Behold II Smartphone with Android
Mac OS X 10.4.6 (#2): Double restart; Dock Auto Hide/Show function broken; Font issues; Fixes in this release; more
[See yesterday's coverage for Mac OS X 10.4.6 release notes, update process recommendation and general workarounds]
Double restart Some PowerPC-based Macs exhibit a double restart after application of the Mac OS X 10.4.6 update -- as noted in Knowledge Base article #303411.
MacFixIt reader Gray Tait writes:
"The updater worked just fine on my Intel iMac, but for my wife's G4 iBook, I downloaded the standalone and after the installer had finished I restarted the ibook. It took an age for the process to start and finished. There was a lot of hard drive activity as the round thing went around and around (probably 2 minutes) then the computer without warning rebooted itself and the process started again. Finally it go to displaying the Finder screen and about a minute later after more drive activity, it finished."
Dock Auto Hide/Show function broken Some users report that the Dock's "Automatically hide and show the Dock" functionality (which can be enabled through the "Dock" pane of System Preferences) is broken after installing Mac OS X 10.4.6.
In some cases, this issue can be resolved by deleting the following file:
- ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist
then logging out and back in.
Font issues Some users are reporting font issues after the update.
One reader writes:
"When I run any program, all I have available are my computer fonts. So all of my old document come up with substitute fonts."
Another reader adds:
"I opened up the Font Book Utility and my user fonts are turned off and I can't turn them on or re-install the missing fonts."
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Photo booth distortion MacFixIt reader Beau writes:
"Thought I'd let you guys know that I have found a glitch after updating to 10.4.6 for intel. When using Photo Booth and clicking on the 1st set of effects, the video is very choppy. It is only when you are viewing all the effects at once."
Similar issue? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
iSync -- issues with hacks for unsupported devices Users are finding that hacks used to enable support for natively unsupported phones and other devices with iSync are broken under Mac OS X 10.4.6.
MacFixIt reader Karl writes:
"I just loaded Mac OS X 10.4.6 combo updater for PowerPC. One thing that had intrigued me was the support for the Motorola Razr V3c cell phone. I had installed a work around a few months ago and was very pleased with the full integration. This included not only contacts from address book but calendar from iCal. Now, with the updated iSync, I can no longer sync the calendar with iCal but the contacts synchronization works fine. I will be trying to re-install the same "update" to iSync that I had installed before. I'll keep you posted if this fixes the updated iSync."
FireWire problems Some users are reporting an inability to recognize FireWire drives after the update.
MacFixIt reader Jeffrey Lovell writes:
"After updating, I can't find my external FireWire drive."
Another reader reports issues with FireWire-based audio devices.
Randy Knaub writes:
"After updating i am getting flakey behavior with FireWire audio devices with Mac OS X 10.4.6"
We should note that various FireWire issues can be caused by outdated firmware. Run Software Update and make sure there are no firmware updates available for your Mac.
Also, as with previous instances of this issue, some users have reported success by performing a hardware reset that involves holding down the power key for 10 seconds or so while the system is off.
Another fix is to disconnect all FireWire devices from the Mac (and from their external power sources if necessary), shut down the Mac then wait for about 10 minutes. After this period, connect all FireWire devices, turn your Mac back on and check for persistence of the issue
Printer issues Some users are reporting problems with printers after the update.
MacFixIt reader Lance writes:
"I use a Konica-Minolta 2400W laser printer which is technically a Windows only printer, but was working perfectly with ESP Ghostscript, Foomatic-RIP and m2300w-0.51 which was obtained from linuxprinting.org and sourceforge.net
"Unfortunately the update to Mac OS X 10.4.6 has eliminated the ability to use my printer.
"When checking Printer Setup Utility, the printer is available in the list and the 'MINOLTA-QMS magicolor 2400W / Foomatic m2400w' driver is selected.
"When I send a Safari webpage to the printer, there is a slight delay and the print queue dialog appears and says 'Processing' with the horizontal barber pole progress bar. But an error dialog box also pops up that says: 'Print Error while printing.'
"I've attempted to reinstall the ESP Ghostscript, Foomatic-RIP and m2400w-0.51 driver, restarting after each item was installed with no change in the outcome."
If you are experiencing printer issues after the Mac OS X 10.4.6 update, please let us know.
Printer FixesGutenprint and usbtb Some users have been able to resolve printer communication issues by installing the excellent open-source Epson printer drivers available as part of the Gutenprint package (formerly known as Gimp-print) and usbtb, a CUPS back-end for USB printing.
Connect directly to Mac Some problems that may occur when a printer is connected through an AirPort Express or other AirPort base station are resolved by plugging the device directly into a Mac's USB port.
Remove non-required drivers Removing extraneous drivers from /Library/Printers(name of manufacturer) can sometimes resolve printer issues. Remove files that are for other models than your own. Re-install drivers Re-installation of printer drivers from original media or from a Web download (either directly through the manufacturers site or via a search by model/manufacturer on VersionTracker) can resolve some printer issues.Try disconnecting from network In some cases, LAN-connected printer, seemingly broken by the Mac OS X update can restored to normal operation by simply disconnecting the device from the network then re-connecting it.
"Communicator Error" -- try power cycling If you receive a "Communication Error" message when attempting to print after updating to Mac OS X 10.4.5, the first workaround you should try is power cycling the printer, as well as disconnecting then re-connecting it to the Mac.
Additional fixes included in Mac OS X 10.4.6
VPN issues with Intel-based Macs resolved For the past few days we've been covering an issue where Intel-based Macs are unable to maintain VPN (PPTP) connections, dropping the connections within a few minutes after initializing.
These issues have been resolved under Mac OS X 10.4.6.
MacFixIt reader Josh Turiel writes:
"I installed the 10.4.6 update on my MacBook Pro, and am no longer having any problems talking to Server-based PPTP VPNs."
Previous coverage
Resources
:%20Double%20restart;%20Dock%20Auto%20Hide/Show%20function%20broken;%20Font%20issues;%20Fixes%20in%20this%20release;%20more%20%7C%20MacFixIt%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10330898-263.html){kind=small}
Combo 10.4.6 update, making me wonder if the Battery Firmware Update 1.1 is
included in the combo updater. A firmware update would require a second
restart, but it would be rather rude of Apple to include it without indicating that
it is a firmware update in addition to a software update.
I think it's an USB Audio Firmware upgrade that's included in the PPC update.
Hence the double restart...
repaired), repaired disk and used DiskWarrior from another volume ? and then
noticed a font substitution (in Console). In Font Book I saw that only system
fonts and fonts in ~/Library/Fonts were loaded, with nothing loaded from /
Library/Fonts and all attempts to get Font Book to add those fonts failed. While
wondering which bit of my hair to pull out first I re-booted ? problem solved,
all fonts as they should be.
---
Andreas
G5 2.1GHz, OS 10.4.6
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303411
At the top they would notice it clearly states:
"With the Mac OS X 10.4.6 system software update, PowerPC-based Macs will restart twice, instead of once, after the initial installation."
There are also a few steps to follow to get iSync working perfectly.
The iSync issue (s) are not fixed by the "KB article" steps. There is obviously a
bug in iSync core application, the UNTOUCHED , ORIGINAL 2.2
Double reboot after OS update on ANY system "surprises" people. Nobody
"attacking" Apple , peace! :)
Macs. Mine did and all seems well. So far so good...
that Apple links to regarding the update.
Right at the beginning, in the section labeled "Important: Please read before
installing" is the following note:
"With the Mac OS X 10.4.6 system software update, PowerPC-based Macs will
restart twice, instead of once, after the initial installation."
My Sony Ericsson K700i refuses to work with iSync. It has the latest official
firmware installed by Sony itself (at factory) so nothing has been "hacked".
I bought the phone and model especially since I wanted a device working
100%
with OS X iSync (not 99.9% even). As you may guess, I have not "tweaked" or
"changed" any of its settings.
Not to use precious space here, my troubleshooting report on VT is there:
http://www.versiontracker.com/php/feedback/article.php?
story=2006040316384734
Problem ID on https://bugreporter.apple.com is 4501272
(also saying as, if you live a similar issue, please report it as an Apple customer.
It is the "real" fix)
I have the same problem. Syncing the K700i worked fine until the 10.4.6 update.
I installed the delta updater from Sofware Update in the Apple menu. I will try to
reinstall with the combo updater.
jump on the update bandwagon -- I let everybody else discover all the
problems and I can't afford the instability, etc.
Meanwhile there have been several articles about this extremely VALID
criticism/shortcoming of apple in the security department, such as the recent
Security Focus article:
"Stephen Toulouse, communications manager for Microsoft's security
response team, has blogged that Apple needs a "security czar" to batten
down the hatches against an growing number of attacks on the company's OS
X." http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11383 about
CNET article: Microsoft blogger critiques Apple security
http://news.com.com/2061-10789_3-6052806.html
and Tech Web "Microsoft slams Apple's security system"
"[Toulouse] also took exception with another Apple official's claim that
Apple's security bulletins were "pretty similar" to Microsoft's.
Toulouse ticked off [VALID IMPORTANT] differences. "I note no mitigating
factors for customers to assess their risk. I note no frequently asked
questions to cover what an attacker could and could not do. I note no
workarounds for people who cannot immediately deploy the update. I note no
deployment information for enterprises. I note no severity rating for any of
the issues."
http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=31112
I think I first got a zdnet or security tech email newsletter last month that had
a very succinct analysis, but I can't find it now.
But the main point is, before those was an apple expert himself: JOHN
WELCH and his article "Apple -- Getting it Right and Getting it
Wrong"
Welch writes:
Apple, for all its enterprise push, really doesn't get that timely,
complete technical information for IT people is critical. Apple's made some
baby steps with their IT Pro section, at http://www.apple.com/itpro/, but that
is really more of a marketing area. Oddly enough, it's not even in the 'Pro'
section of Apple's site, but in the Business section.
The biggest problem with IT Pro is that it exudes a 'marketing people
designed this site' feel. It's pretty. It's streamlined, but there's not a lot of
meat there. It's not a place that makes answering technical questions or
finding information easy. From my viewpoint, it's not terribly useful at all.
.......................
I couldn't agree more, and not just for IT people. Apple simply doesn't give its
users enough information about security updates, why to update, scenarios
for what could happen if you don't, or options for applying only the most
critical updates for now without upgrading the entire shebang.
What else can one say? Both Toulouse & Welch are correct. Apple's
arrogance persists.
Welch's article here:
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/appleent/article.php/3568166
The zealotry in Apple land is amazing.
There are people "punishing" me because I used Versiontracker public
"troubleshooting" feature in right place as marking me "not helpful".
Err, I need "help", my Sync ability is gone, how the heck a troubleshooting
REPORT (not usage tip) can be "helpful"? :)
It is becoming worse everyday. We can't even send troubleshooting reports to
macintosh sites without getting flamed.
It's not becoming worse every day. It's about the same as it's always been.
As far back as I can remember, Apple has always had a problem communicating with users anything other than "everything's great". Many (maybe most) Mac users rarely have show-stopper problems, and so they believe just about everything with Apple is great (or great enough) too.
But in these respects, Apple isn't any different from most other companies. They're human--they just won't admit it. Often, fear of lawsuits (both valid and silly) motivates a company's practice of not admitting fault. But it does seem that Apple often carries the practice too far, sometimes doing more harm than good with their customer relations.
We usually DO get a pretty good operating system and hardware from Apple, most of the time, in any case.
Yes, it does seem that many marketing people, or their end products anyway,
are a socially retarded one-way street.
To SWriter: while Apple may be due some criticism for how it informs the
public about security issues, their position is not without a viable
justification: "For the protection of our customers, Apple does not disclose,
discuss, or confirm security issues until a full investigation has occurred and
any necessary patches or releases are available."
- http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303567.
As for Apple's critics, Microsoft is hardly a credible source. Windows having
been so often compared unfavorably to OS X on security issues, Microsoft has
an inherent bias and an obvious ax to grind. So do many of the established
security services, which have products to sell. The more public anxiety they
can gin up, the more sales they can expect to ring up.
Indeed, though there have been a spate of OS X exploits reported in the last
year or so, none of them have "escaped into the wild." Therefore, the best
strategy for dealing with them, whether you are a single user or the IT
manager for a large Mac installation, is to wait for Apple to release a fix.
Other solutions, as often as not, cause more trouble than the exploits they
aim to protect against. This is particularly true of the brand name virus
protection programs which have a dismal record in OS X.
In fact, since there are as yet no known OS X viruses, the only justification for
using virus protection is to prevent your Mac from transmitting a Windows
virus you may receive from one unprotected Windows machine to another
unprotected Windows machine. While this is a fine ethical argument, the
trouble such virus protection can cause your Mac makes it a dubious
proposition. One may reasonably assert that anyone using Windows is
responsible for their own virus protection and should not count on you to do
their work for them.
In respect to Apple updates, I have had very little trouble with them. Still, I
make it a policy to have a recent full backup handy when I do an update, just
in case. Doing regular backups is the best security strategy available, bar
none. And, though most people have no trouble with updates through
Software Update, the incidence of problems is significant enough that I
almost always use the combo updates, which are known to have fewer issues
and, indeed, are an established tool for solving problems caused by
incremental updates.
Odds are an OS X virus will some day make it into general circulation. Then
we will need competent virus protection. Whether it will be available when the
time comes is another matter. But repeatedly crying wolf over nonexistent
problems does nothing to improve public awareness of actual risks; rather,
as threats are repeatedly announced and debunked, the public is more likely
desensitized to the issue. In my opinion, all the overheated and self-
interested clamor about OS X security issues is counterproductive. As a result,
the challenge will be discerning when a headline grabbing OS X virus or
exploit is the real thing requiring serious attention and actual solutions.
---
Don't anthropomorphize computers.
They hate that.
updating to 10.4.6 from 10.4.5.
All said and done, the update disabled GeekTool, which was re-enabled on a
visit to System Prefs. Lexmark AIO Utility for my X75 remains broken (crash on
launch), as it has been since 10.4 came out. I continue to be able to scan and
print, but I cannot check ink levels or align my cartridges.
- by rstaff9 April 5, 2006 11:56 AM PDT
>This is a reply to a previous comment by colordawg
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(18 Comments)It may not all be Apple's fault. Adobe recommends not saving to (or opening
from) a server but to save to your local hard drive first and then copy to the
server. It is also a good idea to first copy files to be edited from the server and
editing them on your local hard drive. See document 332534 from Adobe
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/332534.html "Photoshop, networks,
and removable media (CS2)"