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Mac OS X 10.5.5: system becomes stuck in a continuous reboot
As has been the case with several other iterative Mac OS X updates, some users have reported an issue in which the system continuously and autonomously restarts after the Mac OS X 10.5.5 update.
Apple Discussions poster Big D! writes:
"I recently ran the 10.5.5 system update on my iBook G4. However, when my laptop rebooted after the install it got to the gray screen with he spinning wheel, then it sat there for a while then it rebooted itself, now it's doing that in an endless loop. I can't boot into safe mode, or single user mode."
This issue can also occur when users attempt to manually modify system files (for instance, creating or editing launch daemons). When users perform these modifications, they most often simply modify permissions on files and folders to allow access. However, it is very possible that a simple permissions change could cause the continuous reboot issue.
When computers are stuck at boot, the initial recommended steps are to try booting into safe mode and performing simple procedures such as resetting the PRAM and PMU. However, in many cases the system does not properly load into Safe Mode before resetting or hanging. Some users have had success getting to single-user mode, but even then they may not have a clue as to what specifically is causing the problem. While minor edits can be reversed in single-user mode, an improperly applied update may be too complex of a problem to be fixable in this situation.
Given that this problem can be caused by changing permissions on a few system files, users have tried booting from the Mac OS X DVD and running a permissions fix. While this may work, its success dependent on files being in the permissions database so OS X can check them and fix them if necessary. If files are not in this database, then this fix will not work.
Unfortunately, unless the specific files causing the problem can be found, users will have to roll back to a previous system state, either with a Time Machine backup, or by reinstalling Mac OS X
Fixes
Revert to a recent system backup With Time Machine, users will be able to boot off the Leopard DVD and from the "Utilities" menu, select the "Restore System From Backup..." option. This will allow users to select the most recent functional backup from the Time Machine drive and restore the computer.
Perform an Archive and Install If users do not have a recent backup of the system, it is recommended that users perform a reinstallation of OS X using the "Archive and Install" method, outlined in this Apple support article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710).
Preventive Measures To ensure the probability of these issues is at a minimum, especially for users who are just applying official patches from Apple, it is recommended to follow these steps.
- Before the update run Disk Utility and perform both a permissions fix and a hard drive repair
- Download standalone updates from Apple's download page
- Reboot the system into Safe Mode by holding shift at bootup
- Apply the updates when in Safe Mode
- Reboot the computer
And so it goes.
This has happened to folks who've just updated their computers with security updates from Apple...
I agree. The best solution is preparation. I wonder that MacFixIt still does not include making a bootable backup in their list of things to do before applying an update. And it's much easier to get up and running again after a failed update with a mirrored backup than it is using Time Machine. Time Machine is fine for retrieving a lost file now and then, but nothing beats a recent clone for saving time and aggravation when recovering from a mangled system.
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Don't anthropomorphize computers.
They hate that.
Time Machine does essentially clone the drive, making any backup instance essentially a clone of the drives in the system. It's not a bit-for-bit clone, but for all practical purposes provides a restorable boot drive.
However I had NOT updated the OS since 10.5.2 so for me at least, 10.5.5 was not the issue ? one of the other patches was to blame. I booted from an external and applied the 10.5.5 COMBO update (all 740MB of it) and have now got my server back without having to reinstall the system completely.
- by Kurt J. Meyer October 28, 2008 7:26 AM PDT
- Maybe the same cause (permission error?) for an issue I had to troubleshoot, after I had that grey screen forever problem. The next problem came when I installed the Security Update 2008-007 (1.0). Even when I installed that update on a fresh installed, clean Mac OS X 10.5.5, my PowerBook G4 was not able to boot farther than the first appearing of the cursor on the blue screen. Then ? so think I ? the login process failed, the cursor vanished again on a slightly different kind of blue, then the process cycled through these steps again and again.
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(7 Comments)I had to return to a Time Machine Backup. I think I won't take that risk again (after watching that happen 3 or 4 times after a clean system installation). I wait until 10.4.6 arrives, then that security update will be integrated in the combo update.