Software update hangs at “Configuring installation”
December 19, 2008 at 1:08 pm | In Mac OS X | Leave a CommentTags: 10.5, 10.5.5, 10.5.6, hangs, Leopard, Software Update
When upgrading from Mac OS X 10.5.5 to Mac OS X 10.5.6, you may find that Software Update hangs at “Configuring Installation”. This is apparently due to an incomplete download of the update. Apple has posted instructions for fixing this if it should happen to you.
Personally, I didn’t encounter the above when upgrading. However, on one of my Macs I did run into a problem starting the update. Basically, I clicked the “Install” button and then Software Update hung with the spinning colored disk.
Fortunately, I was able to quit all other applications and log out (partially, at least) before I had to hold down the power button to shut down. After rebooting, I was prompted to download the update again and this time it worked without a hitch. Perhaps Apple’s update servers are a bit overwhelmed by the size of the 10.5.6 update?
iChat video freezes
October 18, 2008 at 6:36 pm | In A/V, Mac OS X | Leave a CommentTags: 10.5, 10.5.5, freezes, freezing, iChat, Leopard, video
Lately, I’ve found that the video in iChat tends to freeze partway into a conversation. Curiously, audio is unaffected. Once the video has frozen, I can no longer access the iChat menus (clicking on a menu produces the spinning colored ball). However, I can continue conversing with the other party until I am ready to end the conversation, at which point I have to force quit iChat.
There are several active discussions on this topic on the Apple Support discussion board (see, for example, iChat freezes after 10.5.5 update). The resolution that has worked for me so far is the following:
- In the QuickTime System Preferences, click on the “Streaming” tab and then choose “1 Mbps Cable” for the streaming speed.
- In the Audio/Video iChat Preferences, choose “500 kbps” for the bandwidth limit.
- Relaunch iChat
You’ll notice that the size and quality of the video are reduced, but at least it works!
Open Firmware Password utility in Leopard
March 1, 2008 at 7:30 pm | In Mac OS X | 11 CommentsTags: 10.5, Leopard, Open Firmware, password, utility
Today I needed to boot a PowerBook into target disk mode to transfer some files. Since I had previously set the Open Firmware password, holding down the “t” key while booting wouldn’t work. A brief attempt to find an Open Firmware command for booting into target disk mode was unsuccessful, so I decided to temporarily disable the Open Firmware password.
Under Panther, I had used Apple’s Open Firmware Password utility to set the firmware password. According to the download page for the utility, though, it’s not compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 or later. Instead, the reader is directed to the /Applications/Utilities/ folder on the installation disc. Frustratingly, when I inserted the Leopard installation disc, I couldn’t find an Applications folder, let alone a firmware password utility.
Turns out the preferred means for setting, resetting, or disabling the Open Firmware password in Leopard is to boot from the installation disc. Then at the “Welcome” screen choose “Firmware Password Utility” from the “Utilities” menu and proceed as directed. If you haven’t set an Open Firmware password, booting from the installation disc is simply a matter of inserting the disc and holding down the “c” key as you boot. If you have set an Open Firmware password, though, it’s a bit tricker. Insert the installation disc and hold down the Option key as you boot your Mac. When you see the padlock image, enter your Open Firmware password. On the next screen, click on the “Mac OS X Install DVD” button and then click the right arrow. Your system should now boot from the installation disc.
Another option is to run the Firmware Password Utility from the command line. First log into an account with administrator privileges and then insert the Leopard installation disc. Next open a Terminal window and type “open /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/Applications/”. Now you can access the Utilities folder and double-click on “Firmware Password Utility”.
For more information on Open Firmware and firmware password protection, see the Apple Knowledgebase article Setting up firmware password protection in Mac OS X.
Canon scanner doesn’t work in Leopard
December 27, 2007 at 11:35 am | In Mac OS X | 8 CommentsTags: 10.5, Canon, CanoScan, driver, Leopard, scanner
After upgrading to Leopard, my CanoScan LiDE 60 scanner stopped working. This wasn’t much of a surprise; I figured I’d have to download a new driver after upgrading. What was a surprise, though, was how long it took to get the new driver to work!
Apple outlines the steps for installing the driver in Canon CanoScan scanners unable to scan. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t tell you that you must remove the previous driver before installing the new one. Nor is this mentioned on the Canon web site.
If you don’t remove the previous driver, the ScanGear installer will hang during the install process. If you force the installer to quit and try to use the scanner, you’ll get the following error:
The necessary file could be missing or damaged, or the settings are incorrect. Reinstall the scanner driver. Scanner driver will be closed.
Fortunately, Canon provides a utility for removing the previous CanoScan driver. For the CanoScan LiDE 60, the uninstaller can be found in the disk image deldrvosx1510en.dmg, which is available from the scanner’s Drivers & Downloads page. Note that you will need to unplug the scanner’s USB cable during the uninstall process.
No background effects in iChat
December 23, 2007 at 6:11 pm | In Mac OS X | Leave a CommentTags: 10.5, backdrop effects, backdrops, background effects, iChat, Leopard
One of the new features in Leopard’s iChat is “backdrops” (also referred to as “background effects”). When backdrops are enabled, the background behind the user is replaced with a static scene, such as the Eiffel Tower or Times Square.
It’s not readily apparent how to enable this feature, however. After some searching in iChat Help, I found the sequence of steps under Changing the backdrop of a video chat. When I got to the step “In the Video Effects window, click the arrows to cycle through the video and backdrop effects”, however, I didn’t see any backdrop effects.
A little more searching uncovered Requirements for video effects and backdrops, which notes that backdrops require a Mac with an Intel processor. That explains it—I’m still on a PowerPC Mac.
No NetInfo Manager in Leopard
December 23, 2007 at 5:29 pm | In Mac OS X | Leave a CommentTags: 10.5, hostnames, Leopard, NetInfo, NetInfoManager, root, root account
I was surprised to discover NetInfo Manager missing from Leopard. According to Apple Support:
NetInfo Manager is not included with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. You can use the command line utility dscl to perform some advanced functions formerly covered by NetInfo Manager. … For example, you can use dscl to add or remove users from system groups such as “admin”.
To enable the root account or change the root password in Leopard, Apple recommends using the application Directory Utility, which can be found in the Utilities folder in Applications.
Unlike previous versions of Mac OS X, which used NetInfo for locally defined hostnames, Leopard appears to use /etc/hosts .
The IMAP command APPEND failed
December 23, 2007 at 4:23 pm | In Mac OS X | 5 CommentsTags: 10.5, error, IMAP, Leopard, Mail
After upgrading to Mac OS X 10.5, I started receiving the following error whenever I tried to move an e-mail message from my Inbox to a folder on my IMAP server:
The message could not be moved to the mailbox foldername. The IMAP command “APPEND” to foldername failed with server error: APPEND failed: Unknown flag: NotJunk.
Apparently, in Leopard the Mail application is no longer compatible with UW IMAP server software.
Rather than try to get Mail to work with UW IMAP, I decided to switch to Cyrus IMAP, since it is supposedly more robust than UW IMAP. Sure enough, that fixed the problem!
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