time machine two backup progress panes

Hi Lex

OWC responded quickly. Here is their reply ...

"Thank you for contacting OWC customer support.

It is the 17" Macbook Pro2,1 (not 1,2) model that can utilize up to 3GB of ram. If you have the 2,1 you can install 1GB+2GB and it will function perfectly fine, it does not require a matched pair. However a matched set, 2x2GB, is slightly more efficient than unmatched ram. This means you may see a difference install a 2x2GB pair versus 1GB+3GB even though your machine is only using 3GB of ram total.

If you have the 17" model Macbook Pro1,2 as you listed then the maximum really is 2GB (2x1GB) so that model cannot go to 3GB of ram. Please double check the model info once more just to confirm. These models are very similar and are easy to confuse with each other."

I think the RAM issue can now be closed. I will commence looking at your suggestions wrt software to delete. I have been reading Linc Davis's suggestions too. You both share the same views on this issue.

Regards Phil

Dear Members

I have placed a brand new copy of Snow Leopard (10.6.3 ->10.6.8) on a 128GB USB memory stick, effectively a clean Installation with all the software updates and the Combo Update applied. I have also included some of my favourite diagnostic tools on the memory stick. On the rare occasion I have seen the Sad Mac icon, inserting and restarting from my 'Emergency Boot' memory stick has gotten me out of trouble more than once. This is my fallback procedure should the Clean Install of Snow Leopard onto my MacBook Pro SSD go wrong. I have made, and will continue to make, multiple backups of all my data, daily, right up to the moment I perform the Clean Install.

I have worked through the list of 'dangerous applications' provided by Lex Schilling and prioritised their removal. I want to see if their removal, one by one, makes any appreciable improvement in the performance of my MBP, i.e., stops the random freezes. If there is a rogue application amongst my collection I would still like to identify it for future reference. Knowing what it is, means I can avoid it next time.

I also performed one additional step suggested by Lex, I re-applied the Combo update to my MBP to see if it would make any difference. It did no harm to my memory stick copy of Snow Leopard so I took a chance it would do no harm to my MBP operating system. It might even improve matters.

I started the trimming process by taking a closer look at my Safari extensions, I have 5, and I disabled them one at a time until they were all disabled (not uninstalled). Often the random freezes would occur when I am using a browser, Safari (v5.0.5) being my favourite, and I wondered if the freezes were associated with a rogue extension.

By pure chance I needed to download some application updates today and Safari is my tool of choice. What happened next was unexpected. I often use a download manager and I have 2: iGetter 2.9.2 and Folx 2 Pro, but both were disabled, or so I thought. As I started to download my first update, iGetter suddenly launched! But this cannot be because I had disabled it and then relaunched Safari. I verified iGetter was disabled but it launched again when I initiated a second download. Curious! I decided to uninstall iGetter and deleted it from my MBP. It was gone, wasn't it? I attempted another download but once again iGetter popped up on my screen, although it was obviously malfunctioning this time. I deduced that 'something' associated with iGetter remained, even after uninstallation. After searching the Web I found reference to specific iGetter files that are not removed by the uninstallation process so I removed them manually. These files are to be found in the User Library. I attempted a further download and iGetter did not appear again.

I felt this was a significant discovery so I have embarked upon a lengthy test by making the processor work hard by giving it many tasks to handle which, in the past, has guaranteed a freeze. That was 5 hours ago and my MBP is still running. Fingers crossed. I will let the tests continue for 24 hours before taking another step to trim my applications.

A byproduct of my discovery is that the fans have stopped racing and the core temperature has fallen. Activity Monitor seems to indicate that the processor is much less busy which also tends to support the reduced temperature. It is just my subjective impression but I think the active processes are actually slightly faster.

That's all I have to report at this time.

Regards Phil

Hi Lex

I certainly hope so but I had a shock when I awoke this morning and took a peek at my MBP screen. My MBP had frozen about 1 hour after I had retired. I have been disappointed many times before but I felt this time I was on the trail of something significant so my disappointment was doubly painful. Then I had a curious thought ... I would check Safari's extensions again. To my dismay I found iGetter had rejoined the other 4 extensions and it was ENABLED!!! So I went through the uninstallation procedure a second time. It 'looks' like it's gone this time. That was about 7 hours ago and I left my MBP chugging away doing >400GBs backups to my NAS and local, directly-connected HDDs (USB and Ethernet). It is still busy: no further freezes.

I plan to leave it like this for a further 24 hours. If my MBP suffers another freeze I will be checking Safari's extensions again. I have seen regenerating applications in Windows but I cannot recall seeing it on a Mac' before. It is rare. Regenerating applications often spell trouble and I am wondering why the iGetter uninstaller failed to work and I had to trash some files (contextual?) manually. My suspicious nature makes me wonder if iGetter is more than it pretends to be.

I'm tired. I will try to report back tomorrow or the day after. I have a number of ongoing projects and 24hrs is not enough time to tackle them all in one day.

Lex, have you any ideas why an application, presumed uninstalled, should reappear? The obvious answer is was never uninstalled in the first place. I have enabled Folx if I want to perform any further downloads.

Regards Phil

Hi All

I haven't reported back to this forum for a few days so I felt obliged to report progress todate.

I am continuing to reduce the number of unused/redundant applications from my MacBook Pro (MBP) broadly inline with Lex's recommendation but I have put a couple back which I have subsequently found invaluable/indispensable. Where possible, I am checking the version numbers of existing applications, deleted applications and applications I have since added or upgraded. I also keep a record of the date and time I make these amendments to my MBP software. I am also keeping a record of any changes in my MBP's performance: does it feel faster; does it crash, if so, how frequently and when. Since embarking upon the 'weeding process' I have noticed improved stability with fewer crashes. I maybe close to finding out why my MBP suddenly became unstable about 2 - 2-1/2 years ago. By keeping an accurate record I might find the answer.

However, it has not all been plain sailing and I have now suddenly encountered an issue accessing shares on my NAS which I use as part of my backup strategy. I also backup daily to local HDDs too so there is little chance I will lose data.

The NAS problem first manifest a few days ago and I fear I may have deleted an important file needed by Time Machine (TM) for it to operate correctly. TM tries to backup periodically but it is having trouble identifying which share it needs to use. I also use Tri-BACKUP Pro (TBP7) to perform backups to different shares on the same NAS. This TBP7 strategy works superbly and fast, >2GBpm. The issue I am having concerns only TM and the resolution of the NAS's network identity. Regrettably I may have caused this issue myself and now I have to backtrack through my records to find out what I did and to correct it.

For the time being I have ceased the weeding process to deal with the new NAS addressing issue. For those familiar with the Bonjour Browser I am getting the message, 'Can't resolve the link-local name' when addressing my NAS volume. The question is, why?

Regards Phil

Hi Lex

Funny, but our thought processes coincide. I think this new issue may well have something to do with authentication of the TM disks. I 'think' I am missing an important '.plist' file (com.apple.netauth.sysagent.plist) which I accidentally deleted during my weeding exercise which, incidentally, is ongoing but I am taking my time over it. I can get around the TM disks issue easily but I am having to login each time I want to mount a share before backing up. Previously, everything would happen automatically. Tri-BACKUP Pro just backs up everything without fuss or bother and it is great at keeping me informed of everything it is doing.

Yes, I have deep respect for Pondini and his expert advice and I have been studying his comments concerning Time Manager.

As previously mentioned, I have been using the Bonjour Browser to try and track down the: 'Can't resolve link-local name', and I have attached part of its report (below) which I hope adequately demonstrates my problem. I am unfamiliar with reading & interpreting Bonjour reports but I suspect this fragment of a report is shouting the answer to my problem. However, my inexperience means I am having to read & interpret this report myself. Much of it is obvious like IP and MAC addresses. However, some of the 'shorthand' in the report merely confuses me. Maybe another member will be able to spot the solution for me.

I like Bonjour but I use it so infrequently that I do not remember much of its subtleties. The last time I used Bonjour was to 'unbrick' my NAS, again all my fault in the first place. I 'think' my present problem relates to TM, but I cannot be sure.

Regards Phil

END

Hi Lex

What are you looking for?

Regards Phil

Hi Lex

What do these additional instructions do?

I don't use a range extender. My Billion Bipac 7800N router is plenty powerful enough.

Regards Phil

Hi Lex

I have done what you have suggested, re: 8.8.8.8, but I see no obvious changes in performance. What is it you are expecting to happen?

Meanwhile I have continued to reduce the number of extraneous and redundant applications and updated others. The crashes still continue.

I have also been wrestling with a networked Time Machine issue too. The NAS no longer mounts on the desktop but I can access the share upon which the TM sparebundle resides. Regardless, TM backups to the NAS are no longer possible. I thought I had deleted a vital app' but after a long search I found it. TM backups to USB and Firewire connected HDDs are unaffected. Tri-BACKUP Pro works just fine!

I feel as though I am in a domino-tumbling game with one problem merely leading to another. However, I feel the chain of problems with eventually break.

Regards Phil