March 18, 2007 12:47 AM PDT

Mac OS X 10.4.9 Special Report: Common workarounds for when things go wrong post-update

by CNET staff

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The following gamut of solutions that will solve a surprisingly high number of post-update issues. Unfortunately, there's really no rhyme or reason to the order in which these solutions should be tried, aside from starting with the least involved and working your way up more drastic measures.

Problems starting up Possibly the worst thing that can happen after applying an incremental update like Mac OS X 10.4.9 is an inability to startup your Mac. The first step in this case is to attempt startup in safe mode (hold the "shift" key while your Mac is booting), then follow the procedures outline in our tutorial "Startup fails (particularly after a system or security update); solving"

Delete kernel extension caches, other caches for some issues A number of common issues that crop up after incremental Mac OS X updates can be resolved by deleting specific cache files -- specifically kernel extension caches -- and restarting.

This can most easily be accomplished with a shareware utility like Tiger Cache Cleaner, but also bears a manual process which involves dragging the following files to the trash:

com.apple.kernelcaches (a folder in /System/Library/Caches)

Extensions.kextcache (a file in /System/Library)

Extensions.mkext (a file in /System/Library/)

com.apple.ATS (a folder in /Library/Caches/)

Files that start with com.apple.LaunchServices (in /Library/Caches)

You will be prompted to enter your administrator password when dragging these files to the trash. You may need to restart after moving them to the trash.

Re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.9 combo updater A workaround that has proved successful for various problems caused by previous incremental Mac OS X updaters is re-application of the current combination updater:

Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update Intel, Combo [310 MB]

Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update PowerPC, Combo [163MB]

Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.9 Intel, Combo [350 MB]

Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.9 PowerPC, Combo [216MB]

Doing so overwrites potentially problem-causing files that were not replaced by the "Delta" (adjacent version-to-version) update.

Re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.9 combo updater from an alternate startup volume

Download and save the appropriate Mac OS X 10.4.9 combo updater (links above)).

Startup from an alternate boot volume, such as an external FireWire drive, or use another Mac to boot the problematic system in FireWire target disk mode (connect the two machines via a FireWire cable, and boot the target [problematic] system while holding down the "T" key)

Once booted from an alternate drive, select the problematic volume in the Finder, and "Get Info" -- either by pressing the Command-I keyboard combination or accessing the "Get Info" option in the File menu. Check the box marked "Ignore ownership permissions on this volume."

If you have a third-party disk repair utility like DiskWarrior, use it to re-build the directory on the problematic volume (this step may not be necessary)

Re-install the Mac OS X 10.4.8 combo updater on the problematic drive.

Re-attempt booting from the problematic volume (hold down the option key at startup to select the desired drive)

Downgrading to Mac OS X 10.4.8 If you are experiencing severe, seemingly insoluble issues after the update, you can revert to Mac OS X 10.4.8 per the instructions in this tutorial.