Macbook Air MID 2011 Recurrent Issues Annoyances and Headaches

Question

Level 1

45 points

Macbook Air MID 2011 Recurrent Issues Annoyances and Headaches

Unfortunately I have been experiencing recurrent issues and annoyances in my new MBA 13-Inch MID 2011. This issues are spread along different forums and seems to remain to date unsolved. The "workarounds" are largely unsatisfactory if any. Here my list:

1.- Wifi/Wireless connection unreliable, unable to reconnect to preferred networks after sleep.

Workaround: Turn off bluetooth. Lion 10.7.3 announces a fix but doesn't.

2.- Lion doesn't sleep if left with lid open, the display sleeps but not the OS. It will, however, sleep closing the lid or clicking on Apple logo/Sleep.

Workaround: none, even under safe boot or clean Lion install the issue remains, what rules out software related problem (some mess in latest EFI update?)

3.- Bluetooth drivers under bootcamp fails to assign proper profiles for a pletora of devices specially audio bluetooth devices. Therefore under Windows7 bootcamp partition you will be able to use only HID devices with some luck.

Workaround: None or buy a USB dongle. For the MBA 2010 model was possible to sort this problem forcing installing the bluetooth drivers provided by Acer (Aspire 5470), unfortunately it does not work for the MBA 2011 either Broadcom latest drivers won't help.

As you may see those are big problems related to essential basic functionality. It is astonishing the lack of response/acknowledgment of Apple about this issues.

PS: If you are experiencing any/all this issues please post it birefely here, if you have a fix/workaround even better 🙂

MacBook Air, 13-INCH MID 2011

Posted on Feb 12, 2012 1:17 AM

Reply

Answer 1

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Feb 12, 2012 6:41 AM in response to Marcelo NS

1) reacquiring WiFi as been a problem for us all through Lion - each update has included fixes which seem to resolve the problem for some users but not all. It is doubtful your problem is endemic with the 2011 MBA - the howling here would be much louder than it is, for one thing. Also since Apple standardizes on components across its product line it would be unlikely to have a problem with on model and not others. One part of diagnosing your problem would be to turn off encryption on your basestation and see if that helps. Also make sure your station has up to date firmware.

2) Something is stopping sleep and the first step is to determine what. In System Preferences set the sleep time to minimum and open the Console program. Leave the computer alone and wait for one long minute. The computer will try to sleep and fail. Wait a little longer and then look in the Console window. Each message has a time so look for time stamps and will be in order by time. Look for a message that indicates the computer was told to sleep and then look at the message(s) after that one. You should see a message that indicates sleep was canceled. What process did that?

3) no experience with this problem

Reply

Answer 2

Marcelo NS Author

Level 1

45 points

Feb 12, 2012 7:07 AM in response to dwb

Thanks for your replay

1.- What you mean with base station?. I work with my MBA and 5 different routers 1 at home and other 4 at different offices in my job. The issue only shows with my MBA and not with my Android phone, dell XPS or Sony WAIO.

I followed all the fixes in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2654585?start=30&tstart=0

Only tunring bluetooth off wokrs, sadly I need bluetooth.

2.- I followed your steps i left the computer at 11:45 hs with the lid open overnight. This shows my console. I cant see any msg about sleep 😕

11/02/2012 11:31:43.122 PM com.apple.mdworker.isolation.0: Incorrect start/end range ordering; fixing.

12/02/2012 12:43:03.657 AM SubmitDiagInfo: Cleaning up expired diagnostic messages database at path: /var/log/DiagnosticMessages/2012.01.13.asl

12/02/2012 12:43:03.668 AM SubmitDiagInfo: Cleaning up expired diagnostic messages database at path: /var/log/DiagnosticMessages/2012.01.12.asl

12/02/2012 12:43:03.675 AM SubmitDiagInfo: Cleaning up expired diagnostic messages database at path: /var/log/DiagnosticMessages/2012.01.11.asl

12/02/2012 12:43:03.681 AM SubmitDiagInfo: Cleaning up expired diagnostic messages database at path: /var/log/DiagnosticMessages/2012.01.10.asl

12/02/2012 12:46:01.137 AM mdworker32: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.

12/02/2012 2:38:21.815 AM helpd: Could not find access page in directory /Applications/Switch.app/Contents/Resources/help

12/02/2012 2:38:21.838 AM helpd: Could not find access page in directory /Applications/Switch.app/Contents/Resources/help

12/02/2012 8:27:39.083 AM mDNSResponder: 72: Could not write data to client because of error - aborting connection

Thanks in advance for your replay

Reply

Answer 3

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Feb 12, 2012 7:47 AM in response to Marcelo NS

1) a base station is another name for a wireless router. If your MBA cannot connect at any location the problem is with the MBA, software, or configuration on the MBA. If the problem is with only some location(s) the problem could be with that router. And if the problem is at all locations contact AppleCare - it is possible your computer has a defect.

2) I followed my own instructions - set the computer to sleep after 1 minute and then waited. About 90 seconds later I touched the spacebar and looked in the console - found this as the last message:

2/12/12 10:08:09.000 AM kernel: Previous Sleep Cause: 5

The sleep cause:5 probably means the computer went to sleep after idle time expired.

Since your log doesn't show any sleep message, assuming enough idle time elapsed, your energy settings may be corrupt. (Note that the energy saver control panel has settings for both battery and powered states - did you set the correct one?) If you are confident you did follow the instructions then possibly the energy settings plist is correct. It is called com.apple.PowerManagement.plist and its full path is:

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.PowerManagement.plist

Quit the System Preferences application, delete the plist and empty your trash, then open the Energy control panel and reset it as you like.

Reply

Answer 4

Marcelo NS Author

Level 1

45 points

Feb 12, 2012 8:25 AM in response to dwb

1) Contacted them allready. Here in Europe (NL) the service is patetic one of the worst I have dealed with. Since they cannot reproduce the issue at the store they assume that my MBA is ok. The only consolation is that many other ppl is experience the same issue. The MBA connects fine to the internet howvere after sleep doesnt automatically reconect and ask me to select a network, then connects. Off note: The issue doesnt appear in Windows 7 Bootcamp partition (Same MBA) only booting in Lion. I asume then a Software issue.

2) Thanks the PowerManagment thing did the trick by now:

12/02/2012 5:13:24.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:298 powerStateDidChangeTo: flags=4 stateNumber=2

12/02/2012 5:13:24.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:303 powerStateDidChangeTo: found flag=kIOPMSleepCapability (4)

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: Wake reason: EHC2

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:298 powerStateWillChangeTo: flags=82 stateNumber=3

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:299 powerStateWillChangeTo: found flag=kIOPMPowerOn (2)

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:304 powerStateWillChangeTo: found flag=kIOPMRestartCapability (80)

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:298 powerStateDidChangeTo: flags=82 stateNumber=3

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:299 powerStateDidChangeTo: found flag=kIOPMPowerOn (2)

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: /drv/ MacModule.cpp:304 powerStateDidChangeTo: found flag=kIOPMRestartCapability (80)

12/02/2012 5:15:21.000 PM kernel: Previous Sleep Cause: 5

Is my first MAC, form the advertises I havent expected too many tricks and advanced computing in order to be able to work with 🙂. Thanks again

Reply

Answer 5

Marcelo NS Author

Level 1

45 points

Feb 13, 2012 12:38 PM in response to dwb

Issue is back. It doesnt sleep anymore. 😕

This Lion OS X is a real pain, I mean is giving me more effort to get it working than anyother operating system I have dealed with in many years (may be initial releases of Vista?).

Anyway for issue 2 there is a workaround that doesnt requiere messing with console deleting preferences files, etc. this little app does the trick:

http://www.dragonone.com/products/macosx/pleasesleep/

An OS that requires a "pleese sleep" application for acomplish a basic OS task sounds kind a patetic...

Reply