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Software Updates, Murphy's Law, Failure to Boot,
and a MacFixIt Forum Rescue
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.
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I finally decided to catch up on some old software updates that
had been accumulating over the past few weeks, given the news about
various worms and so on that are beginning to afflict the Mac
OS X community. I ran all the recent ones, including Security
Updates from September 7, 16, 30, and October 27.
To my dismay, after rebooting I discovered I could not log in. The
boot screen stayed at "Starting login window..." and never got past
it.
I tried all of the usual fixes. Starting in Safe Mode (hold shift
key down) got stuck at the same place. Starting in Single-User Mode
(Unix mode) got me to a Unix prompt, but I didn't know what to do
from there, so I just typed "reboot" and borrowed my wife's computer
(also running OS X) so I could track down the problem.
You know how these things go. I spent most of a Sunday afternoon
reading and trying things. My purpose in writing this is to point out
two things: An interesting reference from Apple's site that didn't
work but looks instructive, and what worked in case you have this
problem someday.
This article discusses a series of increasingly arcane fixes you
can do to a computer that won't boot properly in OS X. If you
experience a computer that won't start, displays an empty blue
screen, gets stuck, displays a broken folder or a "stop" sign (circle
with a slash) or a kernel panic, you should read this article. Lots
of good stuff all in one place.
Unfortunately, none of it worked for me, even though "stuck at a
login window" was specifically mentioned in a later step.
"...I looked at the system log and saw that loginwindow kept
dying, then checked
/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/loginwindow.crash.log. It was complaining
about a missing dependency
(/System/Library/Frameworks/Appletalk.framework/...) And effectively,
this Appletalk.framkework folder was empty. Copied it from another
machine, and now everything works fine."
Well, thanks to tormod (who didn't have an email address in
his/her MacFixIt profile), everything is running again. What these
instructions effectively said to do was
Connect two Macs (mine and my wife's) together using FireWire
Disk Mode. Hers was the boot machine; mine was the FW Target (use
T to boot with a FireWire cable connecting the Macs.)
Do a find on "loginwindow" on the wife's machine, find the
application, and copy it on top of the application on my machine
in the same directory.
Same thing with "Appletalk.framework".
Unmount my machine from my wife's directory and reboot. It
worked!
So thanks, MacFixIt, for once again saving my bacon three days
before grades were due.
Lesson learned: Don't run Software Update until after grades are
turned in!
Jeff Adkins is a science teacher who isn't afraid to state his preferences in computing platforms. In his classroom he has everything from a beige All-in-One to a a G4 XServe, and they all work together nicely. He calls himself the "poster child for technology integration" in the classroom. He was the 2006 Outstanding Educator of the Year for the California Computer Using Educators (CUE) organization. He also maintains a site for astronomy teachers at www.AstronomyTeacher.com.
Mac of the Day: 'Yikes!' Power Mac G4, Aug. 1999 - The only Power Mac G4 with PCI graphics was built on a modified G3 motherboard.
Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
November 21 in LEM history: 00: OS upgrades, downgrades - AltiVec vs. Pentium III - 01: Saved by the clones - Computer of the future - 02: Apple Education: Let's get to it - 03: Panther lets Macs and PCs work together, - Lombard SCSI bug - 05: 3 survivors from the 1970s - Real world battery life inadequate - Windows to Mac file transfer with Zip disks - $99 alternative to Microsoft Office - 06: Parallels 1.0 far more polished than beta
Just Right: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear MacBooks, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 11.20.
Some people like small and light notebooks, others prefer huge desktop replacements, but the best value tends to be in the middle.
Leopard Runs Very Nicely on PowerPC Macs, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 11.19.
Some claim that Mac OS X 10.5 is so optimized for Intel Macs that it runs poorly on PowerPC hardware. That's simply not the case.
No High Definition iTunes Video for You, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 11.19.
The October 2008 MacBooks are preventing users from viewing some high-def iTunes content from being viewed on their external displays. Poor form!
Every Working Computer Is Useful to Someone, Allison Payne, The Budget Mac, 11.19.
Whether it's a PowerBook 1400, G3 iMac, or Power Mac G4, it could be all the computer someone needs.
3 WeatherBug Options for Apple Users, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.19.
Have instant access to current local weather conditions with a Dashboard widget, iPhone app, or Firefox plugin.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.18.
New 1.6 80, $1,150 after rebate; 120, $1,744 a/r; 1.8 80, $1,794 a/r; 1.6 128 SSD, $2,150; used 1.8 64 SSD, $1,500; new, $2,200 a/r; 1.86, $2,398 a/r.
Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 11.18.
Mac OS X 10.0.3, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3 CD, DVD, $100; CD, $119; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $58; 10.3 Server, unlimited, $150.
Best iPod nano Deals, 11.17.
Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $114; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $125; 3G/8 GB, from $134; 16 GB, from $189. Prices include ground shipping.
