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AirPort Extreme Update 2007-002 (#3): Crashes when connected to third-party routers via 802.11n (particularly D-Link DIR-655)

AirPort Extreme Update 2007-002 (#3): Crashes when connected to third-party routers via 802.11n (particularly D-Link DIR-655)

CNET staff
3 min read

Crashes when connected to third-party routers via 802.11n One of the more serious issues associated with AirPort Extreme Update 2007-002 is a repeated crash that occurs when a Mac attempts to connect to one of a collection of third-party wireless routers configured in 802.11n mode.

The crash occurs under the following circumstances:

The afflicted Mac attempts to connect to the 802.11n-configured router during normal runtime, at which point a freeze will occur

The afflicted Mac is starting up, and attempts to connect to the default wireless 802.11n router as part of the startup routine, only to stall at the gray screen or another part of the boot process

So far the problem seems largely restricted to routers manufactured by D-Link, particularly model DIR-655.

Fix: try using only 802.11g As recommended in our wireless troubleshooting tutorial, switching wireless protocols can sometimes ameliorate problematic WiFi connections. This is certainly the case with this issue: switching the crash-causing router from 802.11n to 802.11g-only can resolve the crashes. However, this can be a difficult proposition if another Mac without AirPort Extreme 2007-002 or another computer is not present. Without an alternative system, the Mac (with AirPort Extreme 2007-002) will keep crashing every time the user attempts to connect to a router to reconfigure it as 802.11g only.

In the aforementioned case, you may need to follow our instructions for removing the AirPort Extreme 2007-002 update, repeated here for convenience:

[WARNING: This workaround risky because you should not generally mix and match kernel extensions after updates, you will lose some improvements (including security refinements) brought about by AirPort Extreme Updater 2007-02, and new conflicts can ensue. Still, in a bind, it can restore wireless connectivity where other workarounds fail.]

The kernel extension reversion process is as follows:

  1. Download the most recent version of Mac OS X for Intel (10.4.8) but do not install it.
  2. Download and install the shareware application Pacifist
  3. Drag the Mac OS X 10.4.8 installer package onto the Pacifist application icon.
  4. Click the triangle next to "System" to expand it
  5. Click the triangle next to "Library" to expand it
  6. Click the triangle next to "Extensions" to expand it
  7. Scroll down and find the file IO80211Family.kext. Drag it to your Desktop or another location (you will have to enter your administrator password)
  8. On your Mac OS X startup drive, navigate to /System/Library/Extensions and locate a similarly named file (IO80211Family.kext). Move it to another location for safe keeping.
  9. Now drag the file from step 7 (the one that you retrieved from the Mac OS X 10.4.8 install package) into the /System/Library/Extensions, in effect replacing the newer file (installed by the AirPort updater) with and older copy -- you will have to enter an administrator password.
  10. Restart your Mac

A more tedious workaround is to completely remove all traces of the update via an Archive and Install. This can be accomplished via the following process, adapted from our tutorial on reverting to a previous iteration of Mac OS X. Note, however, that reverting your system will remove any refinements brought by the update and leave your system open to potential vulnerabilities.

Previous coverage:

Resources

  • Mac OS X for Intel (10.4.8...
  • Pacifist
  • reverting
  • AirPort Extreme Update 200...
  • AirPort Extreme Update 200...
  • More from Late-Breakers