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General discussion

MacBook Pro Drops Connection after Snow Leopard upgrade...

Sep 3, 2009 2:48AM PDT

So I took the plunge and giddily purchased Mac OS 10.6 aka Snow Leopard the day it was made available. Usually, I have very little worries being an early adopter to new OS releases considering the successful upgrade experiences I've had through the years of being a Mac user.

Not so today.

After upgrading to Snow Leopard from 10.5.8, my MacBook Pro 17" (2.6 GHz, 4GB RAM, 200GB @7200 RPM HDD, non-unibody) would consistently drop it's internet connection whether it was via Ethernet (wired) or through AirPort (wired and wireless are using DHCP). I've applied several supposed fixes suggested everywhere on the Googled web with limited success:

* Reset Network settings, deleted "Automatic" settings and created a new setting (called untitled)
* Zap the PRAM (hold Command+Option+P+R on restart)
* Flush the DNS cache(using: dscacheutil -flushcache on the Terminal)

These 'fixes' worked only for a few minutes, and the internet connection would eventually drop again. NOTE: Although other computers and drives were visible on my network, and Instant Messaging via Adium is still functional, which is weird, I could not connect to the internet through a browser, or connect Mail.app or even to the iTunes store.

Tired and frustrated at this point, I decided to finally call Apple Support (Case #134733179) and was suggested to try the following steps:

* Shutdown the MacBook Pro, remove battery, disconnect the power, and then hold the Power Key for 15 seconds. After which I was told to replace the battery, reconnect power and zap PRAM and wait for 2 chimes before letting the keys go.

I was able to get connection for a while but lost it again after a few minutes of usability.

And so I called again and was told this time to try:

* Trash the SystemConfiguration folder (~/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration) and all of it's contents... then reboot.

The above suggestion seemed logical as it would obliterate any existing preferences that may be corrupted and affecting the connection setup. The system would then recreate a fresh preference file free of any lingering old settings. This again worked for a while, but sadly, my wired and wireless connection both drops within a few minutes of usage. It is also worth noting that simply restarting the MacBook Pro regains connectivity as well but drops after a few minutes on both Ethernet and Airport settings.

So today has been an unproductive day considering I spent all my efforts troubleshooting Snow Leopard (10.6) on the MacBook Pro, and couple that with the inability to use several key functionality such as SynergyKM to sync all three machines I have with one keyboard/mouse (not to mention the unpredictable behavior Adobe CS3 has been displaying (especially InDesign losing menus and drawing blank palettes!) and the loss of Letterbox's (plugin) features on Mail.app) and I am now forced to downgrade back to 10.5.8 via Time Machine Restore until Apple resolves or acknowledges this problem (or some knowledgable individual throws this dog a bone and help me out of this misery).

In the meantime, I need to get work done and something as fundamental as a stable internet connection should have been high on Apple's "must work" priority list.

Sigh... would have been nice if it worked without glitches...

Discussion is locked

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I'm having power issues
Sep 3, 2009 9:44AM PDT

while some report performance boosts in that area. Not good for me. My MacBook Pro, a 2007 model, is quite faster though, and my internet connections are faster than ever and have not dropped at all since the upgrade. It would appear there are a handful of problems for Apple to deal with. I'd prefer to see some patches sooner rather than later...

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Same problem for iMac
Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM PDT

My iMac is giving me the same symptoms after upgrading to 10.6.

I'm using AT&T; the connection works for a minute and then I get three red lights on Network Diagnostics.

I can move the Ethernet plug to my Windows laptop and it works fine.

I'm not using a router.

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Modem?
Sep 4, 2009 1:48AM PDT

Have you ruled out a modem problem? Reset the modem and even change the password which is stored in the modem if necessary. May not help but you never know.

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Doesn't seem to be a modem problem...
Sep 4, 2009 2:17AM PDT

Thanks for the tip, tried it at home and reset the modem (which is connected to an Aiport Extreme) and no dice. Same goes when the MacBook Pro is at work which uses ethernet or wifi via company LAN. BTW, I do get connection for a while, but then drops...

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Removing battery?
Sep 4, 2009 3:55PM PDT

You were advised to remove the battery and replace it. It sounds as though you are lucky not to have one of the new MacBook Pros, since the battery cannot be readily removed by the owner. I confess that is one of the main stumbling blocks for me when I think of getting a new laptop. (I would use it on AC power, most of the time, anyway, as a replacement for a desktop.) Now I am even less keen, because by the time I get to having a new laptop, Snow Leopard will most likely be the OS on it.

How I wish that Apple would go back to removeable batteries. Gone are the days when one could pack an extra battery for travel or just replace the one in the computer easily, if something went wrong. Well, that is not entirely relevant to your problem, but it is certainly an issue, if removing the battery won't work for people with the new MacBook Pros, yet that is what Apple is advising for your problem with Snow Leopard.

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You are posting a reply to: MacBook Pro Drops Connection aft
Sep 19, 2009 10:08PM PDT

I'm having the same problem. Oddly, IE 7 running on VMWare through a NAT connection on the very same Mac Book Pro works without fail, even while the Mac browsers are telling me that I am not connected to the Internet. If I quit Safari or Firefox running on the Mac side, I can click around a few times within a single domain, but as soon I try to go somewhere else, the connection drops. Anybody have any luck correcting this?

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(NT) Try resetting Safari
Sep 20, 2009 2:29AM PDT
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Try Resetting Saffari
Sep 20, 2009 3:43AM PDT

Thanks - I did that, both Safari and Netscape, as well as all of the fixes listed above from Apple Support, without success.

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MacBook Pro Drops Connection after Snow Leopard upgrade...
Sep 20, 2009 4:52AM PDT

After trying everything else, I found that my Timecapsule / Airport was one update behind. Although I did run into a few bumps updating the firmware from 7.4.1 to 7.4.2, this appeared to solve the problem and I'm connected again. Not sure if this is relevant to the situation of others here, but it hopefully provides a hint at least.

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A possible fix
Sep 26, 2009 5:45PM PDT

Hi,
I'm running a MB-Pro 15", and ungraded to snow leopard this afternoon.

My MBP recognised the wireless modem, but was not connecting to the internet.

I rang my ISP, and they identified the problem. He made me check my TCP/IPs - all okay for my modem;

My DNS server was the problem.

Check your DNS servers. Mine had changed to something weird. He talked me through what my DNS should have been.

Presto, it worked.

Cheers

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weird DNS?
Sep 27, 2009 3:50AM PDT

Hope it is not a DNSChanger Trojan. You might like to download a free version of MacScan and scan the computer. If DNS has a number 85 (I guess) in it, it may be bad and needs removal. Simply putting the new one in does not remove it. Hope this is not the case but may be worth checking.

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I love a simple and effective answer
Dec 30, 2009 9:30PM PST

Your solution was good even 4 months after your initial findings. I couldn't connect to the Internet wirelessly from my MacBook.

1. I had just finished upgrading from Leopard to Snow Leopard
2. Visited my in-laws and tried to connect to their Linksys router; struggled, but it eventually worked
3. Their Linksys router has a 192.168 address
4. Came home and my MacBook wouldn't connect to the Internet via my Time Capsule (10.0.1.1)
4.1 I could still get to the Time Capsule via the Airport Utility
4.2 I could get to the Internet when I plugged in an ethernet cable
4.3 Traceroute to 10.0.1.1 would work, but it was *extremely* slow (> 1 minute)
5. After reading your post, I checked the DNS settings; sure enough, there was a 192.168.* address there
6. As soon as I plugged in my router address (10.0.1.1), everything started working again

Thanks again! I almost fixed the problem by re-base-lining everything again.

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Network problems Snow leopard
Oct 11, 2009 12:52AM PDT

I too am having the same problem on two Mac's. The Airport indicates I am connected to my local network. But Internet is not available. I have tried another browser ( Firefox 3.5) and it has the same problem. I have also tried the solutions on Apple's forums and like others It did not permanently solve the problem. As both a Mac and PC household I seem to remember Vista having the same issues when first released with certain routers not able to handle the extra traffic that Vista had added to its network connection. Seems like the mention of disabling the IVP6 was also talked about. But in the end many simply had to upgrade their router if it did not have a firmware update to fix it. Not sure if that's the case here because I have turned off IVP6 and still am having the problem.
One thing is for certain that Snow Leopard is to blame because nothing has changed.

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iMac wifi connectivity instability after Snow Leopard
Oct 21, 2009 9:40AM PDT

My new iMac worked almost perfectly for its' 1st 7 months w/ 10.5, but ever since SL it's extremely inconsistent accessing wifi. As w/ jscott418, Airport indicates full connection, but I simultaneously get the 'Not Connected to Internet' screen, from between every few minutes to several times an hour. Back & forth w/ at&t ( resetting 2 Wire 2701 HG Gateway router, less than 2 yrs old) & Apple. Rearranged DSL access list in Airport Network Prefs, got ethernet cable to test that (ethernet works fine), next is to lug iMac to Apple store tomorrow for service. Funny part is I can sit directly in front of iMac while it can't access wifi, but the iPhone in my hand does pick up full wifi from the very same router. 2 other new Windows laptops in the house are having no wifi problems.

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Update to my previous post
Nov 3, 2009 10:39AM PST

2 Apple engineers from Cupertino (like a visit from royalty!!! -fortunately in my area for someone else) were at my house last week troubleshooting for 3 hrs! They were very professional & helpful. Determined that the at&t 2Wire Gateway 2701HG-B router was dropping outgoing signal. They did data capture tests & showed me screen image indicating strong incoming DSL, but unstable outgoing from the router portion. Said they've heard of lots of similar issues w/ that modem/router which at&t still provides to new DSL account customers. They suggested I disable the router portion & hookup with new Airport Extreme router (or any newer router). Did it last night, so far no more unstable wifi! AE even works great for the Vista laptops here, altho they are type 'g' versus my iMac being type 'n'. It sends out separate signals for each type. Apparently the Snow Leopard timing was merely a weird coincidence. Whatever, I'm very happy w/ Apple again.

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Same Problem
Jan 4, 2010 6:19AM PST

Not finding any sensable solution to the issue I reformatted my Macbook. Same problem upon reformatting. At least OS X is consistant.

Snow Leopard for whatever reason drops connections. It's not universal or consistant but it's common enough to where Apple needs to fix it. Leopard was rock solid in this area. It's Snow Leopard.

I run Linux, XP, Vista and none of them (in spite of Vista's other problems) drop connections.

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The fix worked for me!!!
Oct 30, 2009 8:33AM PDT

After performing a google search to find a solution for my Macbook Pro losing internet connectivity after upgrading to 10.6, the first result was the post on Cnet - from user "luisp--2008".

I went through the solutions provided to him by Apple, one by one.

Of course, it was the last one that actually worked: deleting the SystemConfiguration folder and rebooting. Hope this helps someone else.

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Tried your last solution.
Nov 3, 2009 9:54AM PST

So deleting the Systemconfiguration folder and upon reboot the folder was not re-created. A number of things were missing like access to my airport card and any access to network settings etc etc. I managed to go back in my Time Machine and recover the prior folder as I knew it was backed up there. Rebooted and now I am back where I started.

Can you explain further how you got away with this.

Al

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I realize My Error
Nov 3, 2009 10:04AM PST

I navigated to the incorrect Systemconfig folder. I have made the correction and deleted and rebooted. Will see how this works for the connectivity and reliability of the ethernet connection.

Al

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MacBookPro dropped internent connection
Nov 14, 2009 1:29PM PST

I had the same experience. And the apple genius determined that realplayer was the culprit. It somehow changed the IP adress and caused loss of internet connectivity. So after deleting realplayer everything worked fine and I never lost connectivity again.

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Inconsistent connectivity on iMac with Snow Leopard
Nov 15, 2009 2:57AM PST

I started having problems with my new 21.5" iMac a couple of days ago. When I got in the morning and woke it up it could take as long as five to ten minutes to get the wireless connection back up. When watching streaming videos I would lose the connection 20 minutes into a 40 minute show. I ordered a new Airport Extreme (my old one is the round type G Technology) but was unconvinced that that was the total answer. I checked this forum and found a post which discuss the same problem and said that changing the channel setting from Automatic to a set channel, he recommended 3 or 9, I used 9, would resolve the issue. It did. Things suddenly got rock solid.
The procedure is to go to Airport Utility, click on your router, go to manual set up and then set the channel to which ever one you want.
My guess is that in automatic mode it changes channels periodically which causes the drops. This wasn't a problem with my 17" iMac which also had Snow Leopard before I sold it, so I suspect it is a matter of advancing technology, Apple pushing the limits on the new machines and using the OS to do it. I would say that this fix is solely for machines kept in one location, iMac, etc.

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Macbook Pro Snow Leopard. CONNECTION DROPPING PROBLEM FIXED
Dec 9, 2009 5:33AM PST

Hello, I have found the final fix for this problem. This fix is the only one that worked and gave me a working connection all the time.

Initial Problem:
Macbook Pro was dropping connection of wireless networks after waking up from sleep mode. It would also drop the connection without notice. Airport bars keep going up and down.

What you need:
Macbook Pro
Charger
This update: DOWNLOAD FROM ANY WORKING COMPUTER TO USB http://download.info.apple.com/Mac_OS_X/0617263.20091109.er45t/MacOSXServerUpd10.6.2.dmg
This update: DOWNLOAD FROM ANY WORKING COMPUTER TO USB
http://mac.softpedia.com/get/System-Utilities/AirPort-Client-Update.shtml

Steps:
1. Install all updates mentioned to usb stick.
2. Boot-Up Mac to desktop.
3. Open USB key folder
4. Run 10.6.2 Snow Leopard Update
5. Computer will restart to complete installation
6. After Mac boots up to desktop, open usb folder
7. Install Airport Client Update
8. Computer will restart to complete installation
9. ENJOY YOUR MACBOOK WITH STABLE CONNECTION

Hope this helps. I am very new to Apple and upgraded without a second thought. I paid a repair centre $20 to resolve this issue. The guy was nice and wrote me up a document explaining everything. Please DIY this problem to save money. Unless, you have applecare Wink Its funny how the apple geniuses don't know how to resolve the issue and replace your macbook.

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Why USB?
Dec 9, 2009 6:04AM PST

First, the first update you recommend is not for your computer (client) but for a server. I have no idea how it got properly installed. Second, the updates that you list can be just downloaded and launched from the hard disk (desktop) without a USB drive. It looks to me like a rather unconventional approach. Since it worked, it would be interesting to learn how you got to this procedure (web site, forums, intuition, playing around, etc.).

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Sorry, About the link Its been Corrected.
Dec 9, 2009 6:57AM PST

First of all Please, Please read the whole thing than comment. I listed the way i got it.
Second, You have to run it off USB or move the files to the desktop because you can't install directly to the mac without INTERNET CONNECTION.
THIRD, THANK YOU AND PLEASE USE THE ADVICE I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU

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Snow Leopard- Airport Fix- CORRECTED
Dec 9, 2009 6:54AM PST

Hello, I have found the final fix for this problem. This fix is the only one that worked and gave me a working connection all the time.

Initial Problem:
Macbook Pro was dropping connection of wireless networks after waking up from sleep mode. It would also drop the connection without notice. Airport bars keep going up and down.

What you need:
Macbook Pro
Charger
This update: DOWNLOAD FROM ANY WORKING COMPUTER TO USB
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL958
This update: DOWNLOAD FROM ANY WORKING COMPUTER TO USB
http://mac.softpedia.com/get/System-Utilities/AirPort-Client-Update.shtml

Steps:
1. Install all updates mentioned to usb stick.
2. Boot-Up Mac to desktop.
3. Open USB key folder
4. Run 10.6.2 Snow Leopard Update
5. Computer will restart to complete installation
6. After Mac boots up to desktop, open usb folder
7. Install Airport Client Update
8. Computer will restart to complete installation
9. ENJOY YOUR MACBOOK WITH STABLE CONNECTION

Hope this helps. I am very new to Apple and upgraded without a second thought. I paid a repair centre $20 to resolve this issue. The guy was nice and wrote me up a document explaining everything. Please DIY this problem to save money. Unless, you have applecare Its funny how the apple geniuses don't know how to resolve the issue and replace your macbook.

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Step 3 followed by Step 4
Dec 9, 2009 6:54AM PST

does not make any sense.
Why is it necessary to open the USB stick window, only to have the system reboot itself before you use the USB device

P

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Sorry
Dec 9, 2009 6:58AM PST

Its been corrected.

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Long discussion, many proposed solutions, on Apple forum
Feb 10, 2010 11:23AM PST
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MacBook Pro Dropped Connection Before Upgrading to Snow Leop
Feb 11, 2010 6:55AM PST

After a more than a year of use without any dropped connections, my 17" MacBook Pro developed the problems described in the series of posts here. (In fact, I just lost the connection again in the course of writing this post.) Dropped connections began occurring before I upgraded to Snow Leopard. Ironically, I upgraded to Snow Leopard (rather than reinstalling 10.5) in the course of following the trouble-shooting protocols suggested by Apple Care.

My point in writing is to report that my computer was behaving in the manner we are all experiencing prior to upgrading to Snow Leopard and that I continue to experience the problem after upgrading, suggesting that in this case, at least, it may be a hardware problem

After I clone my hard drive, I will be heading off to an Apple store to have the computer diagnosed and will report back.

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IT WAS AN EASY FIX FOR ME
Feb 12, 2010 12:42AM PST

I read about checking the DNS in the Advanced Settings of your Network Connection. Since I have other Macs on my network, I noticed my MBP's DNS had been changed from 192.168.1.154 to 192.168.1.1. Changed the last series back and now it works.

Hope it's as easy for everyone else.