Imac screen keeps blacking out

[CLOD-HOPPER]

Can anyone comment on the following problem, which started only a few weeks ago? My mid-2010 27-inch iMac (running High Sierra 10.13.6) has started to "black out". If I press the start button, the display will show again, but a bout of blacking out follows. I don't know whether this really is the display shutting off, or whether it is going to sleep. However, it does not show itself if I press the spacebar, so I doubt that it is going to sleep. (The sleep is set to NEVER in System Prefs, and the display sleep is set to one hour.) I have tried shutting down, pulling out the power cord and leaving it for a few minutes, also tried resetting the PRAM, also pressing Shift, Option, Control and Power, waiting until it sounds twice etc., but to no avail. The Mac has been serviced (new PRAM battery, cleaning etc.), but this has altered nothing. It may have a fortnight's trouble-free use in between these fits, and I can't understand why it should work faultlessly at some times, but not at other times.

Is this inconvenience something that shows my Mac is dying, or what? It is an old one, but really, it has not been used a great deal over the 12 years that it has been in use (it was bought, brand-new, in 2011). Mostly, it is in use for about three hours a day (four hours, at most).

Can anyone offer any advice, or comment on this (don't tell me to buy another machine, as, when this one dies, that will be the finish — I can't afford another machine).

Thanks in advance, for any useful or helpful comments.
C.H.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Can anyone comment on the following problem, which started only a few weeks ago? My mid-2010 27-inch iMac (running High Sierra 10.13.6) has started to "black out". If I press the start button, the display will show again, but a bout of blacking out follows. I don't know whether this really is the display shutting off, or whether it is going to sleep. However, it does not show itself if I press the spacebar, so I doubt that it is going to sleep. (The sleep is set to NEVER in System Prefs, and the display sleep is set to one hour.) I have tried shutting down, pulling out the power cord and leaving it for a few minutes, also tried resetting the PRAM, also pressing Shift, Option, Control and Power, waiting until it sounds twice etc., but to no avail. The Mac has been serviced (new PRAM battery, cleaning etc.), but this has altered nothing. It may have a fortnight's trouble-free use in between these fits, and I can't understand why it should work faultlessly at some times, but not at other times.

Is this inconvenience something that shows my Mac is dying, or what? It is an old one, but really, it has not been used a great deal over the 12 years that it has been in use (it was bought, brand-new, in 2011). Mostly, it is in use for about three hours a day (four hours, at most).

Can anyone offer any advice, or comment on this (don't tell me to buy another machine, as, when this one dies, that will be the finish — I can't afford another machine).

Thanks in advance, for any useful or helpful comments.
C.H.

If you can't afford to buy another machine, or spare parts to fix your old iMac 2010, then I guess the power button is the only solution you have right now. Until your iMac fails completely.

( a second hand iMac 2010~2013, which is still working, may cost something between 150~250$)

 

[CLOD-HOPPER]

If you can't afford to buy another machine, or spare parts to fix your old iMac 2010, then I guess the power button is the only solution you have right now. Until your iMac fails completely.

( a second hand iMac 2010~2013, which is still working, may cost something between 150~250$)

Well thanks, friend — that's advice of a kind. However, what you say implies that my iMac needs either replacing, or a spare part putting in, to fix it. I.e. without one of those options being taken, it's a goner. Yet, don't specify what the trouble may be. Don't you know?

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Well thanks, friend — that's advice of a kind. However, what you say implies that my iMac needs either replacing, or a spare part putting in, to fix it. I.e. without one of those options being taken, it's a goner. Yet, don't specify what the trouble may be. Don't you know?

My suggestions are useless to you if you are not willing to spend some money to fix it.
Anyhow, it's a hardware issue which need replacement to detect from the following ones. It's not a software issue, for sure.
MXM graphic card
LCD panel backlight board
Even the logicboard is a suspect in this case.

 

[CLOD-HOPPER]

My suggestions are useless to you if you are not willing to spend some money to fix it.
Anyhow, it's a hardware issue which need replacement to detect from the following ones. It's not a software issue, for sure.
MXM graphic card
LCD panel backlight board
Even the logicboard is a suspect in this case.

Thanks for the information, Nguyen Duc Hieu. It's not that I'm unwilling to spend — it's just that I may be unable to find the money. However, now you have been more specific, I shall make enquiries about the likely fault(s), and the cost of putting them right.
C.H.