10.5.5 Update stuck - is it worth all the trouble ?

Question

Level 1

9 points

10.5.5 Update stuck - is it worth all the trouble ?

I have just downloaded the latest update ( 10.5.5 ) and then rebooted my iMac , next the software Update
box appeared on screen as usual, saying .. Installing 1 item , configuring Installation .
Then the Blue progress bar started to move to the right , went about 1/4 of an inch and stopped there, I left the iMac running for Two hours and the progress blue bar had not moved. I then turned off the iMac , re booted , re connected to the internet , clicked software up date, the 10.5.5 update was shown again, I then clicked to download this update, then the do you want to shutdown now notice appeared, so I shutdown again and the whole same process started again as before . So basically It seems that the update 10.5.5 has been downloaded onto my iMac, but gets stuck on the .. Installing 1 item - configuring Installation part.

I have gone through the Zap PRAM and Repair Permission , but that seems not to have resolved any thing
I did un plug any external USB items while the - Installing 1 item - configuring Installation part was in operation.

and Ive gone through the Apple web page ... Mac OS X 10.5: Troubleshooting installation, startup, and login issues , ..... but cannot see any thing that relates to my problem

I have had a long look through this forum for an answer , but no luck yet only,other people with different 10.5.5 update problems.

I only have a dial up internet connection which makes this large update a pain in the backside to do, so If I have to re install this 10.5.5 update again its going to drive me back to drink .

Other that that the iMac is running fine.

Should I have waited a bit longer before trying to update to 10.5.5 , it it really worth all the trouble ?

I am fairly new to Apple Mac's and I never thought that there would ever be a problem with a simple update
to my first ever Mac , a bit disappointing really .

so any help would be most appreciated which hopfully will re boost my confidence in the whole new Mac experience

Thanks

iMac 24 inch 2.8, Mac OS X (10.5.4), My First Ever Mac

Posted on Sep 22, 2008 6:04 AM

Reply

Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Sep 22, 2008 6:12 AM in response to redstain

The only time you should update is when a software you need only runs on that update.

The only time to update after that is if all the software you run is known to be compatible with that update, and so is the hardware.

If you can't meet those two conditions, don't update.

Backup your data before updating, because that's the only road to recovery.

See my FAQs*:

http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html

In case you need help recovering your situation.

- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Reply

Answer 2

redstain Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 22, 2008 6:37 AM in response to a brody

Thanks for the advice, as a newcomer I took the following Apple update recommendation below as gospel ..

The 10.5.5 Update is recommended for All users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability , compatibility and security of you Mac

Nothing from Apple about May be you should or should not Update , only .. recommended for All users running Mac OS X Leopard

So in the future I will certainly think Twice about Updating any thing , if the Updating results are going to be the same as I am experiencing right now, and as you say my be I can forget Apple's recommendations , if I don't need their Updates which does not meet the Two conditions you have pointed out.

I will have a look at your links and Hope I can find an answer ...

Many Thanks

Reply

Answer 3

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Sep 22, 2008 6:51 AM in response to redstain

In the update content page, it does have an "About Mac OS X 10.5.5" link, which goes to mention you should backup your data and other things:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2405

I've tried without success getting them to incorporate the contents of that link within their download window without having to go to the linked page.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html is a good way to submit feedback so Apple can know that the download text needs to be more clear and concise about what it means by "all."

Message was edited by: a brody

Reply

Answer 4

redstain Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 22, 2008 7:09 AM in response to a brody

Thanks for you advice , I'm just looking at your links

*Mac OS X data backup FAQ*

*Mac OS X updating FAQ*

very interesting and useful , some thing I am certainly going to keep on hand. I had no idea about the ...

*Steps for avoiding update failures*

And here's me just thinking don't worry its an Apple Mac , Just a quick click of the download this Update now
box, then just go and have a coffee and all's going to be well .

How wrong I was ...

Reply

Answer 5

redstain Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 22, 2008 7:14 AM in response to redstain

Ive just had this thought .. If I cannot resolve my current 10.5.5 Update problem,
would it be best as my iMac is running Ok, just to leave the 10.5.5 Update download alone for now, until the next update comes along and then try that update download, or am I missing some thing

Thanks

Reply

Answer 6

R C-R

Level 6

17,794 points

Sep 22, 2008 7:45 AM in response to a brody

Not to muddy the waters, but I do not agree with the statement, "The only time you should update is when a software you need only runs on that update."

As the description of the update says, you must also consider improvements in stability & most importantly security. While OS X is among the most secure of operating systems, security flaws are discovered from time to time, & to prevent the possibility of someone exploiting them, you should seriously consider keeping your OS version up-to-date. Updates also generally include miscellaneous fixes that often do improve stability of applications & the OS itself.

While the About the Mac OS X 10.5.5 Update article doesn't mention any new security updates that you could not get from the Apple security updates page, Apple does not always mention everything an update includes, so it is not a good idea to assume your security is assured unless you do apply the latest OS update. And of course, if any of the improvements mentioned in the "What's included?" section of the article are of interest to you, you will have to apply the update to get them.

Regarding the "stuck" installation itself, Apple recommends in the previously mentioned "About the Mac OS X 10.5.5 Update" article that you should download & run the stand alone Mac OS X 10.5.5 Combo Update if an interruption occurs during installation. This is worth doing even if everything seems OK after an interrupted installation: as Mac OS X: Troubleshooting installation and software updates explains, if the installation stops during the "optimization" step, performance may be affected.

I do not agree with everything 'a brody' says, but I heartily agree with his emphasis on the importance of having a backup. (Also note that Apple strongly recommends this precaution!)

Reply

Answer 7

redstain Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 22, 2008 8:20 AM in response to R C-R

Thanks for you comments R C -R , As a Mac learner all comments and advice are most welcome , Part of my current problem is the fact that when I downloaded the 10.5.5. Update I used my only Internat connection I have avaiable here , which is a slow dial up connection and the 321 mb took over a day to download , so its a very big pain in the backside having to download some thing as large like the current 10.5.5 Update, so am I right in thinking this ..

the current '' normal 10.5.5. download is 321 mb , and if I download it using the normal Apple software Update route , then once the download has started , should there be an interuption in the download, like my dial up connection being cut off, if I re - connect the internet and re start the Update download, it should then re start downloading from the last cut off point .

As far as I know when I downloaded this 10.5.5 Update my dial up connection was cut only once , and I re started the download once more , this ran until the download had finished,

So if I attempt to use the combo download I think I am going to have may be more possible dial up cut off's because the combo download Update size is 600 mb , which if thats correct will take several days to downlod and possibily experience more dial up cut off's along the way, so if I can use the combo option should this combo download be cut a few times , could I re start the download and it would then resume the download from the last cut of opint .. or am I missing some thing ?

I hope you can understand what I am getting at .. Thanks

Reply

Answer 8

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Sep 22, 2008 8:21 AM in response to R C-R

There are ways of securing any Mac OS X system that are not rocket science outlined in my update FAQ above.

And as long as you have software that is not known to run in an update, you always run the risk of no longer being able to access your data when updating your system because the software no longer runs and you can't afford an alternative. I'm for one not budging from 10.5.2 until I know all my software runs the same in 10.5.5.

While it is true if there are features in "what's included" that are improvements of interest, your best bet is to find out if you can get all your software to work together there first, by backing up your system before updating, so that if it doesn't work, you can return to your backup, and wait until they are known to work together.

Reply

Answer 9

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Sep 22, 2008 8:23 AM in response to redstain

Yes, I agree that's an issue about dialup. This is why you need to encourage your governments to speed the deployment of high speed internet. While it isn't everywhere in the U.S. either, you can usually find at least one store, or WiFi access point where you can bring your machine in to download updates to your computer that has high speed internet.

Reply

Answer 10

redstain Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 22, 2008 8:33 AM in response to a brody

Hi brody, where I live in a small rural Thai Village its far easier to find an elephant than a WiFi access point , I would have to travel a few days to a Town
to look for some thing.

Reply

Answer 11

R C-R

Level 6

17,794 points

Sep 22, 2008 8:45 AM in response to redstain

redstain wrote:
And here's me just thinking don't worry its an Apple Mac , Just a quick click of the download this Update now
box, then just go and have a coffee and all's going to be well .

How wrong I was ...

With no disrespect meant to 'a brody' you should remember that the information in his "FAQ's" represent his opinion only, & does not represent a consensus of the opinions of the majority of users. In fact, opinions vary extremely widely about the need to routinely follow all of the fourteen suggestions, especially the ones about turning off automatic updates & the need to repair permissions. (However, there is very little disagreement among seasoned users that backups are imperative, whether or not you ever update anything!)

Basically, I think it is fair to say that his philosophy is that it is better to perform every possible preventative step known or suspected to have caused a problem with installing an update before doing one than to wait until problems occur after doing one. While that is an approach many advocate, others say that these problems are so rarely encountered that the time & effort they require is not justified to mitigate the minimal risk involved in not performing them. In between, there are many users that feel that some of the suggestions are worth the effort while others are not.

So, it really boils down to your personal feelings about risk tolerance & the most effective use of your time, together with your trust (or lack of it) in Apple's & various users' recommendations. There is no one right answer for this, but do consider that as long as you maintain good backups, you cannot really make a wrong choice.

Happy computing!

Reply

Answer 12

R C-R

Level 6

17,794 points

Sep 22, 2008 9:06 AM in response to redstain

I am afraid I cannot answer your question about resuming an interrupted download where it cut off because I have not used a dial-up connection for a large download while running Tiger or Leopard on any of my Macs. Hopefully, some other user with more experience with this can give you a definitive answer.

I understand that in your situation, downloading the massive combo updater is a massive pain, but maybe you can obtain it by other methods. Perhaps you have a friend in another location with high speed access that could download the update, burn it to an optical disk, & mail it to you. Or maybe there is a Mac retailer or user group you could contact to do the same.

Reply

Answer 13

redstain Author

Level 1

9 points

Sep 22, 2008 9:13 AM in response to R C-R

Can some one please tell me if there's a way I can see if the 10.5.5 Update that took me over a day to download on to my iMac is actually there some where , where can I look , and if I can find the Update download , could I install it from that location ..Thanks

Reply

Answer 14

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Sep 22, 2008 9:14 AM in response to redstain

You can usually restart the download from the Downloads window of Safari, and even put it on pause halfway through if 600 MB is the limit of your download. I feel your pain. Dialup has at times been slower than waiting for weeds to grow.

Reply

Answer 15

Alexandre

Level 3

854 points

Sep 22, 2008 9:29 AM in response to redstain

Hiya,

firstly, a hello from London. 🙂
Now, with the update troubles: It may be that your imac is running low on memory or harddisk space, hence the long time to download the update/ failure to install.

There is a saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it"; and to some extent, this can also be applied to computing. If your imac is running fine, and the 10.5.5 causes so much trouble, then you could wait till 10.5.6 comes along.
Also, have you run "repair disk permissions" PRIOR to the update? (it is good practice to do so prior to ANY update).
And if you decide to download the update again, you could try the "standalone installer" ("combo") (that way, you DEFINITELY download the file as a disk image onto your harddrive and can launch it at your leisure (you do not need to be connected for that).
Saying that, it IS over 600mB !! http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx1055comboupdate.html
The very best of luck.

Reply