Mac OS X 10.4.9 Special Report: Third-party device issues (Nikon Capture NX, Griffin AirClick, more)

External device issues under Mac OS X 10.4.9: TomTomGo; Griffin AirClick and more.

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 1:12 a.m. PT

4 min read

Griffin AirClick There is an issue with Griffin's AirClick for some systems running Mac OS X 10.4.9 that prevents proper communication with the device. Griffin has acknowledged the issue.

It appears that this problem can be resolved through reversion of a particular kernel extension: IOHIDFamily.kext via the following instructions:

Download the appropriate version of Mac OS X 10.4.8 for your system from Apple's download page, but do not install it.
Download and install the shareware application Pacifist
Drag the Mac OS X 10.4.8 installer package onto the Pacifist application icon.
Click the triangle next to "System" to expand it
Click the triangle next to "Library" to expand it
Click the triangle next to "Extensions" to expand it
Scroll down and find the file IOHIDFamily.kext. Drag it to your Desktop or another location (you will have to enter your administrator password)
On your Mac OS X startup drive, navigate to /System/Library/Extensions and locate a similarly named file (IOHIDFamily.kext). Move it to another location for safe keeping.
Now drag the file from step 7 (the one that you retrieved from the Mac OS X 10.4.8 install package) into the /System/Library/Extensions, in effect replacing the newer file (installed by Mac OS X 10.4.9) with an older copy -- you will have to enter an administrator password.
Restart your Mac

MacFixIt reader Jake Wexler had success with this solution:

"Downgrading the kernel extension allows the remote to work again."

Nikon Capture NX For some users the Nikon Capture NX application does not function properly under Mac OS X 10.4.9, with stalls occurring when attempting to open photos and other issues.

It appears that the problem can be fixed by removing a problematic ColorSync profile, specifically those from ColorByte's ImagePrint application. If you are experiencing this problem, navigate to the following directory:

Library/ColorSync/Profiles

and remove any profiles from ColorByte ImagePrint, or other third-party profiles that could be causing problems.

MacFixIt reader Dan Foster had success with this fix:

"To be clear, this is NOT where the ImagePrint installer places these profiles, but is a result of my having copied the profiles to these locations to make them available for soft-proofing in Adobe Photoshop. Although this practice caused no difficulties with any version of OS-X prior to 10.4.9, it definitely causes issues in either the Intel or PowerPC versions of 10.4.9. I will notify ColorByte and/or Apple by email and hope they come up with a fix."

TomTomGo MacFixIt reader Cedric writes:

"Since applying the Mac OS X 10.4.9 combo update, the TomTom Go (at least 910 model) GPS does not mount and is not recognized by the Tomtom Home software."

In some cases, connecting the device via a USB hub (inlcuding the Apple keyboard or another keyboard with USB ports) can allow connectivity where direct connection to the host Mac will not.

MacFixIt reader Pete Carbonell writes:

"The issue with the TomTom not mounting or being recognized with 10.4.9 seems to only occur with Intel based Macs. The solution is to plug the USB cable from the TomTom into an Apple keyboard USB port. The TomTom does not work when connected directly to the Mac. MacBooks and MacBook Pros will need to connect an external keyboard to get it to work. Note that a USB hub does not appear to solve this issue. It also appears that PowerPC based Macs are not affected. I'm not sure if the issue lies with Apple or with TomTom, but TomTom is aware of the issue. This workaround worked fine for the TomTom Go 510."

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