Mac OS X 10.4.9 (#12): Distorted icons (tiny white dots); Canvas X problems

[For complete coverage of Mac OS X 10.4.9 troubleshooting issues, see our special report]

Distorted icons (tiny white dots) Some readers have reported an issue where graphic distortion appears in various icons, particularly in the Dock or on the Desktop.

Potential Fixes

Reset Appearance Some users have reported that using the shareware utility OnyX to reset appearance/Dock settings eliminates the appearance of this visual distortion until a restart is performed.

This can be accomplished by simply launching Onyx, navigating to the appearance pane, then the Dock section, and pressing the "Apply" button. You may need to also press "Apply" in the Finder section and others depending on where you are seeing the problem.

Replace graphics card Unfortunately, some users are finding that they need to replace their graphics card before this problem disappears.

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

Canvas X problems Some users have reported issues with Canvas X from ACD Systems after installing Mac OS X 10.4.9.

One reader writes:

"When attempting to open the Canvas X program after installing Mac OS X 10.4.9, I incur dialog boxes informing me that contextual help and transparency functions will not load. In fact, all of the tool pallets in the program are blank, making it totally useless. I'm about to look up your instructions on how to revert to 10.4.8."

If you are having similar issues, try deleting the following files from /Library/Preferences:

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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