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Mac OS X 10.3.7 (#6): CDs, DVDs not recognized; Software Update broken for some; more

Mac OS X 10.3.7 (#6): CDs, DVDs not recognized; Software Update broken for some; more

CNET staff
5 min read

CDs, DVDs not recognized We've been receiving an increasing number of reports from readers who are unable to mount CDs and DVDs after applying the Mac OS X 10.3.7 update. Two typical reports of the problem:

  • "After installing the upgrade to 10.3.7, suddenly my internal Pioneer DVD/CD player stopped working. It won't even recognize any CD or DVD that is put into the drive. I still haven't found a solution but thought I would warn others about this occurrence."
  • "I just installed OS X 10.3.7 update and now neither my DVD nor CD player will recognize anything that is put into the drive."

The exact cause of this issue is as-of-yet unknown, but some have been able to resolve it by re-applying the Mac OS X 10.3.7 combination updater.

If you are experiencing a similar problem, please let us know.

Software Update broken for some A handful of readers are reporting difficulty using Software Update after the upgrade -- a problem for which we are seeking secondary confirmation. Richard Kennedy writes:

"After repairing disk permissions, I installed the Mac OS X 10.3.7 combo updater. After the reboot, selecting 'Software Update' from the Apple Menu does nothing. Also, when 'About This Mac' is selected from the Apple menu, the 'Software Update...' button is grayed-out."

Battery indicator problems Like previous incremental Mac OS X 10.3.x updates, Mac OS X 10.3.7 is causing issues with battery capacity indication on some PowerBooks and iBooks.

MacFixIt reader Philip Lipetz writes "I have a 12" 1.3 G PB with 768 RAM (Crucial). Since installing 10.3.7 after permissions fix I have noticed a reoccurring, although not constant, problem. I will get a low battery shutdown notice when the battery is still over 50% charged. It closes down very quickly (within 10 seconds) and does not give you the few minutes time ordinarily alloted to plug in an external power supply. The only time that I checked had time to I check battery levels on the menu bar it will show conflicting results in the menu display and what shows when I check details. In the details it showed 87% battery levels left, but the menu bar battery showed only a few minutes time left."

As previously reported, the most successful workaround we've been able to determine for this issue -- though clumsy -- is not allowing the battery to fully charge. For some users, when the battery is allowed to reach a a 100% full charge, the PowerBook falls asleep while still indicating a remaining charge. If the affected PowerBook is unplugged when it registers 98% or less, it will sometimes run properly through the full charge.

Other workarounds that have worked for some readers include:

  • Calibrating the battery Knowledge Base article #86284 explains the PowerBook/iBook re-calibration process, which may work to correct this problem in some instances: "The Lithium Ion battery of an iBook or PowerBook computer has an internal microprocessor that provides an estimate of the amount of energy in the battery during charging and discharging. The battery needs to be re-calibrated from time to time to keep the on screen battery time and percent display accurate. You should perform this procedure when you first use your computer and then every few months thereafter." Damien Andrews confirms this workaround: "I too have experienced this problem. I was on a camping trip with limited access to mains power and needed to use my computer for business related work. I was conserving battery power by turning off the screen and using the computer in direct sunlight. Though the battery level was at 33 % the computer suddenly went to sleep. This was very frustrating as I had to return to civilization to be able to use it again. Once back in town I reset the PMU and then returned to my camp site but I experienced the problem again. On my next visit to town I re-calibrated the battery and that seemed to do the trick."
  • Resetting the PMU Some users have reported that resetting their portables' PMU solved this issue. Apple provides details for performing the reset procedure for a number of portable models in Knowledge Base article #14449.
  • Using "SlimBatteryMonitor" One solution that has proved successful for some readers is the usage of a third-party battery monitoring utility, such as SlimBatteryMonitor.
  • Using a power adapter In-house, the method we most often use for solving this problem is the simple connection of a power adapter. Doing so usually allows the PowerBook to wake up properly (restoring interrupted open projects) and usually allows several more minutes of charge time even if temporarily connected to the external power source.

Long filename truncation: Make sure server is also updated Yesterday we reported that the long filename truncation bug which materialized under Mac OS X 10.3.6 reappeared after updating to Mac OS X 10.3.7.

The most common solution to this problem, for users accessing files on a system running Mac OS X Server, is to make sure that the server is also upgraded to 10.3.7 (Server edition).

MacFixIt reader Brett writes "I was still having the problem after updating to 10.3.7, UNTIL I realized that my server also needed to be updated as well. Once that was done, the problem went away. I had to make sure that Mac OS X 10.3.7 is on both sides of the connection, if connecting to an AFP server (or at least not 10.3.6 on the server side)."

More on Myst IV crashes, workarounds Yesterday we reported that Myst IV Revelation crashes frequently after installing Mac OS X 10.3.7 for some users, especially when accessing the "Book Menu" of the game. It appears that this issue only affects users with ATI graphics cards.

MacFixIt reader Scott Harmon (who uses an ATI Radeon 9000 card) was able to resolve this issue by deleting the the "default.m4s" and "options.m4o" files that are stored in the Myst IV "Save" folder.

Others have been able to resolve the issue by applying the most recent Myst IV patch, released on Decemeber 2nd by UbiSoft. The patch is labeled myst4_v1.00_to_v1.01.

Resources

  • let us know
  • confirmation
  • #86284
  • #14449
  • SlimBatteryMonitor
  • long filename truncation
  • 10.3.7
  • myst4_v1.00_to_v1.01
  • More from Late-Breakers