OS X 10.3.6 Update Screwed Up My iMac's Monitor

F

freaky

OSXer
I installed the OS X 10.3.6 update two days ago. As soon as it finished installing (before I restarted) I noticed the screen started changing it's hue color. Sometimes it's correct, other times it's a reddish shade, other times it's changing. This is very frustrating and it has been giving me headaches.

I've tried calibrating my monitor several times and it didn't make a difference. Does anybody have any idea how to fix this? It's driving me nuuuuuuuts!
 
It's probably not a software problem. But, you can try a NEW user account, and check for any improvement. If not, a coincidence with a failing PAV board, most likely. That's the board that actually provides the internal video for the monitor. That would be bad luck, and poor timing, but the iMac is almost 4 years old.

Boot from an OS 9 installer CD as a 2nd check for bad hardware video.
 
Thanks for your reply. I tried creating a new account but it still did the same thing. It seems REALLY odd that it started doing this within seconds from when the update was installed. It said something about including updates to some video card drivers. I wonder if they didn't do enough testing and there's bugs in the update that is causing my monitor to do this.

I don't have any OS 9 disks. Only Panther and Jaguar.

Even though my iMac is almost 4 years, my sister bought it new and only used it about 9 months, then it wasn't used for a few years and I've been using it for the past 12 months or so. Wouldn't you think that since it started doing this right after the update, it would be a software problem?
 
I just tried doing that and it looked normal until I took the Install Mac OS X window and drug it to the bottom of the screen, then the entire screen turned a light orangish color.

Any ideas how to fix this?
 
What kind of iMac is it? Did you install any necessary firmware updates to the iMac before installing Panther on it? IIRC, there are a few models of iMac that require a firmware upgrade in order to function properly, and symptoms of not having done that are monitor anomalies.
 
It really sounds like an old CRT monitor which is starting to fail. These things, sadly, do happen. If it's however an LCD/TFT monitor, it could be as simple as a loose connection. Either way: I'd ask your Apple reseller/dealer.
 
No, I haven't installed any firmware updates. I have the Graphite 600 MHz G3. Is there anyway that you could check if I need to upgrade my firmware based on that info? Will this wipe out the data on my hard drive or is it a pretty easy install?

It just seems really weird that this started happening within seconds from when the 10.3.6 update had finished installing. I'm sure it's a possiblity that it could just have gotten bad because of it's age, but since it happened right after the update, it has to be something that Apple did in the update to have screwed it up.
 
Thanks for the info. Yes, it finished and asked me to restart. I remember it because I was hoping when I clicked the restart button that it would fix the problem with the screen changing colors.
 
Seems like you have some bad luck. If the colors were changing BEFORE you restarted the first time, then any change to video drivers, for example, would not load until a restart.

You should check for your firmware version, which I think for a 600 MHx, should be up-to-date. But, open your System Profiler, check for a line on the first screen that says:
Boot ROM Version: 4.1.9f1
This number is the newest firmware for slot-loading iMacs. If the number is lower than that, you should download and install the firmware update...
 
You COULD connect an external VGA display to your iMac. If you have the same color problem on THAT, then likely the problem is your logic board. But you will probably have good video on an external display, and either way leave you with deciding about repairs.
 
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