Hi All

A fiend of mine has a problem with a 27" iMac (bought early 2009).
Occasionally the screen goes black but everything seems to keep going in
the background (music keeps playing etc).
If he turns it off (using the power button) it restarts OK then the screen
goes black again. If he turns off and leaves it for a while it starts OK &
doesn't go black for a while.
I suspect it is a heat problem with either the screen itself or the
qraphics card. I have seen some discussion on various websites (including
the apple support forums) of heat problems with these iMacs but the
symptoms don't seem quite the same.
I noticed what I assume is a slotted vent hole on the back of the iMac
(lower centre) with a bit of dust around it but as it is obscured by the
stand I couldn't get a proper look at it.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of:

   1. iMacs showing similar symptoms and the likely cause - is this a known
   issue
   2. How to check for, and clean out dust
   I often have to clean dust out of various computers (including my Mac
   Pro) by blowing or vacuuming but it is best to determine where the dust is
   built up so you draw the dust out of the build up rather than forcing it
   further in. And of course these iMacs are not easy to get into.

It is still under apple care (just) and he is hoping to make use of that
but is not yet sure if he can find the original receipt.

Regards

Shayne
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