Several users are experiencing an issue in which kernel panics occur when Time Machine backups are being pushed to Time Capsule units or, in fewer cases, locally attached drives. Initial analysis reveals that the sparsebundle, used to by Time Machine to store backed up data, is somehow becoming corrupt.

In some cases, deleting the sparsebundle on the Time Capsule seems to help (temporarily), but the problem leading to the sparsebundle getting corrupted in the first place still remains. Unfortunately a true fix will probably require a software/firmware update from Apple.

One user claims that mounting the sparsebundle in the finder causes  the system to kernel panic:

"I also tried mounting the sparsebundle by finder, and the computer  did in fact crash."

However, another user, posting to this Apple Discussions thread, claims his machine is able to mount the sparsebundle via Time Machine during the backups and he is able to browser them  in the Finder, but the machine still crashes.

"Jazzhead" writes: "...when a backup starts, and the drive appears mounted on the  desktop, I can open it, navigate into my backup series, and see a list  of items that have dates and times as identifiers..."

Some users are able to remove "inprogress" file and get the backups working again. This indicates  there may be two errors at play: one being the mounting of the drive for and the other being with the access of  corrupt backups on the drive.

If you are experiencing this issue, try removing the most  recent individual backups, or ditching the whole sparsebundle and starting the backups over again.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Apple has quietly updated its MacBook Pro offerings, though the upgrades aren't currently available from the online store. 2.6GHz Penryn processors are now available (up from 2.5GHz), and the systems can be configured with a 300GB 4200RPM drive. No pricing information has yet been posted.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Mac OS X's force quit mechanism can be a boon when an applications freezes,

often consuming a large amount of system resources as it flails. However, force quits do not always execute properly, leaving hung or stalled applications in their problematic states.

As described by user Jude Kim on the Apple Discussion boards:

"After an application hangs forever, I tried to force quit. I get the message popup window saying that the application has been forced quit unexpectedly or something like that. But even after that message, there's still a blue light under the application. I can't restart the application and most annoyingly, I can't shut down the computer unless I shut it off with the power switch. I had this problem since I got this computer, please help me."

Fortunately, Apple's "Force Quit" dialogue box is only one of the many ways to approach targeting a process to kill it. Alternative Approaches include:

Activity Monitor Use Activity Monitor to display a list of all the running processes on the computer. You can see if one is displayed improperly or if it's using up large amounts of resources, and then kill it specifically to see if that clears the hang. (see this article for more)

The Terminal Use the terminal to kill a process by PID (Process ID). The PID can be looked up several ways, but the most common are to use Activity Monitor or the command line equivalent "top". Using the command line is a more basic approach to killing the process.

In some cases -- in which a single application causes the Mac OS X kernel to become extremely busy and slows the system to a halt -- having a Terminal window open can prove beneficial.

If you are lucky enough to have a Terminal window open, and can switch to it, you can kill processes that you otherwise would not be able to (since it's virtually impossible to launch Activity Viewer or the Terminal after a thrashing -- freezing -- process starts).

When the freeze ensues, switch to the Terminal window then type the following command:

top

and press return.

You'll be presented with a list of currently running processes. Scan down the "COMMAND" column for Safari (or whatever application is causing the issue) and note the number next to it in the "PID" column. Once you've found the PID, press the Q key to exit the top program, then enter the following command, replacing (PID) with the actual number -- without parentheses:

kill (PID)

and press return.

With any luck, the thrashing will stop and you'll be able to re-grain control of the computer -- or at least gain enough responsiveness to access and save currently open work.

Force shutdown If things get worse and you need to force a shutdown of the whole system, try the following: Instead of using the Finder's menus to shut down, try using the terminal to issue the shutdown command. Open it and type "shutdown -h now" (or "shutdown -r now" for a reboot).

Preventative Measures

Since the problem seems to occur for specific programs, that indicates the problem may lie with the program or some of it's resources. Many times a preferences file or other resource could get corrupted so the program has a hard time reading it.

Try removing the program's .plist file and restart the program. Such .plist files will generally be located in the ~/Library/Preferences folder, and labeled as follows:

• com.(name of developer).(name of product).plist [For instance, com.adobe.Reader7.0.plist for Adobe Reader 7.0].

Simply drag the potentially offending .plist file to the trash, re-launch the hampered application, and check for continuation of problems. In some cases, applications will have several .plist files, so make sure you check for any that contain the product name. Also, note that you may lose some settings or other personal data used by specific applications when these files are deleted

You can also use Spotlight to find other files the program has created in your user library folder, and remove or delete them. Note that doing this most likely will get rid of your personal settings for the program, but most of the time re-entering them in the program's settings will set things up properly again. Additionally, this is only safe for applications that are bundled in one package. Many complex programs put vital items all over the place when they install, and removing them could break the program or reduce its functionality. - if the program has built-in maintenance tools, run them. For instance, Safari has a "Reset Safari" feature that clears caches, cookies, history, and preferences.

Finally, you can remove and reinstall the whole program. Hopefully the program came with an uninstaller script or utility. If not, you can use AppZapper which helps target a particular application's installed resources for easy removal.

Note that an application can hang for multiple reasons, and unfortunately it isn't always the program itself that's the problem. For instance, OS X has an automatic spell checker that's accessed by many programs. If something goes wrong with the spell checker, then any program that accesses the spell checker may hang along with the spell checker.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

[Friday, May 2nd]

Safari's private browsing feature causes the application to not store information about your browsing history. When private browsing is turned on, Safari stops tracking history, downloads, Forms AutoFill information, and searches. It's generally used on public or shared computers.

Apple's documentation on the feature states: "You can make sure you don’t leave your private information behind, without deleting other users’ personal settings. Then when you turn off the private browsing feature, Safari resumes remembering your browsing history and other information."

However, as noted by MacFixIt reader Christian Buerli, private browsing does not preclude plug-ins from storing historical information.

For instance, even with private browsing on, the domain names of visited, Flash-enabled sites will be recorded to ~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia/Flash Player/#SharedObjects/.

As written by Christian:

"This can be easily tested by watching a video on youtube.com or other unsuspicious sites."

To be fair, this issue also affects other browsers. Using the "Clear Private Data" feature in Firefox, for example, will not delete the aforementioned historical information.

As such, if you'd like your browsing to be even more private, turn off plug-ins. In Safari, this can be accomplished by going to Safari > Preferences > Security and deselecting "Enable plug-ins."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Problems installing Several users are reporting inability to install the Boot Camp 2.1 update (remember that the update needs to be applied while booted in Windows, not under Mac OS X). Users are experiencing the installation issues whether attempting to install Boot Camp 2.1 through Windows Software Update or the standalone installers. Among the error messages users are receiving:

• "The installer encountered errors before boot camp could be configured"
• "Error applying transforms. Verify that the specified transform paths are valid."

Some users are experiencing an issue wherein the Boot Camp 2.1 updater .exe file downloaded from Apple's Web site briefly launches then does nothing.

One MacFixIt reader writes:

"The update does appear in the updater Apple Software Update, is downloaded, but then gives an error message advising to download only and not install immediately. I then tried the stand alone installer from the web. This one reports "preparing installation", then disappears en nothing happens. My guess is a file extraction problem (disabled firewall protection, by the way)."

If you are experiencing a similar problem, try the following:

Download the installer appropriate to your Windows installation:

• Boot Camp Update 2.1 for Windows XP [215MB]
• Boot Camp Update 2.1 for Windows Vista 32 [228MB]
• Boot Camp Update 2.1 for Windows Vista 64 [236MB]

Use a utility like WinZIP to extract the MSP file from the downloaded .exe.

Attempt to run the MSP file from the command line as an administrator with a command that looks like this:

• msiexec /p (path)bcupdate(version).msp

Spontaneous reboots Meanwhile, some users who have successfully applied the Boot Camp 2.1 update are reporting spontaneous Windows reboots post-installation.

If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.

Previous coverage:

• Boot Camp 2.1 released: supports Windows XP SP3

While we wait for Mac OS X 10.5.3, which will "resolve AirPort connection issue(s)" according to documentation read by developers with access to pre-release builds, there are several fixes that can work to effectively resolve wireless issues that continue to plague users of Mac OS X 10.5.x.

The most recent report of serious wireless connectivity issues under Leopard comes from MacFixIt reader George Hazelwood, who points to a thread on Apple's Discussion boards in which users describe severely degraded signal strength after upgrading. Other serious issues we've reported in the past include one where AirPort cards are not recognized, disallowing access to wireless Internet services and one involving extremely slow throughput for AirPort connections. Meanwhile an Apple Discussions thread describing an issue where the AirPort connection repeatedly drops currently has more than 500 posts.

Here's a list of fixes that might provide some relief until Apple enacts code-level changes:

If your AirPort card is not recognized in Leopard Navigate to /System/Library/Extensions and drag the following files (if they exist) to the Desktop or another location outside the System folder (you will need to hold down the Command key while dragging the file to move it if you are not an administrator):

• AppleAirport2.kext
• AppleAirportFW.kext

Do not delete AppleAirPort.kext.

Restart your Mac and check for restoration of AirPort connectivity

If throughput is extremely slow, or signal stregth is weak, or the connection repeatedly drops Try these:

• Turn off IPv6 for Macs and AirPort Base stations Turning off IPv6 can sometimes have a beneficial effect on wireless connections, particularly with AirPort Base stations. In order to change this setting, open System Preferences then the Network pane and click on your currently used interface (Ethernet, AirPort, etc.). Click on "Advanced," then TCP/IP settings for the interface -- at the bottom if you see a menu which says 'Configure IPv6...' click that and set it to "Off." Press the Apply Now button. Turning off IPv6 can also eliminate some issues (including frequent dropouts) with Airport Express audio streaming.
• Change IPv6 setting on AirPort Extreme router (For AirPort Extreme 802.11n Base Stations) Launch the AirPort Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities and select your Base station from the left column, then select "Manual Setup." Click "Advanced" at the top of the window, and from the "IPv6 Mode" menu, select "Link-local only." Click the "Update" button.
• Downgrade firmware on Base station (For AirPort Extreme 802.11n Base Stations) In AirPort Utility, select your Base Station, then select "Base Station" from the menubar, and choose "Upload Firmware." From the "Upload Firmware" menu, select "7.2" then press "OK."

For more fixes, see our Mac OS X 10.5.x Special Report and our wireless troubleshooting tutorial.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

No video/audio playback, fixes Users continue to report an inability to playback certain media after updating to QuickTime 7.4.5. MacFixit reader Amy, for instance, writes:

"I just did the software update to QuickTime 7.4.5 and now I only get a white screen, no audio and no video.  Everything was fine before the update...now, I can't do anything.  I have to have these videos done for an appreciation dinner for our mission and I am unable to accomplish anything."

The first thing you should do when experiencing similar issues is check in the following directories:

• /Library/QuickTime
• /Library/Internet Plug-ins
• ~/Library/QuickTime

for any third-party add-ons that could be interfering with playback. Remove any third-party items and restart then check for restored playback.

Second, if video files were encoded with older versions of iSquint, they may not be playable with the new version of QuickTime. Download the latest edition of iSquint, which includes a tool called "Debreaker" that can repair the problematic video files. Try dragging the unplayable videos onto this droplet application.

Problems installing update if you are having problems installing QuickTime 7.4.5, either from Softwre Update or the standalone update, try deleting the folder /Library/Updates/QuickTime then re-attempting the update.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• QuickTime 7.4.5: app launching problems: try reinstallation; more
• QuickTime 7.4.5 released: Spotlight crashes

Continued slowness Users continue to report degraded performance under Safari 3.1.1. One reader, Soli Deo Gloria, writes:

"I am experiencing similar problems. Safari is painfully slow after this current fix. I'm not sure what they did, but it sure appears to be broken right now."

See our tutorial "Speeding up Safari" for potentially performance-enhancing procedures.

More problems updating Users also continue to report problems with applying the Safari 3.1.1 update. MacFixit reader Dan Kadel writes:

"I have experience problems with upgrading my MacBook Pro, OS 10.5.2, with the latest Safari application, 3.1.1. I ran the downloaded Safari updater and it appear that the updated ran successfully, or at least that what the software reported. I rebooted my system. I opened Safari normally to discover that the version was still 3.0.4. Now, here's the spooky event: I ran the Software Updater again and the Safari, version 3.1.1, updater did not appear in the updater list.  Now, I don't know if Safari 3.0.4 or Safari 3.1.1 is installed on my platform.  I have a hunch that it's 3.0.4, but that's a mystery."

The Safari 3.1.1 package updates system components other than the Safari application itself. As such, a failed update may result in the updating of some components (e.g. WebKit) but not others (e.g. the Safari application itself). The fix is to re-apply the standalone Safari download.

Bookmarks missing -- fix Some users have found their bookmarks missing, replaced by default Apple-supplied bookmarks, after the update to Safari 3.1.1. If you are experiencing this issue, navigate to ~/Library/Safari/ and inspect the files therein. If you have any files named something similar to "Bookmarks backup.plist" try importing them using the "Import Bookmarks" option under the "Safari" menu in Safari.

Alternatively, inspect the file Bookmarks.plist (in ~/Library/Safari/) with a tool like PlistEdit Pro. If it contains all of your bookmarks, try using the same "Import" option on this file.

DNS issues -- fix Some users are -- oddly -- reporting DNS issues after updating Safari. MacFixIt reader Jerry writes:

"After loading 3.1.1 on OSX Server 10.5.2 and rebooting DNS services didn't come up and everything that relies on DNS services. Repairing permissions didn't help."

If you are experiencing as similar issue, try manually starting the named process by opening the Terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities) and entering the command:

• ndc start

If that fails, make sure that your DNS settings haven't been inadvertently deleted.

Go to the DNS Servers field of the TCP/IP tab of your Internet connection port in Network preferences and make sure the entries appear. If they don't you can usually obtain them from your ISP.

Some ISPs that use DHCP to distribute IP addresses to customers prefer not to provide DNS server addresses, with the argument being that DHCP is supposed to provide such information to connected computers automatically. However, in this situation, one solution is to enter them manually, so we encourage readers to be persistent with their ISPs. Apart from the fact that a DNS server address might change in the future, requiring the user to then manually enter the updated address, there are few technical reasons why an ISP shouldn't give its customers the IP addresses of their DNS servers if it's the best solution to a connectivity problem.

If you're using a DHCP connection and your ISP won't cooperate, you may be able to figure out your current DNS server(s) in one of two ways. Sometimes the server's address(es) will appear in the TCP/IP tab of your Internet connection port in Network preferences. If it doesn't, you may be able to determine its address by launching System Profiler, selecting the Network item in the Contents pane, selecting your current Internet connection type (Ethernet, AirPort, etc.) on the right, and then looking for the DNS Servers item in the details section at the bottom of the window.

iChat issues Some users are reporting problems with iChat after the Safari 3.1.1 update. The update package does modify iChat-related files, so such problems are not unexpected.

One reader writes:

"I installed the Safari 3.1.1 update on Tiger 10.4.11 today. After the reboot, iChat had lost it's GoogleTalk configuration. Easy enough to reconfigure, but weird."

Another reader writes:

"iChat seems to crash a lot after the Safari update. I haven't had time to restart and see if it's just an anomaly. But iChat hasn't crashed in months until today."

Java problems persist Java applet issues extant in Safari 3.1 persist in version 3.1.1. One reader writes:

"In spite of Apple's release of Safari 3.1.1, certain JAVA pages such as NOAA's ADDS pages still have problems with loading. The page icon with the red cross still appears in the upper left corner."

Crashes when displaying PDF files MacFixIt reader Gabriel Dorado reports repeatable crashes when accessing specific PDF files in Safari 3.1.1:

"Safari 3.1.1 consistently crashes 100% of the times when trying to display (not to download) some PDF files."

If you are experiencing similar issues, make sure that the Adobe Reader and associated Safari plug-in are updated to the latest version.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• Safari 3.1.1: Problems installing/launching, slow page loading, more
• Safari 3.1.1 gets WebKit security enhancements

We previously reported on an issue in which users see interface text in an incorrect language after the update to Front Row 2.1.3. This problem can generally be resolved by deleting the following file:

• ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.frontrow.plist

then restarting.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Ted Landau

April 2008

It's that time again. Time for me to check out the current status of creating an emergency boot drive — this time one with Leopard installed. Let's cut right to the chase: the ease of creating these startup drives continues to move in one direction: from bad to worse.

Creating a pint-sized custom startup drive, with your own selection of utilities, was a breeze in Mac OS 9 or earlier. It became much more difficult in Mac OS X, but was still manageable, all the way through Panther. With Tiger, most previously successful methods would no longer work; you had to be increasingly "creative" to find anything that would get the job done. I detailed this unhappy trend in a pair (one and two) of previous columns here at MacFixIt. In a further article, I provided step-by-step details for a workable solution — installing a version of Tiger on a relatively meager in size (but cost-effective) 1GB flash drive.

First off, there's the question as to why Apple continues to make this worthwhile task so difficult to do. The answer I keep hearing is that Apple's legal department insists on putting up these obstacles, supposedly to protect the copyright of Apple's OS. I am not sure this is the real reason, or exactly what dangers Apple needs protecting from, but that's what I hear. Apple does license the software for creating a bootable CD/DVD to a few companies — primarily disk repair utilities such as Alsoft, Prosoft and Micromat. But Apple is very restrictive here. Even if you are a dues-paying developer and are willing to pay extra for a license, you have to prove to Apple that you are truly worthy. And even those privileged companies have not yet been given a license to use Leopard on a disc. That's right. Alsoft's DiskWarrior and Prosoft's Drive Genius 2, for example, still ship with Tiger. I assume Apple will eventually permit these vendors to move up to Leopard, but it hasn't happened yet. This is the current sorry state of affairs.

What's the problem?

"Wait a minute," you may be saying at this point, "What's so difficult about making a custom startup drive? Can't you simply install Leopard on any drive that is large enough to hold the essential software?" Yes, it is certainly possible to boot from an external USB or Firewire hard drive. There are several brands of portable (bus-powered) drives that are reasonably compact and would do the job. But they are still bigger and more expensive than what I had in mind. My goal was to find a very inexpensive and ultra-portable boot drive that could hold a custom set of troubleshooting utilities — allowing you to keep the drive handy at all times, conveniently taking it with you when you travel, ready for whenever an emergency or any unexpected problem occurs.