Mac OS X 10.3.4 (#6): Safari issues; Mail; fans; more

Today we continue our coverage of issues with the recent Mac OS X 10.3.4 update.

Safari issues with banking sites We recently covered reports of Safari problems with a number of online banking sites under OS X 10.3.4. However, a number of readers have since reported that Safari is working fine at the same sites. For example, yesterday we noted reports of issues with the CapitalOne.com site; a number of readers are using the site successfully after installing the 10.3.4 Update. Jerry Jividen writes: "I recently used Capitalone.com with 10.3.4 on a twin 800 Mhz Power Mac and everything went perfectly." Likewise, Riley Werts writes:

"Seeing your note about a reader that could not access his CapitalOne accounts after applying the 10.3.4 update reminded me that I needed to make a payment. I immediately logged on to the CapitalOne website, browsed around at all available account info, and then made an online payment. At no point did I get any indication that I, my OS X 10.3.4, or browser (Safari 1.2.2 - v125.7) were not welcome on their site. All went just as smoothly as I am used to finding at their site."

Safari "localized strings not found" problem Yesterday we covered an issue where contextual menus in Safari would not show the usual menu items, instead showing the text "localized strings not found." This error generally appears when an application is being used on a non-English version of Mac OS X but the application is missing localization files for the language being used. However, these reports involve the use of Safari on a standard US English version of Mac OS X.

We've since received reports that this issue isn't limited to contextual menus; reader Vic Wertz writes:

"One of my users had a similar problem starting with 10.3.3: certain website *buttons* actually showed the "localized string not found" text; applying the 10.3.4 combo update fixed this issue for him."

In addition, readers also report that this error has also occurred in earlier versions of Mac OS X. Reader "nero007" writes:

The "localized string not found" error has apparently been around longer than 10.3.4 (if you check out Apple Support Discussions). However I hadn't experienced the error until updating to 10.3.4 on my Powerbook. I tried multiple solutions to try and resolve the error and the finally what fixed it was re-installing 10.3.3 (install and archive) and then re-upgrading to 10.3.4 using the combo updater."

Based on the reports we've received, we suspect a corrupt Safari application. Reinstalling Safari from the 10.3 Install CD (using a utility like Pacifist) and then reinstalling the Mac OS X 10.3.4 "Combo" Updater will give you a fresh copy.

Safari not loading pages We've also had a single report of Safari no longer fully loading pages since the update. Paul Johnson writes:

"Safari no longer can load pages on my Powerbook G4 12" 1Ghz after I installed the latest OS update last week. When I go to a web page, it looks as though it is about to load and then the info line at the bottom of the screen says "Processing 0 of 13 items . . . 3 errors" and nothing further happens."

Junk folder in Mail: showing messages when empty Reader James Khalaf reports that Mail's Junk folder is misrepresenting its contents:

"Ever since I downloaded 10.3.4, the Junk mailbox folder says I have messages, but the Junk mailbox page itself is empty. When I erase Junk mail, the folder indicates there are no messages. I have gone back and forth from training to auto and the problem remains."

More on fan speed, loudness Yesterday we noted that some readers experiencing loud fans and frequent fan activity after installing the update had found that zapping PRAM helped the situation. Reader Frank Martin reports another possible solution:

"Frank Martin: I also experienced an increase in fan speeds on my 800 Mhz DVI Powerbook. Activity Monitor showed a process called "(null)" was taking almost all leftover CPU (typically 70-90%). I solved this problem by resetting the PMU per Apple's instructions. CPU activity is back to normal and fan is off or slow. Activity Monitor no longer lists the (null) process."

Apple's instructions for resetting the Power Management Unit on iBooks and PowerBooks can be found in Knowledge Base article #14449. Apple also has several articles about resetting the PMU in desktop Macs; you can search the Apple Support site for "PMU" or "Power Management Unit" to find them.

Problems logging in Reader Janez Inceman reports one of the more serious issues we've received:

"After installing 10.3.4 on G4/350 it booted normally until login point, then changed to command line interface requiring login and password. Entry of these details results in "incorrect login" then normal login window appears. Entry of details here returns you to the command line once again. Repair permissions from cd boot does had no effect, tried resetting password...no effect, tried zap pram resulted in os9 boot then when tried osx boot received instructions to reboot. Now stuck in reboot loop. Reinstalling 10.3 using archive and install but now receive error messages regarding transport app failure on startup."

As this is the only report we've received about this type of an issue, we suspect the problem was caused by more serious existing issues -- drive problems, file corruption, etc. -- that did not manifest until the installation of the Update.

What are your experiences with the 10.3.4 Update? Drop us an email at Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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