security update 2024 Catalina 10.15.7 hangs after install

On laptops, the SD slot is much slower than it is on Apple desktops. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204384

That article indicates that the SD slot transfers on Apple laptops at USB 2 speed (theoretically 480 Mb/s, in practice, much slower). So waiting for an hour and a half might not have been long enough, as some security updates can take 30-60 minutes even with an internal high speed SSD, and you're trying it on the equivalent of a USB 2 external device. Which could take x2, x3, x5 or even x10 times longer, easily. Also, SDHC cards often use inexpensive flash memory which can perform very slowly under certain circumstances. So I suspect you interrupted the normal security update process with a force power down and that might have left your system in an unstable state.

I bricked my iMac (latest 4K version) yesterday, with this installer...

• it is COMPLETELY dead now.

Apple, for SURE made some SERIOUS weird stuff in this update. As far as I am concerned... plenty of people have the same issue.

Strangest thing is that many have problem with BigSur... but I made the Security Update for Catalina! - seems like they messed up both.

I will take my iMac to repair on Monday... -but I fear the worst. (Since I opened it to replace the RAM, I really think that I will be sent home again... with no "warranty" repairs. 1.700 € thrown out of the window. (Purchased 1 month ago).

<irony>

Thanks Apple.

You are doing great.

</irony>

I spend the last 1 1/2 days to resuscitate my late 2013 iMac. Installed the Catalina security update 2020-001, and it ended in the situation, that I couldn't boot anymore from my external SSD. Tried everything, finally it seemed to work like this:

1. Deleted the System Volume on one Crucial X8 2TB SSD
2. Unplugged all other USB Disks and equipment (total 2 Crucial X8 SSD Drives, one WD MyPassport 6tB (for TM Backup) and one GForce 6B HD, a Yamaha Audio Mixer, Korg Midi Controller and Nektar Masterkeyboard). So only left one SSD, one the first USB right beside the thunderbolts.
3. Restarted first doing some NCRAM Reset.
4. Installed by a downloaded Catalina Installer
5. After installation finished, and when asked for Setting up a user, I connected the WD and restored it from the Time Machine Backup
6. All fine so far.When I was back to the finder finally, I connected the other drives, everything seemed quite like before.
7. Later I wanted to make some music, and -baaaaah- here the **** goes on: Part of my Orchester libraries, which is on the second SSD loaded like a floppy-disk back in 85.
8. Checked the Speed witch Blackmagic Disctool: 10-15 MB (had around 420 read before the whole story.

Checked out the 7200 GForce, which is usually around some 200-240 MB: Same 15 MB/s read

Result: This is unusable for me to do anything. And it is definitely this bloody update, which ruined nearly two days (btw force me to stay in tonite on New Years eve, cause it had to be fixed for some work)

I'm working on Mac since early 90ies, and this reminds me of the worst time on Mac OS 9.x till 9.5.x, which was one subrelease and fix after the other, always making anything worse, before finally OS X was released. Is it the same now, from all the X (10) to Big Sur (11)?

I'm f** angry, most about that many people suffering this prob, and there's still no statement or fix from Apple. In my case, if there won't be any workaround within the next days, I'm likely forced to buy a new Mac, cause next week I'll have some productions. Whom may I charge for my lost money?

It can't be that some innocent looking security updates are blasting off your whole working system.We're not using a Mac for some Facebook crap, guys, you should know tis. Why is something like this released without decent testing? If I were the only one, or had really weird setup, ok, but nope. And anyway lots of other users are just using one external drive, and suffering the same ****. Fair enough, I had enough space to shuffle around the data, and backup manually important stuff double. ...

Statement, Apple, please! And a fix. Thanks and aaah, apart from all anger: Happy new year to all here ;-)

Phil

My Update #2021-001 ;-)

Although I was expecting this from other user's experience, I gave it a try on my own and shut down everything, leaving all drives connected. Again booting from internal, so I got prepared for another long day :-(

Before coming to my fixes, I'd like to make it easier readable, and give the ext disks some nicknames now. Overall setting is:

iMac 27 late 2013 / 3,2 Quad Core / 32 GB Ram

External storage:

A) SSD 1: Crucial SSD X8 2TB (1st of two SSDs, my desired Catalina startup disk, serving system, programs, user account folder and on another volume instrument libraries).

B) SSD 2: Crucial SSD X8 2TB (2nd of two SSDs, used for all kinds of my graphical and media work, so video, graphics etc and hosting the other big part of of instrument libraries for my second work life, music)

C) HD 1 GDrive 6B HD, 7200rpm, used for project archive and third part of instrument libraries, that are not that often used and somehow smaller libraries no taking ages to swap to memory

D) HD 2: Seagate Backup 6TB, 5400rpm (I mentioned WD myPassport above, this wasn't correct): Used only as Time Machine Volume

E) HD 3: WD MyPassport 2TB, little helper, just used for tmp backups and misc stuff like drive of re-needed downloads etc, or mobile data transfer

The usual ports and speeds are (before the Security Update)

SSD 1: USB port 4 (counting from left to right, so beside the two thunderbolts), appr. around 440 MB/s

SSD 2: USB port 3, appr. around 440 MB/s

HD 1: USB port 2, appr. around 240 MB/s

On USB port 1 there's a 4x USB 3.2 Hub (I know, that this will share bus speed between connected devices, but no prob in my settings). So HD 2 and HD3 are on this hub. Additionally there's some midi stuff on this hub, nothing of high transfer rates,

So what worked, at least somehow - Here's my latest workaround:

1. Disconnected again all drives apart from SSD 1
2. SMC Reset (unplugged iMac 20 sec, and waited 5 seconds)
3. NVRAM Reset
4. Result: showing up login as I'm used from internal HD boot. So I didn't login, an restarted instead, pressing ALT
5. Could select finally SSD 1, and successfully booted from this
6. When arrived in finder, I re-connected all other drives and the HUB.

SSD 1 & SSD 2 have the nearly the usual speed again, with a little drop (440MB/s before to 420 now).

HD 1: Dramatic drop from 240 to 130

HD 2: not measurable, as it's Time Machine and read only. I'll update this on the feeling while making the next backup.Only experience: Restoring from TimeMachine took ages yesterday, reporting transfer speed of 10-20 MB/s (!!). Anyway, not sure if these transfer rates reports by TimeMachine restoring are reliable. But,yes, it took long. Toooo long...

HD 3: seems to be as before, around some 30 MBs (as said, for this little friend I could deal with this for a while, anyway I remember it has some 60-80 before, but not sure)

Conclusion: The Security Update really seems to have changed something in the whole USB Bus (which should be clearly declared, as it's not only software update, but somehow affecting vulnerably sensitive hardware setups and environments. This is more like doing a firmware update, a process that – guess everyone will agree – you think at least twice before firing the missile)

My temporary fix for now will be: No shutdowns, only sleep mode (Sorry Greta, I like trees too, but...)

Any comments welcome, and again: Apple, please fix and don't get back to late 90's Mac OS 9.5.X crap

"Happy" new year ;-)

You seem to have a lot of misdirected anger. I suggest you redirect it somewhere else if you want anyone in these forums to help you.

Since your computer won't boot from a clean install on the SD card (what is an SDHD, that is a term I have not heard of before, is this an SDHC or SDXC or some other type of card), given that millions have successfully booted from this OS, it seems likely that the SD card (which uses low quality flash memory) could be damaged.

Nope, to be honest, although working on Mac all my life, never knew this one. But by the way, something interesting yesterday: Suddenly a modal popped up, informing me that some firmware has been changed, and if I want to send this information to Apple (the usual stuff like when something crashed) But interesting was one hand the type of the window (did look slightly different than usual, I forget to make a screenshot, blame on me,..). And second, this happened "long" time after I made my system working again (so the next day...). And I haven't done anything then on the system...

Has anyone tried.......Option-Shift-Command-Period at the Startup Manager window to load Option ROM firmware from any currently-attached hard drive enclosures.