USB Ethernet Adapter not working after 10.5.6 update
After the first reboot, the computer was stuck on the grey screen with the little spinny icon in the middle of the screen. I waited for 15 minutes, then powered down the computer. To my relief, it seemed to be working just fine when I powered it up. However, the USB Ethernet adapter does not show a connection. System profiler confirms that the device is connected. Pulling up "network" in System Preferences takes a VERY long time -- lots of spinny beachball action -- but when it finally comes up, it insists that the USB Ethernet adapter is not connected to any network. This is the adapter I used to download the update, so I'm puzzled.
I've tried resetting my PRAM, and rebooted multiple times, but this problem seems to persist. Also, the fan is running almost constantly.
Oddly, I note now that "installdb" is consuming up to 43% of my CPU. Perhaps the update is somehow stuck? What would happen if I downloaded the update file and tried "re-updating" my computer, this time (hopefully) without the stuck grey screen?
BTW: I know that this device is technically "supposed to be" for the Macbook Air. However, it's been working well with my Powerbook (which has a broken Ethernet port) for the past several months. I'd be surprised if Apple specifically targeted this feature to eliminate.
Thanks for any illumination you can provide.
12" G4 PB 1.5GHz, Mac OS X (10.5.6), iPhone 8GB (original), 2.2