Apple Computer quietly released an update to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Monday, bringing it to version 10.4.3. The update addresses a number of issues, and brings improvements and bug fixes for many Mac OS X components, including Safari, iChat, Address Book, AppleScript, Automator, Dictionary, Font Book, iCal, iSync, Mail, Disk Utility, Keychain Access, Migration Assistant, Software Update, Core Graphics, Audio, and Image, Spotlight, Dashboard, Stickies, and more. Apple's release notes:
The 10.4.3 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users. It includes fixes for:
AFP, SMB/CIFS, NFS and FTP network file services
AirPort and Bluetooth wireless access
Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, and RAW camera support disc recording when creating and burning media
.Mac sync services
Spotlight indexing and searching
Dashboard widgets: Dictionary, Flight Tracker, Stickies, and Unit Converter
Address Book, AppleScript, Automator, Dictionary, Font Book, iCal, iSync, Mail, and Safari applications
Disk Utility, Keychain Access, Migration Assistant, and Software Update compatibility with third party applications and devices previous standalone security updates
You can get substantially more detail on all of these updated components at the 10.4.3 update page at Apple's Support site. You can download the update through Software Update. The download weighs in at 56.8 MB.
Grabbed a cup of coffee while 97 Mb downloaded and it was then just a restart and Repair Permissions. The latter is important as there were far more repairs than I normally see.
Too soon to tell any differences, but there is a 5 page print out available from Apple if you want to look closely.
3 versions, the 56 meg one, 97 meg and a combo updater at 109.
perfectly normal, you're not getting ripped of with the 56 meg version. You just don't need the 97 meg one. You can d/l the combo updater from the apple site if it makes you feel better!
CloseViewName:Guest Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:44 pmSubject:
Not only that, but with every freaking update, Apple has a note saying that the size of your download may depend on your Mac model. So don't panic if the size of your package is too small.........
CloseViewName:Bryan- TMO StaffPosts: 7325Joined: 11 Jun 2001 Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:26 amSubject:
Anyone seeing any unusual CPU activity after the update? I have kernel task taking up 30-50% of both processes, and it has been doing so for hours (including a couple of restarts and a fsck).
Originally I thought this might be related to the changes in SpotLight (i.e. everything was being re-indexed again), but it's been a while.
CloseViewName:iGrouchPosts: 659Joined: 18 Oct 2001 Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:11 amSubject:
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kenaustus wrote: Grabbed a cup of coffee while 97 Mb downloaded and it was then just a restart and Repair Permissions. The latter is important as there were far more repairs than I normally see.
Do Repair Disk Utility again. Those repairs happen every time now. The list contains items pertaining to widgets and the dock.
I am not complaining, but just so everybody knows, this appears to be common behaviour for this version of Tiger. Repair Permissions in 10.4.2 consistently found issue with one widget thingy.
Because it is standard to repair disk permissions before and after updates I have a related question. I note that Disk Utility says to repair the boot volume by booting from the OS X DVD. But, proceeding anyway seems to work, or does it? It doesn't prevent such action and I've never noticed a problem after doing so. Any comments? Also, if booted from the DVD then which Disk Utility executable should be used, the one on the DVD or the one on the system HD?
CloseViewName:iGrouchPosts: 659Joined: 18 Oct 2001 Tue Nov 01, 2005 11:50 amSubject:
I have been looking through other forums. The Disk Utility Repair Permissions as far as I can tell is applying special permissions on top of the routine of referencing them against those in Receipts. This is a good thing: apparently......I think. The fact that the log appears as technical jargon perhaps sows the seeds of confusion for a lot of people. Then again a lot of others who are used to these outputs like to examine them.
One other thing. This may be new. I never spotted it before. Gene Steinberg mentions it at the Night Owl. The start up disk can now be verified from DU. You still cannot repair it though. This is handy. I know that theoretically doing fsck in Single User Mode is not necessary since journaling was introduced but sometimes one is prone to running when you suspect that things have run amuck. With the Verify Disk now applicable to the startup disk you don't even need to go there anymore. No more Restarts for what possible is a pointless exercise: most of the time.
CloseViewName:macinnerdPosts: 1614Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:37 pmSubject:
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Bryan wrote: Anyone seeing any unusual CPU activity after the update? I have kernel task taking up 30-50% of both processes, and it has been doing so for hours (including a couple of restarts and a fsck).
Originally I thought this might be related to the changes in SpotLight (i.e. everything was being re-indexed again), but it's been a while.
Bryan
Editor
TMO
Well, FlipFriddle and Sly were experiencing spotlight anomalies that were slowing down their macs before the upgrade, apparently it's supposed to be fixed... Though I can't say much since I havent't even switched to OS X yet...
CloseViewName:Guest Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:57 pmSubject:
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Bryan wrote: Anyone seeing any unusual CPU activity after the update?
I'm getting unusual fan activity. Instead of a gentle ramp up, it now just suddenly goes full blast for a few seconds. I started Photoshop and it sounded like a wind tunnel test until it finished loading.
CloseViewName:Bryan- TMO StaffPosts: 7325Joined: 11 Jun 2001 Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:13 pmSubject:
Dave Hamilton pointed out to me that kernel task is usually associated with I/O issues, so I was able to pinpoint the problem to my keyboard, which the old Apple Extended II aircraft carrier going through an ADB-USB converter.
Actually, it's the converter itself; unplugging the keyboard from the converter does not affect anything. Unplugging the converter, with or without the keyboard plugged into it, immediately stops the massive CPU use.
No idea why 10.4.3 suddenly doesn't like that converter.
CloseViewName:macinnerdPosts: 1614Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:51 pmSubject:
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Bryan wrote: Replacing the grey-box converter I was using with an iMate solved the problem I was having.
Note that Griffin reminded me the iMate is a discontinued product, but it worked just fine for me without installing any drivers.
Bryan
Editor
TMO
You still use the AppleDeseign Extended Keyboard? With a G4 Powermac. That must be fun. I quite like the AppleDeseign ADB keyboards, they're solid, reliable, good looking, bulky... All the features that I like, and I find them mujch more comfortable to use than the new white keyboards. Not to say that I have much choice, with my 6100. Just out of curiosity, does a USB to ADB converter exist?
CloseViewName:Bryan- TMO StaffPosts: 7325Joined: 11 Jun 2001 Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:07 pmSubject:
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macinnerd wrote: You still use the AppleDeseign Extended Keyboard? With a G4 Powermac. That must be fun. [...]
Actually, this is the previous generation keyboard, the Apple Extended II Keyboard. This line is FAR superior to the Apple Design keyboard. Far better feel to the keys, and the entire thing is sturdier.
WeLoveMacs carries new, in box units that are more than a decade old. You can also find them on eBay for less, but many of them are merely cleaned up, used units.
In any event, I prefer the Extended II to anything else I have used. That said, the Matias Tactile Pro keyboard is supposed to be based on the Extended II mechanism, but I haven't gotten around to trying it.
CloseViewName:macinnerdPosts: 1614Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:06 pmSubject:
Hum, Apple keyboards seem to be getting worse and worse...
I like the AppleDesign Extended, but I don't think that i have used an Apple Extended II yet... Oh, I just visited the site, they don't look bad, and I see what you mean by "aicraft carrier". And I really should learn how to spell "design"
I've never had any problems with Apple Mac OS X updates until this one. it causes Spotlight to quit functioning and Finder to hang repeatedly. For example, clicking on the Spotlight icon then typing in 3 or 4 characters (all you can type) results in Spotlight hanging with the beachball forever. Similarly, trying to open a file or folder in Finder or in an app via Finder causes the same problem. Any suggestions?
BTW, I'm not an idiot--I've been in the computer biz for 25+ years and used a Mac since they first came out.
CloseViewName:Guest Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:23 amSubject:
No problems for me after the update...just the normal Widget list in permission repair...Kernel task is normal on my iBook G3, ranging from 0,6% to 3%.
CloseViewName:Guest Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:26 amSubject:
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Bryan wrote:
Quote
macinnerd wrote: You still use the AppleDeseign Extended Keyboard? With a G4 Powermac. That must be fun. [...]
Actually, this is the previous generation keyboard, the Apple Extended II Keyboard. This line is FAR superior to the Apple Design keyboard. Far better feel to the keys, and the entire thing is sturdier.
WeLoveMacs carries new, in box units that are more than a decade old. You can also find them on eBay for less, but many of them are merely cleaned up, used units.
In any event, I prefer the Extended II to anything else I have used. That said, the Matias Tactile Pro keyboard is supposed to be based on the Extended II mechanism, but I haven't gotten around to trying it.
That's true...the Extended Keyboard II is, by far, the best keyboard made in the world...its keys and overall feeling were awesome...no wonder people still use'em...I also heard that Matias's stuff is top-notch, worth checking out..!
CloseViewName:Guest Wed Nov 02, 2005 9:30 amSubject:
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Guest wrote: I've never had any problems with Apple Mac OS X updates until this one. it causes Spotlight to quit functioning and Finder to hang repeatedly. For example, clicking on the Spotlight icon then typing in 3 or 4 characters (all you can type) results in Spotlight hanging with the beachball forever. Similarly, trying to open a file or folder in Finder or in an app via Finder causes the same problem. Any suggestions?
BTW, I'm not an idiot--I've been in the computer biz for 25+ years and used a Mac since they first came out.
I gave me problems also. I had to hard boot (something I never have had to do on a Mac), repair disk permissions, then ran cocktail. Everything seems to be working now. I tried to repair permissions before I did the hard boot, but the computer just hung up with the wonderful spinning ball.
For the record; 12 "Powerbook 1.5 GHz G4, 768 MB RAM, Tiger 10.4.3
CloseViewName:Guest Wed Nov 02, 2005 9:30 amSubject:
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Guest wrote: I've never had any problems with Apple Mac OS X updates until this one. it causes Spotlight to quit functioning and Finder to hang repeatedly. For example, clicking on the Spotlight icon then typing in 3 or 4 characters (all you can type) results in Spotlight hanging with the beachball forever. Similarly, trying to open a file or folder in Finder or in an app via Finder causes the same problem. Any suggestions?
BTW, I'm not an idiot--I've been in the computer biz for 25+ years and used a Mac since they first came out.
I gave me problems also. I had to hard boot (something I never have had to do on a Mac), repair disk permissions, then ran cocktail. Everything seems to be working now. I tried to repair permissions before I did the hard boot, but the computer just hung up with the wonderful spinning ball.
For the record; 12 "Powerbook 1.5 GHz G4, 768 MB RAM, Tiger 10.4.3
Dashboard seems to load quicker. Expose is much faster now. I guess that would make sense since they're both interconnected. Maybe this speedup caused a bug that breaks permissions, causing everyone to get the ever-present permission fault with widgets and stuff. The dock looks a little more transparent now, and it seems a little snappier as far as maginification goes. I used to get a problem where I would run my mouse across the dock and would have to wait a second for the magnification to load or something, now it seems like I don't mess with that. And one little gripe I've always had was finally fixed. Whenever I used to drag something off the dock, or throw something in the trash, or move a file from one folder to another, the sound that the system makes (like the "poof" sound) would always play about 3 seconds after the action was already made. Now it's instantaneous. I know it's a trivial grip, but it always annoyed me. Now I a can "poof" like I'm supposed to.
I believe the problems I've been having with the update are due to the fact that I haven't let Spotlight finish reindexing because I hadn't used my machine for very long then put it to sleep when not using it. Or else I interrupted the reindexing by forcing a shutdown with the power button and screwed up the Spotlight database. In any case, mds, the Spotlight indexing process, is using 90+% of the CPU so it appears to be the cause of my Finder and Spotlight problems. I'm going to leave the machine running overnight to see if it finishes indexing. If not, I'll kill the mds process then force Spotlight to reindex.
97Mb upgrade from 10.4.2 to 10.4.3 has completely disabled my Mac G4 tower.
It asked me for a restart, I clicked it.... now all I get is after the screen says loading OS X, I get a black screen with the message:
date-time(today) decision getty: /dev/console: Operation not supported by device
then a blank blue screen and it keeps looping back and forth about every 3-4 minutes.
Doesn't let me do squat! This is a first for me and 10.4.2 was working SUPER!
Both my OS X machines have been more or less stunned by this new update to 10.4.3, and I mean this in a bad way. First of all, as people have already mentioned, there is an impressive list or permission issues when you run Disk Utility, and after you have "repaird" them, they are still there - exactly the same. I don't care whether it's a real problem or not - I don't want to see that every time I run repair permissions, how am I supposed to spot the real issues in the midst of all that mumbo-jumbo?
Secondly, my dual G5 Powermac is clearly reeling in an unstable way. When I move a lot of data, between disks, partitions or between DVD-R/CD-R and disk - it repeatedly stops transferring. I can wait but nothing happens - the transferring meter is still there but the transfer has stopped. When I try to stop it or cancel it, Finder crashes, apparently. Beachball forever, and no way of getting out of it other than to press and hold the power button. Weird thing is, you can still open other applications during this freeze, but only once.
109 Mb for this? I don't think they are even trying to keep the update file sized on a reasonable level anymore. I am on a modem connection (not by choice, I live on the countryside) and every time there is a slight update I have to find someone to download it for me and burn a CD-R. It's only a matter of time until I'll need DVD-R media for a single update I guess. Anyway, of all these 109 Mb - how many Mb are simply just causing new problems?
My hatred towards Apple and Mac is beginning to reach dangerously close to the my hatred towards Windows and PC. I switched to Mac to get something different, but it is all terribly similar. I wanted a SCSI based hardware system that Mac bragged so much about, I wanted user available memory handling, no DOS and no layer on layer OS, no crashes... What did I get? A good looking PC with none of the above, and a future of Intel processors. And Mac users all over the world go "well, this is going to be good - even though we tore the ideas apart when they were unique for Windows five years ago, let's not speak about this on a sunny day like this..."
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