QuickTime 7.5 (#4): downgrading to an older version; No sound -- fix; more
Going back one version can solve a variety of issues
Downgrading to version 7.4 The problems brought about by QuickTime 7.5 have proven so dire -- an issue with choppy or stuttering playback is most common -- for some users that downgrading to a prior version of the multimedia architecture has become an attractive option. Fortunately, downgrading to QuickTime 7.4 is a relatively easy process and is proving successful at resolving many previously document.
The easiest method is to use Pacifist. Download Pacifist and install it, then download the version of QuickTime 7.4 for your system:
- QuickTime 7.4 for Leopard [10.5 or later]
- QuickTime 7.4 for Tiger [10.4.9 or later]
- QuickTime 7.3.1 for Panther [10.3.9]
Drag the QuickTime 7.4 package onto the Pacifist icon, or choose "Open Package" from the File menu in Pacifist and select the QuickTime package.
With the package open, select its name (the top entry in Pacifist), click "Install" and follow the on-screen prompts, making sure the "Use Administrator Privileges" box is checked.
If you have problems with the Pacifist downgrade method, try the previously mentioned Archive and Install downgrade method.
First, make a backup of your current Mac OS X installation with QuickTime 7.5 applied, problematic as it may be. If there is an issue along the way, your valuable data will be safely intact in its current form. Next, you'll need to perform an Archive and Install process to remove all of the QuickTime update's (and potentially problem-causing) components, and replace them with the components of the older release. Unfortunately, this means you will lose some system settings and some or all third-party system add-ons.
To begin the process, insert your Mac OS X CD or DVD. Restart your machine and hold down the "C" key to boot from the newly inserted disc. Follow the on-screen instructions, and after accepting the license agreement, click "Options." Select "Archive and Install," and check the "Preserve User and Network Settings" option if you'd like to do so.
After the installation process is complete, you will be left with an earlier Mac OS X system that (hopefully) does not suffer from the problems generated by QuickTime 7.5
Next, download and install the latest version of your OS from Apple's download page. Finally, download and install QuickTime 7.4 from one of the links above.
Here are notes from two readers who solved their issues by reverting:- "After upgrading to QT 7.5 we started having serious quality issues with footage imported from Final Cut Pro (6.0.3) into AfterEffects (5.5) (Mac OS 10.5.3). Basically, there seemed to be a fields problem in moving the footage between the two applications. Reverting to QT 7.4.5 resolved these problems."
- "I installed Quicktime 7.5 on my Powerbook G4 1.33 ghz/768 MB RAM, and had the same choppiness problem described on your site--videos displayed in a slow way, skipped, etc. I downgraded to 7.3.1 using Pacifist, and it is fine again.
No sound in AVI, other files -- fix Several users have reported lack of sound in various movie file formats after the QuickTime 7.5 update:
- "One of the several problems is related to Quicktime. .AVI movies have no sound at all."
- "After updating to QT 7.5, my Flip4Mac will play Flash movies just fine but without sound. A check of 'Properties' shows a sound track as MPEG Layer 3. It's very frustrating. I have tried everything I could think of but no luck.'
If you are having issues with sound not playing in QuickTime content after the update to QuickTime 7.5, try launching then quitting GarageBand, or launching then quitting the "Audio MIDI Setup" application located in Applications/Utilities. Failing that, go back to Audio MIDI Setup, and under the Audio Devices tab, make sure the Audio Output Format is 44100.0 2ch-16bit.
Check application settings If, after the QuickTime 7.5 update, you cannot access your mail in Mail.app, access certain Web sites, or perform other functions, check application settings. The update process can sometimes inadvertently delete settings necessary for proper operation.
Misc. network issues Some users are reporting miscellaneous network application issues after the QuickTime 7.5 update.
Joe Boyer writes: "I don't know what the QuickTime 7.5 update would have to do with Apple mail app, but ever since the update, when I send an email, then go to the sent folder and click on that send email nothing shows up in the body field. I have to quit mail, then restart the mail app to get it to show."
Another reader writes: After installing the update and rebooting a G4 Powerbook, a message showed up in German (I can't read German) on the browser screen. I subsequently found that I had lost the ability to use the internet although my airport connection looks fine."
If you are experiencing similar issues, please let us know.
Previous coverage:
- QuickTime 7.5 (#3): No playback in Safari, other browsers; continued choppiness
- QuickTime 7.5 (#2): Slow, choppy playback; startup issues; crashes; more
- QuickTime 7.5 released
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