Mac OS X 10.4.8 Special Report: Incomplete update: Installing Mac OS X 10.4.8 stalls or otherwise fails

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 12:16 a.m. PT

3 min read

In some cases, your Mac OS X 10.4.8 installation may fail part-way through, or you may received an error message indicating that the update was not complete. If this happens, you may experience problems when restarting, or notice other issues later on.

First of all, remember to avoid performing any other processes while the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update is taking place in order to lessen the chances of this issue. Running other applications or changing file organization during an update can cause the failure.

If you do experience a failure, the first step to try is re-application of the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater (PowerPC or Intel). Do this even if you appear to have a normally working system after the failed update, as all appropriate system components may not have been updated, causing conflicts later on.

If you experience more severe issues after the failed update, you may need to perform an Archive and Install process to get your system in working order, then re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater.

Reader reports

MacFixIt reader Martyn writes:

"I experienced a major freeze when installing the latest update this week. It got to the point where it says something like maximizing performance or something i.e. almost at the end of the progress bar, and froze. I had to force a shutdown on my computer and was left unsure whether the download had completed or not."

Don Kowet adds:

"I tried to install the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update today on my two-and-a-half month old black MacBook. About halfway through, Software Update quit, informing me it couldn't complete the installation. Since then, I haven't been able to login. The login screen appears, but the cursor is frozen in the left hand upper corner."

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