Issue: Dim screens on 17-inch MacBook Pros

Description: The new MacBook computers come with LED backlit displays that are the brightest Apple has provided on any notebook computers. Despite this, people who are purchasing the new 17-inch MacBook Pro laptops are noticing in some instances that the screens seem to be relatively dim when compared with the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook models.

AppleZilla -

"I just returned from the Apple Store at Lenox Square in Atlanta where I finally got to see one in person. The 17-inch models are directly across from the 15-inch models. The 17-inch and the 15-inch unit were cranked up to maximum brightness with the automatic settings turned off. I had to turn the brightness on the 15-inch model down a Full 30 percent to match the brightness on the two machines."

This problem has been found with computers on display in the stores, as well as ones that arrive from online purchases. It does appear to be a random problem, though there has been a fair amount of speculation as to why it's happening. People have tried calibrating their displays, checking various energy-saver settings for automatic-dimming, and resetting the computer's PRAM and SMC settings, but nothing seems to help.

Some have suspected the cause could be the type of display being used, since two panel models (9C98 and 9C99) have been used in the computers. However, owners have reported the problems on both types of displays. While this problem could be from a faulty batch of components, a couple of people have been able to fix this problem with an OS reinstallation, which suggests the problem is merely software related. It could be either the drivers used by Apple when the system software was initially loaded onto the hard drive, or could be a corrupt or inaccessible support file the drives use.

Fix:

1. Reinstall the operating system.

When you receive your new computer, check the brightness of the display, and if it is uncharacteristically dim reinstall the OS from the grey support disks that ship with the computer. All the software that shipped preinstalled is available on those disks, so you will not lose. Insert Disk 1 and reboot the computer, holding down the "C" key. After selecting the language, be sure to do an "Erase and Install" to freshly setup the software.

Other Potential Fixes:

1. Perform a Permissions fix.

If this problem is a matter of wrong drivers being loaded onto the system or file corruption, then a reinstallation is recommended; however, you can also try running a permissions fix with Disk Utility first to see if the problem is from an inaccessible system file. This can be done with Disk Utility either on the hard drive (in the utilities folder) or on the installation disk (available in the "Utilities" menu).

2. Boot into Safe Mode.

Booting into Safe Mode by holding the shift key at bootup will run various maintenance tasks and disk checks. It will also load only the essential drivers for running the system. If the display's brightness increases after booting into safe mode, this may then fix the settings for the next normal bootup.

See these discussion boards for additional information:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1923450&start=15&tstart=0

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1921094&tstart=0

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1921094&tstart=0

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