Mac OS X 10.4.4 (#2): Upgrade procedure recommendation; General purpose workarounds; RAM problems; more
Mac OS X 10.4.4 (#2): Upgrade procedure recommendation; General purpose workarounds; RAM problems; more
Upgrade procedure recommendation We recommend the following procedure when installing Mac OS X 10.4.4.
First, avoid performing any other operations (in Mac OS X or third-party applications) while the update process is occurring. In addition, before installing this security update, make sure all Apple-installed applications and utilities are in their original locations. Moving one of these applications to a different location on your hard drive can lead to an incomplete update. Also, disconnect any FireWire/USB devices before applying Mac OS X 10.4.4, then re-connect the devices one by one after the update process is complete and the system has restarted.
If you'd like to take an even more caution route, use the following process:
- First create a backup of your startup volume.
- Drag the folder com.apple.SoftwareUpdate located in /Library/Caches (the Library folder at the root level of your hard drive) to the trash.
- Download the standalone version of Mac OS X 10.4.4 and save it for later.
- Startup (restart) your Mac using a drive other than your usual startup drive as the boot volume. This can include an eDrive created by TechTool Pro, or better, an external FireWire. Make sure that this drive includes a copy of Disk Utility (which can simply be copied from your normal startup volume).
- Launch Disk Utility from the temporary startup drive. Perform a "Repair Disk" operation on your normal startup drive (which should now appear as another mounted volume in the Finder)
- Again restart, this time booting from your normal startup volume, while holding the "Shift" key to boot in Safe Mode.
- Apply Mac OS X 10.4.4 and restart when prompted, this time without holding the "Shift" key.
First startup slow As with previous iterative Mac OS X releases, the startup time after first installing Mac OS X 10.4.4 can be inordinately long. Don't panic if you are stuck at the grey progress screen for several minutes after the update. Subsequent restarts should take place at normal speed.
General purpose workarounds Three workaround routines will solve many of the issues that are indirectly caused by Mac OS X 10.4.4 installation (i.e. not due to bugs or flaws in the update, but pre-existing system conditions that may be triggered by the updater process).
The routines are as follows:
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 10.4.4 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.
Re-apply the Mac OS X 10.4.4 combo updater from an alternate startup volume
- Download and save the Mac OS X 10.4.4 combo updater.
- Startup from an alternate boot volume, such as an external FireWire drive, or use another Mac to boot the problematic system in FireWire target disk mode (connect the two machines via a FireWire cable, and boot the target [problematic] system while holding down the "T" key)
- Once booted from an alternate drive, select the problematic volume in the Finder, and "Get Info" -- either by pressing the Command-I keyboard combination or accessing the "Get Info" option in the File menu. Check the box marked "Ignore ownership permissions on this volume."
- If you have a third-party disk repair utility like DiskWarrior, use it to re-build the directory on the problematic volume (this step may not be necessary)
- Re-install the Mac OS X 10.4.4 combo updater on the problematic drive.
- Re-attempt booting from the problematic volume (hold down the option key at startup to select the desired drive)
Reverting (downgrading) to Mac OS X 10.4.3 For instructions detailing how to revert to Mac OS X 10.4.3 from Mac OS X 10.4.4, see this tutorial.
Memory issues MacFixIt reader Andy Johnson reports that his PowerBook G4 fails to recognize RAM in one of the slots after the Mac OS X 10.4.4 upgrade.
This phenomenon has been present in previous incremental Mac OS X releases, which can be more picky about the RAM they recognize than previous iterations.
Andy writes:
"My 15" powerbook (1.67 GHz) now fails to see its lower memory bank of official apple ram. I know others had this problem on prior 10.4 upgrades and now it finally hit me."
Spotlight faster? Several readers report that Spotlight performance is better after the Mac OS X 10.4.4 update.
Geoffrey Lovelace writes:
"I don't have any firm numbers, but immediately after installing 10.4.4, I noticed that Spotlight is much faster. Previously, Spotlight would have a long wait before any results came in, display the spinning beach ball before I finished typing the first word of my query, etc. I have 2 ~110MB internal drives (both ~90% full) split into 4 partitions. Maybe it's just a fluke, but now my spotlight searches are near instantaneous. I just thought I'd let you know."
In some cases, the RAM is simply seated improperly. Removing the module, and re-installing it, making sure the connection is tight, has resulted in the previously disabled module working again for several readers.
In others cases, the PowerBook's logic board is faulty, and must be replaced. Most users whose machines are still under warranty have reported success in seeking repairs from Apple.
For more information, see our previous coverage of this issue.
Audio volume controls broken Some users report that the keyboard audio volume controls fail to work properly under Mac OS X 10.4.4
One reader writes
"Since updating, the F3, F4, and F5 keys no longer work for controlling volume. They do adjust something, as the white volume control meter pops up and adjusts up and down - it just doesn't affect the volume at all. The only way for me to control the volume now is to open system preferences, go to the audio pane, and adjust the slider manually. I have a 17" Powerbook G4 High Density 1.67 GHz."
If you are having a similar issue, please let us know.
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