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Persistent boot messages return for Mac Pro users in Mountain Lion

If a garbled message appears at boot, the solution may be simply removing Apple's Memory Slot Utility.

Topher Kessler MacFixIt Editor
Topher, an avid Mac user for the past 15 years, has been a contributing author to MacFixIt since the spring of 2008. One of his passions is troubleshooting Mac problems and making the best use of Macs and Apple hardware at home and in the workplace.
Topher Kessler
2 min read

Some Mac Pro users who have upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion may see an apparent warning window display whenever the system is rebooted. The message appears to be properly formatted and even contains a picture of a Mac Pro suggesting the message has purpose; however, instead of containing any sensible message, it displays text strings like "keyApplicationTitle" and "keyOKButton" where text ought to be.

This error window was noticed by a number of people using OS X Lion when the 10.7.4 update was released, and it was found to be from Apple's Memory Slot Utility included with OS X to help Mac Pro users configure and verify their RAM installations. If the system detects a change in the RAM configuration, then it will issue a message stating that the RAM either checked out or has problems that need to be addressed. In this case the utility appears to be repeatedly informing the user that the RAM is OK, but an error causes the message to constantly show up.

Mac Pro error
This window may show at bootup on affected Mac Pro systems, but it does not mean there is a problem with the computer (click for larger view). VicB01/Apple Discussions

When this problem appeared in OS X 10.7.4 it was assumed to be specific to that OS update; however, it appears Apple has not fully addressed the issue and, as reported by OWC, some who have upgraded to Mountain Lion are seeing the persistent message.

Ultimately besides being a touch annoying, the message does not pose any problem for users, and once dismissed the system should continue to behave normally; however, if you wish to clear this warning, you can do so by altering the location of the Memory Slot Utility. This program is located in the /System/Library/CoreServices/ folder by default, and simply moving it out of this folder should be enough to prevent the message from showing up at next launch. An alternative to moving the program is to right-click it and choose the option to archive it, which will zip it up in its current location. Then you can delete the original program.

While the memory slot utility is not needed for daily work, it is a helpful tool if you ever decide to upgrade or alter your RAM configuration on your Mac Pro. Therefore, if you do move or archive the utility, be sure to restore it before altering your RAM configuration to ensure that it checks any changes you make.



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