I have a MacBook Air late 2010, and before applying any Security Updates, I wait a few weeks to see if others report having problems. In this case it seems that some people have had problems. I decided I wanted the latest Security anyway, so eventually I did proceed with the update, which did work for me. However with an older computer, with older hardware, memory etc. there are additional precautions one can take: backup (I have two backups), check disk (Disk Utility First Aid, TechTool Pro, etc.), shut down, restart, then apply update. I am still using a 2010 MacBook Air and a 2008 iMac and both have had all available updates applied.
When you have two good backups (I always have at least one "bootable clone" plus at least one Time Machine disk), you are always safe. The following procedure, which is like a "nuclear option," is always available to "get past" a Security Update that hangs your Mac:
- Boot into CMD-R recovery. Erase and format your internal disk.
- Upon startup with the vanilla fresh OS on the disk, create one administrative user called ADMIN or something generic that did not exist on your previous system.
- With that user, install no software beyond that which comes with the OS, but do apply all available Apple updates, including the one that hung your Mac.
- Then use the Migration utility to migrate from your backup only user accounts and documents. Reinstall all third party software manually, reinstalling only the latest versions, and only what you need.
I had to do this ONCE in the ten years I have had my 2010 MacBook Air. It took about 3 hours, which is less than some folks have had to spend on this issue.
