Mac OS X 10.4.9 (#2): Printer issues, fix; Application launch problems; Eject key delay/problems; Bluetooth, AirPort fixes; more

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 1:09 a.m. PT

14 min read

[Posted Wednesday, March 14th]

[4:30 PM update]

Printer problems, fixes A number of users are reporting issues with various printers after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.9.

There are two general solutions to printer issues after a system update, with the first (re-installation of CUPS) being the most commonly successful:

Re-install CUPS Corruption or other faults with the standard CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) installation may have occurred during the Mac OS X update process, and re-installing CUPS can resolve some otherwise insoluble problems.

The current known stable build of CUPS is version 1.2.8, and is available as a 4.3 MB standalone download. The install process is straightforward: once the CUPS disk image has been downloaded, mount it and double-click the cups.pkg file to begin installation. You may need to restart after installation in order to get your printer working again.

Delete then re-add printers/Reset printing system If CUPS re-installation is unusuccessful, open Printer Setup Utility, located in Applications/Utilities and look at the "Printer List" Highlight and delete all entries. Alternatively, go to the "Printer Setup Utility" menu at the top of the screen and select "Reset Printing System". After all entries are deleted, click the "Add" button and re-add your printer(s).

Failing the above fixes, you may want to try the utility Printer Setup Repair or peruse the solutions listed in our tutorial "Resolving common printer problems."

Apple: Update to Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 for best performance Apple has posted a Knowledge Base article indicating that, oddly, performance of real-time functionality in Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 may be diminished on Mac Pro systems after the update to Mac OS X 10.4.9. The simple remedy is to update to Final Cut Pro version 5.1.4.

The article states:

"If your Mac Pro is running Mac OS X 10.4.9, and your version of Final Cut Pro is 5.1 through 5.1.2, you may notice diminished availability of real-time playback, as compared with that observed in Mac OS X 10.4.8. Note: This issue only affects Mac Pro computers that are running Mac OS X 10.4.9. Solution: Update to Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 to remedy this issue."

[11:50 AM update]

Reminder: Re-apply combo updater for various issues At the risk of playing like a broken record, we cannot overstate the value of re-applying the Mac OS X combination updater as a solvent for various issues apparent after using the standard, delta (adjacent version-to-version) updater to migrate to Mac OS X 10.4.9. The delta updater is automatically used by Software Update if your current system iteration is 10.4.8. Re-applying the combo updater overwrites potentially problem-causing files that were not replaced by the delta update. Download links are as follows:

Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update Intel, Combo [310 MB]
Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update PowerPC, Combo [163MB]
Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.9 Intel, Combo [350 MB]
Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.9 PowerPC, Combo [216MB]

Application launch problems Some users have reported issues with launching various applications after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.9.

One reader writes:

"I just updated to Mac OS X 10.4.9 and now Final Cut Pro won't open."

This issue is generally soluble through workarounds listed in our tutorial "What to do when a Mac OS X application will not launch." The following fixes are particularly effective:

Delete appropriate .plist files A non-launching application can be the result of a corrupt or otherwise defunct application-associated .plist file (for more information on exactly what a .plist file is, see this series of articles) Most of these files are stored in a folder named Preferences, and located in the Library folder of your home directory, e.g.:

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist

Go to the ~/Library/Preferences folder, and search for any .plist files that may be associated with the application with which you are having trouble. Drag the .plist file(s) [many applications have more than one associated .plist file, so be careful to scour for all of them] to the Desktop, then re-attempt launching the application.

Update prebinding Many cases of application launch-failure can be resolved easily by simply updating prebinding, via the following steps:

Log in as an administrator

Open the Terminal (located in Applications/Utilities)

Type: sudo update_prebinding -root / -force and press Return.

When prompted for a password, enter your admin password, and press Return again. The process may take a few minutes, and you may see various messages flash by. The process is complete when the Terminal returns to a normal prompt.

Type exit and press Return.

Check for the capability to launch the problematic application.

Disk images not mounting [Updated] Several users report an inability mount disk images after applying the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update.

MacFixIt reader Steve Taffee writes:

"Disk images will not mount. After a couple of minutes, the error message: '[disk image name] Device not configured' is displayed. Following the update, I repaired disk permissions before launching a disk image."

If you are having a problem where disk images won't mount, try booting in Safe Mode (by holding down the Shift key while starting up), then re-attempting mounting of the disk image.

This solution is particularly useful for the following scenario: You want to try re-application of the Mac OS X combo updater (a common workaround for issues that occur after an incremental Mac OS X update), but are unable to mount the combo updater disk image.

Prior to booting in safe mode, however, you can delete the following files:

/System/Library/Extensions.kextcache
/System/Library/com.apple.kernelcaches

and re-attempting the mount. These, and other cache files, are automatically deleted when you boot in safe mode, but you can potentially save some time by trying deletion of these files (then logging out and back in) first.

Another option is to use an alternative tool that can mount disk images, like Mount.app, FlashMount, or Toast Titanium.

MacFixIt reader Joy Denton is one user who had success with our posted workaround:

"Just wanted to let you know that I had the issue of Disk Images not mounting. This occurred after installing Mac OS X 10.4.9 from Software Update. Fortunately, I read your post regarding a possible fix by using the Combo Update and used Toast to mount the disk image. Ran the Combo Update and ran AppleJack once again. I am now able to mount disk images. This was an annoying problem to be sure."

Meanwhile, Apple has posted a Knowledge Base article (#305111) detailing an issue where users may receive the error message "Disk image you are opening may be damaged..." when attempting to mount disk images under Mac OS X 10.4.9. According to Apple, Mac OS X 10.4.9 is more robust in its ability to detect damaged or corrupted disk images. However, you may encounter this error when working with ostensibly functional disk images. The Knowledge base articles offers a process for dealing with the disk images identified as damaged, which involves first duplicating the disk image then forcing a mount by clicking the "Open" button when the error message appears; see the Knowledge Base article for further details.

Eject key issues: Delays, will not bring up sleep/shutdown dialog Several users have noted a difference in the way the eject key works after applying Mac OS X 10.4.9. Some users report that the key no longer brings up the "sleep, restart, shutdown" dialog box post-update (accomplished by pressing the control key and eject key simultaneously), nor ejects optical media.

One reader writes:

"The Eject key shortcuts to sleep or bring up the sleep/restart/shutdown window no longer work on my Power Mac."

The solution, in most cases, is simply to hold the eject button down for a longer duration. It appears that Apple has lengthened the interval of time the key needs to pressed, presumably to prevent a situation where the key is accidentally pressed, bringing up an unwanted occurrence of the sleep/shutdown dialog or ejecting inserted media.

[11:00 AM update]

Reminder: Do not interrupt the update process The installation of incremental Mac OS X updates (or any significant system updates for that matter) should never be interrupted by putting the system to sleep, quitting the installation application, or even performing other system operations that could potentially interfere with the process (as noted in our update procedure recommendation yesterday).

MacFixIt reader James Sentman provides a case example. Fortunately, he cloned his drive (also as recommended in our update procedure guidelines) before installing Mac OS X 10.4.9, so recovery was relatively painless:

"While most of us would never consider putting our MacBooks to sleep while applying an update, unfortunately for me my almost 3 year old son had no such compunctions about closing my lid for me the moment I turned my back. After re-opening the lid the update appeared to finish normally, but it refused completely to reboot, hanging at the spinning doohicky for ever. I restarted in verbose mode to see what was happening and it got stuck in a loop saying it was unable to find the root user, trying again. And it would try again over and over every few seconds but never found anything. I restarted to single user mode and ran disk checking but no low level errors were found on the disk, the system install was just messed up or incomplete.

"Luckily I had cloned the drive (thank you Carbon Copy Cloner!) just a few days prior and was able to boot from that, copy my changed files (mail, iTunes, iPhoto and my working directory) onto the clone and then restore the clone. After re-applying the 10.4.9 update all seems well again now."

Bluetooth recognition problems Several users have experienced problems with Bluetooth devices not being recognized (discovered) under Mac OS X 10.4.9. This problem is not without basis, as the update makes modifications to several critical Bluetooth files, including perhaps most importantly the Blutooth I/O kernel extension (/System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothFamily.kext).

MacFixIt reader Timothy Turner writes:

"The Bluetooth keyboard isn't discoverable (after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.9)"

Potential workarounds for this issue include:

Delete Preferences folder Try dragging the folder /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration to the Trash, then restarting and re-attempting access to your Bluetooth devices.

Reset PRAM/NVRAM In some cases, resetting your Mac's PRAM (parameter RAM) and NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) via the following process can restore Bluetooth access:

Shut down your Mac

Turn your Mac back on, while holding down the Command, Option, P and R keys simultaneously.

Allow the startup chime to repeat twice, or listen for your Mac to perform a restart process twice, then release the keys.

Deactivate, Reactivate In some cases this issue can be resolved by simply going to the Bluetooth pane of System Preferences, then deactivating Bluetooth and subsequently reactivating it again.

Resetting the PMU/SMU Some users have reported that resetting their systems' PMUs or SMUs (depending on model) solved this issue. Apple provides details for performing the reset procedure in the following Knowledge Base documents:

#14449 (for PowerBooks, iBooks)

#303319 (for MacBooks, MacBook Pros).

#300341 (for Power Mac G5)

#301733 (for iMac G5)

AirPort connectivity issues Some users are reporting various difficulties with AirPort functionality after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.9, including an inability to recognize the built-in hardware, problems connecting to wireless routers (including AirPort Base stations) and more.

Apple made some significant AirPort modifications with this release, particularly in its modification of the AirtPort kernel extensions (/System/Library/Extensions/AppleAirPort.kext)

MacFixIt reader Michael writes:

"I have an iMac 2GHz PowerPC G5 Flat Panel that I just updated to Mac OS X 10.4.9, and after restarting I could no longer connect via AirPort. It says that 'no airport hardware found.'"

Your first course of action in the case of AirPort difficulties after installing the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update should be to try some of the less invasive workarounds offered in our tutorial "Fixing Wireless connectivity (including AirPort) problems: Dropouts, slow speed, more."

If the less drastic workarounds prove ineffective, you may want to try reverting to older version of the AirPort kernel extension via the following steps: [WARNING: This workaround is risky because you should not generally mix and match kernel extensions after updates, you will lose some improvements (including security refinements) brought about by Mac OS X 10.4.9, and new conflicts can ensue. Still, in a bind, it can restore wireless connectivity where other workarounds fail.]

Download the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater appropriate to your system (from Apple's download page).
Download and install the shareware application Pacifist
Drag the Mac OS X 10.4.8 installer package (e.g. MacOSXUpd10.4.8Intel.pkg) onto the Pacifist application icon.
Click the triangle next to "System" to expand it
Click the triangle next to "Library" to expand it
Click the triangle next to "Extensions" to expand it
Scroll down and find the file AppleAirPort.kext. Drag it to your Desktop or another location (you will have to enter your administrator password)
On your Mac OS X startup drive, navigate to /System/Library/Extensions and locate a similarly named file (AppleAirPort.kext). Move it to another location for safe keeping.
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.
Restart your Mac

Resolved issues

Illustrator pathfinder problem fixed It appears that Mac OS X 10.4.9 resolves some significant issues related to Adobe Illustrator, much to the joy of users whom have been plagued by the problems for months with no respite from Adobe.

One of the more prominent issues, discussed in our Mac OS X 10.4.8 special report, was an inability to properly use the application's "pathfinder" tool, which is used for manipulating compound shapes. The problem seemed to occur only on Intel-based Macs. Most users affected by this issue reported that the crash occurs when attempting to use the pathfinder tool to modify shapes created by the pen tool, circle tool, and others.

This issue is resolved in Mac OS X 10.4.9.

MacFixIt reader Ted August writes:

"I had a whole lab of iMac (Intel Core Duo) computers that were experiencing the Adobe Illustrator Pathfinder bug. I'd like to report that 10.4.9 fixes this glitch. I have a whole lab of students using the tool right now in their class, which they haven't been able to do since the beginning of the semester (when we jumped to 10.4.8)."

iPod mounting/synchronization improvements Some users have reported resolution of iPod interaction issues under Mac OS X 10.4.9.

MacFixIt reader Rob Wallace writes:

"My 4th generation ipod failed last week, it could not mount and I could not get any utility to reformat it. Leading to hours of frustration. Plugged it in today after the update and it started disk utility , then iTunes launched and within seconds the iPod was reinitialized and loading its music library faster than ever."

[9:30 AM update]

Files modified by this update Mac OS X 10.4.9 is a vast update affecting several Apple applications and a number of key system components. The following is a partial list of files modified (overwritten with new versions) by the update (an asterisk [*] indicates modification of multiple files in the given directory, or with a similar naming structure):

/Applications

Font Book.app
iCal.app
iChat.app
iSync.app
Preview.app

/Utilities

Activity Monitor.app
Bluetooth File Exchange.app
ColorSync Utility.app
Terminal.app

/Library

/Documents/gzip (a directory containing the documentation for the gzip file compression component)
/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin (the plug-in responsible for playing back embedded Flash content -- the subject of a security fix in this release)
/Modem Scripts/Apple External 56K Modem* (various files for performing dial-up duties with Apple's external USB modem)
/Printers/hp/* (here a number of files for driving Hewlett-Packard printers are modified)

/Private

/etc/mach_init.d (critical component that stores settings for establishing several system services at startup)
/var/db/dyld/update-prebinding-paths.txt (stores information about various frameworks that are modified in the "update prebinding" process, which can speed application launch times and resolve various document/application association issues. For more information on updating prebinding, see this article)

/sbin

fibreconfig (responsible for mounting Fibre Channel volumes)
fsck* (the disk repair utility accessed via the command fsck when booted in single-user mode [hold down the Command and S keys during startup to use single user mode]

/System/Library

/Automator/* (various Automator actions
/CFMSupport/DiscRecordingLib
/Components/AudioCodecs.component
/Components/CoreAudio.component

/System/Library/CoreServices

AppleFileServer.app
Bluetooth Setup Assistant.app
bluetoothlauncher
BluetoothUIServer.app
Conflict Resolver.app
CoreTypes.bundle
Crash Report.app
Dock.app
dotmacsyncclient
Finder.app
loginwindow.app
Menu Extras/Bluetooth.menu
Menu Extras/Sync.menu
MirrorAgent.app
Network Diagnostics.app
OBEXAgent.app
SecurityAgentPlugs/loginwindow.app
Software Update.app
syncuid.app
UserNotificationCenter.app
WindowServer

/System/Library/Extensions

AppleVADriver.bundle
PPPoE.ppp
IOI2CMaxim6690.kext
SMCMotionSensor.kext
ATIRadeon9700GA.plugin
Radius.ppp
IOI2CLM8x.kext
AppleSMC.kext
ATIRadeonX1000.kext
GeForceGA.plugin
IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext
IOFireWireFamily.kext
ATIRadeon.kext
IOHIDFamily.kext
ATIRadeon9700.kext
GeForceFXGLDriver.bundle
ATIRadeonGA.plugin
IOATAFamily.kext
GeForceVADriver.bundle
PPTP.ppp
AppleNDRV
ATINDRV.kext
AppleLSIFusionMPT.kext
IONetworkingFamily.kext
IOFireWireIP.kext
EAP-KRB.ppp
AppleHIDMouse.kext
AppleMCEDriver.kext
SoftRAID.kext
ATIRadeon8500DVDDriver.bundle
AppleMaxim6690.kext
PPPSerial.ppp
AppleSEP.kext
msdosfs.kext
GeForce.kext
AppleIntelIntegratedFramebuffer.kext
IOAudioFamily.kext
NVDANV40Hal.kext
IOHDIXController.kext
NVDAResman.kext
ATIRadeon8500.kext
AppleBacklight.kext
IOPlatformPluginFamily.kext
AppleAltiVecDVDDriver.bundle
IONDRVSupport.kext
AppleMIDIFWDriver.plugin
AppleACPIPlatform.kext
SM56KUSBAudioFamily.kext
IOI2CSMUSat.kext
AppleMLANAudio.kext
IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily.kext
IOBluetoothHIDDriver.kext
NVDANV30Hal.kext
EAP-TLS.ppp
AppleAirPort.kext
AppleSMUMonitor.kext
AppleIntelGMA950.kext
IOBluetoothFamily.kext
IOSerialFamily.kext
AppleIntelGMA950GA.plugin
ATIRadeon8500VADriver.bundle
L2TP.ppp
AppleSmartBatteryManager.kext
NVDANV10Hal.kext
AppleHWSensor.kext
GeForce2MXGLDriver.bundle
ATIRadeon8500GA.plugin
ATIRadeon9700VADriver.bundle
IOI2CMotionSensor.kext
AppleHDA.kext
AppleIntelGMA950GLDriver.bundle
DSACL.ppp
AppleLM7x.kext
NVDANV20Hal.kext
GeForce3GLDriver.bundle
AppleAD741x.kext
PPP.kext
AppleStorageDrivers.kext
ATIRadeonX1000GA.plugin
PMUMotionSensor.kext
AppleUSBAudio.kext
Apple16X50Serial.kext
AppleMaxim1989.kext
IOFireWireSBP2.kext
AppleKeyswitch.kext
ATIRadeon9700GLDriver.bundle
AppleSMBIOS.kext
AppleBMC.kext
ATIRadeonGLDriver.bundle
ATIRadeonX1000VADriver.bundle
IOI2CMaxim1989.kext
AppleUSBTopCase.kext
ATIRadeonX1000GLDriver.bundle
IOI2CLM7x.kext
AppleAHCIPort.kext
IOI2CAD741x.kext
IOAHCIFamily.kext
AppleLM8x.kext
ntfs.kext
ATIRadeon8500GLDriver.bundle
IOPCIFamily.kext
IOI2CMaxim1631.kext
IOUSBFamily.kext
AppleFWAudio.kext
DSAuth.ppp
ATIRadeon9700DVDDriver.bundle
IOI2CLM6x.kext
IPFirewall.kext
IOSCSIParallelFamily.kext
IOGraphicsFamily.kext
AppleIntelGMA950VADriver.bundle
ATIRadeonDVDDriver.bundle
udf.kext
System.kext
AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext

/System/Library/Filesystems

msdos.fs
ntfs.fs
udf.fs

/System/Library/Frameworks

OpenGL.framework
DiscRecordingUI.framework
InstantMessage.framework
ApplicationServices.framework
DiscRecording.framework
IOBluetoothUI.framework
SyncServices.framework
IOBluetooth.framework
Security.framework
AudioToolbox.framework
WebKit.framework (used by Safari and other applications to render Web pages)
DirectoryService.framework
CoreServices.framework
System.framework
PCSC.framework
DVDPlayback.framework
CoreVideo.framework
CoreFoundation.framework
Carbon.framework
CoreData.framework
Quartz.framework
FWAUserLib.framework
Foundation.framework
QuartzCore.framework
Kernel.framework

/System/Library/Image Capture

/Devices/Type5Camera.app

/System/Library/PreferencePanes

Bluetooth.prefPane
Mac.prefPane
Network.prefPane
UniversalAccesPref.prefPane

/System/Library/Spotlight

Font.mdimporter

As with all significant updates, it is important to take note of which files are modified by Mac OS X 10.4.9 so that if a problem occurs after its installation, you can reasonably surmise whether or not there is a potential that the update was culpable. Pay particular attention to the kernel extensions (.kext) modified by this update -- located in /System/Library/Extensions. These integral components can have a significant effect on external device compatibility and can be the cause of kernel panics if incompatibility ensues.

Problems starting up As with most incremental Mac OS X releases, at least some users are experiencing a dire issue where they are unable to properly startup after applying the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update.

MacFixIt reader Matt Gordon writes:

"Just wanted to let you guys know that installing Mac OS X 10.4.9 caused major (!) problems on my MacBook Pro. The software updater failed, the computer crashed, and now I cannot get the computer to turn on. It get to the grey Apple screen with the spinning icon and then gets stuck there indefinitely."

As noted yesterday, the first step in this case is to attempt startup in safe mode (hold the "shift" key while your Mac is booting), then follow the procedures outline in our tutorial "Startup fails (particularly after a system or security update); solving"

AppleScript errors Some users are reporting repeated AppleScript errors on startup after applying Mac OS X 10.4.9.

MacFixIt reader Larry Cronkite writes:

"I've received 6 AppleScript errors, but I don't see any problems with any applications or documents (yet). These windows only seem to appear on startup after upgrade and at each subsequent startup."

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

Previous coverage: