Mac OS X 10.4.5 (#4): Network slowness -- possible fix; Slow Finder operation; More on Mighty Mouse problems; more
Mac OS X 10.4.5 (#4): Network slowness -- possible fix; Slow Finder operation; More on Mighty Mouse problems; more
Network slowness -- possible fix Users continue to report issues with slow network connectivity after installation of Mac OS X 10.4.5, in the form of slow Web page loading, long file transfers and more.
MacFIxIt reader Chris Pinholster writes:
"Since he latest OS X update I have been experiencing slow internet problems. I have a Powerbook G4 15. I reinstalled the update form the Apple site but the slowdown continues. Is an archive and reinstall back to the previous version the only answer? I have refrained form updating a G$ iMac and my dual 2.7 G5 PowerMac."
It appears that in some cases, these issues may be caused Mac OS X 10.4.5's inexplicable resetting of the IPv6 configuration to "auto" as opposed to "off." We've noted that this setting can cause various network problems in several prior reports.
As described by MacFixIt reader Doug:
"Mac OS X seems to give IPv6 priority in attempting to establish connectivity. Unfortunately, most network components don't support it. 'Regular' IPv4 becomes established only after IPv6 times out. This can also often lead to mysterious dropped connections from a server that does support IPv6 when PHP or other server side supporting applications only know how to handle IPv4 address space and thus go confused.
In order to change this setting, open System Preferences and click on your currently used interface (Ethernet, AirPort, etc.). Click on the TCP/IP settings for the interface -- at the bottom if you see a button which says 'Configure IPv6...' click that and set it to "Off." Press the Apply Now button.
Slow Finder operation Some users are reporting poor Finder interface performance after the update to Mac OS X 10.4.5.
MacFixit reader Jose Sosa writes:
"I'm just reporting that after updating to 10.4.5 the Finder�s behavior is very sluggish. Particularly, in column view (my default), when you select an image the Finder automatically displays the colored wheel, trying to show the preview of the image, but it regularly lasts too much, needing to relaunch the Finder. I suppose that I�ll have to work in list view to avoid this. I have fixed the permissions and it behaves the same. This is very annoying. (I'm on a PowerMac G5 2x2.5Ghz with 2.5Gb of RAM)"
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
More on Mighty Mouse problems We continue to receive reports from readers who have issues with Mighty Mouse scrolling after the update to Mac OS X 10.4.5.
As we noted yesterday, your best bet for resolving these issues is to use an alternative mouse driver.
In cases where scrolling problems are not caused to the update, cleaning the scroll ball with some lightly applied rubbing alcohol can provide relief.
MacFixIt reader Michael Fogler writes:
"I have a Mighty Mouse. It occasionally does not behave with scrolling. I have fixed it every time with a q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol cleaning the scroll ball. Simply unplug the mouse, clean the scroll ball and plug it back in. It's worked. This is annoying, but it's better than giving up on the mouse. "
Loss of sound from RealPlayer, Flash -- fix Some users have reported loss of audio from specific applications after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.5 -- in particular, players of embedded media.
MacFixIt reader David Scott reports that a fix we've noted for other audio issues -- launching GarageBand -- can resolve some of these problems as well.
David writes:
"I have an iMac G5 and experienced loss of sound in Real Player and Flash movies within Safari. Functionality was restored after running Garageband. This is documented by Real as a possible fix to loss of sound in Real Player 10 for OSX after installing on some newer hardware."
Translation Widget issues may be coincidental It appears that an issue with the Translation Widget we reported yesterday may be coincidental to the Mac OS X 10.4.5 release -- caused instead by a lapse in the server connected to this widget.
MacFixIt reader Peter writes:
"Indeed translation widget wasn't working for me too yesterday on three computers (PBG4/iBG4/iMacG4). It seems this has nothing to do with Mac OS X 10.4.5. It was probably something with the connection to the Systran server. Today everything is working fine again."
Power adapter indicator light One reader reports an odd issue with his power adapter indicator light after the update:
"Just found the following, since upgrading to 10.4.5 :
"When plugged in, the power adapter's cord does no more turn amber, BUT charges the battery. Tried to reset the PMU as well as the PRAM, to no avail."
InDesign re-draw issue A reader reports issues with InDesign screen redraw after installing Mac OS X 10.4.5:
"I seem to have an issue with InDesign not doing a proper screen redraw ... I might be working on some text with the type tool (as in have a whole line selected) and then on de-selection of that type a black line appears/remains at the top of the text box which apparently only disappears when i change the view of the window (ie zoom in or out).
"This looks quite like the long persistent redraw issue that Quark never managed (or could be bothered) to fix in v6.x, but seems to me more related to the OS update than the InDesign app itself as there was no problem under OS10.4.4."
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Previous coverage:
- Mac OS X 10.4.5 (#3): Mighty Mouse issues -- won't scroll down; Special permissions can be ignored; more
- Mac OS X 10.4.5 (#2): General purpose workarounds; Reverting to 10.4.4; USB Overdrive broken, now fixed; QuickTime problems; more
- Apple releases Mac OS X 10.4.5 in PowerPC, Intel, Server versions
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