Mac OS X 10.4.8 (#3): Startup problems (cont.), more fixes; More on the blue tint, fixes; Menu items missing, fix; more

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 12:10 a.m. PT

16 min read

Startup problems -- simply booting in safe mode, disconnecting USB devices once may resolve Users continue to note issues where startup fails or indefinitely stalls after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

In some cases, as in MacFixIt reader Richard Wolfeiler's, simply booting in Safe Mode once, then restarting normally can resolve the problem(s).

The reason Safe Mode often works to fix instances where startup indefinitely stalls is that in addition to disabling extensions, booting in Safe Mode clears certain caches and performs other maintenance routines that can eliminate problems occurring during startup.

Richard writes:

"I updated from Mac OS X 10.4.7 on my Titanium PowerBook 400 using the 10.4.8 delta updater. Earlier I had updated my Digital Audio G4 desktop with no problem. When updating, I use the suggested procedure to repair permissions using Disc Utility, apply the update, restart, and repair permissions again.

"This time, on the PowerBook when I restarted after applying the update I got as far as the blue screen with the spinning pinwheel, which rotated for 10-15 minutes but seemed stalled. I shut down with the power switch and rebooted into safe mode, which worked. It still took a bit longer than usual, but at least I could hear disc activity, so I figured it hadn't stalled. Once booted in safe mode, I ran Disc Utility to repair permissions and restarted. This time all worked as expected."

As we've discussed several times, problematic USB devices (which function properly in one iteration of Mac OS X but not the next) are some of the most commonly implicated culprits in startup issues after applying a Mac OS X update. In these cases, simply temporarily disconnecting the offending device can allow the process to proceed, and you can troubleshoot the device on a driver/kernel extension level later.

MacFixIt reader Mario Camou offers a case example:

"I just updated to 10.4.8 on my 17" MacBook Pro. I have it set up for verbose boot. After rebooting, I saw the messages 'kextd: Couldn't set up diskarb sessions' followed by 'diskarb isn't ready yet, we'll try again soon' repeat several times. After that I got a couple more messages that I couldn't copy, and the MacBook Pro rebooted. When I saw the message again, I disconnected my external USB drive, and the boot finished correctly. This might be a useful troubleshooting technique to add to your library: booting in verbose mode to see what the boot process is up to."

[Ed.- You can invoke verbose booting by pressing the Command and V keys simultaneously while your Mac is starting up.]

Meanwhile, some users are reporting much slower than normal startups. While the first boot after applying an incremental Mac OS X update can be noticeably longer, slower subsequent boot times are abnormal.

MacFixIt reader Mike Stimpson writes:

"Successive restarts have proven to be much slower than the previous Mac OS X incarnation."

As noted over the weekend, users are also experiencing kernel panics during startup after installing Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacFixIt reader Andrew writes (I have a Core Duo 17" iMac. Applying 10.4.8 resulted in the overlay / gray 'Please Restart Your Computer"'only seconds into the boot process. I had to completely reinstall OS X. I tried the Mac OS X 10.4.8 upgrade again -- same result. I'm in the process of reinstalling 10.4.7 for a SECOND time. I won't be putting 10.4.8 on this time.

Many users with panics at boot are having success with some of the suggestions listed in our tutorial: "Startup fails (particularly after a system or security update); solving."

For instance, David Bills reports that re-applying the combo updater from a separate drive (as described in the tutorial) eliminated a persistent kernel panic at startup on his MacBook Pro.

David writes:

"I was unable to boot after the 10.4.8 combo update failed on my MacBook pro. The system would kernel panic during the grey screen at the beginning of the boot process. I was able to re-apply the combo updater after mounting the MacBook Pro via a FireWire disk mode from my intel mac mini. System is now working correctly."

Other users report success with using Disk Utility (located in Applications/Utilities) from an alternate startup drive (or another machine):

"I had problems starting up. It turned out permissions were broken. I booted from a remote drive, fixed permissions, and was able to boot from the startup drive. Note that Mac OS X 10.4.8 started twice after fixing permissions."

Other users report success with a mixture of our suggested workarounds.

MacFixIt reader Ivan writes:

"Just to let you know that the after the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update on a MacPro 2.66, the Mac would not boot (grey screen with Mac logo forever). I followed your instructions: booted from CD, repaired permissions and removed manually cache files. This fixed it, thanks a lot!"

Finally, some users have had to resort to an Archive and Install, then re-application of the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater -- also as described in our startup tutorial.

One reader writes:

"After waiting for a total of 4 hours for a gray screen to progress to an operating computer, I again booted off the install CD and did an Archive and install. After that I was booting into 10.4.6, Automatic Software update then chose the Combined Update for 10.4.8 and that installed no problem."

More on the blue tint, fixes Users continue to report an issue where a slight blue tint that cannot be remedied through the available profiles in the Display pane of System Preferences after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

One reader writs:

"I can without question say that I am experiencing the 'blue tint problem' that some other users have experienced. The default calibration seems to be much bluer. You can change this in Displays by re-calibrating, with some degree of success, it appears. Also, oddly enough, switching to 'Thousands of Colors' removes the blue tint. I also opened Colorsync Utility and ran a verification & repair to my Colorsync profiles. Four profiles showed errors. Repairing the errors seemed to moderately help, but the tint is still a little too blue for my taste."

A poster to Apple's Discussion boards, "mymacluvsme" has posted a custom color file (download) that appears to resolve the blue tint in some cases.

After downloading this file, place it in the directory:

Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Display

Then navigate to the Displays pane of System Preferences, go to "Color" and re-select the new Color LCD profile.

Spotlight issues Some readers have reported problems with regard to Spotlight after applying Mac OS X 10.4.8, including an inability to access the function.

MacFixIt reader Mario writes:

"Since upgrading to 10.4.8 I cannot use the spotlight button in the menu. I use a PowerBook 1.67 GHz. It is possible to open spotlight window via the shortcut, but not directly from the menu, when clicking on the blue loupe nothing happens."

If Spotlight does not function properly after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8, make sure that your startup volume (or any other volumes you desire to search) are not listed in the "Privacy" tab of the Spotlight pane in System Preferences. Some users have reported that volumes become inadvertently placed here after the update.

In other cases, you can resolve spotlight issues by using the mdutil command-line utility in Terminal, turn off indexing for each of your drives. First use the following commands (in the Terminal, located in Applications/Utilities) to turn off Spotlight:

sudo mdutil -i off /Volumes/your_hard_drive_name

Then use mdutil to remove the indexes from each drive

sudo mdutil -E /Volumes/your_hard_drive_name_1

Physically remove the .Spotlight directories from the root of your hard drive with these commands:

cd /
sudo rm -fr .Spotlight-V100

(make sure to carefully type the "rm" command -- a typo could result in deletion of critical files.)

Use mdutil again to turn indexing back on for each drive

sudo mdutil -i on /Volumes/your_hard_drive_name_1
sudo mdutil -i on /Volumes/your_hard_drive_name_2

Spotlight will now re-index all drives, potentially solving some issues.

AirPort/wireless connectivity issues (cont.) Users continue to note some significant issues with Airport/wireless connectivity after the update to Mac O X 10.4.8.

One reader writes:

"After this update my laptop simply will not connect automatically to my wireless network. I called Apple and even tried deleting all the com.apple.internetconfig.plist and com.apple.internetconfigpriv.plist from my system and this had no effect either."

Again you may want to check the tutorial "Improving AirPort reception, avoiding dropouts/lost connectivity, working around card/Base station recognition issues".

Menu items disappearing -- fix Some users have reported that various menubar items (Spotlight, date and time, AirPort, etc.) are missing after the update to Mac OS X 10.4.6.

MacFixIt reader Michel Morvan writes:

"I own a PowerBook 1.25 GHz. I've just downloaded the last Tiger update and my problem is that the airport sign, date time, language of keyboard don't display anymore in the Finder tool bar."

Michael Levenston adds:

"Not sure if I've done something wrong but since updating to 10.4.8, I no longer have my Clock nor Spotlight in the right hand corner of the screen. In fact I don't know where to find Spotlight in order to use it."

In some cases, the solution for this issue is to re-apply the current combination updater (PowerPC or Intel).

In yet other cases, the resolution for this problem is as simple as re-enabling the menubar items through their appropriate preference pane or companion application. For instance, if your AirPort menubar item is missing after the update, try launching the "Internet Connect" application (located at the root level of the /Applications folder), click the Airport pane, and choose "Show Airport status in menu bar."

In a small amount cases, this problem is caused by prior manual removal of the Spotlight menu (by deleting the file Search.bundle in the folder /System/Library/CoreServices/). For many users, removing Search.bundle (again) and rebooting fixes the absent menu item problem. Alternatively, replacing a Search.bundle file from a previous Mac OS X installation will also resolve this issue, and bring Spotlight back to the menu bar.

Finally, in other cases, resolution settings may be to blame. Try setting a different screen resolution temporarily using the Displays pane of System Preferences.

Safari: Crashes, other issues Some users have reported frequent crashes with Safari after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacFixIt reader Paul Hamburg writes:

"Since installing Mac OS x 10.4.8 I have watched Safari crash repeatedly without any rhyme or reason. Trashing plist files has not helped."

MacFixIt reader Paul writes:

"I upgraded to Mac OS X10.4.8 from 10.4.7 using the combo updater. After the update Safari and software update will quit every time when launch. What is the possible cause and any fixes? I have repair permission but did not fixed the problem."

Mike Laude adds:

"Since the update, Safari crashes every time I try to print."

One more reader writes:

"When I type in a web address I just get the spinning beach ball."

If you are having these issues, first check the ~/Library/Plug-ins folder for any recently added third-party items, and remove them, then re-check for persistence of the issue in Safari.

You may also want to try re-applying the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater (PowerPC or Intel).

Finally, temporarily turning off Unsanity's APE (Application Enhancer) has been reported as a fix by some users.

Failing the above, you may want to try creating a new user account per the instructions in our tutorial "Common workaround -- create a new user account."

If you are experiencing similar issues with Safari, please let us know.

Incomplete updates In some cases, your Mac OS X 10.4.8 installation may fail part-way through, or you may received an error message indicating that the update was not complete. If this happens, you may experience problems when restarting, or notice other issues later on.

First of all, remember to avoid performing any other processes while the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update is taking place in order to lessen the chances of this issue. Running other applications or changing file organization during an update can cause the failure.

If you do experience a failure, the first step to try is re-application of the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater (PowerPC or Intel). Do this even if you appear to have a normally working system after the failed update, as all appropriate system components may not have been updated, causing conflicts later on.

If you experience more severe issues after the failed update, you may need to perform an Archive and Install process to get your system in working order, then re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater.

MacFixIt reader Martyn writes:

"I experienced a major freeze when installing the latest update this week. It got to the point where it says something like maximizing performance or something i.e. almost at the end of the progress bar, and froze. I had to force a shutdown on my computer and was left unsure whether the download had completed or not."

Don Kowet adds:

"I tried to install the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update today on my two-and-a-half month old black MacBook. About halfway through, Software Update quit, informing me it couldn't complete the installation. Since then, I haven't been able to login. The login screen appears, but the cursor is frozen in the left hand upper corner."

Version of Flash included is 9.0.2 Mac OS X 10.4.8 installs the latest version of the Flash plug-in (9.0.20.0) as part of the update. Unfortunately, some users report significantly degraded performance with this release in comparison to previous versions of Flash.

Marc Opas writes:

"The problem is, on a Mac (at least a PPC Mac - I have a PowerMac G5 Dual 2 GB), Flash websites run considerably slower with the version 9 plug-in than the same website using Flash Player 8. I find it unacceptable that Adobe would release an even slower updated plug-in - especially since the version 8 plug-in was already running Flash more slowly than on a PC."

Loss of FireWire connectivity Some users have reported problems with FireWire connectivity (devices not mounting, etc.) after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacFixIt reader Salvatore P. Miccicke writes:

"After installing Mac OS X 10.4.8 update on my PowerMac G4 MDD 1.25 GHz DP, all firewire drives no longer work. Including a G4 iPod. Same drives can be seen if connected to USB. Launching System Profiler and clicking FireWire yields a beach ball for some time and no firewire information displayed. Reapplied the update from jumbo patch, same results."

This problems is most commonly resolved by thoroughly cleaning caches with a utility like Cocktail, Mac Pilot or Tiger Cache Cleaner.

Cisco VPN kernel panic issue resolved Some users report that a kernel panic caused by the Cisco VPN client is resolved under Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacFixIt reader Michael writes:

"Mac OS X 10.4.8 seems to have fixed the issue with the Cisco VPN client causing kernel panics on restart and a shutdown restarting straight away. I removed the the CiscoVPN folder from system/library/startupitems so that I could restart or shutdown my machine before I installed 10.4.8. I restarted. Did a permissions check. Installed Mac OS X 10.4.8 and the re-installed the Cisco VPN client and now it works fine."

Mighty Mouse scrolling problems A handful of users report Mighty Mouse scrolling issues after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

One reader writes:

"Since updating my dual 2.0GHz G5 to 10.4.8, I am unable to scroll down using the scroll wheel on my Mighty Mouse (sideways and up-scrolling are not affected)."

Another reader adds:

"After installing Mac OS X 10.4.8 on two machines, an Intel MacBook Pro and a PowerPc Mac, the wireless mighty mouse quit scrolling on the Intel Mac and worked just fine on the PowerPc Mac. Installing the drivers sent with the BlueTooth wireless mouse on the Intel Mac did not resolve the problem."

As noted in our Mighty Mouse special report, this issue is sometimes soluble through the use of an alternative mouse driver. Options include:

Minor audio glitches MacFixIt reader Brandon Schetgen reports some minor audio glitches under Mac OS X 10.4.8.

"After installing Mac OS 10.4.8 on my 2 GHz Intel MacBook (1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hardrive) I noticed a pause in audio playback from going between external and internal speakers. I used to be able to unplug my external speakers and the internal speakers would pick right up. Now there is a 1-2 second delay when I unplug and vice versa when I plug back in. The delay is correspondent to an abnormal message of the Output pane in the Sound System Preference when I unplug/plug in my speakers. Not a huge deal... just another little quirk."

[Saturday's coverage]

AirPort connectivity issues -- inability to connect to 802.11n routers Some users are reporting AirPort connectivity issues under Mac OS X 10.4.8 -- particularly an inability to connect to previously working 802.11n wireless routers.

MacFixIt reader Steve writes:

"After updating, cannot see any wireless networks, although there are more than a dozen I could see before in this building. Cannot connect to my own 802.11n wireless router. It appears that the new system updater 10.4.8, when installed on an Intel box, completely wipes out any recognition of 802.11n wireless networks."

MacFixIt reader Dan adds:

"After installing the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo update on my Intel Core Duo my AP express is very buggy. If i restart my mac it doesn't automatically connect to the net even though the AP meter on the top menu is all black. The only way to connect to the internet is to run through the network setting and try resetting everything. Very frustrating."

If you are experiencing similar issues, try the following workarounds:

Delete keychains, networks

Open System Preferences and select the "Network" pane

Select "AirPort" and click "Configure"

In the "By default, join:" pull-down menu, select "Preferred networks"

Delete the network(s) you regularly use from the list

Launch the "Keychain Access" application located in Applications/Utilties.

Click on the "Kind" filter at the top, and look for "AirPort network password" entries. Delete them.

Restart, or log out then back in.

Repeat steps 1-3, this time re-adding your regularly used AirPort networks to the list using the " " button.

Restart or log out then back in.

Delete plist In some cases, deleting the file:

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

can resolve the issue.

Failing the above, you may want to check the tutorial "Improving AirPort reception, avoiding dropouts/lost connectivity, working around card/Base station recognition issues".

Problems starting up after the update As is to be expected with any incremental or other significant Mac OS X update, a few readers are reporting problems starting -- including indefinite stalls -- up after installation of Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacFIxiIt reader David Nakase writes:

"I have abnormally long reboot times after installing Mac OS X 10.4.8 on my MacBook Pro. Hours and hours. An hour into rebooting my MacBook Pro I stopped the computer and booted off the Install disk. Fixed some permissions on the hard drive and now it's taking an abnormally long time to boot."

If you are experiencing similar issues, you may want to try some of the suggestions listed in our tutorial: "Startup fails (particularly after a system or security update); solving." Please let us know which, if any, fixes worked for you.

Screen distortion -- blue tinting A handful of users are reporting an issue where the screen takes on a slight blue tint that cannot be remedied through the settings in the Display pane of System Preferences after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8.

MacFixIt reader Aaron writes:

"Have you had anyone else come to you with the 'tinted blue' screen after doing this update yet? I am having that problem, and after being on the phone with Apple for an hour it seems to not be fixable unless I make a brand new user account, or erase my entire preferences folder, in my home folder, for my standard user account, and my admin level account."

Another reader adds:

"I installed OS X 10.4.8 (Intel) on my MacBook and found that the color tint is now quite a bit cooler than before. Changing settings in System Preferences does not return it to before, but it is possible to make the tint quite a bit cooler than it is. The grays seem more bluish than before."

Black border around cursor Some users are reporting a strange issue where a black box appears around the cursor at all times after applying the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update.

Rob Dickerson writes:

"I used Software Update to upgrade my iMac G5 20" 2.1GHz to 10.4.8. After reboot (retried again and then a restart from shutdown), the cursor, arrow, bar or whatever, is surrounded by a rectangle about 2 by 3 inches showing the cursor position on the screen. The actual cursor works correctly but the rectangle is quite disturbing. I retried the update using the Combo updater but the cursor surround remains."

Miek Wemple adds:

"I installed the recent update thru software update. I restarted my Dual 2 GHz G5 and I get this 4" x 4" black outlined box that follows my cursor every where it goes around the screen. So far every thing seems to be working with the exception of this box that is annoying a all get out."

UPDATE: In some cases, this issue can be resolved by turning off the "Show preview rectangle when zoomed out" option in the Universal Access access pane of System Preferences (under Zoom > Options).

USB device issues Sine Mac OS X 10.4.8 makes significant modifications to USB I/O components (largely for the better), it's no surprise a few issues with previously properly functioning devices are appearing.

MacFixIt reader Craig Stevenson reports an issue transferring files to a Sansa e260 music player:

"Since upgrading to 10.4.8 via Software Update, my MP3 player, a Sansa e260, no longer mounts to the desktop and I apparently can't add MP3s to the player via drag and drop like I used to. [...] Upon connecting the USB cable to my hub, the player's screen used to show "Connected", shortly followed by 'Writing' as the disk actually mounted (appeared on the desktop). After making my changes I would drag the e260 disk icon to the trash and then the player's screen would change back to 'Connected'. Since applying 10.4.8 update, the player's screen shows 'Connected' for a couple of seconds, quickly followed by 'Disconnected.' I can't get the screen to show 'Writing' anymore."

Loss of sound MacFixIt reader Robert Ameeti reports loss of sound from internal speakers after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8 -- a rare issue typical of Mac OS X updates.

Rober writes:

"On my 1.67 GHz 17" Powerbook G4, it seems that my sound no longer works. I tried to fix it by resetting PRAM but even that does not make the speakers sound off."

This issue can sometimes be resolved by opening the Audio MIDI Setup application (located in Applications/Utilities) and changing the output setting to 44 KHz (44100.0 Hz). In other cases, audio can be restored by simply running the application GarageBand.

Previous coverage: