nick

 

[leemidi]

NICK - YES 'technically' the problem is intermittent (96% black screen) BUT once in
a while it will light up gray screen & the APPLE will pop up... It does not go past that
point - sometimes with the spinning wheel & othertimes without it. The external display
shows exactly what is on the main display of the MacBook Pro.
I have been trying multiple key combinations @ start-up but it doesn't behave in any
predictable fashion. I've reset the SMC & PRAM several times with no apparent success.
I also get mixed results with the front edge power indicator light - sometimes it's dim
othertimes it's bright & occasionally it's not lit at all. It's NOT giving me error flashes.
I ran ETRE check last week & got a clean bill of health so I think the HDD is functional
SMART STATUS reported no errors & there were NOT any bad sectors, soooo....
Right now, after a normal power button push to start-up I have my fans running fast
(I have them set for that in a utility to try to keep it cooler) the keyboard backlight is
on normally, I have Key/Num lock lights on & if I press the audio+ key I get a beep.
BUT nothing on the screen(s) main display & external are both black.
I should mention that this isn't the first time this issue has happened, it's probably
the third, always after the computer has sat unused for a couple of weeks & after a
few hundred restarts (trying everything multiple times) it will just "work"?.?...
No other issues, everything including networking (wireless) & bluetooth are functional.
Last time I had it apart I replaced the internal battery so that's not an issue AFAIK...
WHAT would you do?
thanks!
leemidi

 

[harryb2448]

Time to save those pennies for a later model. Sounds like backlight/screen problems.

 

[leemidi]

NICK - HEY! Sent you a private message yesterday with more info on the issue at hand. I have it up & running but don't know why/how.?.?.

 

[pigoo3]

Yes…received your PM. Did you do anything recently (software or hardware based) that could account for it working?

- Nick

 

[leemidi]

NICK - HEY! Nothing upgraded or installed except Firefox (Chrome not longer supported on 10.7.5) & a patch to use iWork '09.
I think it has something to do with the SLEEP - Hibernation (not sure exactly what the difference is on a Mac?) function. All the
ports function normally & I swap out several batteries to keep them charged - they all have the 'Replace Soon' warning but they
don't have any swollen cells or physical deformities. I did run ONYX on it last night with the Maintenance function fully engaged
but it didn't give me any new issues (with the exception of the permission changes which are ALWAYS in some way wrong.?.?...)
Do you know of a tool like TERMINAL that can work on the OS while in Target mode run from another Mac? - I don't find anything.
thanks again!
leemidi

 

[pigoo3]

Can you give us some history on this computer. Has it always been your's (since new or had it a long time)…or did you get it recently?

- Nick

 

[leemidi]

NICK - HA! HA! sorry, NO it wasn't mine originally, it came to me a month or so ago. Broken they said - NO ram - hdd - overheating...
I took it apart & cleaned it - replaced the HDD - put in 4Gb of good RAM & installed SnowLeopard - worked fine. Upgrade to Lion - seemed
to have a little bit of a problem with first install try but took it on the second try. Brought it up to 10.7.5 - worked well but ran hot - Installed
the SMC fan control widget & cranked it up to 5k rpm on both fans & that seemed to take care of the heat issue - everything functioned.
Sat for a couple of weeks & when I booted it - NO DISPLAY! Went through much the same process as I described in an earlier post, & it
came back to life. Rinse & Repeat (I think this might be the third time it's done this) but I'll bet I could use it everyday & it would work
flawlessly... Nothing stands out as an action or event that has occurred pre-BLANK Display other than it sitting (plugged-in) unattended.
Open to any ideas you might have or a way to run APPLE HARDWARE TEST on this device since the Original Install Disc will not work now.
thanks!
leemidi

 

[pigoo3]

Thanks for the history info. It definitely helps to know if a computer is "new to you" or something you have had for a long time.

Sounds like you've done everything possible giving then history you know of the computer. Installing a hard drive + RAM…and a fresh install of the OS is exactly what I would have done.

Maybe you could try re-installing Snow Leopard…don't install anything else...and see if you have stability. Don't worry about the heat (assuming the fan is working properly). The computer is designed to do what it's got to do. When gaming…my 13" MBP regularly is at 190°F and 5000rpm fan speed.

Good luck,

- Nick