Mac OS X 10.4.2 (#2): Common Workarounds; AirPort/Wireless connectivity lost; Widget, TCP/IP security updates; more

Common Workarounds

Be patient on the first restart after updating Several readers have reported that the Mac OS X startup process appears to hang after the necessary restart subsequent to applying the Mac OS X 10.4.2 update. The stall is most likely to occur after the startup progress bar shows completion, but fails to proceed to user login.

In some of these cases, the startup process is only temporarily frozen, and will continue after several minutes of waiting (up to 30 minutes in some cases). After the first, abnormally long restart process, future restarts may return to normal speed.

Delete kernel extension caches, other caches for some issues A number of common issues that crop up after incremental Mac OS X updates can be resolved by deleting specific cache files -- specifically kernel extension caches -- and restarting.

This can most easily be accomplished with a shareware utility like Tiger Cache Cleaner, but also bears a manual process which involves dragging the following files to the trash:

• com.apple.kernelcaches (a folder in /System/Library/Caches)
• Extensions.kextcache (a file in /System/Library)
• Extensions.mkext (a file in /System/Library/)
• com.apple.ATS (a folder in /Library/Caches/)
• Files that start with com.apple.LaunchServices (in /Library/Caches)

You will be prompted to enter your administrator password when dragging these files to the trash. You may need to restart after moving them to the trash.

Re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.2 combo updater A workaround that has proved successful for various problems caused by previous incremental Mac OS X updaters is re-application of the current combination updater. Doing so overwrites potentially problem-causing files that were not replaced by the "Delta" (adjacent version-to-version) update available through Software Update or as a standalone download.

AirPort/Wireless connectivity lost A number of readers report losing AirPort/WiFi connectivity -- i.e. installed AirPort cards or third-party wireless adapters are no longer recognized or cannot connect to network properly -- after installing Mac OS X 10.4.2.

Many users receive the message "An error occurred. Could not connect to (name of network)" when attempting to join an 802.11x adapter (including AirPort and AirPort Express base stations).

MacFixIt reader Ron writes:

"It seems that after installing 10.4.2 ? my wireless connection is gone! I have a Quicksilver with a Motorola PCI Wireless G Card. The card has worked perfectly until I installed Mac OS X 10.4.2."

Geoffrey Thornber adds:

"Mac OS X 10.4.2 installed fine on my PowerBook G4. No so on my iBook. After applying the update, the system can't find an Internet connection, providing the message 'No Airport Hardware Found'"

Indeed Mac OS X 10.4.2 does make significant changes to the AirPort infrastructure, creating the inevitable potential for adverse effects on reception or network recognition.

In some cases, switching channels on your (non-AirPort) WiFi base station can improve reception weakened by incremental updates, as can clearing certain system caches as mentioned above.

Menu items missing A handful of readers report that some menu items -- including the Date/Time display -- are no longer appearing under Mac OS X 10.4.2.

Logitech device buttons triggering wrong commands A number of users report that their Logitech mice trigger incorrect commands when certain buttons are pressed after applying the Mac OS X 10.4.2 update.

Most users report that the "scroll down" button now accesses the Mac OS X Application Switcher, which is normally invoked through the keyboard combination Command-Tab.

Some Logitech mice can be re-configured using the Logitech Control Center, though this software has been known to cause other issues under Mac OS X 10.4.x, including problems with fast user switching and more.

Widget, TCP/IP security updates Apple has further sealed a potential opening for malicious use of Dashboard widgets in Mac OS X 10.4.2.

Apple's description reads:

"Dashboard is distributed with Apple-supplied widgets, and users have the ability to add new ones. It is possible for a user to install a new widget with the same internal identifier as an Apple-supplied widget. If this occurs, the newly-installed widget will run in the place of the system widget. It may not be clear to users that they are running a widget that they installed as opposed to the Apple-supplied one. This update addresses the problem by alerting users if they try to install widgets that would cause this sort of conflict. This issue does not affect previous releases of Mac OS X."

Mac OS X 10.4.2 also plugs a hole where a specifically crafted TCP/IP packet can cause a denial of service.

Apple says:

"A specifically crafted TCP/IP packet can cause the kernel to panic due to a null pointer dereference and require a reboot. Multiple conditions are required to trigger this problem. The common practice of filtering source-routed and loose source-routed packets on network infrastructure, ingress routers and firewalls can prevent systems from being affected. This issue does not affect previous releases of Mac OS X. Credit to Julian Y. Koh and colleagues of Northwestern University for reporting this issue."

Experiencing one of the aforementioned issues or having another problem with Mac OS X 10.4.2? Please let us know.

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