Weird iMac 21.5 screen problem [loss of colors]

[InternetDude08]

I got an iMac 21.5. 3.33GHz, 8GB RAM new back in Dec/09.

So I was browsing the 'net today and out of the blue the screen went fuzzy/crazy. It was as if it switched from 65 million colors to like 256. There were some funny lines that didn't belong, things weren't crystal clear, etc.

Odd thing is the second monitor was fine, just the built-in LCD was having issues. When I rebooted, the screen looked fine for a split second just before it went wacky again right when it was done booting.

Long story short is I ran the hardware test and now it works, even though the hardware test didn't find any problems.

So I'm left wondering things like this:
- Is this a common problem?
- Why did it happen?
- Will it happen again?
- What happens if running the hardware test doesn't fix it next time?
- The iMac was pretty warm, might it have overheated?

See attachment for a photo of my screen so you can see what I'm talking about. Look at the background pic, the hood on the car, you'll see it's lost color shading, etc.

 

[mtnDewFTW]

Go to System Preferences > Display > Color
There you should see different options, or an option to customize your own.
Make sure the iMac one at the top is selected.

I'd recommend playing around in that field and just see if it works or if you're able to restore your screen to it's original settings.

If it doesn't work, give Apple a call tomorrow (they're closed for the holiday).

Good luck!

 

[InternetDude08]

bump

 

[InternetDude08]

This happened again today. So I shut the machine down because it was very hot on the top at the back. I let it sit for 10 minutes or so, fired it back up, and the fuzzy screen was still there. So I just kept working away and it went away after 5 minutes. I'm not sure it will stay away, we'll see.

I had watched some full-screen YouTube prior so I kind of suspect that the graphic card is overheating... you see my second screen is fine even when this happens.

 

[InternetDude08]

Well I called Apple support. They said it sounded like the LCD panel was fried, so I took it in to the nearest service center and they confirmed it.

6 months old and the LCD panel is fried. Odd.... the new one should be in tomorrow or Monday.

Any idea as to why the panel is fried? I have a 6-ish year old Dell LCD monitor that still works great.

Have you heard of other 21.5" iMacs needing a new LCD panel?