Mac OS X 10.5.2 released

[Tuesday, February 12th]

[For rolling coverage of the latest Mac OS X 10.5.2 troubleshooting issues, see this article]

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.2 which includes a broad range of enhancements including:

• Updates Stacks with a List view option, a Folder view option, and an updated background for Grid view.
• "Improvement of AirPort connection reliability and stability"
• 802.1X improvements
• Resolving kernel panics related to AirPort.
• Adding support for more third-party routers to "Back to My Mac"
• Improved performance of certain Apple Dashboard widgets.
• Addresses an issue in which Finder could unexpectedly quit when displaying folder contents in Column view.
• Addresses a hanging issue that may occur when connecting to an AFP network volume.
• Addresses issues with Safari reliably resolving certain domains.
• Adds a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine features (the menu extra can be enabled in Time Machine preferences).
• Improves backup reliability when computer name contains slash or non-ASCII characters.
• "Improves general stability when running third-party applications."
• Adds RAW image support for several cameras, as detailed in this article.

A full list of enhancements can be found here.

The new release is available through Software Update or via the following links:

• Mac OS X 10.5.2 Combo Update [343MB]
• Mac OS X Server 10.5.2 Combo Update [382MB]

Update procedure recommendation

1. General principles.
1. Leave all Apple-installed components where they are. Don't, for example, move Safari out of /Applications, or move your user Home folder.
2. In System Preferences > Software Update, make certain that "Download important updates in the background" is not checked. If your computer has multiple users, do this for every user. It might also be wise to uncheck "Check for updates"; one user, the administrator, should then be responsible for checking manually for updates from time to time. (To do so, choose Apple > Software Update.)
2. When an update is available in Software Update, do not press the Install button in the Software Update window. Instead, download any desired update packages individually and without actually performing the installation. Software Update allows you to do so, but this feature is not at all obvious, so here are instructions:
1. Make sure there is a checkmark at the left of all and only the packages you want to download.
2. Choose Update > Download Only. After performing the download(s), note the location, on your hard drive, of the downloaded material.
[Note: Alternatively, go to http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ and click the download link for the desired package. In the case of major system updates, this is the way to obtain the full "combo update", which is often better than the incremental update offered by Software Update.]
3. Restart into Safe mode, by holding down the Shift key from the moment you hear the startup "bong" to the moment the "spinning gear" appears. Expect this startup to take longer than usual. Don't be alarmed if the fans whir loudly during the "spinning gear" display. Eventually you will be presented with the Safe Boot login screen. Log in as the administrator.
4. Without launching any other applications, double-click one installer package and perform the installation. Do nothing else; just sit there and wait until the installation is complete.
5. Repeat step 3 after every installation. Finally, restart normally. This, too, may take longer than usual, and you may experience a "double-restart." Be patient!

Problems after updating? Please let us know.

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