I don’t know of any reason not to use the 10.5.5 update, but do as you please.

There are 2 things I use Erase and Install for :
1) when Archive fails
2) for a major OS upgrade (10.4 to 10.5 for example) when I want to “clean house”.

As for bringing things back from a clone, that is usually fine. Your preferences reside in the various Library directories. Copying the Apps back, and your documents, is usually just fine. When it comes to the Library, be selective. Copy over your Mail messages, but not the Prefs for example.

Glad it worked out!

P.S. What’s the comment plugin used here? I love it.

More than one.

WP Ajax Edit Comments: Let’s you edit your comments in place, with instant/Ajax refresh.

iF AJAX Comments For WordPress: This provides the instant display of your submitted comments using Ajax refresh, rather than forcing a reload of the page, and the interactive preview.

I highly recommend both. Yes, having a fast multicore dedicated server and a PHP caching accelerator doesn’t hurt.

Peace,
Gene

P.S. What’s the comment plugin used here? I love it.

Adam,

Thanks… I’m actually happily typing this to you on my connected computer. I couldn’t wait for feedback (impatient!) So after noticing that a new account had all the same problems, I figured it had to be the core install of the system that I’d corrupted and I went ahead and did an Archive and Install of my own. So I was happy to see you offer the same advice in this, one of the first emails alerts/online posts I’ve been able to download in a week.

I’m now about to commence with the Software Updates, since my Leopard disk is 10.5.1. But as a precaution, I’m only doing the combo update to 10.5.4. I’ve heard some bad things about 10.5.5. Or do you think that’s not necc. caution?

Also, just for future reference, is there any value to an Erase and Install? And if so, is there any easy way to transfer installed programs back without dragging out a pile of DVDs and sitting there for hours? I’ve seen people suggest migrating from a disk image to the clean installation. But I would think that just means bringing back in all the preferences, etc. you were trying to get away from in the first place.

Thanks again for the help.

John

@ johnf

As someone who used to get paid to fix such things, I strongly suspect that you had a “silent” problem before the update. What exactly exacerbated it, I do not know. At this point I would boot from your OS DVD and on the Installer “Options” section I would do an Archive and Install. This will replace your OS but not your data files. If you still have problems, then it is almost certainly bad data and/or preferences. Back up your data, wipe out the drive, start again. I know you have Time Machine, but this is an unusual problem and to be safe, back up again if you can.

Removing a folder from the System Library is big BAD mojo the likes of which we never did at the Genius Bar. You can sometimes get away with removing files, but a folder? Not good. Frankly, if things were this bad, we would just reinstall. When you do this you are like a pre-med student pulling out organs. You know something’s wrong, you think you know where but you are messing around with the deep stuff and unless you can re-build it from scratch you may not get the repair finished in time to save the patient.

Although it’s not likely, the system could have gotten sufficiently hosed when it tried to operate without that folder to cause some of your current issues. Unless you really really, really know what you are doing, DON’T muck with the folder structure of /Library, /System, or /System/Library!

Good Luck

Adam

Well… I don’t know if it’s a 10.5.5 issue, but it happened not long after updating. I moved a folder out of the System library to fix a sluggish internet (crazy slow on my machine but not on my wife’s, so it was me)… rebooted… and when that didn’t fix anything, I moved it back and booted again.

Now my MB Pro can’t even see the Airport card… or bluetooth… or my TimeMachine backups… or my network preference pane, one of the tabs in the energy saver pane, or my local host name (says Applejack). And, though I don’t quite understand what it means, I’ve got the “custom access” note on permissions on a lot of my folders.

I’m not sure if I have to suffer through a total Erase and Install or what..

Anybody here found fixes not mentioned elsewhere?

I used Software Update to update my MacBook Pro from 10.5.4 to 10.5.5. At the time, I had a burned disc in the drive. During the update, the disc was automatically ejected, the software installed, and the system restarted. Everything seems to be fine.

However, now my SuperDrive won’t accept the burned disc that was working fine just prior to the update. I insert the disc, it spins for a while and makes some noises, then it spits it out. It won’t mount at all. I haven’t tested other discs yet, but regardless, this is complete BS.

Hi Gene,
For some reason, with 10.5.5, I followed MacFixit’s advice about booting in to Safe Mode and then applying the update. I assume, they tell you to do this, because Safe Mode forces a directory check on startup. Anyway, I have an early 2008 Alum iMac, and after running the update (in Safe Mode) and rebooting, my computer seemed a bit sluggish and this weird digital artifact filled the screen. Gray colored with other colors in it. Just changing the monitor resolution or moving a window around got rid it. However, it would reappear after every restart. Even after, running Cocktail and repairing the permissions and clearing the caches. One article mentioned copying the old ATI Extensions from 10.5.4, that didn’t work, just prevented my machine from booting. So….I decided to back out of 10.5.5, and performed an Archive and Install and update to 10.5.4.

I’m not sure that Safe Mode was directly related to this, but maybe I’ll try 10.5.5 again at some point, or 10.5.6.

Thanks,
Peter

Has anyone updated their MacBook to 10.5.5. and external display (attached via mini DVI) is still detected?

My MacBook (and several others are repeating same issue) will not detect external displays (using mini DVI) after updating to 10.5.5.

I’m doing the same on one of my MacBooks (connected to NEC 20″ WSXGA+) and no issues whatsoever. The MacBook was even driving the display in lid-closed mode when I installed the update, and it rebooted into 10.5.5 almost without issue.

I say almost, because when the computer restarted it was dog-slow for about 20 minutes, and then magically sped itself up again. My guess is Spotlight re-indexing, though I cannot be sure as my other two MacBooks weren’t slow at all after the update. Those two have 80GB drives (60GB partitioned for OS X) while my main workhorse machine with the external monitor has a 320GB drive 100% of which is allocated to OS X.

So far I’ve noticed no real differences in the new system, but I call that a good thing.

Listen, no voodoo is required. Just wait a few days before installing any major update from Apple. (Or any other manufacturer.) All of the truly serious problems that have occurred with Apple updates have all been fixed within days, so just *wait* days, and you’re fine.

If you install a major update the day that it’s released, you are taking a huge risk with your workflow, and one day you will pay for it and the price will be steep enough that you will have wished you had employed different habits the entire time. The risk/reward ratio will seem quite different then, won’t it? It’s happened to people I know.

If waiting a few days is so onerous to you and you have to be *that* bleeding edge about this, then you basically deserve what you get. (Not to remove any blame, however, from Apple.)

Isn’t is supposed to be “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning?”

Some prefer Tylenol.

Peace,
Gene

I thought it was supposed to be “Take two chill pills…”

Has anyone updated their MacBook to 10.5.5. and external display (attached via mini DVI) is still detected?

My MacBook (and several others are repeating same issue) will not detect external displays (using mini DVI) after updating to 10.5.5.

Yes, Annette, this is the exact set up I have at work. No trouble whatsoever.

Has anyone updated their MacBook to 10.5.5. and external display (attached via mini DVI) is still detected?

My MacBook (and several others are repeating same issue) will not detect external displays (using mini DVI) after updating to 10.5.5.

Have upgraded a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro, and everything is fine in my wallow.

I had absolutely no problems with the 10.5.5 update, except for one little thing:

Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld literally crashed through my monitor and went diving into my closet looking for shoes. Suddenly, the door to my apartment swung open, and in slid Michael Richards, heading in the same direction. He screamed the “N” (Nerd) word at Gates, and I’d had enough. I threw them all out, took two aspirins and went to sleep.