Special Report: Troubleshooting Mac OS X 10.2.2
Special Report: Troubleshooting Mac OS X 10.2.2
We have published the Mac OS X 10.2.2 special report, offering coverage of these and other topics:
- Release
- Using Hewlett Packard Devices in Mac OS X 10.2.2
- Norton Utilities 7.0.3: Kernel Panics,
- iSync 1.0 beta: Unexpectedly quits when adding a phone
- Reverting to Mac OS X 10.2.1
- Mounting removable file systems
- Mozilla: Skin Problems
- USB Device Issues: Quitting Classic; slowdown
- Disk image mounting problems
- Developer Feedback: Tenon; Sonnet Tech; more
- Palm HotSync: Syncs fail
- Getting the numeric keypad to work
- Apple System Profiler Crashes
- Erratic Mouse Movement
- PCI Expansion now supported
- Seeing Mac OS X 10.2.2 in Software Update
- StuffIt Magic Menu
- Miscellaneous Issues: QuickMail; Timbuktu Pro; more
Release
Mac OS X 10.2.2 has been posted to Apple's Software Update servers after several weeks of beta testing among the developer community. The new release includes a journalling filesystem and several other refinements.
Two versions of the Installer were made available. One is for updating version 10.2.1 to 10.2.2, the other 10.2 to 10.2.2 (a "Combo" update). Both versions, as well as an upgrade for Mac OS X Server, are available for standalone downloading:
- (#120162) Mac OS X Server Update 10.2.2
- (#120163) Mac OS X Server Update Combined 10.2.2
- (#120164) Mac OS X 10.2.2 Update (Combo)
- (#120165) Mac OS X 10.2.2 Update
An Apple Knowledge Base (#107140) article describes the update, listing the following enhancements among others:
- Improves playback of large media files and peripheral device file copying.
- Resolves a rare situation in which an inadvertently-ejected CD cannot be remounted and applications accessing the disc cannot be quit.
- Addresses an issue in which an enhanced CD's data and audio sessions do not appear as expected on the desktop when using iTunes and inserting the disc more than once.
- Addresses a formatting issue that could occur when printing or previewing some TIFF documents.
- SMB shared volumes may now be browsed by their user-assigned name.
- Resolves an issue in which an incorrect "Change Password Failed" message may appear when when changing a Mac OS X 10.2 Server client's password via AFP.
- Addresses an issue in which some internal Apple modems may fail to respond, displaying a "Could not open the communication device" message.
- Resolves an issue in which Address Book could become unresponsive when using the Large Type menu and switching between applications.
- Address Book can now better import groups from prior versions of Address Book.
- Resolves a potential issue when transferring vcards from Address Book to a cellular phone via Bluetooth
- Provides a foundation for the journalling filesystem (JFS), which may currently be enabled via Disk Utility on Mac OS X Server systems.
- Improves security when using a read-write disk image volume in which "Ignore ownership on this volume" has been deselected.
| {MacFixIt_StoryBox} |
Using Hewlett Packard Devices in Mac OS X 10.2.2
Under Mac OS X 10.2.2, Hewlett Packard devices have exhibited a wide array of problems - the most significant being an overall slowdown of system performance caused by the "HP Communications" and "ScanJet Manager" processes.
After MacFixIt reported and confirmed the issue, Hewlett Packard posted a technote detailing problems, which affect All-in-One, PSC, Scanjet, Photosmart models under Mac OS X 10.2.2. The note states:
"When the driver for any of these products is installed on Mac OS X v.10.2.2, overall system performance will continually degrade over time. Under certain conditions, a "kernel panic" may result, forcing a restart.
"Apple and HP have identified the causes of the incompatibility and are working closely together on a solution at this time.
"When using Mac OS X v.10.2.2, only uninstalling the HP driver will return system performance to previous levels. There are currently no workarounds available for Mac OS X v.10.2.2 users. Restarting the computer or reinstalling the driver will not fix the issue. Using HP Photosmart, Scanjet scanner, PSC and Officejet All-in-One products with earlier versions of Mac OS X (for example, Mac OS X v.10.2.1) will not produce this behavior."
Until HP and Apple finish a fix, four viable workarounds for the processor drain issue have presented themselves:
- AppleScripts that can automatically kill and restart the "HP Communications" process
- Reversion to Mac OS X 10.2.1
- Reversion to an earlier version of the IOUSBFamily.kext file
- Complete removal of the included HP software and use of an alternative driver
AppleScripts Adam Christianson's small script, called DealWithHP, starts and stops the "HP Communications" process, and can be easily added to the dock for quick access. Chistianson has made the script available as "donation ware."
Reverting to Mac OS X 10.2.1 See the section "Reverting to Mac OS X 10.2.1" below.
Reversion to old IOUSBFamily.kext file This procedure, which was originally published to resolve some issues with Palm synchronization, involves using an older version of the USB input/output kernel extension that resides in the system Library folder.
Version 1.9.2 of IOUSBFamily.kext can be downloaded from: ftp://ftp.apple.com/developer/Development_Kits/Mac_OS_USB/IOUSBFamily-1.9.2DDK.dmg.bin.
Removing the HP driver software Hewlett Packard's default software can be removed by using the "uninstall" option on discs included with the device, or less permanently by simply deleting the HP Communications alias from Mac OS X's "StartupItems" (located in the root Library folder).
Once the HP drivers have been disabled, an open-source mechanism such as gimp-print 4.2.4 can be installed. gimp-print's installation procedure is fairly straightforward, and the development team offers an FAQ to help ensure things go smoothly.
gimp-print supports a number of HP DeskJet, DesignJet, and LaserJet models.
Norton Utilities 7.0.3: Kernel Panics,
Initial reports indicate that while users are finally having at least some success checking disks under Mac OS X 10.2.2, the new update is also causing some to experience kernel panics after reboot. Also, although Live Update does not prompt the user, a restart is required before Norton Utilities can see mounted volumes.
Anthony Kassir notes another unresolved issue:
"The problem where deselecting Check Files in Norton Disk Doctor preferences (under General) has no effect: files are still checked unless you manually click on Skip. This has been a problem for some time now."
Symantec offeres this response to the above deselection issue:
"The product was designed so that if you enable 'Check System Folder' in the Disk Doctor preferences, files will be checked in the System Folder only, even if file tests are turned off. "
Bruce Liebert reports that Norton Utilities 7.0.3 is still not compatible with Mac OS X 10.2.2 disks that have journaling turned on. Disabling journaling is accomplished in Mac OS X 10.2.2 Server by clicking "Remove Journaling" under the "Information" tab in Apple's Disk Utility.
Repairing journalled volumes can be accomplished with the fsck_hfs command using the -f flag in the Terminal. For isntance: fsck_hfs -f /devicename.
The cause is in some, but not all of the kernel panic cases is having journaling turned on. Symantec told MacFixIt:
"Apple does not support Journaling on the consumer version of Mac OS X. Symantec's products are not tested to be compatible with Mac OS X Server where Journaling is meant to be used."
iSync 1.0 beta: Unexpectedly quits when adding a phone
Apple Knowledge Base article #75452 documents a problem where under Mac OS X 10.2.2, adding a phone to the iSync device list may cause the application to unexpectedly quit or stop responding.
Apple says it is "investigating this issue. This document will be updated when more information becomes available."
Reverting to Mac OS X 10.2.1
Every upgrade to Mac OS X since the 10.0.0 release has brought dramatic enhancements, defying the generally lengthy process operating system maturation. Mac OS X's quick growth, however, has also ushered in a host of incompatibilities, conflicts, and other headaches. Each revision, no matter how apparently innocuous, has resulted in significant troubleshooting issues.
The latest release, Mac OS X 10.2.2, is no exception. Problems ranging from disk mounting difficulties to excessive processor usage have been reported. While some issues are isolated to individual systems, and others only apply in specific system configurations, others exist for larger segments of the upgraded user base.
A number of issues have been documented with workarounds in the MacFixIt archives, but for many problems, reverting to Mac OS X 10.2.1 has presented itself as the only viable option.
The easiest, and probably least problematic solution for reverting to Mac OS X 10.2.1 is to apply a fresh install of Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) via the "Install and Archive" option, then re-apply the Mac OS X 10.2.1 update, which is available as a standalone download.
As allows, it is advisable to perform a full, exact backup of your current volume before proceeding in case important data is lost (such as preference settings), or you decide that Mac OS X 10.2.2 wasn't so bad after all.
The first step is to locate your Mac OS X 10.2 install CD set and insert Disc 1. After going through the license agreement and selecting the drive with your current installation of Mac OS X 10.2.2, select the "Archive and Install" option. (Note that users who received an upgrade CD in lieu of the full release will not be able to use the "Archive and Install" feature.)
Apple's installer takes care of some dirty work for you â?? it can automatically transfer your network settings and user set-ups to the new system providing you select the "Preserve Users and Network Settings" option at the time of installation. And, most of your previously installed programs will be transferred to the new "Applications" folder.
After your fresh Mac OS X 10.2 installation is completed, download the Mac OS X 10.2.1 updater, available in Knowledge Base article #120147 and apply it.
The last step is to go through the new "Library" folder, and transfer over any items from your "Previous System" folder that you feel are necessary â?? such as kernel extensions required by some input devices, and contextual menu items. But be careful, as some of these components may be the root of problems you are having with Mac OS X 10.2.2. It is advisable that you instead re-install individual applications and utilities that lose functionality after your re-install one by one, and watch for problems.
NOTE: Some users have reported that performing the above process, but then applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 combo updater (instead of using the 10.2.1 to 10.2.2 route) has eliminated some of the problems seen with their original update. You may want to try this first, but remember that the reversion process must be started all over again if the new Mac OS X 10.2.2 installation still causes problems.
Mounting removable file systems
Although the symptoms are only apparent on some system configurations, Mac OS X 10.2.2 has consistently displayed an inability to properly mount removable file systems. The problems seem to occur in the three primary areas:
- Digital Cameras and other Flash media: Although many of these storage devices show up on the USB bus in Apple's System Profiler, many do not mount on the desktop or automatically launch iPhoto. One reader reports that on his system: "The Console shows autodiskmount first seeing it '[not mounted]' and then never completes the loading process. The MS-DOS scan process (fsck_msdos) stays loaded. The system is totally messed up at that point; while I can switch to previously running apps, I seem to be unable to start any new processes. Shutting down hangs the system."
- Disk image files: On many systems, Apple's Disk Copy loads then reports that it is waiting for Disk Copy helper, then gives an error message "error 95: No mountable file systems." Users also have experienced problems with PC formatted CDs.
- iPod Some users cannot mount the iPod after applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 upgrade, with the device showing up in System Profiler but refusing to mount on the desktop or allow access through iTunes.
For users experiencing these issues, the only current surefire workaround is a reversion to Mac OS X 10.2.1, though some readers have reported a fresh install of Mac OS X 10.2 followed by the Mac OS X 10.2.2 combo updater yields resolution.
Mozilla: Launch Failure; Skin Problems
Launch Failure General symptoms include an inability to get past the splash screen, with the first browser window stalling and rendering the application useless. MacFixIt reader Drew offers a workaround:
"Go into your ~/Library/Mozilla folder (that is, the Mozilla on your User/Library folder), move out the bookmarks, cookies, and preferences files (4 in all) buried in your profile folder, then throw out your Mozilla folder. Then, reinstall Mozilla (actually, you can do this first if you like... but do not run it until after you have deleted your ~/Library/Mozilla folder).
"Once you have done the above, then run Mozilla. It should run just fine. Then, quit right out, go back into the new profile folder in ~/Library/Mozilla, and replace the new versions of the 4 files you took from before. Better yet is to just copy the bookmarks and cookies files and reset your preferences anew, especially if you decide to replace your distribution with one of the more recent nightly releases."
It appears that the problem may be noticeable only when certain skins are used, based on corroborating reader reports.
"The SkyPilot2 skin causes the problem without fail - SkyPilot Classic does not. I'm using Orbit Retro now with no problems on a recent nightly build (2002111808). The directions provided by MacFixIt are the only way around the problem right now, other than not to install these skins again."
USB Device Issues: Quitting Classic
Quitting Classic resolves USB problems For many users experiencing USB slowdown and other erratic behavior with external devices after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2, quitting Classic may be the first, and easiest potential solution. MacFixIt reader Manfred's report echoes several other users with a similar problem:
"When I stop Classic, the scanner works fine; with Classic running, the scanner cannot be found. The error message reports a communication failure, despite Apple System Profiler showing the scanner present."
As previously reported, replacing the IOUSB.kext file with an older revision often resolves this, and other problems.
Sleep Abnormalities Steve Solomon reports narrowing down a widely reported sleep issue to an external floppy drive. The problem renders some Macs, particularly the Power Mac G4 Mirrored Drive Door modles, unable to sleep, with the fans never powering down:
"I ran separate tests with each of my attached USB devices to see if one of them is the cause of the failure to sleep. It turns out that my VSD USB floppy drive, model FDUSB, is the culprit. Only when this drive is attached at the time of attempted sleep is there a problem. There are no drivers for this drive. It works natively in prior versions of Mac OS X."
We have seen similar issues under Mac OS X 10.2.2 using FireWire devices as well. On both our in-house Power Macintosh G4/733 and PowerBook Pismo G3/400, an external Oxford 911-powered WiebeTech hard drive routinely causes the system to slow to a crawl when connected, with the problem immediately disappearing after the device is disconnected. Occasionally, the problem persists after a restart, and prevents the system from moving past the initial Mac OS X 10.2.x splash screen until the FireWire device is detached.
Thomas Keller writes:
"The problem is directly dependant on the number of USB devices connected to the Mac. The more devices I connect, the more severely up goes the processor usage of 'kernel_task' in process manager. (starting about 10 minutes after startup). With 8 devices (including external hubs), the increase of processor usage is not yet immediately noticable, although after some time it gradually rises. With 9 devices, I am able to stop 'top' from updating the display in 'Terminal' by moving the mouse. With more than 9, I even can stop the clock in the menubar from updating, because the system is so slow when I move the mouse.
Disk image mounting problems
We continue to seek a resolution to a problem mounting and burning disk images using Disk Copy in Mac OS X 10.2.2. Most users report receiving error number 32 (broken pipe.)
Likewise, attempting to burn a disc inevitably stalls on "preparing to burn" for a number of readers.
DNS Lookup Issues
Upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2 has caused an inability to resolve host names under the Domain Name System, using a variety of networked applications including Internet Explorer and Eudora.
One reader's in-house engineer offeered a description of potential causes for the problem:
"If this really is caused by a timeout problem, you might get a cache entry for a hostname->IP resolution that is marked as 'bad,' and this is going to stick around for some time (or until the network is reset). Perhaps lookupd(8) was 'updated' in 10.2.2 with a negative caching 'feature,' but if this is true, they did it incorrectly. They have the right to cache correctly formed answer that say the data doesn't exist, but a timeout should not be considered a correct reply-- it is an error, not a 'negative answer.'"
Meanwhile, Robert Croy reports that Apple admits to updating a portion of the lookupd component:
"An Apple Support Technical Specialist told me that there was a change in lookupd that customers had requested. It might have broken with our DNS services. Many people with cable modems are not having problems(in fact I have not had this problem at home). He mentioned a UDP4 spec and a different DNS response time. These need to be adjusted by us(not sure if he meant the end user or the DNS administrators)."
Charles McCoy writes:
"Internet Explorer will return a 'The specified server could not be found' error for perhaps 50 percent (or more) of the URL's, while Eudora returns 'Error involving Domain Name System. -3170; The domain name does not exist. {37:438' error for each mail account I access."
For some users the solution may be as easy as deleting extraneous domain name server addresses from the Network pane in System Preferences that were inexplicably added after applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update. Charles McCoy writes:
"There was still a set of DNS server ID's in the optional window in the Network System Preferences. These DNS servers were not necessary because my ISPautomatically provides the DNS server to my system. It was immediately after removing all the extraneous DNS server ID's that the DNS server problem disappeared."
James Lawton reports a somewhat tedious workaround that has resulted in success on his Mac OS X 10.2.2 configuration:
"My workaround uses the 'host' command in Terminal, which is a command line interface to the lookupd. For each unresolved name, I use 'host -a " (e.g. 'host -a news.yahoo.com'), which gets 'any' available information about the host. This seems to reset any cached information about the offending host, and allows the browser to find it."
Developer Feedback: Tenon
Our report yesterday quoting a Tenon Intersystems engineer who pointed out a hole in Mac OS X 10.2.2's included command line functions stirred up a good deal of controversy, as some users argued that the adduser command carries little value in Mac OS X, and suggested a host of alternative methods for performing the same function. One UNIX administrator writes:
"I've never seen an adduser implementation that was worthwhile to a competent sysadmin. Most sysadmins will roll their own anyway, rather than take whatever one-size-fits-all utility happened to be packaged with their systems. Most people wouldn't consider Sun a fly-by-night outfit, but the 'adduser' utility that ships with Solaris is laughable. If you know how you want users to be added to your system, it's not difficult to script your own method."
We have now posted the Tenon engineer's commentary of Mac OS X 10.2.2 (and previous releases of Jaguar) verbatim. Among his other assertions:
- "Apple has been remiss in not preserving backward compatibility with different Mac OS X versions. From Mac OS X version 10.0 to Mac OS X version 10.2.2, there are countless library and operating-system changes that jeopardize backward compatibility with all but the simplest applications."
- "The upgrade to Jaguar, Mac OS X 10.2, from Mac OS X 10.1 caused severe problems. The first one involved Apple switching to the ncurses library from standard curses. Apple did this by changing the C library, the core of a Unix system. Any application linked against the system C library that used curses had to be recompiled."
- "For a first-class operating system, OS X needs a package management system at least as good as what Microsoft provides with Windows. Even Windows prompts the user if a package is about to overwrite a user's files."
David Gratton at Totally Hip told us "We have had no problem whatsoever on our OS X progression. We have had no problems associated with either 10.2 or 10.2.2 in our product development, primarily because our applications sit directly on top of QuickTime. If QuickTime works, our product works. Apple would have a hard time releasing a new OS version with a funky QT implementation considering how tied it is to the OS."
Joy Hsu at Sonnet Tech writes: "All of our product compatibility tests with OS X 10.2.2 are coming out non-problematic. No issues to report at this time."
Lorin Rivers, VP of Marketing at REAL Software said "We have encountered no major issues with Mac OS X 10.2.2 and find it's a very worthy upgrade! REALbasic works great in Jaguar and supports the new appearance (e.g., the new chasing arrows control and the new look for push buttons and so forth) flawlessly. I installed it as soon as it came out."
Real Networks' Cara Jacobson told MacFixIt "We have run initial tests with OS X 10.2.2 and the released RealOne Player. We experienced a smooth overinstall and have not uncovered any specific issues to the new update."
Palm HotSync: Syncs fail
For users experiencing previously reported problems synchrnozing their handheld devices using the Palm Desktop 4.0 software, reader Alexander van Bellekom reports that replacing the IOUSBFamily.kext file included with Mac OS X 10.2.2 with a version included in previous Mac OS X iterations resolves the issue. However, using the older file may cause other as-of-yet unkown problems.
"After some testing with HotSync I came upon the idea that the new IOUSBFamily.kext (v1.9.4) could be the problem since it seems to be a communication problem between the Palm and the software. From the Apple FTP site I downloaded version 1.9.2 of the IOUSBFamily.kext. This is the version that ships with Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.2.1. After install I'm able to sync my Palm again. It looks like it works 9 out of 10 times instead of failing 9 out of 10 times."
Version 1.9.2 of IOUSBFamily.kext can be downloaded from: ftp://ftp.apple.com/developer/Development_Kits/Mac_OS_USB/IOUSBFamily-1.9.2DDK.dmg.bin.
If you are experiencing other USB device issues after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2, you may want to try reverting to the older IOUSBFamily.kext file. If you have success after downgrading, drop us a line. Reinstalling the newer IOUSBFamily.kext 1.9.4 file can be accomplished by reinstating Mac OS X 10.2.2 via Apple's standalone installer.
Several reports indicate that simply re-installing the software from the PalmSource CD included with their model, or from Palm's servers, alleviated the problems.
UPDATE: Kyle Skrinak reports success using a third party Palm USB adapter, the Keyspan 19Qi, under Mac OS X 10.2.2:
"I am using the Keyspan 19Qi Serial to USB adapter (not Palm's) and have had zero problems. In fact, I bought the Keyspan adapter to allow me to use the the Open Source malsync utility, which requires an open /dev/tty port, which the Palm USB/Serial doesn't use."
Getting the numeric keypad to work
We previously reported a confirmed problem where some users were unable to use their numeric keypad after applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update. It now appears that Mac OS X 10.2.2 may inadvertedly switch on the "Use the numeric keypad in place of the mouse" in the Mouse section of the Universal Access pane in System Preferences. Switching off this option will once again allow proper keypad function on most systems.
Meanwhile, there appears to be a greater issue with a corrupt preference file that existed before the release of Mac OS X 10.2.2. MacFixIt reader Frederico offers this alternative workaround for systems that do not respond to the preference switch:
"Tracking down the errant pref isn't very difficult; for us, the most common culprit was 'com.apple.universalaccess.plist; in other cases it was necessary to also delete 'com.apple.systempreferences.plist' and the (invisible) '.GlobalPreferences.plist', as well as the (invisible).GlobalPreferences.##########.plist file inside the 'By Host' folder.
"One can do a shotgun test of a prefs corruption source by dragging the current user's Library>Preferences folder to the Desktop; logout; login; test the keyboard. If it works, one can simply reverse the process to reinstall the original prefs folder, and use a process of elimination (starting with the suggestions above) to delete suspect prefs. Be sure tp logout/login after each deletion to test the results."
Apple System Profiler Crashes
We previously reported Apple System Profiler crashes on a variety of system configurations running Mac OS X 10.2.x. Apple's Developer Connection has now responded to users with the following statement:
"Thank you for contacting the Apple Developer Connection regarding the Apple System Profiler on Mac OS 10.2.2. Please know that I have escalated your request to our appropriate department for their review. We expect to have a response for you very soon."
The problem causes Apple System Profiler to crash after only a few seconds of operation, usually after displaying the first tab of information.
Posters to Apple's Discussion boards point to Font Reserve as a possible source of the unexpected quits. On user writes:
"My problem was font reserve. When I installed font reserve it moved fonts out of the system>library>fonts into a folder named 'Fonts Moved From Font Folders.' The missing fonts were causing the hangs and crashes. I booted into OS 9 and copied the fonts back, when I restarted in X everything worked fine."
Erratic Mouse Movement
We continue to receive a flurry of reports describing erratic mouse movement, sometimes related to high processor occupation, after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2.
Several reports mention Microsoft's Intellimouse and the associated Microsoft kernel extension as potential culprits, though an equal number of reports indicate similar problems with the standard Apple Pro mouse.
Some readers even report difficulty with graphics tablets.Sean Lancaster writes:
"My Wacom Intuos 2 graphic tablet has stopped working under Mac OS X 10.2.2. I first noticed erratic behavior with the mouse cursor moving slower than my mouse movements -- making the selection of objects difficult. Now, when i put my computer to sleep, I can no longer even move the mouse upon waking my machine."
Restarting the system seems to be a temporary resolution, though erratic mouse movement and the high processor usage rates seem to swell back after a few hours of normal operation. Users also report that restarting into a Mac OS X 10.2.1 volume immediatley alleviates the problems.
Disabling the Microsoft Mouse kernel extension seems to provide relief for users with this problem, though using the USB Overdrive utility to access full mouse functionality seems to cause the same issues. Running with no Microsoft, or third party mouse drivers installed eradicates the problem, but of course limits the functionality of the mouse.
Chris Ogle writes:
"My new MX900 optical cordless mouse has been erratic under os 10.2.2 and 10.2.1 before it. The mouse will work fine and then after a period of between 1 and 4 hours all the buttons will stop working. Tracking to continues to work fine but all button control goes. Full functionality is restored by a systm reboot. I spoke with Logitech tech support and was informed that this was a known issue for which they currently have no solution but that they are working on it. In the interim it makes the mouse â?? otherwise a promising product â?? completely useless."
Using Journaling
As explained by Knowledge Base article #107248, the new journaling file system in Mac OS X Server 10.2.2 helps protect against "unforeseen failures in server components or power outages, reducing the need for repairs." The article offers this procedure for enabling the system without erasing a disk:
- Log in as an Admin user to the server whose disk you want to set up for journaling.
- Make sure that no one is using the server.
- Open Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities/).
- Select the disk you want to work with in the left-hand column.
- Click the First Aid tab
- Click Verify Disk to make sure it is free from errors before conducting step 6.
- Click Information tab.
- Click the Make Journaled button.
A separate Knowledge Base article, (#107248) "Mac OS X Server 10.2: fsck Reports Benign Errors When Journaling is Active"; explains that there are a few errors that fsck reports which you can safely ignore when using journaling.
Apple Knowledge Base article #107259 details a problem where third-party disk utilities that have not been updated to recognize journaling may turn off that feature in the course of repairing a volume. The article states:
"You should check with your software vendor to get a version that has been updated to work with journaled volumes. You may use Disk Utility to turn journaling back on."
One of the affected disk utilities is DiskWarrior, which Alsoft explains will "rebuild the directory of the disk, but will turn off journaling under Mac OS X 10.2.2. Once DiskWarrior has finished rebuilding the directory, you will need to turn journaling back on."
Printers and PPD Files
Samsung Printer Drivers due in December We previously reported problems printing to a number of Samsung printer models, including the ML-1430. We have since received a reply from Samsung's technical support department, promising fully Mac OS X 10.2.x compatible drivers at the end of December:
"Samsung printers have not been tested in the Mac OS X 10.2 environment yet and therefore we do not have a driver we can offer at this time. The Estimated time of release for a driver is the End of December"
Konica Provides PPD Workaround Konica has provided MacFixIt a workaround for issues caused by the PPD file included with several of its printer models. A member of the company's technical staff told us:
"The information posted on MacFixIt indicates a problem with the Konica IP511 controller with v.1.1.1 firmware. I referred that matter to our software support group, and they had this work-around which enables Konica products to work properly under 10.2.2. Note that this issue affects more than Konica and is apparently due to changes made by Apple. The workaround is as follows:
"In Konica's case, if you are using a Konica PPD and select a Konica printer to print from an application, the application will crash. This problem has also been verified with some HP and Xerox printers as well. The following workaround that will take care of this issue, until Apple comes out with a patch, as this was not a problem with version 10.2.1.
"The Konica PPD file has an entry called 'DefaultInputSlot'. (See Reference Below) There is a % sign to the left of the entry that is a comment marker. If you delete the % sign to the left of the entry and also on the line below it next to the "InputSlot" entry, the ppd will function correctly. If doing this on the Macintosh, just double click on the ppd file. It will automatically open in TextEdit. Do a find for the "DefaultInputslot" entry, delete the two %-sign entries, and save the file.
*% === Tray Selection ============
*OpenUI *InputSlot: PickOne
*OrderDependency: 50 AnySetup *InputSlot
*%DefaultInputSlot: AutoSelect
*%InputSlot AutoSelect/AutoSelect: " true>> setpagedevice" *InputSlot Tray1/Tray 1: " /TraySwitch false>> setpagedevice" *InputSlot Tray2/Tray 2:
"> setpagedevice" *InputSlot
Tray3/Tray 3: "> setpagedevice"
*InputSlot Tray4/Tray 4: ">
setpagedevice"
*CloseUI: *InputSlot
Users have submitted other workarounds for the PPD issue, including Graeme McKinstry who had success with an alternative PPD file on his Xerox Docucolor printer:
"I downloaded a Fiery PPD (same printer different RIP) and copied the paper size specifications into the CSX2000.ppd file and it then worked okay. I use this new PPD when selecting paper size under Page setup and use the original PPD when Printing (in Freehand 10)."
UPDATE: Another three-step workaround has been successful for a number of printer models with PPD failure problems:
- Delete the "com.apple.print.custompresets.plist" located in ~/Library/Preferences
- Put your printer's PPD in root/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj (or whichever language your system uses). Note that the permissions on this folder must be modified in order to move the PPD to this location.
- Set-up the printer using Print Center, and select the newly placed PPD.
NVRAM Printer Workaround Resetting the NVRAM may resolve issues for some printer models that have problems after applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update. Phil Geller reports success with resetting the NVRAM on his Lexmark Optra E312:
"Lexmark tech support recommended resetting the NVRAM to the factory defaults. It fixed the problem. They said it might be necessary to do this every time the printer is switched from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X. I didn't test that to determine if it was true, but after doing the NVRAM reset the printer prints from both the Mac OS X Print Center and from Classic."
Procedure for resetting the Optra E312's NVRAM (from the printer's manual) is as follows. Other printers use a similar process, refer to you model's manual for specific instructions.
- Turn the printer power off.
- Open the top cover
- Turn the printer power on
- When the Error LED comes on solid, double-click the operator panel button
- Once the Error and Press Putton LEDs start blinking, close the top cover
- The Ready LED comes on solid and the Error and Press Button LEDs continue blinking.
- Double-click the operator button one time. The Data LED comes on solid while the Error and Press Burron LEDs continue blinking.
- Perform a long button press until all LEDs come on solid.
- The printer is now reset ot factory default settings.
PCI Expansion now supported
Mobility Electronics, developer of the MAGMA Series of PCI Expansion Systems, announced in a press release that Mac OS X Version 10.2.2 provides long-awaited support for the company's CardBus-to-PCI Expansion Systems.
"The Apple PowerBook customer base has been eagerly awaiting this announcement, which provides confidence that MAGMA is committed to the Mac industry. Users can now upgrade their PowerBook computers to the increasingly popular Mac OS X without losing compatibility with the MAGMA CardBus Expansion line of products," said company officials in a statement. More.
UPDATE: Vickey Baker of Mobility Electronics has sent MacFixIt an explanation as to why the PCI expansion system was not supported in previous versions of Mac OS X 10.2.2:
"Mobility Electronics manufactures two lines of PCI Expansion products:
- PCI-to-PCI Expansion Systems for desktop computers: These are external enclosures that hold 4, 7 or 13 PCI slots. These expansion systems connect to the desktop computer (PowerMac) through a PCI Host interface card, then a cable is connected to the enclosure. Our PCI-to-PCI Expansion Systems have been supported with desktop computers since Mac OS X version 10.1.2
- CardBus-to-PCI Expansion System for portable computers: This product line is meant to be used with Apple PowerBooks and PC Laptop computers. These are also external enclosures that hold 1, 2 or 4 PCI slots and connect to the portable computer (PowerBook) through a CardBus (PCMCIA) card and cable. It is this product line that was not supported by Mac OS X, until version 10.2.2 was released earlier this week.
"The problem was that Mac OS X did not support PCI to PCI Bridging through the CardBus slot of the PowerBook. This was a problem that only Apple could fix with a software update to the OS. This was a known problem at Apple since the first release of Mac OS X. It just took this long for Apple to assign an engineer to fixing this problem. Previous to Mac OS 10.2.2, when someone installed a MAGMA CardBus card into the CardBus slot of the PowerBook, the machine would boot up just fine, but the OS had no idea that there was even a CardBus card installed and therefore the MAGMA expansion system was simply not even recognized. It's didn't freeze or hang or cry that there was something wrong, it just didn't recognize our hardware at all."
Seeing Mac OS X 10.2.2 in Software Update
Similar to previous Mac OS X updates available via Software Update, Mac OS X 10.2.2 cannot be "seen" by the automatic updating component if a pre-release build of the new version is installed. Users can alleviate this problem by removing the the file "MacOSXUpdate10.2.2.pkg" from the /Library/Receipts directory.
StuffIt Magic Menu
Mac OS X 10.2.2 disables keyboard shortcut capabilities in the Magic Menu component of StuffIt Deluxe 7.0, according to corroborating reader reports and based on in-house testing. Brent Rossow writes:
"The update seems to break the keyboard shortcuts provided by StuffIt Deluxe 7.0's Magic Menu feature. Choosing the various options from the menu extra still works, but I can't use the keyboard equivalent in the Finder. For example, before updating to 10.2.2 yesterday I could use command-U to unstuff a file."
Matthew Covington, Senior Product Manager for StuffIt Deluxe at Aladdin Systems, previously provided MacFixIt with the following advice for properly installing and operating Magic Menu under Mac OS X 10.2.x, which may offer some resolution to users experiencing the problem in Mac OS X 10.2.2:
"An issue that users are likely to encounter, however, is that Magic Menu won't automatically load after installation on 10.2 and later. Changes to Menu Extras, made by Apple, in Mac OS 10.2 mean that it is necessary for us to load additional resources before the Magic Menu can be displayed. These resources are only available once you have logged out and logged back into your OS X account. Once you log back in you can load Magic Menu by double clicking the MagicMenu.menu file located in your StuffIt Deluxe install folder. Once MagicMenu has been loaded once, it will automatically load at Startup until you choose to unload it. To unload Magic Menu, and prevent it from loading at startup, simply hold down the command key and drag it out of the menu bar... continued"
Covington also provided MacFixIt with the following advice for readers who are having trouble accessing the command keys in Magic Menu, one of the commonly reported symptoms after updgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2:
"If Magic Menu is working and only the command keys fail, I'd like to have the customer check that the 'MagicMenuHotKeyDeamon' (invisible) process is running. This process is responsible for the actual key commands. If it isn't running, logging in to the user account again with Magic menu loaded should be enough to prompt a reload."
Miscellaneous Issues: QuickMail; Timbuktu Pro; more
QuickMail Pro Serial Number entry After a number of reader reports on the issue, CE Software's technical support department has confirmed a problem where, under some configurations, QuickMail Pro Client 3.1.1 will continually prompt any user without admin priveleges to enter a serial number.
According to technical support representatives, the problem has been submitted to the engineering department for patching in a future revision.
Tip for find-by-content problems Numerous readers are reporting problems using the Finer's "find by content" function after applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update. Commonly reported problems include stalled or extremely delayed searches with incomplete results and failure to update the content index.
The solution seems to be removing all .FBCIndex files, which can be accomplished with the following Terminal commands:
- find . -name .FBCIndex -print
- find . -name .FBCIndex -delete
Timbutktu Pro Andrew Dinsdale reports minor glitches in Timbuktu Pro after updating: "Just updated to OSX 10.2.2 (Dual 1GHz Mirrored Drives/768Mb Ram) and Timbuktu 6.02 now sometimes initialises and sometimes not. Icon appeared in menubar, and then disappeared after waking from sleep."
Mail.app Tom Koch reports that his .Mac e-mail account's on-volume preference file was corrupted after installing Mac OS X 10.2.2, leaving it inaccessible via Mail.app. "My main Mac.com account disappeared. I checked preferences, and found my main account listed as 'Inactive', and in trying to reactivate it, I kept getting an error message of 'Invalid Username: The user name field cannot be empty.' I noticed that the User Name field indeed was empty, but I am unable to fill it in with the user name. I was able to 'fix' it by creating a new account (renamed 'username2', and after backing up the entire "Mail" folder in the User Library) and put in the same info as the other account used to contain, username and password, etc."
Keypad no longer functioning Cynthia Lockley, along with a handful of other readers, report that their numeric keypad no longer functions after upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2.
MCE Firebay Robert Easthope reports problems using his MCE Firebay: "With Mac OS X 10.2.2 my MCE Firebay no longer works. When I slide in a hard drive it shows up on the desktop. But, when I click on it everything on the desktop disappears for a few seconds and then reappears, and the drive won't open."
Volume transfer slow-down The most common symptom of slow-down after applying the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update is a dramatic increase in the time it takes to copy files from optical drives, such as Internal CD-ROM drives to the main volume running Mac OS X. Mark Lewis writes
"I attempted to copy an 11.1 mbyte file from a CD-Rom to my hard drive. Elapsed time was over 54 minutes. Moreover the 'Stop' button in the copy window was ignored."
Other reported figures include eight minutes for 175MB of data, and three minutes for 22.4 MB of data. Users also report that during the transfer process, launching or using other apps is extremly slow or fails alltogether.
"Unreadable Disk" message workaround According to confirmed reader reports, USB floppy drives are the culprit in at least some of the "unreadable disk" message errors reported yesterday. Doug Shivers writes:
"I found that the source of the problem was my generic USB floppy drive. With no floppy in the drive I received the cascading "unreadable disk" messages. I opened up the Disk Utility and I could see a disk icon flashing underneath the other disk icons, but the flashing one listed the size as 0.0. When I disconnected the USB floppy drive, the disk icon vanished. As soon as I plugged it in, the flashing icon and the error messages returned."
The current workaround is as follows:
- With the floppy drive unplugged, insert a floppy in the drive, then plug the drive in.
- Click on the floppy icon and press Command-E to eject the floppy.
- No Error messages should appear, even though the drive is now empty
Microsoft Intellimouse Yesterday we reported difficulty using Microsoft's Intellimouse Explorer and IntelliMouse 5-button devices under Mac OS X 10.2.2. We have now received additional confirmation of the issue, though a workaround has yet to be determined.
While some users fully lost functionality of their IntelliMouse devices, others merely experienced strange, involuntary movement and speed variations. William Cody writes:
"I'm using a Microsoft 5-button Intellimouse optical. Since installing Mac OS X 10.2.2, seemingly after a period of 3-4 hours with no mouse or keyboard input, mouse movement becomes erratic. The speed appears to be exaggerated, and cursor movement is 'choppy.'"
Similarly, Allan Whetzel reports complete loss of functionality with his Wireless IntelliMouse.
iSub Problems Some users are reporting that the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update caused their system to no longer recognize their Harmon Multimdia-designed iSub. This loss of functionality is odd, because when Mac OS X 10.2 was released, many users reported that their iSub was finally usable, displaying a volume adjuster.
Eric Rustan writes:
"Just updated to Mac OS X 10.2.2 and my iSub is no longer shown in the 'Output' tab in the 'Sound' control panel (it was under 10.2.1). As you might expect, I no longer have sound from my iSub. I checked under 'About This Mac' and in the 'Devices and Volumes' tab, it shows USB Information > USB Bus 0 > harman/kardon USB iSub, so my iMac does recognize the connection."
We previously noted difficulty muting the iSub in Mac OS X 10.2.x (solved by manually turning off the device in the Sound pane System Preferences), as well as a problem where plugging in headphones does not allow full sound transfer, instead redirecting low frequencies to the iSub.
PowerPoint Symbol Insert William F. Cain reports problems using the "Insert Symbol" function in PowerPoint v.X since updating to Mac OS X 10.2.2.
"I have been having problems with inserting symbols in Powerpoint (v.X, SR1) since upgrading to Mac OS X 10.2.2. After selecting a font (usually Symbol, but same problem with all available) the table of characters becomes a set of blocky smears."
Turning off Quartz text smoothing generally alleviates this problem.
Print Center Stalls Bryce Bolling reports "I have a HP 6MP that I use through Appletalk via an ethernet print server. When I upgraded to Mac OS X 10.2, Print Center would never complete a print job. I had to manually delete every print job I sent otherwise print center would stop the queue. Mac OS X 10.2.2 has fixed this problem"
Text Rendering Ills Cured? David Oshel says that the longstanding text dropping and mal-rendering issues in Internet Explorer 5.2 may be solved with Mac OS X 10.2.2: "I haven't seen any of the text dropout bugs that plague web browsers, especially MS IE 5.2.2 and Chimera 0.6.0, since installing this morning's OS X 10.2.2 update."
Feedback on one of these issues? Drop us a line at late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Yesterday we noted Apple's release of Mac OS X 10.2.2, which delivers a journalling filesystem and other fairly significant enhancements. While most users experienced a smooth upgrade and immediately began enjoying some performance boosts and bug eradication, others ran into trouble.
"Unreadable Disk" message We have confirmed reports of users receiving multiple error messages stating that disks are unreadable after restarting a system with Mac OS X 10.2.2 freshly installed. Joseph Hough's problem mirror other reports:
"Right after the Mac OS X splash screen, I get multiple cascading windows saying "You have inserted a disk that is unreadable by Mac OS X," even though no disks other than the main volume are mounted. There are two button choices: Ignore or Eject. Either one closes the window, but multiple new identical windows then appear."
Third-Party Quartz Extreme Disabling MacFixIt reader Jason reports that the Mac OS X 10.2.2 update turned off a third party enabler's Quartz Extreme rendering on his upgraded Beige Power Macintosh G3:
"After updating my beige G3 (upgraded to G4/500) to 10.2.2, iMovie would crash whenever I tried importing video via Firewire.After basic troubleshooting, I found the cause. I have a Radeon 7000 and have used utility PCI Extreme! to enable Quartz Extreme. The 10.2.2 update disabled the Quartz Extreme. Once I re-ran the PCI Extreme installer, I had no problems with iMovie."
Holdover bugs There are a number of bugs held over from Mac OS X 10.2.1 that users hoped would be resolved in Mac OS X 10.2.2. Among them is a problem with UDF file reading that causes incompatibility with some Panasonic DVD-R drives. Frank Bry writes:
"Just updated to OS X 10.2.2 from 10.2.1 on my PB G4/800 DVI and My DVD-Rs made with a Panasonic DMR-E20 DVD-R recorder still do not play. The disc appears on the desktop as 'DVD Video_Recorder.' The finder shows zero data and no visible files. The DVD data is unrecognized by either the DVD Player or other apps such as VideoLanClient."
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