Security Update 2006-007 Special Report: Startup problems

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 12:37 a.m. PT

2 min read

Some users have reported stalled or other problematic startups after installation of Security Update 2006-007.

MacFixIt reader Gerald Figal writes: "I forgot about the newer tech firewire drives I have sitting under my Mac mini (Intel) and applied the patch with them connected. I don't know if they are the culprits, but upon reboot I can't get past the Apple screen, which is spinning forever."

Another reader adds: "After Software Update applied this security fix, I clicked the button to restart the machine, as the updater says you must. Machine rebooted to the gray Apple and the spiral staircase, where it stayed for over an hour. "

MacFixIt reader Jannis adds: "After applying the update and pressing the shutdown button (you know, after the update where you can choose to shut down or restart) my MacBook gives me a blank screen (even though it 'flashes' after turning the computer on). PMU and NVRAM reset did not show any effect, it's rendered useless."

A small delay on the directly subsequent restart after installing a major system update is to be expected. Stalls last for more than 10 minutes, however, are not.

Some general remedies for this issue include:

Boot in Safe mode (by holding the Shift key during startup), then look inside your/System/Library/Extensions folder for recently added third-party items, temporarily removing them and checking for persistence of the issue.
Look in the /Library/StartupItems folder if you are having kernel panics at startup. Remove any third-party items and check for persistence.
Disconnect all external devices if you are having a kernel panic at startup or shutdown, and leave them disconnected until the system is fully booted. Then connect them one-by-one and see if the issue persists

For more solutions, see our tutorials Startup fails (particularly after a system or security update); solving and Resolving slow startup: Speeding up Mac OS X boot time. As presented in the tutorials, one of the first things you should do when experiencing startup issues after an update is a Safe Boot (accomplished by holding the Shift key down during startup). If your Mac boots successfully, you can then perform specific troubleshooting routines to eliminate the problem -- particularly removal of potentially problematic startup items from /Library/StartupItems.

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