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iMac Intel 27" EMC 2309 (Late 2009, Core 2 Duo 3.06 or 3.33 GHz) ID iMac10,1, EMC 2374 (Late 2009, Core i5 2.66 GHz or Core i7 2.8 GHz) ID iMac11,1

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Both internal and external displays black after ssd 2nd hard drive

iMac 27" 2009

OK so I've read well on this but want your opinion before making a decision.

So I upgraded the optical drive to an SSD and now have a black screen "sometimes" on both the internal AND when I hook up an external display.

I'm thinking the internal display adapter is shot but I know the Vsync is not connected (bent it badly). Does this jive with replacing one or both?

What gets me is most people say the external monitor DOES work when mine actually does whatever the main one does. And, BTW if I power down by force, pick up the machine, shake it a little and then power it back on I sometimes get a good display that stays on for a short time and eventually goes black.

Then rinse and repeat. This also makes me question the thermal sensors but I have no loud fans so I assume they are fine - but not sure if they would shut off the monitor anyway.

Anyway... Thanks!

Answer this question I have this problem too

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Remember this isn't a James Bond movie where he gets his martini (iMac) shaken not stirred ;-}

Your vertical sync cable needs to be plugged in otherwise you will have odd issues as you have described. So you'll need get it fixed did you damage the LED driver board or the cable?

Once you get it fixed you can then see if you have damaged something else or have in fact a second problem.

To help you here follow this IFIXIT guide: iMac Intel 27" EMC 2309 or 2374 Graphics Card Replacement

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7 Comments:

I think the board is fine - just that cable - mine is the one with the four little metal ribbons that pulls out easily. The vsync, that is. No nice clip. Funny thing is my machine was on since right after I wrote this post until a few minutes ago. Hence why I looked to see if anyone responded. It will stay on for a few hours or a few minutes. When I goes off, I power it off, shake it and try again. Sometimes it comes on right away and sometimes I need to try a few times. The odd thing is the external display goes off with it. Do you think that is because of the vsync cable?

Thank you!

Thank you!

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BTW remote access works fine to the machine - so it's on.

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So I got my new vsync cable and installed it. It powered on black screen so I was sad but then I tried again and it lit up. It's only been a few minutes so I'll update this when it stabilizes - I've seen the screen stay lit for hours and then eventually go out - and, no, not to sleep or anything - just monitor off - computer on (accessible via remote...)

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Lets do this as well, download this app: Temperature Gauge Pro. With it you can check the thermal sensors. You may want to get the full version so you can review the log.

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Back to square one. I let it "burn in" overnight and it stayed on no issues. I downloaded TG Pro and everything was fine. I had done several test restarts and shutdowns but it was in the same place the entire time. So I figure that's it - it's fixed and I moved it from one desk to another. And, of course, the monitor won't turn on anymore. Even shaking it. So I'm back to dead in the water. I would get a display adapter but it really looks fine however that's the only thing left right?

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