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David Blomstrom

Q: Updater needs Updating???

I've been advised that some of the problems I've been having with my software programs freezing up might be solved if I install the Mac OS X 10.5.1 Updater. So I downloaded it and found TWO icons on my desktop. First, I clicked the QuickTime icon...but I got an error message saying it wouldn't open because it isn't a movie. Next, I clicked MacOSXUpd10.5.1.dmg. Now I have a warning message that says "The following disk images failed to mount (Reason: not recognized)."

Well, I'll be honest - I don't have a clue what any of this means. Do I need to download something else to make my hard drive updater work?

Thanks.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jan 4, 2008 10:38 PM

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Q: Updater needs Updating???

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  • by David Blomstrom,

    David Blomstrom David Blomstrom Jan 4, 2008 10:43 PM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 4, 2008 10:43 PM in response to David Blomstrom
    P.S. I restarted my computer, and the QuickTime icon disappeared. However, I get the same error message from the .dmg icon as before.
  • by Yann Bizeul,

    Yann Bizeul Yann Bizeul Jan 5, 2008 12:46 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 4 (1,334 points)
    Jan 5, 2008 12:46 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Why don't you use Software Updater available from the Apple menu ?

    Where does your download come from ? You should take it from http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx1051update.html.

    You are talking about two files, but there is only one, named "MacOSXUpd10.5.1.dmg" of about 110M.

    What is this file opening with QuickTime, and what is its name ?
  • by David Blomstrom,

    David Blomstrom David Blomstrom Jan 5, 2008 2:30 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 5, 2008 2:30 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    I restarted my computer, and the QuickTime file disappeared. However, I got the same error message from the .dmg file.

    Then I saw a note suggesting an alternative "standalone" file. I downloaded it, too, but I also deleted the original .dmg and downloaded a new one. I downloaded one of these updaters from http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/macosx_updates/macosx1051update.html

    I can't even remember which one I installed, but the installation worked - though it didn't fix anything.

    Apple sure isn't making the upgrade process user friendly! I'm wondering if they may have a better, more complete patch in two or three months...
  • by Yann Bizeul,

    Yann Bizeul Yann Bizeul Jan 5, 2008 2:34 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 4 (1,334 points)
    Jan 5, 2008 2:34 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Well, I see nothing easiest that answer "Yes" when asked to install the new version, or going to the Apple menu and choose Software Update.

    Apple is not responsible of every problems on your computer, maybe you can tell us more about your problem ?
  • by David Blomstrom,

    David Blomstrom David Blomstrom Jan 5, 2008 2:53 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 5, 2008 2:53 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    You wrote, "Well, I see nothing easiest that answer "Yes" when asked to install the new version, or going to the Apple menu and choose Software Update."

    So you're saying the link you gave me is to a NEWER update version, not to the same version? If so, I'll download it and give it another try. (I wish Apple would let people know which updater is oldest or newest.)

    "Apple is not responsible of every problems on your computer..."

    When my computer virtually shuts down a couple days after I upgrade to Leopard, then I tend to hold Apple responsible.

    "...maybe you can tell us more about your problem?"

    Everything just freezes up. I can now open just one or two programs at a time, and the simplest operation often produces the little "I'm processing" pinwheel. I have to turn my computer on and off manually.

    I appear to have plenty of disk space, and ran Repair Disk on Utility Disk.

    As near as I can recall, everything was running smooth until I installed iLife and began playing with iPhoto. But things freeze up even when I don't turn on iPhoto. I also deleted all the images from iPhoto.
  • by Yann Bizeul,Helpful

    Yann Bizeul Yann Bizeul Jan 5, 2008 3:15 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 4 (1,334 points)
    Jan 5, 2008 3:15 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    So you're saying the link you gave me is to a NEWER update version, not to the same version? If so, I'll download it and give it another try. (I wish Apple would let people know which updater is oldest or newest.)


    No, 10.5.1 is the latest, but you don't even have to go on apple web site, your mac should notify automatically when an update is available, and install it.

    When my computer virtually shuts down a couple days after I upgrade to Leopard, then I tend to hold Apple responsible.

    Imagine you have a third party software installed that is not compatible with Leopard, would Apple be responsible ?

    Everything just freezes up. I can now open just one or two programs at a time, and the simplest operation often produces the little "I'm processing" pinwheel. I have to turn my computer on and off manually.


    Looks like a hardware issue here. Did you add RAM recently ? Did you have a diagnostic CD with your machine, if so, you can boot on it, and test the RAM.

    How did you install Leopard ? did you make an update or a clean install, or a Archive and Install ?
  • by David Blomstrom,

    David Blomstrom David Blomstrom Jan 5, 2008 3:26 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 5, 2008 3:26 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    You wrote, "No, 10.5.1 is the latest, but you don't even have to go on apple web site, your mac should notify automatically when an update is available, and install it."

    I've received no such notices.

    "Imagine you have a third party software installed that is not compatible with Leopard, would Apple be responsible?"

    If I thought a MacBook Pro would only work with Apple software, I wouldn't have bought it. I expect any computer to work with popular software like Firefox and Thunderbird.

    "Looks like a hardware issue here. Did you add RAM recently? Did you have a diagnostic CD with your machine, if so, you can boot on it, and test the RAM."

    I just ordered another GB of ram, but it will be a couple weeks before I receive it.

    "How did you install Leopard? did you make an update or a clean install, or a Archive and Install?"

    I couldn't install Leopard at all until I erased my hard drive.

    Thanks.
  • by Yann Bizeul,Helpful

    Yann Bizeul Yann Bizeul Jan 5, 2008 3:53 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 4 (1,334 points)
    Jan 5, 2008 3:53 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    I've received no such notices.

    It may happen, according to the configuration in System Preferences > Software Update
    I set mine to check daily

    If I thought a MacBook Pro would only work with Apple software, I wouldn't have bought it. I expect any computer to work with popular software like Firefox and Thunderbird.

    Well, things happen, and mistakes are done. Yes, it is unlikely that Firefox makes a computer completely crash, but a bug in it may block your session or have very bad effects on your machine.

    I just ordered another GB of ram, but it will be a couple weeks before I receive it.

    Anyways, it may be useful to test your RAM, see http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303605

    I couldn't install Leopard at all until I erased my hard drive.

    Ok so this is a fresh install, I see no reason why it would make your machine crash.
  • by David Blomstrom,

    David Blomstrom David Blomstrom Jan 5, 2008 7:49 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 5, 2008 7:49 AM in response to Yann Bizeul
    OK, I found a local Apple club that has a meeting later this morning. I'll take my computer there and see if anyone has an Apple Hardware Test disk. If not, I'll visit the Apple Store (I have an AppleCare extended warranty).

    Thanks.
  • by imac007,

    imac007 imac007 Jan 5, 2008 8:12 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 3 (845 points)
    Jan 5, 2008 8:12 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    The Apple Hardware Test is available on the boot DVD that comes with your Intel Mac.
    Insert Install Disk 1 and hold down on the letter "d" while restarting the computer.

    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306568

    Hold it down until the option to select the test appears.

    It sounds like you have upgraded Leopard over Tiger.
    This lays Leopard over Tiger and leaves most of the non-apple stuff installed in Tiger alone.
    (None of us can blame Apple for the non-Apple stuff we bring onto the computer - enough said)
    The Apple stuff is modified to update it to Leopard.
    Some of the permissions (ACL's) have changed and the transition to a Leopard doesn't always work the best.
    If you experience problems it would probably be best to boot to the Leopard install disk and choose Reset Password from the Utilities menu.
    You can reset any user account ACL's by selecting the account and choosing to reset.
    When I did it I couldn't tell if it was done.
    If the Done button is greyed out and you can select the Hard Drive icon and a user account and the reset option reappears at the bottom, it is probably safe to say the reset had finished.
    Your best option may be to do an archive and install preserving user and network settings but if you do then the next system would be bringing back in the user data so it makes sense to reset the ACL's before the files are brought back in.
    The reset only applies to the top level of the files/folders so you may need to choose the top level folders and from the File menu choose Get Info and from the Ownership are at the bottom to unlock the lock and Apply to enclosed items.
  • by Yann Bizeul,Solvedanswer

    Yann Bizeul Yann Bizeul Jan 5, 2008 10:13 AM in response to imac007
    Level 4 (1,334 points)
    Jan 5, 2008 10:13 AM in response to imac007
    I understood that he had to format to install Leopard. I assumed it was a fresh install

    confirmation required !
  • by David Blomstrom,

    David Blomstrom David Blomstrom Jan 5, 2008 2:33 PM in response to Yann Bizeul
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 5, 2008 2:33 PM in response to Yann Bizeul
    Wow, upgrading is too much work! I attended a local Mac group meeting, and their resident expert spent the entire morning troubleshooting my computer. It appears that there are several problems. First, he's convinced I don't have enough RAM. (I have 1 GB, though I recently ordered another GB.)

    Also, he discovered that Time Machine was causing problems. I have it set up to automatically back up my hard drive to an external hard drive - but if that external hard drive isn't connected to my computer, then Time Machine goes haywire. The solution is to simply turn Time Machine off.

    But my computer was still running very slowly, so we reinstalled Leopard, using the Archive and Install option. (I had originally installed it using the Erase and Install option.) He then downloaded a program called Onyx.

    The Disk Utilities' repair and verify operation revealed no problems, but Onyx said there's something wrong with my hard drive.

    So I guess I'm just going to play with it for a while and see how things work. When I receive my extra RAM in a couple weeks, that will hopefully improve my performance still more. If things are still acting up, I'll use my AppleCare warranty to request a hard drive check at the local Apple Store. If it is bad, I assume they'll give me a new hard drive, and I can copy the backup from my external hard drive to my computer.

    There's too much to learn for a simply OS upgrade...I feel like I've returned to Microsoft. But when things are working, my Mac is really slick.

    Thanks for all the tips. I'm saving them for future reference, as I probably have more troubleshooting ahead of me.
  • by Yann Bizeul,

    Yann Bizeul Yann Bizeul Jan 6, 2008 1:28 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 4 (1,334 points)
    Jan 6, 2008 1:28 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    First, he's convinced I don't have enough RAM. (I have 1 GB, though I recently ordered another GB.)

    It depends what you do, but most users are perfectly happy with 1GB

    Ok, you may be really out of luck then, but if you don't feel comfortable with your machine, do not hesitate to use your Apple Care.

    About the update, I installed Leopard recently getting back users and applications from a Cube G4, it was really straightforward. I heard many stories of quick 10.4 > 10.5 updates without troubles.

    But if you have hardware problems, it can become a nightmare, that is true that hard drive failure may make your machine very slow, spinning all the time.

    Good luck !
  • by Zorbov,

    Zorbov Zorbov Jan 6, 2008 9:48 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Level 4 (1,666 points)
    Jan 6, 2008 9:48 AM in response to David Blomstrom
    Hi David ..

    I wrote to you in another forum about this problem ... saying it could be bad ram ..
    You really should keep this in mind ... especially since you had freezes before upgrading to Leopard. That is very suspicious ....

    Consequences of Bad Ram

    "Bad RAM is very common. If most of your programs are crashing unexpectedly, or you are getting a lot of kernel panics, suspect bad RAM. Keep in mind that reinstalling the OS or any software while the bad RAM is in will result in a corrupt copy on your hard drive. So, after removing bad RAM, you will likely need to reinstall software. What commonly happens is that one day, the RAM stops functioning properly, but the computer keeps running. The user notices a few programs quitting here and there, but doesn't know what is causing it. At some point, a new upgrade to OS X comes out. The update is installed. Since every step of the upgrade goes through RAM, the upgrade corrupts a previously good file. At this point, the user posts a message on a forum,saying ...10.x.y hosed my machine! Beware!"

    Reference: Detrius - Mod at Macnn
    http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=42d14956462d04cec01b25ad9b4a1210&thread id=248286

    There is no 100% reliable software test for bad ram .... I would take it to your dealer ... swap out the ram for what you know for sure to be good ram ... Do another erase and install and see how it works

    1Gig of ram should be plenty and not be causing any problems ...