So I have This iMac...

[ThePlague]

that i'm supposed to be fixing for this guy. Thing is, I have no idea what the problem is. For one thing, when I first started it up there were purple and yellow lines in the middle of the screen, so I thought to myself, "oh, it's either the graphics card or the screen." Turns out when I unplugged it and plugged it back in, it fixed itself. Now, about 30 minutes ago I tried to update the thing and I got this picture:
http://johnflasser.scifi-frontier.com/storage/pictures/IMG_1652.jpg
It started about 5 minutes into the install and update process.

Now I think it might be either the OS or the Hard Drive.

Any ideas peeps? Because i'm a little confused here.

[DEElekgolo]

http://deelekgolo.codebrainshideout.net/Pics/2010-05-23_0026.png
There is your problem.


But seriously, errors like that usually mean that the VRAM in its graphic card is being corruped somehow. That happens to me once every 4 or 3 weeks. My cursor and other common UI elements begin to fuck up and the nvidia kernal restarts its self. Each time it happened, it was the same UI elements or maybe a few more than last time. But each time it happened it was always a unique design.

But yea, not using a mac will help.

[ThePlague]

So it's a graphics error then? And this isn't even mine so...read the whole thing in the OP.

[annihilation]

Try resetting the PRAM.

[StankBacon]

is it an actual mac or a hackintosh?

[ThePlague]

is it an actual mac or a hackintosh?It's the 2008 iMac, the one that's just the huge screen.


Try resetting the PRAM.How do you do that?

[annihilation]

Yeah, I remember this being a software issue with 2008 iMacs.
Anywhoo here's how you reset the PRAM http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379

[ThePlague]

Thanks. But the thing is, I don't currently have the actual keyboard for it, so i'm using a pc usb keyboard I have. Which keys would those be? lol

[Saggy]

Thanks. But the thing is, I don't currently have the actual keyboard for it, so i'm using a pc usb keyboard I have. Which keys would those be? lol
Ctrl-Alt-P-R

If that does not work, get an appropriate keyboard.

[ThePlague]

Okay, tried that (it was actually Alt-Windows-P-R), and it didn't seem to work. And ontop of that, I now have this on my screen:
http://johnflasser.scifi-frontier.com/storage/pictures/Picture%201.png
Now, what's interesting to me is that it was able to screen capture that line.

What the eff?

e: just tried loading up Safari and it froze...
e2: just froze again while on Firefox.

[Amit]

It's probably best to take it to an Apple Genius at an Apple store.

[ThePlague]

The guy did, and they said that it was a problem with the video card. Which 'might' be the case, but he gave it to me to see if I could find anything else wrong with it. (they charge a very expensive amount of money)

[DEElekgolo]

Wow this is a perfect example of one of the mac stereotypes.

[Kalub]

Which one is that again?



It has to be the video device if you can capture the "fragments".

[ThePlague]

It's the white iMac 20 inch. I think it's from 2008.