Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Authenticated/Authenticating/Authenticated/Authenticating

WPA2 Enterprise, Cisco wireless router. Used to work.

A few months back, no matter what I did, I could never get the Mac to connect without me manually entering the password. I don't know why, and didn't diagnose carefully.

Starting with 10.5.8, there does not exist any way to cause the Mac to connect successfully. The failure mode is fairly interesting. The status thing in Network Preferences alternates between "Authenticating" and "Authenticated (mumble mumble) 00:00:00". Several times a second. Forever.

There is no actual connection. No connection is formed. I am prompted for a password even though a perfectly good one is in the keychain. I have, among other things:

* Reinstalled from scratch. (But I copied in my home directory, and I think that contained the Poisoned Preference.)
* Tested on other machines. (They work fine, no problems.)
* Deleted possibly-relevant keychain items.
* Deleted every network setting.
* Really, no, deleted every last one of those files, completely, including the whole Keychain.

No matter what happens, I can't get this machine back into the state that every other Mac is in by default, where I can enter the configuration data for this network and the Mac can join the network. I have a Mini that works fine on this network, but I actually want my laptop working.

Any help, ANYTHING AT ALL, would be awfully useful. I have no attachment to any kind of stored network data, preferences, or settings, and if there were a command to run that would ABSOLUTELY ERADICATE every last trace that there has ever been any previous network configuration, so it'd be EXACTLY as though I had just opened a brand new Mac from the store, that would be SUPER AWESOME.

Because, basically, if I don't have any of my stuff on a machine, it's fine, but something in ~/Preferences seems to make it blow up, and I don't know what, where, or how.

I've lost a full 16+ hours to this now. All I want is to eradicate the settings so that it will act just like a freshly opened Mac, because I've tried repeatedly on such Macs, and it works perfectly without hassle with the same settings.

Possibly useful from system.log:

Aug 11 06:03:15 laptop-seebs-net airportd[961]: AirPort off, bailing - GetPower() = off (0)Aug 11 06:03:18 laptop-seebs-net kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Up on en1
Aug 11 06:03:18 laptop-seebs-net eapolclient[964]: SecKeychainFindGenericPassword failed, -25300Aug 11 06:03:18 laptop-seebs-net eapolclient[964]: en1: failed to retrieve password from keychain
Aug 11 06:03:18 laptop-seebs-net eapolclient[964]: en1 START
Aug 11 06:03:19 laptop-seebs-net System Preferences[599]: Error: Apple80211Scan() error 16
Aug 11 06:03:19 laptop-seebs-net airportd[961]: Error: failed to snag beacon
Aug 11 06:03:19 laptop-seebs-net System Preferences[599]: Error: __performScan() EBUSY, try again in a secAug 11 06:03:19 laptop-seebs-net eapolclient[964]: SecKeychainFindGenericPassword failed, -25300
Aug 11 06:03:19 laptop-seebs-net eapolclient[964]: en1: failed to retrieve password from keychain

Etcetera.

I have no idea why it would be failing to retrieve the password from the keychain. I've deleted everything, recreated everything, set unrestricted access, set restricted access -- in short, I've done the top thirty or so things that were previously recommended.

Mac, Mac OS X (10.5.8), I have a lot of them.

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 4:11 AM

Reply
3 replies

Aug 11, 2009 4:17 AM in response to appleidseebs

Clarification:

I think the big, central, mystery, is this:

No matter how much I delete settings, remove entries, and otherwise try to eradicate all trace of the previous configuration... When I select "WPA2 Enterprise", my previous user name shows up. That means that there is SOME configuration file or source, somewhere, which remembers something about this network. I need to remove that, I am pretty sure, because that seems closely tied to the inability to connect to it.

Aug 12, 2009 10:52 AM in response to appleidseebs

Answer:

This was all a red herring. 10.5.8 broke it. The instructions to revert to the 10.5.7 version of IO80211Family.kext work. The new patch Apple just released does NOT work -- it won't even apply on my MacBook. It is not the "bad performance on battery" problem (indeed, it shows up on my Mini too with 10.5.8, in addition to being on my laptop when it's plugged in).

Aug 12, 2009 11:12 AM in response to appleidseebs

Instead of fiddling about trying to update a faulty system, do an archive and install back to 10.5.7, then follow these guidelines:

There are no guarantees, but following this procedure when installing updates and upgrades on your Mac, or even re-installing them, will go a long way towards avoiding unpleasant after effects and ‘post-update stress disorder’.

It is also worth noting that it is an extreme rarity for updates to cause upsets to your system, as they have all been extensively beta-tested, but they may well reveal pre-existing ones, particularly those of which you may have been unaware. If you are actually aware of any glitches, make sure they are fixed before proceeding further.

So before you do anything else:

If you can, make a full backup first to an external hard disk. Ideally you should always have a bootable clone of your system that enables you to revert to the previous pre-update state.

Turn off sleep mode for both screen and hard disk.

Disconnect all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.

1. Repair Permissions (in Disk Utility)

2. Verify the state of your hard disk using Disk Utility. If any faults are reported, restart from your install disk (holding down the C key), go to Disk Utility, and repair your startup disk. Restart again to get back to your startup disk.

At least you can now be reasonably certain that your system does not contain any obvious faults that might cause an update/upgrade to fail.

3. Download the correct version of the COMBO update from the Apple download site.

The Combo updater of Leopard 10.5.8 can be found here:

http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacOS_X_10_5_8_ComboUpdate

If you prefer to download updates via Software Update in the Apple menu (which would ensure that the correct version for your Mac was being downloaded), it is not recommended to allow SU to install major (or even minor) updates automatically. Set Software Update to just download the updater without immediately installing it. There is always the possibility that the combined download and install (which can be a lengthy process) might be interrupted by a power outage or your cat walking across the keyboard, and an interrupted install will almost certainly cause havoc. Once it is downloaded, you can install at a time that suits you. You should make a backup copy of the updater on a CD in case you ever need a reinstall.

Full details about the 10.5.8 update here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3606

More information on using Software Updater here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24901?viewlocale=en_US

Using the Combo updater ensures that all system files changed since the original 10.4.0 are included, and any that may have been missed out or subsequently damaged will be repaired. The Delta updater, although a temptingly smaller download, only takes you from the previous version to the new one, i.e. for example from 10.5.7 to 10.5.8. Software Update will generally download the Delta updater only. The preferable Combo updater needs to be downloaded from Apple's download site.

Now proceed as follows:

4. Close all applications.

5. Unplug all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.

6. Install the update/upgrade. Do not under any circumstances interrupt this procedure. Do not do anything else on your computer while it is installing. Be patient.

7. When it ask for a restart to complete the installation, click restart. This can take longer than normal, there are probably thousands of files to overwrite and place in the correct location. Do nothing while this is going on.

8. Once your Mac is awake, repair permissions again, and you should be good to go!

If your Mac seems slightly sluggish or ‘different’, perform a second restart. It can’t hurt and is sometimes efficacious!

9. Open a few of your most used applications and check that all is OK. In this connection please remember that not all manufacturers of third party applications and plug-ins, add-ons, haxies etc, will have had time to do any necessary rewrites to their software to make them compliant with the latest version of your operating system. Give them a weeks or two while you regularly check their websites for updates. This applies particularly to plug-ins for Safari 3.

N.B. Do not attempt to install two different updates at the same time as each may have different routines and requirements. Follow the above recommendations for each update in turn.

Lastly, Apple's own article on the subject of Software Update may also be useful reading:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106695

If you are updating Safari (or just have):

Input Managers from third parties can do as much harm as good. They use a security loophole to reach right into your applications' code and change that code as the application starts up. If you have installed an OS update and Safari is crashing, the very first thing to do is clear out your InputManagers folders (both in your own Library and in the top-level /Library), log out and log back in, and try again.
So, disable all third party add-ons before updating Safari, as they may not have been updated yet for the new version. Add them back one by one. If something goes awry, remove it again and check on the software manufacturer's website for news of an update to match your version of Safari.

Most errors reported here after an update are due to an unrepaired or undetected inherent fault in the system, and/or a third party add-on.

Additional tips on software installation here:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106692

To reiterate, Input Managers reach right into an application and alter its code. This puts the behavior of the affected application outside the control and responsibility of its developers: a recipe for problems. That's not to say that issues absolutely will ensue as a result of Input Managers, but you, as a user, must decide. If the functionality of a specific Input Manager or set thereof is really important to you, you may well choose to assume the associated risk.

Again, the advice is to remove all Input Managers from the following directories:
• /Library/InputManagers
• ~/Library/InputManagers

especially prior to system updates (they can always be added back one-by-one later).

Authenticated/Authenticating/Authenticated/Authenticating

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.