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OS 10.4.10 won't save Energy Saver Preferences on iMac

I have an iMac that was purchased from a University that will not allow me to change the Energy Saver Preferences. Upon restart the previous schedule and options revert back.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Aug 10, 2015 8:43 AM

Reply
8 replies

Aug 10, 2015 10:12 AM in response to folk.cc

You should update to OS 10.4.11.


General advice on updating Tiger:


It is worth noting that it is an extreme rarity for updates to cause upsets to your system, as they have all been extensively beta-tested, but they may well reveal pre-existing ones, particularly those of which you may have been unaware. If you are actually aware of any glitches, make sure they are fixed before proceeding further.


So before you do anything else:


If you can, make a full backup first to an external hard disk. Ideally you should always have a bootable clone of your system that enables you to revert to the previous pre-update state.


Turn off sleep mode for both screen and hard disk.


Disconnect all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.


1. Repair Permissions (in Disk Utility)


2. Verify the state of your hard disk using Disk Utility. If any faults are reported, restart from your install disk (holding down the C key), go to Disk Utility, and repair your startup disk. Restart again to get back to your startup disk.


At least you can now be reasonably certain that your system does not contain any obvious faults that might cause an update/upgrade to fail.


3. Download the correct version of the COMBO update from the Apple download site. If your car runs on gasoline you would not want to fill the tank with diesel, so don’t try to install the PPC updater on an Intel Mac!


The 10.4.11 Combo Updater for PPC Macs is here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL170


And for Intel Macs here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL172


If you prefer to download updates via Software Update in the Apple menu (which would ensure that the correct version for your Mac was being downloaded), it is not recommended to allow SU to install major (or even minor) updates automatically. Set Software Update to just download the updater without immediately installing it. There is always the possibility that the combined download and install (which can be a lengthy process) might be interrupted by a power outage or your cat walking across the keyboard, and an interrupted install will almost certainly cause havoc. Once it is downloaded, you can install at a time that suits you. You should make a backup copy of the updater on a CD in case you ever need a reinstall.


Full details about the 10.4.11 update here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24901?viewlocale=en_US


More information on using Software Updater here:


http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24901?viewlocale=en_US


Using the Combo updater ensures that all system files changed since the original 10.4.0 are included, and any that may have been missed out or subsequently damaged will be repaired. The Delta updater, although a temptingly smaller download, only takes you from the previous version to the new one, i.e. for example from 10.4.10 to 10.4.11. Software Update will generally download the Delta updater only. The preferable Combo updater needs to be downloaded from Apple's download site.


Now proceed as follows:


4. Close all applications and turn off energy saving and screensaver.


5. Unplug all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.


6. Install the update/upgrade. Do not under any circumstances interrupt this procedure. Do not do anything else on your computer while it is installing. Be patient.


7. When it ask for a restart to complete the installation, click restart. This can take longer than normal, there are probably thousands of files to overwrite and place in the correct location. Do nothing while this is going on.


8. Once your Mac is awake, repair permissions again, and you should be good to go!


If your Mac seems slightly sluggish or ‘different’, perform a second restart. It can’t hurt and is sometimes efficacious!


9. Open a few of your most used applications and check that all is OK. In this connection please remember that not all manufacturers of third party applications and plug-ins, add-ons, haxies etc, will have had time to do any necessary rewrites to their software to make them compliant with the latest version of your operating system. Give them a weeks or two while you regularly check their websites for updates. This applies particularly to plug-ins for Safari 3.


N.B. Do not attempt to install two different updates at the same time as each may have different routines and requirements. Follow the above recommendations for each update in turn.


Lastly, Apple's own article on the subject of Software Update may also be useful reading:


http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106695


If you are updating Safari (or just have):


Input Managers from third parties can do as much harm as good. They use a security loophole to reach right into your applications' code and change that code as the application starts up. If you have installed an OS update and Safari is crashing, the very [i]first[/i] thing to do is clear out your InputManagers folders (both in your own Library and in the top-level /Library), log out and log back in, and try again.

So, disable all third party add-ons before updating Safari, as they may not have been updated yet for the new version. Add them back one by one. If something goes awry, remove it again and check on the software manufacturer's website for news of an update to match your version of Safari. Remember: Tiger up to 10.4.10 used Safari 2.0.4 or, if you downloaded it, Safari 3.0.3 beta. Safari 10.4.11 used Safari 3.0.4 which was [i]not[/i] a beta. If Safari 3.1.2 on 10.4.11 is not the fastest browser you have ever used, then something is wrong!


Moreover, trying to revert to Safari 3.0.4 (or worse still, version 2) when running 10.4.11 or 10.5 can have repercussions, as Safari 3.1.1 uses a completely different webkit on which other applications like iChat, Mail and Dashboard Widgets etc also rely, and may entail you having to reinstall an earlier operating system.


Most errors reported here after an update are due to an unrepaired or undetected inherent fault in the system, and/or a third party ad-on. Two such add-on that have been frequently mentioned here for causing such problems are Piclens and Pithhelmet. If you have them, trash them.


Additional tips on software installation here:


http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106692


To reiterate, Input Managers reach right into an application and alter its code. This puts the behavior of the affected application outside the control and responsibility of its developers: a recipe for problems. That's not to say that issues absolutely will ensue as a result of Input Managers, but you, as a user, must decide. If the functionality of a specific Input Manager or set thereof is really important to you, you may well choose to assume the associated risk.

Again, the advice is to remove all Input Managers from the following directories:

  • /Library/InputManagers
  • ~/Library/InputManagers

especially prior to system updates (they can always be added back one-by-one later).

Aug 10, 2015 11:43 AM in response to Klaus1

Klaus1 wrote:


ChitlinsCC wrote:


you are in good hands with Klaus



Not so! I know very little about Yosemite, but I had this thread moved to this forum after the OP 'confessed' to not actually be running Tiger ! 😀

Your action was VERY competent!


And * I * asked our Hosts to EDIT the post Title and the OP's Product Info IN the OPost to reflect it "Yosemite" trait!! 😉

Aug 10, 2015 12:56 PM in response to folk.cc

Before acquiring a second-hand computer, you should have run Apple Diagnostics or the Apple Hardware Test, whichever is applicable.

The first thing to do after acquiring the computer is to erase the internal drive and install a clean copy of OS X. You—not the original owner—must do that. Changes made by Apple over the years have made this seemingly straightforward task very complex.

How you go about it depends on the model, and on whether you already own another Mac. If you're not sure of the model, enter the serial number on this page. Then find the model on this page to see what OS version was originally installed.

It's unsafe, and may be unlawful, to use a computer with software installed by a previous owner.

1. If you don't own another Mac

a. If the machine shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, you need a boxed and shrink-wrapped retail Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) installation disc from the Apple Store or a reputable reseller—not from eBay or anything of the kind. If the machine is very old and has less than 1 GB of memory, you'll need to add more in order to install 10.6. Preferably, install as much memory as it can take, according to the technical specifications.

b. If the machine shipped with OS X 10.6, you need the installation media that came with it: gray installation discs, or a USB flash drive for a MacBook Air. You should have received the media from the original owner, but if you didn't, order replacements from Apple. A retail disc, or the gray discs from another model, will not work.

To start up from an optical disc or a flash drive, insert it, then restart the computer and hold down the C key at the startup chime. Release the key when you see the gray Apple logo on the screen.

c. If the machine shipped with OS X 10.7 or later, you don't need media. It should start up in Internet Recovery mode when you hold down the key combination option-command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a spinning globe.

d. Some 2010-2011 models shipped with OS X 10.6 and received a firmware update after 10.7 was released, enabling them to use Internet Recovery. If you have one of those models, you can't reinstall 10.6 even from the original media, and Internet Recovery will not work either without the original owner's Apple ID. In that case, contact Apple Support, or take the machine to an Apple Store or another authorized service provider to have the OS installed.

2. If you do own another Mac

If you already own another Mac that was upgraded in the App Store to the version of OS X that you want to install, and if the new Mac is compatible with it, then you can install it. Use Recovery Disk Assistant to prepare a USB device, then start up the new Mac from it by holding down the C key at the startup chime. Alternatively, if you have a Time Machine backup of OS X 10.7.3 or later on an external hard drive (not a Time Capsule or other network device), you can start from that by holding down the option key and selecting it from the row of icons that appears. Note that if your other Mac was never upgraded in the App Store, you can't use this method.

3. Partition and install OS X

a. If you see a lock screen when trying to start up from installation media or in Recovery mode, then a firmware password was set by the previous owner, or the machine was remotely locked via iCloud. You'll either have to contact the owner or take the machine to an Apple Store or another service provider to be unlocked. You may be asked for proof of ownership.

b. Launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the internal drive—not any of the volume icons nested beneath it. In the Partition tab, select the default options: a GUID partition table with one data volume in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. This operation will permanently remove all existing data on the drive.

c. An unusual problem may arise if all the following conditions apply:

OS X 10.7 or later was installed by the previous owner

The startup volume was encrypted with FileVault

You're booted in Recovery mode (that is, not from a 10.6 installation disc)

In that case, you won't be able to unlock the volume or partition the drive without the FileVault password. Ask for guidance or see this discussion.

d. After partitioning, quit Disk Utility and run the OS X Installer. If you're installing a version of OS X acquired from the App Store, you will need the Apple ID and password that you used. When the installation is done, the system will automatically restart into the Setup Assistant, which will prompt you to transfer the data from another Mac, its backups, or from a Windows computer. If you have any data to transfer, this is usually the best time to do it.

e. Run Software Update and install all available system updates from Apple. To upgrade to a major version of OS X newer than 10.6, get it from the Mac App Store. Note that you can't keep an upgraded version that was installed by the original owner. He or she can't legally transfer it to you, and without the Apple ID you won't be able to update it in Software Update or reinstall, if that becomes necessary. The same goes for any App Store products that the previous owner installed—you have to repurchase them.

4. Other issues

a. If the original owner "accepted" the bundled iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band) in the App Store so that he or she could update them, then they're irrevocably linked to that Apple ID and you won't be able to download them without buying them. Reportedly, Mac App Store Customer Service has sometimes issued redemption codes for these apps to second owners who asked.

b. If the previous owner didn't deauthorize the computer in the iTunes Store under his Apple ID, you wont be able to authorize it immediately under your ID. In that case, you'll either have to wait up to 90 days or contact iTunes Support.

c. When trying to create a new iCloud account, you might get a failure message: "Account limit reached." Apple imposes a lifetime limit of three iCloud account setups per device. Erasing the device does not reset the limit. You can still use an iCloud account that was created on another device, but you won't be able to create a new one. Contact iCloud Support for more information. The setup limit doesn't apply to Apple ID accounts used for other services, such as the iTunes and Mac App Stores, or iMessage. You can create as many of those accounts as you like.

OS 10.4.10 won't save Energy Saver Preferences on iMac

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