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Quality control issues with new PowerBooks...particularly the 15"? - Page 7

post #241 of 590
10/17/03 at 2:52pm
hey, i might be a little off topic, but i am wondering if this is a problem or if it's just my energy settings... my screen brightness keeps changing, and it is annoying as hell. mostly it just keeps getting dimmer after some use. i understand the logic of this while i am on battery power, but it happens somewhat when i have it plugged in as well.
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his soul?"
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"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his soul?"
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post #242 of 590
10/17/03 at 3:01pm
Quote:
Originally posted by mac's girl
hey, i might be a little off topic, but i am wondering if this is a problem or if it's just my energy settings... my screen brightness keeps changing, and it is annoying as hell. mostly it just keeps getting dimmer after some use. i understand the logic of this while i am on battery power, but it happens somewhat when i have it plugged in as well.

Are your light conditions changing? The new PBs have a light-sensing feature that tries to automagically adjust screen brightness for you. Open "Displays" and you will find a button for this. Uncheck it if it bugs you. I've come to appreciate it, but it is disconcerting at first.
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
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1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
post #243 of 590
10/17/03 at 4:21pm
Mine is back, as well. Looks and runs great, so far.
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post #244 of 590
10/17/03 at 4:44pm
thanks machem.
feeling only very slightly stupid now, i did manage to change the settings and now the display doesnt get brighter/dimmer on me constantly-- what a pleasure! i never knew it had this (annoying) feature.

please keep us posted on how your newly repaired screen turns out in the coming days. i also need a repair (i also have a fair number of dead pixels in addition to the white spots) and i've decided i want the same machine not a new one. (i think ive become attached to this neat little sucker. )
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his soul?"
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"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his soul?"
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post #245 of 590
10/18/03 at 3:12pm
Well guys, got my Powerbook back from the dealer. The screen looks good...for now. No dreaded white spots, and I have not found any dead/stuck pixels yet. By the way, the dealer did not have to send the computer to Apple. Apple sent them the new screen and the service tech replaced the screen in-house. I talked to the technician for a while, and he said that the screen replacement procedure is pretty simple and does not take more than 45 minutes.
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post #246 of 590
10/18/03 at 9:44pm
SHIZNIT!!! Just noticed my first white spot. gonna give it a while and see what happens, but this is disheartening! I can't be without this powerbook now, i luv it 2 much!!
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post #247 of 590
10/19/03 at 10:49am
Keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood...I received my 15" 1.25 on 10/1 and still no white spots...I feel bad for those of you that this is occuring to...especially those that have it occur several days after using it...

It's really too bad that this is happening...especially to switchers...
15" Al PowerBook G4, 1.25 GHz, 80GB (5400 rpm) HD, SD
PM G4 Sawtooth 450
Wallstreet II G4 500 MHz, 40GB, DVD
IIfx, IIcx, II, PB 180, SE/30
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15" Al PowerBook G4, 1.25 GHz, 80GB (5400 rpm) HD, SD
PM G4 Sawtooth 450
Wallstreet II G4 500 MHz, 40GB, DVD
IIfx, IIcx, II, PB 180, SE/30
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post #248 of 590
10/19/03 at 11:57am
Well, I got my FOURTH Powerbook today (Apple will be hearing from me) after my thrid one had a screw lodged in the rear casing and of course dreaded white spots. According to the guy at the store, Apple will be recalling the 15" screens and replacing them for customers who want a replacement. Apparantley, Apple is well aware of the situation and is addressing it hopefully...
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post #249 of 590
10/19/03 at 1:00pm
Yay guys! YAY!

At last I can write in this forum as a fully fledged (first-time) mac user. But I'm disappointed: I have two clustered dead pixels slap-bang in the centre of my screen.



I expect pretty much perfection after such a massive investment in Apple stuff (around £1350 - and I am a student. That was literally three months of full-time summer-job wages).



And now I am now fully expecting white spots...
You mean you read this far?
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You mean you read this far?
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post #250 of 590
10/19/03 at 7:00pm
The new screen has so far not shown any sign of developing white spots. I am still keeping my fingers crossed.
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post #251 of 590
10/19/03 at 8:19pm
I just found a stuck-white pixel. This is the sixth Apple portable I've owned, and the first time I've had any defective pixels. I knew that this would happen after the white spot repair.

Oh well, it's not that bad, and certainly not as bad as the spots.
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
post #252 of 590
10/19/03 at 8:57pm
well i've finally come of age.....i have the white spots. it took a couple weeks, but they are finally here. guess i should just get in line huh?
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post #253 of 590
10/19/03 at 9:32pm
Quote:
Originally posted by booyaka
well i've finally come of age.....i have the white spots. it took a couple weeks, but they are finally here. guess i should just get in line huh?

How many do you have and where are they located?
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post #254 of 590
10/20/03 at 6:34am
Thread Starter 
I've been out of the loop for the past four days or so...does anyone know if Apple has said anything about this stuff? Or is everyone simply subject to luck-of-the-draw and so forth when purchasing a new PowerBook (the 15" one, anyway).



Surely this isn't how it's going to be.



I'd be curious to see some sort of internal Apple list or document showing the number of complaints/returns/exchanges/repairs they've had to deal with in the past month on this new PowerBook.
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post #255 of 590
10/20/03 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally posted by pscates
I've been out of the loop for the past four days or so...does anyone know if Apple has said anything about this stuff?

Apple has said nothing about this. There is definitely a manufacturing problem with the 15" powerbook, which results in unusually high number of defective machines. And Apple is well aware of this.

The white spot issue does not seem to affect the other powerbooks, as similar reports for the 12" and 17" are almost nonexistent. Kind of paradox, since the manufacturing process should be the same. Perhaps it has to do with the particular plant(s) in which the 15" powerbooks are assembled.

There are people reporting that there are significant delays in their orders for these powerbooks. For some, this is an indication that Apple tries to temporarily limit shipments (just to limit the number of returned defective machines) until they figure out what is going on and find a permanent fix.
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post #256 of 590
10/20/03 at 7:52am
interesting. i'll have to contact my dad (he got one a while back) and see if he's having any white spot issues.

anyone know approx. what percentage of people are having the white spot problem? i know it always seems like a lot more than it really is.
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post #257 of 590
10/20/03 at 8:00am
my powerbook is back at last for the second time. Latch now works, screen now looks good - time will tell.

I'm interested to know other people's startup times. Mine takes 50 spins of the spokes before the progress bar appears, which seems like a very long time. Is it likely to improve with Panther (which, incidentally, I was approved the Up-To-Date upgrade despite buying the machine on September 21st)
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post #258 of 590
10/20/03 at 9:16am
I've heard that the PB checks up on RAM at Start-Up so if you have a good amount of RAM, it'll take some time. In any case, I rarely shut down my PB, preferring to go into SLEEP mode.

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post #259 of 590
10/20/03 at 9:22am
So is apple likely to replace my screen if I have just one white spot, dead center in the screen? I'm going to go ape-shit if I ship it out for a week and get it back unrepaired!
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post #260 of 590
10/20/03 at 9:56am
Quote:
Originally posted by Nick DTM
So is apple likely to replace my screen if I have just one white spot, dead center in the screen? I'm going to go ape-shit if I ship it out for a week and get it back unrepaired!

I think it's whether it has the spots, not how many. Depending upon who you talk to at which time, they will either hint at a systematic problem, come right out and tell you there is a problem and they are committed to fixing it, or act like they have never heard the words "white" and "spots" in the same sentence before. Par for the course, for Apple, I guess. When I called, I got a guy who was clearly a fan, a geek, and really interested in talking about Macs and so on. He didn't tell me Steve's home phone number, but he knew that I wasn't joe sixpack who was having trouble finding the "Start" button, either.

I've tried to be very zen about the whole thing and think long-term. I am checking my display every day, however.
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
post #261 of 590
10/20/03 at 10:01am
I only have the standard 512mb
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post #262 of 590
10/20/03 at 10:02am
Quote:
Originally posted by Nick DTM
So is apple likely to replace my screen if I have just one white spot, dead center in the screen? I'm going to go ape-shit if I ship it out for a week and get it back unrepaired!

i dunno, when i called they didnt ask me how many spots i had. they just told me it would be repaired (i am waiting another week or so to see if any new problems come up). but i have enough dead pixels to qualify for a new screen anyway.
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his soul?"
Reply
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and suffer the loss of his soul?"
Reply
post #263 of 590
10/20/03 at 10:14am
I took my 15" powerbook to the Apple store to replace my white spot ridden screen on the 13th, exactly one week ago. Just got off the phone with Apple and the sceen is still on backorder from samsung WTF!!!!. Trying hard to ignore the fact that I dont have my book but my g4 iMac is too sluggish to forget.
There's a fungus among us
- Mario
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There's a fungus among us
- Mario
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post #264 of 590
10/20/03 at 10:59am
there are white spots on my dad's powerbook, just found out today.

thinking of waiting a bit before sending it in though. best to make sure they have whatever the problem is fully solved.
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post #265 of 590
10/20/03 at 11:09am
Many sites (industry and Apple-related) are reporting constrained supplies of LCD screens from all manufacturers. Sucks that Apple didn't have this right from the get-go, because now the repairs are waiting on supply of the LCDs. I only had to wait two extra days, doing it through Apple.
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
post #266 of 590
10/20/03 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally posted by machem
Many sites (industry and Apple-related) are reporting constrained supplies of LCD screens from all manufacturers. Sucks that Apple didn't have this right from the get-go, because now the repairs are waiting on supply of the LCDs. I only had to wait two extra days, doing it through Apple.

I've decided I am happy with the replaced screen. It has been a few days, and the display has remained the same. Maybe Apple has fixed the problem. One thing I do not like about these new displays is that the backlight seems to be located on the right rather than on the bottom, which, I believe, was the case with the Titaniums. The result is that the screen is less evenly lit. This is my opinion, of course.
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post #267 of 590
10/20/03 at 6:27pm
Seems the wait is more than 2 days now to get the LCD in. I just called them, it has been waiting on the part since Wednesday, and it is not there yet. They gave me expedited status now, hopefully that will speed it up. I wonder if this is why Apple is still mum on a possible recall, insufficient LCD supplies?

I really hope it is back soon. I just realized I left a bit of code on the machine that I need, and my only backup is on my trial .mac account, which I can't access without my Mac. Doh!

-Spyky
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post #268 of 590
10/20/03 at 8:14pm
Quote:
Originally posted by EDS66
How many do you have and where are they located?

i have 2 of them and they are forming in the classic baseball diamond shape that everyone seems to get them in. my brightest one is at 2nd base and the other one is at 1st.
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post #269 of 590
10/21/03 at 2:37am
Well, interesting news here, just spoke to apple and they said that the repair people have replaced the Screen and the USB Logic board on my 15" 1.25 ALBook - I asked the guy on the phone why did they change the logic board and he said that this IS the reason for the white spots on my screen
Sounds funny to me but he reckoned that apple believe that a combination of faulty screens and faulty USB logic boards is what's causing this worryingly common issue with these lappies...

Makes you wonder... oh well he could have been a fool misrepresenting what the techies told him to say to me...
For the record my machine went in for repair for Battery Power drain and charge issues and multiple white spots on the LCD.

At least they have replaced the LCD - i hope the new one is good... ill update here as soon as I get it back.
Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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post #270 of 590
10/21/03 at 7:39am
Bummer! just got of the phone with apple - the new screen they have fitted was a Lemon! - this apparently came up in the overnight testing they they are doing for the machine before shipping it back to me (lucky they didnt send it with a bad screen - i'd be seriously pissed if they would!!!)... So its back to square one now waiting for a new screen... a day or two they say....

Lucky i got my GhzTi with me - being macless for more then a day is guarantied to cause irreparable damage to my brain
Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
Reply
Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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post #271 of 590
10/21/03 at 8:24am
My PB came back from Apple repair last Friday. The LCD and logic board were replaced. There's 1 stuck pixel (lower center), but the real kicker is that a white spot (upper center of screen) has appeared and is getting more and more distinct. I'm going to wait awhile until (hopefully) Apple gets this one figured out. They obviously hadn't as of last week. Of course the other reason why I'll wait is that this machine rocks!

I really don't want to go back to my Pismo while waiting for another repair.
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post #272 of 590
10/21/03 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Neandertal
My PB came back from Apple repair last Friday. The LCD and logic board were replaced. There's 1 stuck pixel (lower center), but the real kicker is that a white spot (upper center of screen) has appeared and is getting more and more distinct. I'm going to wait awhile until (hopefully) Apple gets this one figured out. They obviously hadn't as of last week. Of course the other reason why I'll wait is that this machine rocks!

I really don't want to go back to my Pismo while waiting for another repair.

This is really stressful - all these reports about replaced screens with yet more white spots... I'm based in the UK and I guess you're in the US (right??)looks like some apple repair centers are not properly testing these babies before returning them to customers - what gives?

I really hope that the THIRD screen they put on my machine is good - at least it appears as though the UK repair center are testing the machines properly before sending them back to people... fingers crossed...
Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
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post #273 of 590
10/21/03 at 1:40pm
Well guys, three days after I got the new screen, the spots are back. Started forming today. Same pattern. Not as pronounced this time, but I am sure they will continue to become more intense. To be perfectly honest, I am not even mad.

I just can't believe this. What a debacle! And from a company that prides itself on quality. Just unbelievable.

I think I am going to return it to the dealer and eat the restocking cost. I have absolutely no confidence in this product. To think that I was so excited about something that has caused me nothing but grief and stress for the past three weeks (of which I only used the machine for two, spending one week waiting for it to get repaired.)
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post #274 of 590
10/21/03 at 1:44pm
Quote:
Originally posted by EDS66
Well guys, three days after I got the new screen, the spots are back. Started forming today. Same pattern. Not as pronounced this time, but I am sure they will continue to become more intense. To be perfectly honest, I am not even mad.

I just can't believe this. What a debacle! And from a company that prides itself on quality. Just unbelievable.

I think I am going to return it to the dealer and eat the restocking cost. I have absolutely no confidence in this product. To think that I was so excited about something that has caused me nothing but grief and stress for the past three weeks (of which I only used the machine for two, spending one week waiting for it to get repaired.)

Hmmmm.... Now I'm thinking "tick... tick... tick...."

1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
1.25GHz 15" SD PowerBook, etc. etc.
15G 3rd Gen iPod

Well i've said it now, nothing's changed
people are burnin for pocket change
and creative minds are lazy
and the big three killed my baby
Reply
post #275 of 590
10/21/03 at 1:53pm
On 10/16 I ordered a Powerbook 15"
My laptop would come w/ 10.2 & 10.3 would cost $20
On 10/18 The rest of my order shipped
On 10/19 The ship date was changed from 7-10 days to 10/30
On 10/20 My computer will probably ship w/ 10.3 now
On 10/20 I started see the white spot reports.
On 10/21 I realized the delay may be to correct the problem.

I do believe this definitely has ying and yang implications.
just waiting to be included in one of Apple's target markets.
Don't get me wrong, I like the flat panel iMac, actually own an iMac, and I like the Mac mini, but...........
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just waiting to be included in one of Apple's target markets.
Don't get me wrong, I like the flat panel iMac, actually own an iMac, and I like the Mac mini, but...........
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post #276 of 590
10/21/03 at 2:07pm
Quote:
I just can't believe this. What a debacle! And from a company that prides itself on quality. Just unbelievable.

I think I am going to return it to the dealer and eat the restocking cost. I have absolutely no confidence in this product.

keep two things in mind. first, your problem is cosmetic. it has no effect on the ability of your computer to do its work. you can function w/o hinderence with white spots.

second, unless you want to be a guinea pig, don't send it in to get fixed immediately. it's worth waiting a few weeks, or a month or two until they get the problem figured out before sending it in. if they're doing something wrong and you send it back immediately, there's a good chance it will go wrong again.

unless it hinders your ability to use your laptop in a production setting, i'd sit on it a while before fixing it.
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post #277 of 590
10/21/03 at 2:10pm
  • Kickaha
  • Really Fast Typing Member
Quote:
Originally posted by rickag
On 10/16 I ordered a Powerbook 15"
My laptop would come w/ 10.2 & 10.3 would cost $20
On 10/18 The rest of my order shipped
On 10/19 The ship date was changed from 7-10 days to 10/30
On 10/20 My computer will probably ship w/ 10.3 now
On 10/20 I started see the white spot reports.
On 10/21 I realized the delay may be to correct the problem.

I do believe this definitely has ying and yang implications.

I am in *exactly* the same boat.

Whether it comes with 10.3, or fixed spots, either way... I'll wait a bit happily.

Now watch, it'll come with 10.2.2, and have 17 dead pixels... :P
My brain is hung like a HORSE!
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My brain is hung like a HORSE!
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post #278 of 590
10/21/03 at 4:18pm
Okay everyone, here's one I haven't heard yet. I have a new 15" PB and I've noticed something I'd classify as "odd". When I power up my Power Book there is a portion of the screen in the bottom righthand corner that's wedge shaped that is darker than the rest of the screen. Then after a few minutes it comes up to normal. Would that be considered a backlight quirk? I've never seen another screen do that and it only does it for the first few minutes after startup or after sleep. Seen anything like that before? It works fine, but is something I thought I'd mention.
MacPro2,1 2 x 3GHz Quad Core Intel Xeons, 13GB RAM, 1.5TB Storage, 30" Apple Cinema Display pushed by an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500
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MacPro2,1 2 x 3GHz Quad Core Intel Xeons, 13GB RAM, 1.5TB Storage, 30" Apple Cinema Display pushed by an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500
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post #279 of 590
10/21/03 at 4:45pm
  • Kickaha
  • Really Fast Typing Member
I've seen that before... on my Pismo.

It seems like one of the backlight units takes a bit to 'warm up' from time to time. At first I thought it was going bad, but that was over 3 years ago, and it's still kickin'. Every so often I notice it (particularly at low brightness settings), but it's a non-issue anymore.
My brain is hung like a HORSE!
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My brain is hung like a HORSE!
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post #280 of 590
10/21/03 at 10:26pm
My PB screen had the dimmer right bottom corner problem, Showed to my service man who agreed and said I can get a new screen if it persisted. Got home and ran Onyx to execute all the cron scripts (my PB is usually off at night, so the weekly and monthly scripts have not run), and lo and behold, the dim screen corner disappeared !!
Figure that one out !
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