Airport not turning on!!!!!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!

I'm having this exact problem! It happened after I installed that Airport update that Apple pulled hours later. Damnit Apple you could at least provide a fix or something!!!

The problem is that the 'AirPortExtremeUpdate2008003.dmg' updated the AirPort card firmware to 'Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.38.9)' (might be different depending on which card you have) - as far as I know, this is irreversible and even a 10.5.x clean install will not fix.

1. Repair Permissions - /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app. Start Disk Utility, select your HD and click on Repair Permissions. When finished, quit Disk Utility and then restart your computer.
2. Copy the following System Preferences Files to your Desktop (HD/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration):
- com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
- com.apple.network.identification.plist
- NetworkInterfaces.plist
- preferences.plist
3. Delete the above preference files from HD/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration - you will require your administrator password. Shut down the computer.
4. Safe Mode Startup - hold down the Shift-key at startup until you see the login screen. When logged-in, then go to System Preferences/Network/AirPort - click on the 'Network Name:' roll-button, select 'Join Other Network...', enter 'Network Name and select the security type you are using, and finally, enter your Password and click 'Join'.
5. Click 'Apply', then exit System Preferences and shutdown.
6. Startup normally and check your AirPort preferences.

Your System Preferences will be rebuilt - if everything works OK then delete the preference files you copied to your Desktop.

Kevin Hiscox wrote:
The problem is that the 'AirPortExtremeUpdate2008003.dmg' updated the AirPort card firmware to 'Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.38.9)' (might be different depending on which card you have)

How did you diagnose that it is just the firmware which is the problem?
It may also be an incompatibility between the Kernel module and the firmware.
Unfortunately (fortunately may say some others) I haven't been fast enough
to grab a version of this problematic AirPortExtremeUpdate2008003.

- as far as I know, this is irreversible and even a 10.5.x clean install will not fix.

If your diagnosis is correct, then you are right. No system upgrade will do
a firmware downgrade, unless specifically designed in such a way.
A firmware is reversible as long as the last firmware update let the Kernel
communicate with the card. If this freedom still exists, then an upgrade (in fact
a downgrade) with the previous firmware version will fix this problem.
In the here discussed case, the previous firmware version is:
<pre>Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.46.11)</pre>
(If this freedom doesn't exist anymore, you may consider the card as deaf
as dead).

<pre>--------
don't look for my Macs models in my signature, this would be uggly... and irrelevant 🙂
--
dan</pre>

The proof is here: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8333820#8333820

The card is not dead. The procedure I mentioned above has worked with others with a so-called dead card.

Kevin Hiscox wrote:
The proof is here: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8333820#8333820

The card is not dead. The procedure I mentioned above has worked with others with a so-called dead card.

Then the firmware isn't the culprit :>.
The procedure you gave couldn't have initiated a firmware downgrade
but simply rebuilt clean network preferences.

You can check it pretty easily with:
<pre>Utilities/System Profiler
Contents
Network
AirPort Card
Wireless Card Firmware Version:
</pre>

And you most probably will notice that you still have the last version:
<pre>Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.10.38.9)</pre>
<pre>--------
don't look for my Macs models in my signature, this would be uggly... and irrelevant 🙂
--
dan</pre>

Then read my earlier email again - did I not say the firmware update was irreversible. The procedure I outlined rebuilds preferences.

Kevin Hiscox wrote:
\[...] The procedure I outlined rebuilds preferences.

If you didn't downgrade your firmware,
and the rebuilding of your preferences fixed your problem,
then the culprit isn't the firmware!
<pre>--------
don't look for my Macs models in my signature, this would be uggly... and irrelevant 🙂
--
dan</pre>

Could you confirm us your problem is completely fixed
and which version of firmware you have on your AirPort card?
You get it with:

<pre>Utilities/System Profiler
Contents
Network
AirPort Card
Wireless Card Firmware Version:
</pre>
<pre>--------
don't look for my Macs models in my signature, this would be uggly... and irrelevant 🙂
--
dan</pre>