Living Fossil
Level 1 (98 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Yosemite 10.10.4 upgrade issues - what to do?

I did the 10.10.4 upgrade via the App store 10 days or so ago. My iMac then refused to boot - grey screen, cursor still visible, nothing else. I had a long chat with a helpful Apple person who tried lots of tests and got me working in Safe mode, and in the end suggested I reload the entire OS. This took several hours (I don't have a particularly fast connection). After this, the machine appeared to work normally for a few days, but then suddenly reverted to the grey screen. All I can do now is to open in Safe mode, which will allow Safari, Apple Mail etc., so at least some work can be done. I have removed ALL login items, but that hasn't changed anything. I have used Disk Utility to look at my hard disk - no errors reported. I can access my external backup disk and second monitor in Safe mode, and I've tried booting with and without these. I just can't see what I can do next. I would like to revert to 10.10.3 but I don't know how - I have regular Time Machine backups, but they don't include the OS, do they (it's a long time since I set TM's parameters)?

 

This is the first time I've ever had a major issue with an OS X upgrade. Can anyone suggest my next move?

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3), New for 2012. 8Gb

Posted on Jul 19, 2015 8:45 AM

by Living Fossil,Solvedanswer
Living Fossil Living Fossil
Level 1 (98 points)
Mac OS X
A:

OK - this is really a reply to Linc Davis - I got my system back. I did everything you said up to and including 'Reset Directory Permissions and ACLs' in the Reset Password window: a curious bit of info about that was when I clicked on 'Reset', the button changed to a greyed-out 'Done', but this never un-greyed (I left it overnight), so I just quit and assumed it had happened. At this point, I was still getting the grey screen: then I had the idea of going back to the log as you had explained in an earlier reply, and sure enough this time there was a lot of detail of the last failure there. I noticed a couple of things from 'netbarrier' which is part of the Intego virus checking software that you were warning about - so my uninstall had not worked completely. I went back to Intego's uninstall process and ran it and this time my system booted up normally with no loss of data. I have eliminated CleanMyMac (which I still think was harmless), Intego VirusBarrier (obviously not so harmless) and SnapzPro, which I think delves into the OS a bit, and is anyway only partly supported nowadays. The only dodgy app from your point of view left in my machine (as far as I know) is Splashtop Streamer which I actually use (it's that living in two countries thing).

 

So, fingers crossed, I'm back in the land of the living. I think I'll write to Intego.

 

I am infinitely grateful for the help you have given me.

Posted on Jul 22, 2015 3:23 AM

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Living Fossil

Q: Yosemite 10.10.4 upgrade issues - what to do?

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  • by Living Fossil,

    Living Fossil Living Fossil Jul 21, 2015 12:44 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (98 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 21, 2015 12:44 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for staying with me. I can't quite reconstruct why I chose 'CleanMyMac', but I remember I was very worried about scams (for example there was that rather obvious one that claimed to make your Mac run faster, and I helped more than one person get rid of it), so I did research it quite extensively. Up to now CleanMyMac does seem to have recovered quite a bit of space on my  machine which wasn't needed and hadn't reached the trash... the consensus ,if you Google the app, is that it is not really a scam, but that most of its functions can be performed in other ways (and usually for free), and that real power users don't need it. See for example

     

    http://www.tekrevue.com/cleanmymac-3-review/

     

    I am not a power user in that sense (I just want the OS to work and not fill up my disk in ways I don't understand), so it seemed to make sense to me.

     

    Anyway I will get rid of these programs before going on - although the fact remains that they gave me no trouble up to and including Yosemite 10.10.3. My next mail will tell what happened next.

     

    By the way, you mention the danger of having an unsecured wifi network: I do understand this pretty well. I live in two countries, and in London where I live in a block with many other internet users, my network is secured very definitely. In France, where I live in a village where the nearest house is more than 200 metres away, I don't see the unsecured network as being much of a risk, and it's simple for visitors. I may of course be being naive about this.

     

    Anyway thanks and I will grind on in the hope of getting my system back.

  • by Living Fossil,Solvedanswer

    Living Fossil Living Fossil Jul 22, 2015 3:23 AM in response to Living Fossil
    Level 1 (98 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 22, 2015 3:23 AM in response to Living Fossil

    OK - this is really a reply to Linc Davis - I got my system back. I did everything you said up to and including 'Reset Directory Permissions and ACLs' in the Reset Password window: a curious bit of info about that was when I clicked on 'Reset', the button changed to a greyed-out 'Done', but this never un-greyed (I left it overnight), so I just quit and assumed it had happened. At this point, I was still getting the grey screen: then I had the idea of going back to the log as you had explained in an earlier reply, and sure enough this time there was a lot of detail of the last failure there. I noticed a couple of things from 'netbarrier' which is part of the Intego virus checking software that you were warning about - so my uninstall had not worked completely. I went back to Intego's uninstall process and ran it and this time my system booted up normally with no loss of data. I have eliminated CleanMyMac (which I still think was harmless), Intego VirusBarrier (obviously not so harmless) and SnapzPro, which I think delves into the OS a bit, and is anyway only partly supported nowadays. The only dodgy app from your point of view left in my machine (as far as I know) is Splashtop Streamer which I actually use (it's that living in two countries thing).

     

    So, fingers crossed, I'm back in the land of the living. I think I'll write to Intego.

     

    I am infinitely grateful for the help you have given me.

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