Security Update 2006-003 (#3): More on startup woes -- check the other StartupItems folder; Active Directory issues; more

More on startup woes -- check the other StartupItems folder We've continue to report on an issue where Security Update 2006-003 causes stalls in startup on some Macs (primarily Intel-based systems). For most users, the Security Update 2006-003 process works normally, but at the subsequent restart (a restart is required by the updater), the Mac OS X startup process stalls.

As reported late last night, the first step in regaining control of your Mac under such circumstances is to boot safe mode. This is accomplished by restarting your Mac, then holding down the "Shift" key as it boots.

Booting in safe mode eliminates the startup problem because Startup Items are not loaded when safe mode is active. It appears that this issue -- in most cases -- is caused by one or more problematic Startup Items. Your next step is to navigate to the /Library/StartupItems directory (this is the Library folder at the root level of your hard drive -- not the Library folder in your home user directory) and check for potentially problematic items.

Yesterday we identified Adobe's Version Cue as the most common cause of this issue, but some readers have now found the Virex startup item (also located in /Library/StartupItems) to be the culprit.

You should also check the /System/Library/StartupItems directory for potential problem-causing files (this is a different StartupItems folder, located in the /System directory at the root level of your startup drive).

In particular, some users report that removing the "RemoteDesktopAgent" folder from System/Library/StartupItems resolves some issues.

MacFixIt reader Mark Dixon writes:

"Another fix that worked for me. Removed all startup items under safe mode as discussed. Logged in only to find that keyboard and mouse click ability disabled. After about an hour of trouble shooting found removing the 'RemoteDesktopAgent' folder from the System/Library/StartupItems location fixed the problem."

Active Directory issues MacFixit reader Tony Pires reports an issue for which we are seeking confirmation where Security Update 2006-003 causes problems with Active Directory services.

Tony writes:

'My G5 was on 10.4.6 and bound to Active Directory. Upon logging in after the Security Update I was given a message stating my mobile home directory could not be made. I was greeted with a plain, newly created home folder. Logging into root and fixing permissions, did not fix it. Restarting didn't as well. That?s when I went into the Accounts preference pane and noticed there were 2 accounts for my user name, one that said Managed and the other that said Managed, Mobile. I deleted the one that said just 'Managed' and upon logging in was greeted with my familiar desktop and settings. Some dock links were broken but easily fixed."

For more information on troubleshooting Active Directory issues, see our recently published tutorial "Resolving problems with connecting to Windows servers/clients."

Broken widgets Some users are reporting problems with non-functional Widgets after applying Security Update 2006-003.

One reader writes:

"I just installed this on my new 17" MacBook Pro; it broke a few of my (non-Apple) Dashboard widgets. I also run the old Clock app from the 10.0-10.1 days, and that initially broke; after a second reboot, that's running ok. 'Dash Monitors,' 'Garnish,' and 'Album Art' are some of the broken widgets. (Dash Monitors had been hanging up on the new machine anyway, I haven't looked for an update yet.)"

Similar issue? Please let us know.

Previous coverage:

• Security Update 2006-003 (#2): Difficulties with startup (freezes at login screen) -- fixes
• Apple releases Security Update 2006-003 for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs

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