How to Fix Apple’s Blue Screen

I am addicted to my tech gadgets, be it my phone or my laptop. Since I always had good experience with Apple I keep a MacBook Pro for my laptop. The worse thing with Apple is the cost of repairs if it goes bad. A friend of mine who recently had the infamous Apple’s blue screen (when your screen does not display anything on boot or even when running) he chose to sell his MacBook pro and buy a new one. Apple’s screen display has been a recurring theme on Apple forums.

I upgraded to OSX Yosemite when it was launched and since that day I started having a weird issue. My battery status started showing “Service Battery”. According to Apple it means my battery is not functioning normally, but I can use it without harming my computer. I chose to do so as there is no Genius bar where I live. Taking it in to the service center will cost money and a few days before I hear from them. Also, Apple batteries are so expensive I am not a fan of buying Apple original parts. I go with other OEM or another brand.

Every now and then my MacBook Pro would go into a screen flickering mode followed by Blue/Black Screen. I won’t be able to see anything on screen. However, if I connected an external display it would work just fine.

First few times I was able to get rid of this problem by following these steps

1. Resetting NVRAM. Follow the instructions from this page on Apple Support to do so.

2. If that does not work try resetting your SMC. Follow the instructions here to do that.

These steps helped me first few times. I was able to get my screen back. But this time none of this helped me. I even tried putting in the disc to see if booting from there will help with anything, but all in vain.

I was thinking of taking my MacBook Pro to service center, but then a thought came to my mind. Since I had an issue with Battery meter, it could be about Battery.

So I charged my MacBook to 100% charge and used it that way for about 2 hours. Then I started using it without the power adapter. This started draining battery. In a few hours the battery was totally gone. The MacBook pro went to sleep. I shut it down by pressing and holding the power button for few seconds.

I left my MacBook pro at office that day. When I came back in the morning (after 14 hours) I connected the power cable to start charging it. Then I crossed my fingers and pressed the power button. Voila. It worked. I am now writing this blog post not looking at my external monitor. What pleasure.

I hope this will help someone else who is going through the same issue.

If your Battery says “Check Battery” and your MacBook screen goes blank, do not panic. If you are under Apple Care, take it to Apple. Otherwise, follow the steps I mentioned above. It may fix it for you. If it does, leave a comment so that I know my writing this out helped someone.

Dinesh Agarwal

Dinesh Agarwal transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship. After earning his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Georgia State University in Atlanta, he developed a passion for creating products with transformative potential in their respective sectors. While he has seen moderate achievements, he believes he has much more to offer.