I am fixing broken things, Everyone could use some help. – David Byrne
My 27 inch iMac – thing of beauty, companion, tormentor, and master – began a rapid descent into insanity about two weeks ago.
If your iMac display looks like this, you probably need a new video card. And, to be safe, go ahead and back up your machine.
The iMac’s behavior became erratic, first displaying colorful (re)arrangements of my desktop. They were seemingly random. Then the pink vertical striping started to occur. Sometimes the stripes were wide, sometimes thin.
About a week later, the real fun began. The screen and desktop would freeze on a whim. Finally, on startup attempts, the machine would only show a solid white screen. Nothing else would happen.
A call to Apple Care yielded a theory – it was probably the video card. Did you back up your data?
Kinda sorta.
How to Take a 27 Inch iMac Into the Apple Store for Repair
If you have to get a repair, definitely make an appointment. On a Tuesday during the day, the store was insane. People were gathered around one table for “Open Training” – which included lessons on dragging and dropping a piece of clip art from one side of the desktop to the other. Another group – there for “Group Training” – didn’t look like much of a group. There was no cohesion, lively debate, or camaraderie. Maybe they weren’t studying technology. Instead, perhaps the training was on how to be a group.
The thought had struck me early on just how I was going to carry a 27 inch desktop through the mall and into the store. The thought of lost grip and a tumbling machine on an escalator led me to the rolling suitcase concept. After three suitcases, a perfect fit. I added a little bubble wrap and was well on my way.
Carting a rolling suitcase through a mall isn’t weird. Unpacking it on the stools at the Genius Bar does generate some weird looks. But, then, the reveal. An “Atta Boy!” look from two or three of the geniusbarflys.
In Death, A Beginning
Through the death of my old video card, comes the birth of this blog. If this entry helps just one person navigate the potentially catastrophic consequences of lost productivity, lost data, and an iMac at the bottom of an escalator, it’s been worth it.