Arrrgh! I am at wits end! iMac issues.

[glinda]

April of this year, we bought a new iMac 27" 2.8GHz Intel Core/4 GB desktop. Not yet with Lion. Some remember that my "Snowball G4" finally died.

Well about a month ago, started to have small occasional issues which have now escalated. Firstly, my email jumps around or disappears. That could be our Cable Co. since we are rural but am not on dial up. Computer sometimes seems slow. I get the spinning wheel on my Safari page sometimes. My DU page does not load properly. I get a blank lower portion and if lucky can somehow get the top toolbar that lets me at least go to an occasional section. I cannot even access my "DU" to see responses.
My news pages on sites omit the photos. So if I go to Kos, I get a blank space where a pic should be.
Sometimes my programs do not shut down as the light is still under them on the dock. Two weeks ago, I had to call Apple to help me shut down Safari altogether. I tried Firefox, same thing. They gave me a trouble "number" and I called the nearest Apple Tech, 40 miles away, and they said bring it in. Well I cannot be without a computer for financial reasons!!!!!!!!!
I called the University store where we bought it and the manager who sold it to us is out sick for two weeks. They told me send a pic of another issue (ghost images seen from the side) to his email. Have heard nothing! I sent it to the tech. Have heard nothing. I do not want to lug this huge thing around all over the place. I want a new computer since someone on staff said "sounds like the motherboard". Well about the screen???????????? We bought the additional insurance too!
THe screen..... when we brought it home, a couple days later I noticed a ghost image on the right hand upper corner. Could only see it from the side. Well the two inch image has spread to five times it's size!!!!!!!!!! And now one has started on the other top corner.

Three times I turned the machine on in the morning and just get the "fan". I never can connect to the internet right away. I have to refresh pages sometimes to get anywhere. Sometimes pages just sit and load and load forever and I have to give up.
I am sooooooo sick of this. I feel like throwing the machine at the staff at Computer store.
Does anyone have a clue to why this is happening to my computer??????????????? Is it more than our Cable company???????????? Why is this happening to our screen?

[glinda]

1. I forgot to add the start button needs to be held in for at least 5 seconds.

[struggle4progress]

2. what have you tried? have you run through the basic suggestions in the little white manual

that probably came with your machine? this will include a range of suggestions, like repairing permissions and resetting PRAM

what have you done to try to nail down the problem(s) by a process of elimination? if you create a new account, does the new account have the same problems? do any of the problems show up only after you've launched a particular program? have you, for example, eliminated most or all of the start-up programs associated with your account?

is your system up to date? have you considered saving all your critical files onto backup media -- and then restoring the system by (say) time-machine to what you had on the machine before the problem appeared, or reinstalling the operating system from scratch?

this could be all sorts of things, ranging from software problems to defective hardware

[glinda]

3. I will try some of your suggestions. Not sure how to do them but will attempt to figure them out.

We tried to create a new account while on Apple help and the Safari was not responding. Since the upgrade today it is much better but still get a spinning wheel a lot. Still cannot connect to Internet in the morning. It is like it has to sit and figure it out. I am seriously worried about the screen ghosts though.
I may have to take it in just because of that alone. We get auto upgrades on Programs and our computer is pretty new except we do not have Lion because we want the bugs fixed in it before we buy it. We need to buy an external unit to back up our files. May just do that at the place we take it to.
Have you ever seen a screen issue like this before?

[struggle4progress]

4. the manual probably gives detailed instructions: you can probably download here

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2054

[glinda]

5. Thanks!

[NV Whino]

6. Get it to an apple store

It is the mother board. It shouldn't take long to replace it. Ask for a loaner. And back everything up before you go. Some of the older iMacs had this problem. Happened to a friend.

[glinda]

7. Thanks!

[Lost-in-FL]

8. You bought it in Apr 2011? Don't go crazy trying to figure out why it is broke!

:) Go take it to Apple right away. All of their systems have full warranty for a whole year with option to buy extended warranty up to the day before the original one year warranty expires.


They will fix or replace it for you for free no matter where you buy it and you don't even need a receipt of purchase. Apple only needs the Serial number of the system. You can check the status of the warranty online

https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

:hi:

[glinda]

9. Yes. We are going to take it in probably next Monday. I need it until then. Hopefully

we will at least get a loaner or something. Have to save my stuff also....

[Lost-in-FL]

10. Hope they just give you a new one. They should!

Good luck!

[glinda]

11. Thanks. I still don't know what the "ghost stuffs" is on the corners.

[glinda]

12. Update

Brought the iMac into where we bought it and they took it to "look" at it. I pointed out that I found info on the web about the screens on this particular iMac were sometimes not sealed properly leaving them victim to dust, moisture issues, etc.... many time affecting internal components. Sometimes there were "burning issues". I said that some have gotten a new computer. Well that did not go over well. They said it might be as late as Weds of next week before I get it back. So much for Apple service.No computer. No loaner.
I am dismayed as I type on our old PowerBook G4 with a third broken screen and Tiger with no updated Flash. Ugggh!

[glinda]

13. Another update

They replaced the hard drive. They took the screen off and cleaned it and then told me to move it to a less dusty room. This is the less dusty room. Then they complained that if I have any pets..... oh pleeeze. I discovered plenty complaints about poorly fitting screens that get filled with dust, etc...... and Apple does nothing about them.
Now the computer is back today after one week and I am hearing a different sound coming form inside of it. sort of like a little irregular rubber tapping/gurgling/popping noise. Doesn't happen all the time but it is there and is driving me crazy. Is this normal? I am really getting upset. I think I will call Apple Monday.