Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Troubleshooting Roundup Two

David W. Martin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:37:31 -0500

Apple's Mac OS X v10.6 was released two weeks ago and for most of us the transition from Leopard to Snow Leopard went by without incident. However, we've spent part of the last few weeks scouring Apple's discussion boards and support site for solutions to problems people have been reporting with the upgrade.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.1 Security Content

The first update to Snow Leopard, according to Apple, only contains one security update. That update is an upgrade to Flash Player plug-in for Safari. The upgrade brings the plug-in to version 10.0.32.18. You can find more information about the plug-in at Adobe.com.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.1 Update

This update released last week and Mac|Life covered it here.

Problems with MAMP and MAMP PRO

Mac|Life recently published a how to for this incredible tool that you can use to design and code web applications that rely on a webserver running Apache, MySQL and PHP on your Mac. Problems with the older versions prompted the developer to release version 1.8.2 of MAMP and MAMP Pro that is compatible with Snow Leopard. You can download the update from the vendors website.

Installing Snow Leopard and finding 'System Events.app'

When we installed Snow Leopard Mac OS X v10.6 over v10.5, and then after restarting the last time, a window came up right after logging asking for us to locate 'System Events.app. '

We called AppleCare and asked about this issue and their advice was just to hit Cancel on the prompt. We did this and on subsequent reboots the message never reappeared. It was theorized that this belonged to some app that have been previously installed, but could not be identified. The file is part of Mac OS X and it is located at: System/Library/CoreService/System Events.app and appears in some user accounts in Account preferences under Login Items.

MacBook Pro Display Gamma Fix

We found a problem with how colors display on the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro models. The problem, with a suggested work around, can be found on Apple's discussion board. Expect a fix for this in a future OS update where appears to be an accidental omission of settings for a particular display panel used in 13-inch MacBook Pros.

Where are my ODBC and Server Admin Tools?

Snow Leopard does not include the ODBC utility as part of its installation so you must download and install it yourself now. In addition to that if you had the Leopard Server tools installed previously, their updates don't appear in Software Update. You must download and install them yourself if you still need them.

SuperDrive Update 2.1 Unexpectedly Quits

Apple has released a support document on what to do when running the SuperDrive 2.1 update that can affect your computer after it updates and then restarts. The fix prevents the Update from reloading and then crashing on subsequent restarts.

VoiceOver Command Changes for Snow Leopard

Apple has published a support document that details the differences in VoiceOver keyboard commands between Mac OS X v10.5 and Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard. OS X v10.6 includes new keyboard commands and support for standard gestures on Macs with a multi-touch trackpad. If you've used this feature previously you might find yourself having problems since two VoiceOver keyboard commands are completely different in Mac OS X v10.6.

MobileMe Sync Log Changed

If you are trying to troubleshoot MobileMe in Mac OS X Snow Leopard the filename has changed from "dotmacsync.log" to "mobilemesync.log" and it is now located in ~/Library/Logs/Sync ("~" equals your Home folder). This Apple support document gives you all the details including the steps needed to view the log inside of the Console application.

Apple Releases HP and Canon Printer Drivers

If anything Apple's Snow Leopard fails pretty badly out of the box for printer support. While it was a good idea not to load all those drivers by default, to save disk space, it turned out to not be such a hot idea. In some cases the system wasn't going out automatically to Internet or the Snow Leopard Install disk and getting the drivers when they were needed. Some of these problems were addressed in the v10.6.1 update and others were not. Now Apple has posted downloads for Hewitt-Packard (HP) and Canon printers.

Apple Announces Cinema Display to Complement New MacBooks

Zack Stern — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:29:12 -0500

Together at last.

Apple has announced an $899, 24-inch display that will launch in November built just for the new laptops. The LED-backlit display will only include a hardwired Mini DisplayPort cable, versus DVI or other connectors. Apple doesn't plan to offer an adapter, but the company says that third-parties could make a bridge for other laptops and the MacPro.

The 1,900 x 1,200-pixel Cinema display will also include a MagSafe cable to power a laptop, plus a USB 2.0 cable to route devices through its three-port hub. Built-in stereo speakers, a microphone, and iSight camera will round out its features.

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Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Troubleshooting Roundup Two

Apple Announces Cinema Display to Complement New MacBooks