Mac OS X 10.5.6: failed installation, mail quits, more
Failed installation (stuck on configuration installation) By far the most widely reported issue with Mac OS X 10.5.6 invovles failed installation, specifically stalls that occur during the "configuring installation" phase. Sample reports from MacFixIt readers include:
- "The installation configuration phase stalls almost immediately with 10.5.6 on my MacBook.
- "Twice I've tried to install the latest OS X update. The Finder quits and the Configuration Installation screen hangs with just a hint of blue on the progress bar. Dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5. Had to force shutdowns."
- "I have a PowerBook g4 1.33 aluminum and I have just downloaded the update. I rebooted and now I have been on the "configuring installation" screen for at least 2 hrs. I have 2 gigs of ram and at least 20 gigs free. I have never had a problem with an installation before. I googles around and haven't seen any mention of anyone having this problem."
If you are experiencing a similar issue, first try downloading (or re-downloading) the appropriate standalone update from Apple's download page and reapplying it.
Failing that, 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 and reattempt the update.
Remember to avoid performing any other processes while the Mac OS X 10.5.6 update is taking place in order to lessen the chances of this issue.
Mail quits after launching, crashes Several users have reported repeated Mail.app crashes or quits on launch after the Mac OS X 10.5.6 update. Reports include:
- "I updated to 10.5.6 and launched Mail. It quits right after showing the Inbox. Wish I knew how to fix this."
- "Since updating, Mail crashes EVERY TIME I try to open an email with an attachment."
- "After installing 10.5.6 my Mail application crashed repeatedly , even after rebooting."
Remove ToDo itemsUsers might check the console application for the Mail crash log (listed under "CrashReporter" in the Console application) if the problem occurs. If the crash log lists something such as "trying to set a non-ToDo MailboxUid for a ToDo", then users might try removing accumulated ToDo items. These items are available both in Mail as well as iCal, so users can remove them by opening iCal and deleting them from that application. It's recommended to list all ToDo items and then cut them using the "Edit" menu instead of outright deleting them. Then quit iCal and attempt to open Mail again. If this does not fix the problem, users can then open iCal and paste the previously cut ToDos back into the application.Troubleshoot messages loaded at startup If a message contains corrupt content (pictures or attachments) that are causing problems, users can prevent the messages from loading at application launch by holding the shift key directly after launching Mail. From here users can troubleshoot mail messages to see if any cause the program to hang or crash, and remove any problematic messages causing such behavior.
Remove preference files and troubleshoot accounts If the first two fixes do not address the problem, users can try removing the Mail application preferences, called com.apple.Mail.plist and located in the ~/Library/Preferences/ folder. Doing this will require mail account information to be reentered, but all previous messages and mailbox setups will remain and be visible again after account information has been supplied. In addition, Mail setup can be compared against that for a fresh account by creating a new user account and logging into that one. Then users can set up Mail and see if the problem persists. If it does not, then users know the problem has to do with their account and can troubleshoot the problem, targeting items in the ~/Library/Mail/ folder, or removing the contents of the ~/Library/Caches/Mail/ folder.
AirPort Utility problems A handful of users have reported that AirPort Utility is broken after the Mac OS X 10.5.6 update. One reader writes:
"MBP 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Installed 10.5.6 using combo updater in safe mode. After update, "Airport Utility was unable to find any Apple wireless devices." Airport connection is fine, though. I reapplied the combo updater, repaired permissions, ran DiskWarrior 4.1.1, and Airport Utility still doesn't see any of my routers. Please advise."
This issue can generally be resolved by downloading and reinstalling AirPort Utility.
Swollen RAM usage Some users have reported dramatically increased idle RAM usage under Mac OS X 10.5.6. One reader writes:
"First impressions are that I regret applying it to my MacBook Air, which of course has only 2GB of RAM in it. This update consumes almost 1 GB of that without any running apps besides the usual background daemons. That means there is just one Gig of RAM left for my apps. A reboot does not change this behavior."
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Resources
Try again .. just downloaded via MacFixIt, not SU.
I had previously gone to SU and it said that 10.5.6 was ready. I chose to use MacFixIt home page because I vaguely remember that SU does an incremental update which is anathema as far as I am concerned .. versus the combo update.
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Touch the Future ... Teach!
SU doesn't list it on my machine (agreed, SU updates of the OS bad medicine, but worth a shot). I re-downloaded the Combo installer and still get the "does not meet the requirements for this update". It's an Intel iMac running Leopard 10.5.5, plenty of room. Weird. I'm trying the safe mode route.
Fixed. Problem was that the System had "forgotten" what my Startup disk was. Tried zap PRAM, fixed permission, disk repair, Startup Manager, Safe mode, and so on, and nothing helped. Never determined why it happened (suspect HP printer software). Finally Archived and Installed from install disk, and updated without issue.
I have tried applying the most recent fix from Apple, with no success.
The email still crashes.
This is a temporary fix?I think it works because it shortcuts an erroneous path from the launch bar Mail icon?but only temporarily. ( I have tried removing the launch bar E-mail Icon and replacing it with the icon from the Applications folder; but that did not work either).
1) Save any Pages document to the desktop
2) Right click on the document on the desktop
3) Left Click ?Open with??
4) Scroll to the ?Mail? icon and select it with a left click
5) When the email with the attachment has opened, close it down by clicking on the red close button at the top left.
6) Your email should now run
This provides some stability for a while before the next occurrence.
If anyone can fix this instability please post it here
Regards
David W
lwr@sentex.net
Removing and updating Letter Opener did not solve the problem for me. I moved all active bundles (SpamSieve) to the disabled bundles folder in home/Library/Mail than I solved this problem by restoring the apple mail preferences (com.apple.mail.plist) from a recent TimeMachine backup. Then after all was working I moved the Spam Sieve back to the active Bundle folder and I re-installed Letter Opener (latest version).
I'm starting to regret it. Now, iCal will eventually hog ALL available RAM and become unresponsive, requiring a force quit. This is on either machine.
Even more, while the automatic syncing feature sounds nice, it's not implemented very well: it starts to sync TOO QUICK, like in the middle of creating something. So iCal slows terribly while i"m typing the title of a newly-added To Do, for example, because it's actively trying to sync it while I'm actually making it.
Dammit!
The question is if it is just caching more (and better, hopefully), or if it is actual 'needed' program memory that will need to be swapped in and out as you are using things.
No, I mean it's sucking up ALL the RAM, as in NO free RAM (out of 4GB, it's allocated 3.2gb of it).
OBVIOUSLY, iCal does not need 3.2GB of RAM to keep track of ONE new To-Do.
Something's amiss with the feature as it is implemented.
Sorry, I was actually talking about the original story, not your post...
Your post looks like a problem. The original story, may not be. A Macbook Air would want to move as much as possible into RAM, so it may be intentional.
1. restart Mac, holding down the Cmd -S key
You will get a single user screen with scrolling lines of code
2. when you have a Root$: (or whatever prompt )type FSCK -FY
IF no problems proceed.
I you see a
SYSTEM FILE WAS MODIFIED
then redo your FSCK -FY if all ok.
3. reboot
holding down SHIFT key
Keep holding it until you see a login screen that says "Safe Boot"
Login-when desktop appears,
REPAIR PERMISSIONS (While waiting, go out to dinner-a movie-mow the lawn- fix your transmission. When you return Permissions should be repaired.)
If not, Go get some coffee and a book
When RP does finish, and if all OK proceed; if not RE DO
4. When all OK,Download and Install the standalone COMBO INSTALLER-total ignore SU install-the source of many problems-ALWAYS the better route.
wait-let it install and finish (it will do a reboot and black screen -dont panic
When you get you final desktop[, reboot-do the FSCK -FY
reboot, Repair Permissions
Go visit a friend-when you return you should have a stable, fresh install of OS 10.x.x
ALL SHOULD BE well unless your previous system was really messed up
In that case, back up your important things, WIPE disc clean (zero out)ALWAYS THE BETTER ROUTE and re-install OS 10 from the reetail disc and rebuild your system
Tedious, but its like rebuilding your house with fresh lumber rather than sticks
Awesone, thanks for that. You saved me ages!
Didn't try Mail since I don't use that mail client so I can't give any feedback on that issue per se. I did open the Mail client as an test but didn't configure anything but it didn't crash but again this is not a real world test.
As usual, the Mail crashes are almost exclusively caused by people who've installed third-party hacks and have forgotten they've done so.
So far so good. Everything seems to be faster compared to Mac OS X 10.5.5 (launching applications, switching user using fast user switching, browsing using Safari, etc.) Mail works as expected, and AirPort Utility opens without a hitch. In fact, using Spaces with 8 open applications do not cause any slowdown whatsoever. I love this update! In fact, knowing this, I will now looking forward to upgrading my Intel MacBook that is still running Mac OS X 10.4.11.
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1.25 GHz 15" G4 PB, 2GB RAM, newest OS X
2.2 GHz Intel MB, newest OS X
1 TB FW HD
AP Extreme & Express, cable broadband
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pshoustontx
- by fmlogue December 19, 2008 3:54 PM PST
- I don't understand. I have been using Mac OS X since January 2006, first Tiger, then Leopard. I have a Macmini PPC 1.25 GHZ and a Macmini 2 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo. I have always used Software Update. I have never had a problem. I always backup my startup drive with Superduper!. Reboot and run Software Update. I leave the machine alone while it is downloading and installing. I always reboot after the first reboot and then re-check Software Update in case there is something I missed or couldn't download until the stuff I downloaded was installed first. I never moved any Apple installed programs, but I do have a bunch of third party software installed including APE haxies and 4 inputmanagers. I only fix permissions when something is not running right, which is very seldom. Sometimes I run Disk Warrior if I think there might be a problem on one of my drives or partitions.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (27 Comments)I don't know what my problem is, having no problems. I must just live right.