Just doing my first search for this error. My system became very unstable with random application freezes and inability to shut down etc. Did a wipe and clean install, sync'ed with Dot Mac problem came back, so that is probably in the prefs. Repeated wipe and clean install & update and have not restored anything and have started adding app's back one at a time. It has started to have app's freezing at random again, so I have kept the console open looking at every error for some idea of the overall problem. I have at least 6 more errors in the console other than this one to track down. I have to wonder if this one is caused by deleting in sharing setup the "unknown user" what appears when you turn on remote management. I haven't looked up the reason for that unknown user appearing yet. So did you by any chance delete unknown user?
I am thinking that my original OSX install did become unstable about the time of the 10.6.6 update. I just had a cluster of problems fall on me at once. I put a lot of it off to the fact that I been app crazy for the first 6 months trying out programs that I couldn't run on my old G4. Even with AppCleaner or such you get a lot of "plaque" built up in the arteries so it was due a fresh start.
I have been very careful with this #3 install and I'm not seeing any applications freezing yet but there are plenty other weird things to research.
One element of this current troubleshooting fest was created back a week or two by sudden I/O errors popping up in the console. I thought I had a dying WD 1TB MyBook and did the old panic run and bought a USB 3.0 2TB Seagate FA GoFlex Desk Media.
That is a whole different thread about them dropping off the desktop and causing a "Device Not Removed..." Alert. I thought that was fixed until 5 minutes ago they just took a little break.
I need to look around and see if anyone has a thread that is a compilation of errors like this ALF error and the others I'm seeing like:
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/System/Library/CoreServices/CCacheServer.app/Contents/MacOS/CCacheServer[203] No valid tickets, timing out
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diskarbitrationd[13] unable to probe /dev/disk6 (status code 0x00000001).
kernel SAM Multimedia: READ or WRITE failed, SENSE_KEY = 0x00, ASC = 0x00, ASCQ = 0x00
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Just two as an examples of what I mean about the number of events. That last one sounds like a drive failing but there is no disk6!!
It would be nice if a Apple System Engineer was to wander in here. I have seen it happen once in a while, but this is generally for us to figure it out.
I always loved the troubleshooting guides that went to a certain point and then told you to contact your System Administrator. Does a lot of good when it telling you to go talk to yourself! Actually that did work a few times 🙂
One thing I did learn on this last install is that the ALF error starts up early. I've been documenting every install by noting what was installed and then copying the console All Messages into Text Wrangler. I noted that the ALF error started right after the Combined update and before the next update group of iWeb & Safari 5..03, so it's one of those things that will probably go away with 10.6.7
I really feel like I'm treading in a mine field with this update!
Yes, it is I think important to make sure that the reports that are generated by a application freezing be sent in to Apple, I more often hit the ignore but with all thats crashing I figure they need all the data they can get to get the next release ready fast.
I had this system lockup problem last year and was engaged with Apple support via my paid for support contract from February until sometime in May. It was never resolved no matter what tricks they had me do. They actually got me interested when they provided me tools for data capture following an incident but I never got any feedback that offered even an approximation of what the problem might be about.
Lots of try this and try that stuff but no resolution. I provided tons of observations and other information but they didn't really seem interested. Cnsol messages often, though not always, contain some graphics display issues.
I finally got fed up and reinstalled Leopard and no problems until last week when I thought I would try to upgrade to Snow Leopard again after identifying Google Earth as being an offending application. It's the one application I use to have that would lock up both Leopard and Snow Leopard.
I've now had 4 lockups in the last 5 days, called Apple support, and once again we are doing the try this and try that and take it in for hardware analysis.
It most often seems a consequence of time system is up combined with the demands and complexity of the applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, mail, some browser tabs, iTunes playing music and so on. My last 2 lockups came after the system had been sitting asleep for about 8 hours and I just tried to wake it up and do some work.
On other gear I have worked on these things have been memory leak kinds of problems but who knows with this spooky stuff.
What I do know is that Leopard = no problem for months. Snow Leopard = immediate return to system lockups after months of behaving well.
Why then, you might ask, would I possibly want to use Snow Leopard?
Because I paid for it, I paid for a service contract, and I paid for hardware that was advertised as supporting the evolution of software. Apple seems to think this is unreasonable of me or there is just not enough of us to get their attention.
I personally just want what I paid for and don't want to settle for less than what was advertised. I like this machine and just want it to work right. Last night had a new twist to the lockups. It started spinning the fan and hard drive faster and faster to the point I was concerned about system damage and forced it off.
So, I will take it to an Apple store and let them do a rigorous diagnostic. Who knows, maybe they'll find a hardware problem but considering the number of postings on this issue I doubt it. Since i live kind of remote and will need to drive and take a ferry it will cost me about $60 per round trip.
But I will play the game and if no resolution I will look to see if there is a way to push harder on Apple.
I really like the occasional remark from Apple support on much worse it would be if I had Windows. I never had problems like this with any Windows system I used for over 15 years.
I couldn't agree more. After going to the Apple store and having their genius tell me he has no idea why certain hardware has this flaw AND sending me out the store with a less than perfect mac left me with a less than perfect "APPLE" experience.
Anyway, what a drag. Also, this is a firewall problem and that makes it a bit more critical. Who wants a product that has this kind of flaw?
It is a 10.6.6 issue as 10.6.5 does not create the error.
What is frustrating even further is my wife's macbook running 10.6.6 doesn't have this error. So it's a combo of 10.6.6 and particular hardware.
A bit of that legendary support sure would be nice right about now...
