MBA mid 2011 2.9 Firmware update just killed by Air

I am experiencing the wifi issue from sleep, everytime the computer wakes, I have to re-point it to my known WiFi networks after applying EFI update. *sigh* I hope they fix this quickly as I really was hoping to install the 10.10 beta today, which I will now be re-thinking until this is resolved.

Exactly the same experience as all you guys.

Tried to update, got a black screen then a restart, saw that the update was still available.

Then my laptop starts not being able to connect to WiFi after sleep.

shutdown my laptop (power off) and start up again and it seems no worse for the wear.

MBA 2011, 11", 64 GB

Boot ROM Version: MBA41.0077.B0F

SMC Version (system): 1.74f4

Hmm, my 11 inch MBA, after trying to install the recent toxic update, has escaped with no apparent ill affects. However, I do have a sinking feeling something may yet emerge. Above all, the one hour unresponsiveness of my MBA has severely shaken my faith in Apple's updates. I have long waited a few weeks before updating OS', and now intend to similarly wait with updates. Apple needs to do better!

That URL to a support page no longer exists - gets a 404 instead.

My Macbook Air doesn't have integrity issues described here in this thread but the WiFi connection has issues now never before seen. I can see my router but I have to manually select it from a list now to get a connection following a sleep episode (turns off WiFi). I suspect that the EFI firmware version 2.9 has an issue handling WiFi.

I have already mentioned the WiFi sleep issue before. One more issue I see is that when the MBA wakes up from sleep, it takes a solid 4-5 seconds before the time is updated. Until then the time of the previous sleep is seen. Does anyone else see this too? This is not always the case, but typically after extended sleep time (say overnight).

Needless to say, this has been one botched update from Apple - they need to put more resources in the QA before the release.

The firmware is implementing an aggressive approach to battery conservation. It drops wifi connections (put radio to sleep), the display updates are slower (date/time). There have been issues with IP allocation (on DHCP machines) where it takes a while for the interface to wake up and try to renew IP leases. I have also seen IPSec VPNs being dropped because the physical layer connection was severed.

Small, lighter devices put more pressure on battery management, due to lower charge capacities. Some tweaking is possible. For example, if the power adapter is connected, the IPSec VPN stays up.

Shorter QA cycles with aggressive time-to-market will always cause issues. /var/log/install.log can provide a historical list of software update frequency.

The Free 10.9.x updates are eventually very expensive for customers. 😟

This firmware completely corrupted the keyboard and trackpad (ORIGINAL MBA 2011 CORE DUO) so there is no input onscreen. Mouse moves, but cursor is not recognized by finder or programs rendering machine useless.

Worst firmware update in my 30 years of owning Apple products. And they are taking their sweet time fixing it.

As an early adopter I to rushed to manually update the EFI. 😝

I now have the Wi-Fi issue not automatically connecting to my network.

Also, my MBA now takes about 15-25 min to boot the OS!

It is like starting from an old 1,44", and old suppressed memories return.

I normally just let the MBA sleep and then it is somehow ok.

Is there no possibility to restore to the former EFI?

Hello Apple! You screwed my MBA, now it is time to un-screw.

Apple's tardiness over the difficulties experienced by many 11 inch Mac Air users is also sly and not up front. No acknowledgement, comment, nothing so far. Reminds me of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's book 1984!

Apple Customer Care walked me through this:

1) Finder > Go (Option Key) > Library

2) Go to: Application Support > App Store

3) Delete updatejournal.plist

4) Reboot

5) Open App Store

The above steps removed the history "Updates Installed in the Last 30 Days" (showing now only "MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update"). However, it stopped App Store from thinking I still had another update available ("MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update").

Not sure that will work for everyone, but I wanted to share in case it helped.

Note: I do not have an AppleCare support plan. I told support that I should not have to pay for support due to an issue with a Firmware update turning my laptop into a brick.

Same issues here after updating the 2.9 firmware. Very disappointed with Apple and now having all sorts of system freezing issues & connectivity issues that were not an issue with my system prior to the 2.9 firmware update.

Loner T, many thanks for keeping track of this thread and consistently providing invaluable information.

Does the power cycling procedure (Apple support article TS5457) results in completion of the EFI 2.9 Firmware update installation or just allows rebooting after a failed installation?

It should allow the firmware update completion. You should be able to verify it in the install.log file mentioned a couple pages earlier in this thread. If you still have issues, please update this thread, and we can try and assist based on your specific logs.

Thanks for your immediate response.

My MBA seems to be working OK after a failed installation x 2 (and received notification update was still needed until Apple removed the update). What would you recommend: Should I attempt the power up procedure to complete the installation of Firmware 2.9 or wait for another Apple Firmware update?

Everyone on this thread has been very helpful. I know I speak for many when I say that forums like these really do help solve problems. Thank you!

The underlying issues with noisy fan and coming back from sleep don't appear to have been fixed for my MBA. Hopefully they will come out with an additional update (2.9.x or whatever) that truly addresses the issues.

I do find it funny though, how Apple considers this -> MacBook Air (Mid 2011) shows a black screen after trying to install EFI Update 2.9 a "knowledgebase" article. How to power down and power up your machine? Wow. 😁