Mac OS X 10.4.6 Special Report: General purpose workarounds

Three workaround routines will solve many of the issues that are indirectly caused by Mac OS X 10.4.6 installation (i.e. not due to bugs or flaws in the update, but pre-existing system conditions that may be triggered by the updater process).

The routines are as follows:

Delete kernel extension caches, other caches for some issues A number of common issues that crop up after incremental Mac OS X updates can be resolved by deleting specific cache files -- specifically kernel extension caches -- and restarting.

This can most easily be accomplished with a shareware utility like Tiger Cache Cleaner, but also bears a manual process which involves dragging the following files to the trash:

• com.apple.kernelcaches (a folder in /System/Library/Caches)
• Extensions.kextcache (a file in /System/Library)
• Extensions.mkext (a file in /System/Library/)
• com.apple.ATS (a folder in /Library/Caches/)
• Files that start with com.apple.LaunchServices (in /Library/Caches)

You will be prompted to enter your administrator password when dragging these files to the trash. You may need to restart after moving them to the trash.

Re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.6 combo updater A workaround that has proved successful for various problems caused by previous incremental Mac OS X updaters is re-application of the current combination updater (PowerPC or Intel). Doing so overwrites potentially problem-causing files that were not replaced by the "Delta" (adjacent version-to-version) update.

Re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.6 combo updater from an alternate startup volume

1. Download and save the Mac OS X 10.4.6 combo updater (PowerPC or Intel).
2. Startup from an alternate boot volume, such as an external FireWire drive, or use another Mac to boot the problematic system in FireWire target disk mode (connect the two machines via a FireWire cable, and boot the target [problematic] system while holding down the "T" key)
3. Once booted from an alternate drive, select the problematic volume in the Finder, and "Get Info" -- either by pressing the Command-I keyboard combination or accessing the "Get Info" option in the File menu. Check the box marked "Ignore ownership permissions on this volume."
4. If you have a third-party disk repair utility like DiskWarrior, use it to re-build the directory on the problematic volume (this step may not be necessary)
5. Re-install the Mac OS X 10.4.6 combo updater on the problematic drive.
6. Re-attempt booting from the problematic volume (hold down the option key at startup to select the desired drive)

Index:

• Release Notes/Download links
• General purpose workarounds
• List of updated Apple applications
• Update process recommendation

• AirPort network not automatically re-joined after sleep
• Bluetooth: Connectivity issues
• Dock Auto Hide/Show function broken -- fix
• Double restart is expected behavior
• Energy Saver issues -- system will not automatically shut down, etc.
• FireWire problems
• Font issues -- fixes
• Improvements
• iSync Issues -- Issues with hacks for unsupported devices; Sony Ericsson K700i won't synch
• Menu bar items missing
• Networking issues: Problems with proxies
• Photo booth distortion
• Printer issues
• Problems logging in from Windows systems
• Reminder: Have enough free drive space before installing
• Reverting (downgrading) to Mac OS X 10.4.5
• Safari: Image loading problems
• SCSI drives not recognized
• Server volumes cannot be written to -- fixes
• Special permissions messages no longer appear in Disk Utility
• Spotlight issues -- make sure drive is not in Privacy tab
• Startup problems -- will not proceed after update, etc.
• Streaming Audio -- fixes
• Third-party applications: Fix for Photoshop save on crash; Word crashes; more
• Update Installer cannot find destination drive

Resources