Help me fix my pixels

September 6, 2008 4:50 PM

This afternoon my mac mini started going a bit weird. The screen is all corrupted. The actual mouse pointer stays solid as does the beachball. But behind is covered in weird pixels.

This afternoon my mac mini started going a bit weird. The screen is all corrupted. The actual mouse pointer stays solid as does the beachball. But behind is covered in weird pixels.

I've tried disk utility and hardware checks. all fine. I reset the PRAM and also tried restoring the system from this morning using time machine.

The distortion isn't there on startup but it was there once the install disk started up also.

Link to photo of the screen here

Any other suggestions or does this look familiar to anyone?

posted by twistedonion to computers & internet (6 comments total)

My G5 had similar (but not exactly the same) "tearing" when its motherboard needed to be replaced. You should take it to an Apple store.
posted by interrobang at 5:38 PM on September 6

Looks like some sort of video memory issue or failure, I'd definitely take it to an Apple store.
posted by jackofsaxons at 5:43 PM on September 6

You likely just hit the CMD+Option+8 keys, try it again.

gotta love the apple discussions forum.
posted by krautland at 6:27 PM on September 6

Definitely a video memory corruption option. Apple Store time.
posted by mrbill at 6:48 PM on September 6

Not the answers I was looking for but probably the right ones...

Tried the universal access thing but not it.

Unfortunately the Apple Store in Belfast still isn't open. Hopefully just a week or two.

Does anyone know how the backup utility works. If I get a new mac or this one fixed and then restore onto it all my apps and settings etc should be as they were right?
posted by twistedonion at 4:18 AM on September 7

Your data is fine. Your computer computer (not the bits, the chips) is what is on the fritz. Your data / apps / settings will be just fine if moved to another brain.
posted by zpousman at 11:50 AM on September 7