Troubleshooting Mac OS X 10.2.8 #4: Apple GMAC Ethernet patcher; Instability with Ethernet workaround; more

(See parts 1, 2, and 3 of our Mac OS X 10.2.8 coverage)

Apple GMAC Ethernet patcher Some developers have written a tool that downgrades the AppleGMACEthernet component that is causing networking problems for some users of Mac OS X 10.2.8. From the description "This utility will only run under Mac OS X 10.2.8 and addresses an issue where ethernet access is lost after updating Mac OS X 10.2.6 to 10.2.8. You should only use this utility if you are having problems with your network connection. Fixamac Software cannot be held responsible for damage arising from the use of this software. Please make a backup of any important files before continuing with the installation. The AppleGMACEthernet Patcher will replace version 1.3.0 of the AppleGMACEthernet.kext file with version 1.2.4 installed with Mac OS X 10.2.6. At present, the impact of using an older version of the AppleGMACEthernet.kext file with Mac OS X 10.2.8 is unknown."

More information, as well as the 84 KB download, are available here.

Instability with Ethernet workaround While we have not received too many reports like this, Tim Buck reports instability after performing a downgrade of the AppleGMACEthernet.kext file:

"I installed the Mac OS X 10.2.8 update on my G4 tower (Yikes motherboard) before it was pulled. I didn't have any networking problems, but I decided to revert to the v1.2.4 Ethernet driver anyway. After doing so, my system became unstable -- I had system lockups here and there (usually when the screensaver kicked in). So I went back to the v1.3.0 Ethernet driver and I've had no more problems so far."

If you are not having networking problems with Mac OS X 10.2.8, it is best not to perform this downgrade.

File mapping issue Continuing our coverage of file mapping problems in Mac OS X 10.2.8, one reader writes "Since then I have noticed that when opening files from a Finder Window many of them open the wrong application. For example Microsoft Excel and Word files open in Virex 7. Apple Works files open in Keynote, Adobe Illustrator files in Preview and so on."

Robert Stacy adds "Mac OS X 10.2.8 file mapping does not pick up applications that are installed on a volume that does not include the OS 10.2.8. The OS tries to map files to applications that are installed on the same volume as the OS 10.2.8. This is not ?custom? mapping but default mapping that is incorrect.

Some users have been able to fix this problem simply by doing a prebinding process with Cocktail, or a similar utility.

Fixes for problems existing in 10.2.6 While many have decided to uninstall the Mac OS X 10.2.8 update, some of the readers who haven't experienced and serious problems are noting some of the fixes since Mac OS X 10.2.6:

Stephen Jonke writes "For me Mac OS X 10.2.8 has been a boon. No problems on any of a PowerBook G4 667 (VGA), iBook 366, iMac G3 400 nor a rev. 1 PowerMac Blue & White G3 300. In the case of the B&W it resolved an inability to wake from sleep I had been experiencing in 10.2.6 (which is the only OS I've run on it - I recently acquired it) which I thought might have been due to some 3rd party PCI cards, but would now seem not to be the case. With 10.2.8 sleep is working great."

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