In the middle of using my laptop hooked up to my 30" Cinema Display (circa 2004) via a Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter, vertical bands appeared on the screen, with horizontal pinstripes. They also appear with another laptop. Nothing happens if I wiggle all the cables hooked up to the display; the striping is consistently there.
I fear this means the display is toast and it's time to get a new one. Do I have any repair options? Any chance it's the adapter?
Best Answer
I had a similar experience with an ACD30 (circa 2006, refurb) connected to a MacBook Pro via Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter. Fought display anomalies for about 18 months with Apple unable to identify any problem with display nor laptop.
In 2015, I finally found the following article on Apple's support site. Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter: Resolving flickering and wake from sleep issues
I confirmed the adapter I was using had a firmware of 1.01 and thought it worth a try to have it updated or replaced.
I took both the adapter and a copy of the page from Apple's site to the Genius Bar. The representative argued that he could find no such page on Apple's support site (Though the link still works today, it has been updated and archived.) and that it wouldn't fix my display problems. I firmly insisted that based on the page he at the least upgrade the adapter's firmware. He told me that wasn't possible and finally agreed to order a new adapter at Apple's expense.
The good news is a week later a new adapter with firmware 1.03 fixed all my display problems. I'm still using the same 11 year old display two years later.
Hope this helps.