May 31, 2008 1:00 AM PDT

Mac OS X 10.5.3 (#3): serious proxy .pac problems; random application crashes; login window loop; more

by CNET staff

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Proxy .pac files cause CPU spiking, iTunes crashes Proxy .pac files, used to automatically choose among different proxy configurations, are causing some serious issues under Mac OS X 10.5.3. We previously reported on iTunes crashes that could, in some cases, be resolved by deleting proxy .pac settings in the Network pane of System Preferences. We've now received reports indicating spiking CPU usage and other problems when proxy .pac files are in use.

.Mac and sync issues have also arisen as an apparent result of the presence of proxy.pac files under Mac OS X 10.5.3.

To make sure a proxy.pac file isn't in use, navigate to the Network pane of System Preferences, click "Advanced" for the current connection method, then click "Proxies."

Random application crashes/freezes/failure to launch If you're experiencing random application crashes, freezes, or failure to launch after updating to Mac OS X 10.5.3, as a number of MacFixIt readers are, bad plist files may be to blame. Such .plist files will generally be located in the ~/Library/Preferences folder, and labeled as follows:

com.(name of developer).(name of product).plist [For instance, com.adobe.Reader7.0.plist for Adobe Reader 7.0].

Simply drag the potentially offending .plist file to the trash, re-launch the hampered application, and check for continuation of problems. In some cases, applications will have several .plist files, so make sure you check for any that contain the product name. Also, note that you may lose some settings or other personal data used by specific applications when these files are deleted.

Alternatively, if you're not sure which application is slowing down your Mac or you'd like to check for any existing, but unnoticeable issues, there is a freeware utility called "Preferential Treatment" that will check for some elements of .plist file corruption.

Increased fan activity Some users have reported dramatically increased fan activity and noise after updating to Mac OS X 10.5.3. This is an issue that has appeared with other incremental Mac OS X updates. MacFixIt reader Markus writes: "Since applying the update yesterday to my MacBook Pro C2D 2.16 GHz my fans are running nearly all the time ? it is driving me crazy!" In some cases, this issue is caused by corruption of the Spotlight index. Try deleting the index via this process:

Download the utility Spotless.
Use the tool to erase the Spotlight index.
Restart your Mac.

An SMC reset may prove effective, failing the aforementioned The rough equivalent of an SMC reset for PowerPC-based Macs is a PMU reset. Instructions for the procedures, respectively, are as follows:

System refuses to boot -- exemplary fix Yesterday we reported that after updating from Mac OS X 10.5.2 to Mac OS X 10.5.3, some users are experiencing a hang at boot, where the apple grey screen will appear with the traditional spinning circle and not progress further than that point.

At time we noted that users experiencing this issue should heck for problematic login/startup items: Startup in safe mode (hold the "Shift" key while you startup). Next, go to the Accounts pane of System Preferences and click the "Login items" tab. Select all the login items and click Remove, then restart. Also, check the /Library/StartupItems and /System/Library/StartupItems folders and remove any third-party items.

As discovered by MacFixIt reader Michael, you may need to dig a little further for such problematic items:

"I had a similar problem a few months ago with a new (Penryn) MBP. Zapping PRAM, fixing permissions, there were no Login Items to interfere...or so it seemed. There was in fact a startup item that did not appear in the Accounts panel that proved to be the source of the problem. It was a third party System Pref, Startup Sound.pref, which mutes the Mac's startup sound. Removing it solved the problem."

Login window loop Several users have reported an inability to login to their user accounts after updating to Mac OS X 10.5.3. The problem may be typified by a "looping" situation where the user enters a login name and password then presses return, only to be presented with the same login window over and over.

As described by one MacFixIt reader:

"Since upgrading to OS X 10.5.3, I cant use my Mac anymore. It starts up, then the blue screen appears, trying to pen the user logon window, but then crashes, and tries to reopen that window, forever."

The problem may also manifest as a display of the single user mode login prompt ("Welcome to Darwin") with the error message username:/dev/console: Operation not supported by device.

Potential fixes

Try booting in safe mode Restart your Mac and hold down the Shift key while the system is booting. If the system boots properly, check the /Library/StartupItems and /System/Library/StartupItems directories for potentially problematic files, then use try some of the workarounds listed below in the "Common fixes" section. Also, try deleting the appropriate .plist files as listed below in "Delete .plist files." After attempting repeairs, restart your Mac and check for normal login behaviour.
Run fsck If you are presented with the single user mode screen aforementioned, try running the fsck command by typing the following, then pressing return:

/sbin/fsck -fy

If the message ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***** appears, keep typing the above command and pressing return until the message ** The volume (name of volume) appears to be OK
Delete .plist files If you have an alternate means of booting the Mac in question -- e.g. a separate startup drive, or another Mac connected via FireWire target disk mode -- you can try deleting the following files from the problematic Mac's primary startup drive [the tilde (~) represents the home user directory]:

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist

~/Library/Preferences/loginwindow.plist

We've received an increasing number of reports from readers who, for unexplained reasons, are suddenly unable to log in to previously working accounts. When attempting to enter their login and password information, users are told that the password is incorrect (when it is verified as correct), or that login simply failed.

In many cases, even creating a new user account with new login/password information then attempting to gain entry is problematic.

While we are still tracking down reliable solutions for this issue, we have identified a few workarounds that prove successful for some readers.

Change password If you can login with one administrator account but not other accounts, the first thing to try is a password change as follows:

Launch the Terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities)

Type the command sudo username passwd

Enter the administrator password when prompted, and subsequently the desired username password.

Re-enter the new username password to verify.