Mac Crash! {ts2377/defective video card}

Who says Macs never crash? I'd like to know. Mine did TODAY!!!

Okay, so the hard-drive is fine, but what good is a computer without a video card to turn your screen on, I ask you?

My computer was up and running this morning like always. After sending a few emails I went in to check on Alden and clean up breakfast dishes. An hour or so later I came back to check on email...and NOTHING. Zilch. The power light was on. The cords were all plugged in.

The screen was BLACK.

I tried rebooting the computer. I tried all the various trouble-shooting ideas my computer engineer husband sent my way...and NOTHING worked. Defeated, I hung up the phone with my husband and resigned myself to wait until he got off work - many long hours from then.

Moments later, The Problem Solver (i.e. my computer genius husband) calls with the solution to the problem. Unfortunately, he discovered the solution would involve a trip to the local Apple store for a visit with the "Mac Genius". (Seriously, that's his real title.) Apparently my year of MacBook Pro (I purchased mine in 2007.) came with a defective video card. Thankfully, this does not affect the computer hard drive.

The good news is even though my warranty was up a year ago, the wonderful people at the Apple store will still fix the problem for free due to the overwhelming amount of complaints Mac has received with this very issue. The bad news is it could take days to get my computer back. With three sessions lined up this coming week, that's just a little more than nerve-wracking.

I post this not to scare my clients (Stress not. Your files are backed up and safe.), but to let those of you who have a Macbook Pro know that this might/could happen to you. If you bought your computer within the last THREE years, and your screen suddenly displays what Mac posters are referring to as "the black screen of death", call your Mac store and mention article ts2377. It won't take long for them to say, "Oh, yes. We'll have that fixed for you in a jiffy!"

Crazy fact: The defective video card, which is fused to the logic board (i.e. motherboard), has been such a huge problem for Mac that they had to create a separate server just to handle all the incoming complaints. Here's some helpful information: If you paid for a new video card for your Mac that was purchased within the last three years, Mac will reimburse you for those past repair costs. And, at a minimum of over $300 - that's worth looking into!

Mac or PC? Hmmm....let me think on that.