Macbook 2 dead pixels. way to unstick them or figure them out?

I just got my macbook. waited for it to warm up and started it up. This was a bit disappointing experience with apple so far. Though the week delay in receiving it was fed ex not apple's fault.

One is black and one is blue

is there a program I can run on a mac that will unstick the blue one?

 

There are a variety of programs out there that you can use to try and fix the blue one. As for the black, that is most likely a dead pixel. However you can always try... basically most of the programs 'exercise' the area by flashing a pattern or colors. Because of this it basically smacks the pixel back into functionality. I have not used such a program myself, but I've heard they work *most* of the time.

 

Generally no. You can try running a pixel unsticker video or program (i.e. the burn test in Dead Pixel Identifier http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21747 ) but it generally isn't going to "unstick" a pixel. Essentially these things just cycle through the various colors, etc. and the idea is that if you run them long enough they might unstick a pixel.

Those would only even work for "stuck" pixels though; you mentioned one of them being black, which sounds more like a dead pixel.

You could possibly try gently massaging the screen around the pixels; that actually worked for me on a Toshiba with a stuck pixel. Be careful though if you do that, and it also normally won't work.

If they bother you, you might just need to return it. Like most companies, 2 dead pixels usually isn't enough to warrant a repair/fix/etc.

 

At least the dead one is on the far left of the screen and the blue one is near the bottom. I've purchased several dell LCD's and never had a problem with it or any other dell laptops.

Will I get more dead pixels or do they not spread? Maybe I am worried about nothing.

 

apple has a widget for this too http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/20962 You could ask them to replace it, but YMMV. 1 pixel is probably within " apple spec"

 

Generally speaking I would say that you've had a good stroke of luck with Dell LCD's so far, but no LCD's are completely pixel-defect free (which is why most every manufacturer usually requires a certain number of dead pixels (or at least a certain number in a specific area of the screen). I personally own a Dell 2005fpw, and it has 3 stuck pixels, but they don't bother me too much (in particular just because the pixel size is so small that the only way to even notice them is if I get really close to the screen).

Generally speaking you shouldn't get more dead pixels, but it isn't unheard of (sometimes when an LCD does start to fail, it will get more and more dead and stuck pixels), in which case you would be able to get it repaired/replaced while under warranty.

I would see how much they bother you. Personally I used to get really bothered by even a single dead pixel, but I've learned to live with them (the 3 dead pixels in my Dell LCD, and 3 dead pixels in my Sony PSP, which are more noticeable, but I can ignore them too). But if they do bother you, you might take it to the Apple Store (or call them up if you bought it online) within your 14-day exchange period and ask for a replacement; no guarantees (Apple usually handles these issues in a case by case basis). Usually it would require more dead or stuck pixels, but if you can say it is a major problem for you, they might be able to accommodate you (one thing that can work is to say you are a graphic designer or photographer and that the dead/stuck pixels interfere with your work).

 

it's a start. After I figure out how to close the programs I open or find a way to tell it where to download files from the net from I'll be set for awhile.

 

OS X generally doesn't close an app even if you close its window. You'll need to actually click on the menu (i.e. in Firefox, the first menu item is called "Firefox") and choose "Quit". You can also right-click on the app's icon in the Dock and choose "Quit".

If you haven't yet, I recommend turning on two-finger right-clicking. Just go to the Apple Menu, choose System Preferences, and choose Keyboard & Mouse. Then just enable Two-Finger Right Clicking. When you do this, if you hold two fingers down on the trackpad and click the mousebutton, it will register as a right-click.

Note that you can also do two-finger scrolling (when you use two fingers on the trackpad and scroll vertically or horizontally, it will scroll the active window).

In terms of choosing where files should be downloaded, that is normally application specific. I.e. in Firefox, you just go to Preferences and you can specify where it should save Downloaded files.

 

I use apple-Q to close my apps. Unfortunantly I also hit that combo when i mean to hit apple-tab.

Heh, you could always try to call apple and tell them you think you have, oh say 5 or 6 dead pixels. I wonder if they would verify that though....

 

Yeah, sorry, should have mentioned the keyboard shortcut too.

I think that Apple would check when you sent the laptop back before they would replace it.

 

I don't think so. I told Apple I had a long streak on my palm rest, so they sent me a shipping label. As soon as I dropped off my macbook at Fedex, Apple sent me an email saying my new Macbook was ready for delivery.

 

Hrmm, I'd be curious how that worked out. I'd suspect Apple might still check when you send the old one back, but maybe they wouldn't care?