Mac OS X 10.5.5 (#2): Updater issues; Startup problems; Unexpected quits; more

Most users are experiencing fluid and problem-free updates to Mac OS X 10.5.5. In addition, at least several of the known problems that have persisted through 10.5.4 seem to be fixed, including the pernicious AirPort dropout bug. However, as with many other updates, some problems have been introduced, such as authentication problems with AirPort base stations. This type of problem has come to be expected for at least a few users. Other readers are experiencing problems with the updating process and/or various applications and operating system functionality after the update has been applied.

Updater issues There are a number of reports regarding the system updater not behaving properly. For quite a few updaters the updater seems to stall partway through updating the system, and many have chosen to perform a hard-reset of their computers to get past this issue.

Apple Discussions poster TSWilkes writes:

"I downloaded and installed 10.5.5 via software update on my MBP after several sites listed no major problems. Download went fine, restarted to finish install. Install progress got stuck during 'running install script' for about two hours. I decided to hard power down and when my MBP restarted everything looks fine, "About This Mac" states 10.5.5. Spotlight is re-indexing my harddrive"

Many with this problem have found that upon restarting, the updated system seems to run correctly; however, because updater was cut short from completing, users might be left with only a partially updated system that might be unstable, even though upon first glance things may seem normal. If users experience this sort of stall in the updater, it is recommended to let it run, even if it takes hours to complete. Only stop if it has stalled for an extended period and the computer shows no indication that it is doing anything (fans changing spin rate, or hard drive making noises) should users reset the computer. If this occurs and the system is able to apparently function normally, it is recommended that users download the standalone combo updater [601MB] and reapply the update following the MacFixIt instructions to ensure all aspects of the update have been applied properly and without interruption.

Initial Reboot Issues Some users have experienced startup problems upon the first restart after applying Mac OS X 10.5.5. For one user, the system showed the grey screen with a no-entry sign, indicating the computer could not boot the system, and for another user the system would get to the same grey screen and then reset itself, rebooting constantly in a loop. These problems have only been reported by one or two individuals, and as such do not indicate of a problem with the update; however, there are a couple of things users can try if confronted with such issues, including resetting the PRAM (hold options-command-P-R keys at bootup until the computer chimes, then resets and chimes again) and SMC resets (Portables, Mac Pro), as well as shutting the computer completely off and unplugging it for a few minutes before starting it back up.

In addition, there might be other issues users experience with the initial bootup, such as files missing on the Desktop, as reported in this Apple Discussion thread. In these instances, a reboot of the system may fix the issue, as it did for the affected user in the discussion thread. Users might also try booting into "Safe Mode" by holding the shift key upon startup.

Hardware Problems It seems that with external displays attached, some users have had either the internal or the external display show a white screen instead of the expected desktop. This seems to be particularly true for MacBook users.

Apple Discussions poster tykang writes:

"After installing the update via Software Update to 10.5.5, the MacBook restarted but the LCD is showing up with a white background and nothing else. Plugging in an external monitor, everything is ok."

This problem has also happened in reverse for some users, with the external monitor showing white only but the internal LCD not showing. This type of issue indicates a potential driver problem, but currently there are no known fixes. PRAM resets have not helped affected users so far, though users might also try booting into Safe Mode by holding shift at startup, to see if there could be a display driver conflict of sorts with any third-party drivers or software.

In addition to monitor issues, some peripheral hardware have also given some users problems, such as bluetooth not functioning and more prevalently, several users having problems with their USB hubs not being recognized. Likewise with the display problems, this issue has not been fixable by standard hardware resets, and could be an incompatibility that will require a driver or firmware update from the manufacturer.

Software Problems (application crashes, unexpected quits) Several commonly used Apple programs, including Mail, iCal, Address Book, and the Finder, all seem to have problems for various users. While for the most part there don't appear to be problems with the iCal and Address Book programs functioning, some users have found that the update has caused contacts and calendars to disappear from their respective programs.

In addition, users have found Mail to crash repeatedly upon starting. Many issues in this program have been addressed in the 10.5.5 update, and it is possible that there could be settings conflicts in the program with previous settings that were attempts to overcome some of these problems. It is recommended that users start troubleshooting application issues by first removing the application's preferences files (located in the /username/Library/Preferences/ folder). Faulty applications can also be tested in newly created user accounts to pinpoint the problem as being either a global or local account setting. Some users have spent time clearing out their mailboxes by erasing deleted messages. To do this, when Mail starts press command-K to throw out all deleted messages. Additionally, if Mail crashes on launch, users can hold shift as the program opens to prevent any messages from loading when the program opens. From here users have found that disabling and re-enabling various accounts in addition to clearing their deleted and unneeded messages has also helped.

For one or two users, the Finder itself refuses to start, as is described in this Apple Discussion thread. This is coupled to both Mail and iCal constantly crashing as well, and the resulting error mentions something about a "_DAVErrorHttpResonseHeaders" symbol not being found, and references various frameworks, including FAVKit and DAVKit. For some users with this problem, the fix has been to locating these frameworks on another drive from a computer that was successfully updated to 10.5.5, and copying them to their respective locations on the problematic system by booting the system into Target Disk mode and copying the files to it from the healthy computer. Unfortunately reapplying the update does not seem to help these users.

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