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Level 1

16 points

BLUE SCREEN freeze, fixing after Leopard install

I thought I would post this for Mac users who may be having startup problems after installing Leopard. Please note, I will not pass myself off as an expert, just a normal Joe trying to get my Mac going.

I used a combination of advice after reading the discussions myself for about an hour. My personal opinion is that there is a glitch in the install software that does not allow the computer to log in to the user correctly after the Leopard install. Here is my step by step fix for my problem.

•Start the affected computer up in Target Disc Mode via Firewire cable to a working Mac.

•Navigate into the affected Mac's drive after it appears on the host Mac's desktop and delete the following 2 files:

/Library/Preferences/com.apple/loginwindow.plist
/Users/username/Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist

I am going to guess that if you have more than one user, you will need to delete all the users loginwindow.plist

•Empty the trash can.

•Push and hold the power button on the affected Mac until it shuts down. After shutdown, unplug the firewire cable, then restart the affected Mac.

•Be patient. It takes a little time to start up.

•If this does not solve your problem, then go through the Target Disc Mode process again and delete these files if you can find them:

/Library/Preference Panes/Application Enhancer.prefpane
/Library/Frameworks/Application Enhancer.framework
/System/Library/SystemConfiguration/Application Enhancer.bundle
/Library/Preferences/com.unsanity.ape.plist

•Empty the trash can.

•Power down the affected Mac, disconnect the firewire cable, restart the Mac. Don't be surprised if it takes quite a while for the Mac to index the files after startup.

Good Luck.

•Please be sure to post your success or lack of success so others can benefit from the advice.

A WISH TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO CONTRIBUTES TO THE DISCUSSIONS. YOUR ADVICE IS INVALUABLE, AND AT TIMES HAS SAVED MY U KNOW WHAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. -JA

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0, Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on Oct 26, 2007 9:25 PM

79 replies

Oct 28, 2007 11:41 AM in response to Serendipity1

I an log in when starting up, but when, for example, trying to install software updates, it asks for an administrator name and password. When I enter the name of my home folder and the password (the same as when I log in initially), it refuses it.

Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

Oct 28, 2007 11:41 AM in response to Charles Hodges

Excuse me, I meant "can log in."

Oct 28, 2007 11:48 AM in response to Serendipity1

I had installed Leopard a few days ago, easily, and it ran just fine with MS OFFICE; then I downloaded and installed an Apple software update to "Logins and chains". BANG! Dead man, here. Blue screen, nothing on it...but an "OPTION boot" brought up Boot Camp and Windows which still worked OK.

Then, caught in the endless Install loop (as if I had just bought this machine), and after a 15 min hold at Apple Support, I got a smart, helpful lady who told me how to startup (hold the C key down for four ( 4! ) minutes with the new Leopard disc in the slot). We then ran a disk utility that confirmed the hard disc was OK and after that, we then reinstalled Leopard.

She suggested that I NOT download or run the “Chain and Login” update for a few more days while the login/chain files are rebuilt as I visit my auto-login sites. God knows, I have no idea which ones these are, other than my mail server logins, of course.. Her suggestion made some sense to me.

I do like Leopard, but that scared me. I have work to do.

Oct 28, 2007 11:59 AM in response to Charles Hodges

Hey all... don't erase the first two files mentioned in this post:

If you delete these files, you will have to create new users and accounts.
For login problems, run software update, as Apple has issued a fix for this.

For blue screen problems (or to avoid them), just delete the second set of files mentioned in this post.

Also here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1199891&stqc=true
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5671627#5671627
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306857

Serendipity1 Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 28, 2007 12:01 PM in response to Charles Hodges

I am just taking a shot in the dark here,....

In System Preferences, is your Account User Name listed identically the same as your home folder name in the Users folder on your hard drive. Most likely not...

Try entering in the Account User Name and password rather than the home folder name when doing the software update.

Ironic, isn't it, that there is a software update to fix the problem, but the problem keeps you from installing the update...

-J

Oct 28, 2007 12:04 PM in response to Serendipity1

I tried entering both the account name and the home folder name--no luck.

Serendipity1 Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 28, 2007 4:41 PM in response to Gone with the Wind

I totally agree with "Gone with the Wind"...

many times when we start these threads, we are reporting what we do or think is a possible solution for fixing problems. Many times, as time passes by, we are able to identify all of the problems more distinct and the distill the solutions to those problems a little more directly.

What fixes one persons problem doesn't always fix another persons problem on the onset. Basically, to get to the point, if I could edit the very first post at the top of this thread, I would recommend NOT deleting the first two files and deleting the last four as an initial attempt to fix the problem.

Many times in the support world, we modify our repair suggestions as we go along, basically refining the information as needed. I have not been able to find a way to edit the initial post, otherwise I would have done so already.

With that being stated, there has been two cases where we have had to delete the first two files, but we have found those two cases to be random and more rare than initially thought it would be. In all cases we have deleted the files, we have not lost the users accounts. We only lost the automatic login, which is easy to re-assign through system preferences. Basically, both units were up and running correctly in a matter of minutes.

I do appreciate everybody's input on these forums. I am absolutely amazed at the amount of knowledge and assistance generated by the forums. Kudos to everybody involved!

-James

ksn

Level 1

20 points

Oct 28, 2007 6:09 PM in response to Serendipity1

To try to avoid this problem, try removing application enhancer prior to upgrade to Leopard 10.5 using this suggestion from the people who released it:

http://www.unsanity.com/support.php?vf=15

or

http://unsanity.com/support.php?vf=43

Oct 28, 2007 6:11 PM in response to Charles Hodges

How can Apple drop the ball on something they have no control over?

They cannot control if you, as a user, install an application which hacks into the core operating system itself and modifies how it works. And they cannot control whether you install an upgraded version of the hack which actually checks to see if it's being run on an OS it doesn't support and thus doesn't load.

anakinx

Level 1

0 points

Oct 28, 2007 7:28 PM in response to Serendipity1

Hey Guys,
I'm only new to Mac, and my screen is frozen at that blue screen of death too.
However i don't have another mac that i can use to acess to put it into target mode. So what do i do then?

When i put the setup cd back in i can use the utilities i guess to access terminal. But am unsure what to to do or even if i can access data on the drive.

Thanks in advance for the help.

ksn

Level 1

20 points

Oct 28, 2007 8:05 PM in response to anakinx

Suggestions from Apple:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306857

Oct 29, 2007 6:09 AM in response to Gone with the Wind

That's if you have a second Mac at home to resolve the issue.
I have tried over 20 times all different ways, I have encountered problems at every turn...

I am waiting for my new DVD, see if that helps...

Oct 29, 2007 6:56 AM in response to Serendipity1

I had the same blue screen problem after updating my Mac Mini G4 to Leopard. The second 'Application Enhancer' fix sorted out the problem. Many thanks for the posting.

Rand

Level 2

290 points

Oct 30, 2007 1:59 AM in response to Serendipity1

I've had to re-set some preferences & re-install some drivers after installing Leopard & doing the file edits.

Several things act very different now & not in a "new" way, but more "buggy".

Keychain even after update is hit or miss

when I empty Trash, it empties, I rhink, but then the download/trash window stays open forever

some programs lag to close or stay open endlessly

Oct 30, 2007 7:41 PM in response to Serendipity1

Hey thanks this worked like a charm. Had to go to the second step. Also please be patient it will work.

BLUE SCREEN freeze, fixing after Leopard install