February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Time Machine problems a’plenty Time Machine continues to be the bane of Mac OS X 10.5.2 upgraders, causing a variety of issues that can hamper the function’s own operation or interfere with other system processes. The most common problems are:
- the error message “Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume.”
- a situation where Time Machine is persistently “preparing” the backup but never actually starts backing up
- dismal backup speed
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Popularity: 9% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Apple has released MacBook/Pro Keyboard Firmware 1.0, which addresses a longstanding issue where the first key press may be ignored if the computer has been sitting idle. Apple says the update also addresses some other issues.
We’ve extensively covered this issue:
The firmware update is available as an 875KB standalone download.
Per Apple’s instructions: “The update package will install an updater application into the Applications/Utilities folder and will launch it automatically. Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the update process.”
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Popularity: 100% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Apple has released MacBook/Pro Keyboard Firmware 1.0, which addresses a longstanding issue where the first key press may be ignored if the computer has been sitting idle. Apple says the update also addresses some other issues.
We’ve extensively covered this issue:
The firmware update is available as an 875KB standalone download.
Per Apple’s instructions: “The update package will install an updater application into the Applications/Utilities folder and will launch it automatically. Please follow the instructions in the updater application to complete the update process.”
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Popularity: 1% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
UPDATE: The fixes listed below can also help resolve an issue in which external displays do not come on at all while the notebook’s lid is closed and will not wake up when keys on an external keyboard or buttons on an external mouse are pressed.
One MacFixIt reader describes this issue:
“When I wake my MacBook Pro in closed-lid mode it shows the desktop picture on the external screen and then goes right back to sleep. If I then wake it again, the same thing will happen all over again. AC power is connected and the mouse/KB are working too so that’s not the cause of the problems. Somehow the MBP seems to constantly want to go back to sleep right after it wakes up.”
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Popularity: 3% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
While Apple’s MacBook, MacBook Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 is proving effective for eliminating the “missing first letter” issue for users of MacBooks or MacBook Pros running Mac OS X 10.5.2, a large swath of users experiencing the problem: those who haven’t yet upgraded to Leopard or are using PowerBooks, still have no resolution. The new update requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 and is only applicable to MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
Popularity: 1% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
A number of users have reported that transfers of large files on local are dramatically slower under Mac OS X 10.5.2. MacFixIt reader John Albergo remembered a fix that we noted in our Mac OS X 10.4.9 special report that involves modifying the delayed_ack parameter of Mac OS X’s TCP/IP configuration by entering the following command in the Terminal (located in Applications/Utilities):
- sudo sysctl -w net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0
then pressing return.
This workaround solved his slow throughput immediately.
“I recalled an issue from around the time of the Macbook Pro introduction, for which the workaround was to force the tcp parameter “delayed_ack” to zero. Suspecting a return or variant of that bug, I tried the workaround on both of my machines and the slowdown has not returned. I hesitate to declare a cure, but the throughput is rock solid so far, and at the speed I would normally expect. This implies that delayed ACKs are not being delivered in a timely manner.
“The blogger at this site wrote a small install script at the time to put an item in Startup Items to do the same thing each time you boot up — making it easily removed when no longer needed.”
Popularity: 1% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Apple has posted a Knowledge Base document indicating that the MacBook Air (when equipped with either a hard drive or solid state drive) might show startup lower-than-expected volume capacity, resulting in “disk full” error messages.
The suggested solution is to format the startup drive (after creating a backup), making sure its in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format and reinstall Mac OS X.
Of course, you’ll need another computer’s optical drive (to boot via Remote Disc) or the external MacBook Air SuperDrive in order to perform this operation.
UPDATE: A separate Knowledge Base article notes that the MacBook Air SSD should only have a total of 55.9GB of capacity.
Popularity: 1% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Numerous users are reporting an issue where various Mac Pro models restart instead of waking from sleep. In other words, the user puts his Mac Pro to sleep, returns a few hours later and presses the space bar to wake the system only to witness the system restart.
One poster to Apple’s Discussion boards reporting the issue wrote:
“Occasionally, it reboots when being awakened after an overnight sleep. I have only Apple RAM in the Mac Pro. My Mac Pro is the ONLY thing on a dedicated 15 amp circuit and the Mac pro is connected to a new APC RS1500 UPS which can supply 865 watts. I have noticed that on waking up from sleep the UPS shows a maximum momentary draw of about 400 watts — well within the capacity of the RS1500 to supply. […] I should point out that this rebooting upon waking from sleep does not occur every time, but only occasionally. The machine always boots promptly and I never see any error messages either on screen or in the Console Log.”
A number of fixes have been suggested, but unfortunately, none appear to be permanent or universally successful.
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Popularity: 1% [?]
February 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
Apple has released iTunes 7.6.1, a minor update to the music playback, purchase and synchronization tool that “includes several bug fixes and improves compatibility with Apple TV software version 2.0.”
The new release is available through Software Update, or as a standalone download.
UPDATE: Apple has now posted a Knowledge Base article explicating a specific fix in this update:
“In rare instances, iTunes 7.6 may become unresponsive during use. This issue may occur due to specific media within your iTunes Library. Solution: Update to iTunes 7.6.1.”
We haven’t noticed any iPhone or iPod touch-related enhancements in this release, but if you’ve found some, please let us know.
Popularity: 1% [?]
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