The JK Buzz 7.15.2010, in this edition...

Mac OS X: AppleJack update provides Snow Leopard compatibility, Running memtest using AppleJack 1.6’s Expert Mode, Snow Leopard’s XProtect updated with Mac OS X 10.6.4

Creative Applications: Grrr… Growl installed with Adobe CS5, Photoshop CS5 update offers speedier performance and less font crashes, Dreamweaver CS5 update fixes FileVault conflict, Backup site definitions before updating Dreamweaver CS5, FontExplorer  update provides Adobe CS5 support

Macintosh Miscellaneous: Time Capsule warranty extension

Email Applications: Apple Mail hanging and/or ghost search results, Emails with all black backgrounds in Apple Mail, WideMail update needed after Mac OS X 10.6.4

Mac Servers: Network account users can’t launch Safari 5

Tips from the Trenches: Problems applying Mac OS X 10.6.4 image to new Mac mini

Mac OS X

AppleJack update provides Snow Leopard compatibility

After a long 11 month wait, AppleJack is now Snow Leopard compatible!  This indispensible troubleshooting tool was updated to version 1.6 on 7/12/10, now supporting Mac OS X 10.4-10.6.  http://applejack.sourceforge.net

As with previous versions of AppleJack, simply run the installer and it will update previous versions if found.

Running memtest using AppleJack 1.6’s Expert Mode

AppleJack has a hidden Expert Mode that can be accessed by typing “x” then pressing the return key.  Previous versions of AppleJack included an option to run memtest (to test for bad RAM) while in Expert Mode, however it only worked reliably with Tiger.  This hidden memtest feature has been updated, and according to my tests it now works great with Mac OS X 10.4-10.6.

To run memtest using AppleJack 1.6, you must first have preformed a custom install of AppleJack by clicking on the Customize button, and checking the option for “Memtest OS X”.  If you attempt to run memtest using AppleJack without previously doing this custom install, you’ll get the error “Could not find the required memtest program, are you sure it is installed?”.  If you have previously preformed an easy install of AppleJack 1.6 without memtest, you can simply run the installer again to gain this feature.

Instructions for running memtest using AppleJack 1.6:

• Boot into Single User Mode (restart holding down command+s)
• After the scrolling text has stopped and you see “root #”, type “applejack” and press the return key
• After the AppleJack menu appears, immediately type “x” and press the return key
• After the AppleJack Expert Mode menu appears, type “2” and press the return key
• When asked if you want a log of the test results, type “y” and press the return key
• Wait for memtest to run (about 2-6 hours based on the amount of RAM and speed of the computer)

Running memtest using AppleJack will run three complete passes on all the available RAM.  You should not run any other features in AppleJack prior to running memtest, it should always be done following a fresh reboot.

After memtest has finished testing the RAM, exit out of AppleJack by following the instructions on screen (“just hit return to quit”).  To view the results of the memtest scan after rebooting, see the /var/log/AppleJack.log file.

Snow Leopard’s XProtect updated with Mac OS X 10.6.4

The Mac OS X 10.6.4 update is the first to update Snow Leopard’s XProtect Trojan Horse database, adding support for detecting the HellRTS (aka OSX/Pinhead).  This Trojan conceals itself as a copy of iPhoto, distributed via BitTorrent and other P2P services.  Once infected, hackers can send span from your Mac, take screenshots, and access your files and clipboard.

As a reminder, Snow Leopard’s XProtect feature scans mounted DMGs downloaded using Entourage, Safari, Mail, Firefox, Thunderbird, and iChat.  If the DMG contains a known Trojan horse, XProtect will displays an alert prompting you of the risk and recommending that you eject the disk image.

Creative Applications

Grrr… Growl installed with Adobe CS5

When you install any Adobe CS5 Suite or Point Product, the third-party Growl notification system and Growl system preference pane are automatically installed.  Adobe says this was done to provide the user notifications reminding them to register their product.  Because the Growl is an independent system, once install it will prompt users to install updates, and this is typically when users discover it was installed in the first place.

Adobe has gotten a lot of negative feedback about this, and in retrospect they have stated “We realize that this is causing a lot of consternation with both CS5 and Growl users. We should have been more transparent and made Growl an optional install. We made a mistake and are actively working to mitigate the problem.” http://blogs.adobe.com/oobe/2010/05/growl_installation_with_adobe.html

The developers of Growl have also posted this message on their homepage “If Growl was installed on your system without you knowing about it, please see this page for an explanation”.  They subsequently say “We do not endorse applications installing Growl without your permission.  In fact, we hate it.  Nothing should ever install anything on your system without your knowledge and your explicit consent.” http://growl.info

Adobe has posted details on how to remove Growl or disable notifications to this site, which has no impact on how CS5 applications work… http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/840/cpsid_84093.html

Photoshop CS5 update offers speedier performance and less font crashes

Adobe has released an update to Photoshop CS5, taking it to version 12.0.1.  This update addresses “a number of issues that could cause slow performance”, and fixes several bugs including font related crashes and scroll wheel issues.

Dreamweaver CS5 update fixes FileVault conflict

Adobe has released an update to Dreamweaver CS5, taking it to version 11.0.2.  This update fixes problems running Dreamweaver CS5 with FileVault enabled, and includes fixes for Browser Lab.

Backup site definitions before updating Dreamweaver CS5

Many people are reporting that after updating Dreamweaver CS5, they lost their site definitions.  If you have taking the time to create site definitions that would not be easy to reenter, I would recommend backing up these files prior to updating Dreamweaver CS5…

• ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/11/Sites/Site Prefs
• ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 Prefs

FontExplorer  update provides Adobe CS5 support

Linotype has released a FontExplorer X Pro 2.5.1 update, which now includes plug-ins for Adobe CS5 applications, and fixing Postscript font issues with Mac OS X 10.6.3 and later.

Macintosh Miscellaneous

Time Capsule warranty extension

Apple has acknowledged a hardware problem with Time Capsules released between February and June 2008, where the Time Capsule may randomly shut down or won’t turn on at all.  To address this, Apple is offering to repair or replace units exhibiting these symptoms, even if out of warranty (up to three years from purchase date).  See this Knowledgebase Article for complete information, including the serial number rages that are covered… http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3351

Email Applications

Apple Mail hanging and/or ghost search results

If you’re troubleshooting problems with Apple Mail, where it either is hanging or is displaying ghost messages in search results, try this troubleshooting technique…

• Quit Mail
• Navigate to ~/Library/Mail
• Rename the file named “Envelope Index”, giving it a name something like “Envelope Index BU”
• Relaunch Mail, and click Continue when asked if you want to import your messages
• Wait for the process to complete
• If the problem goes away, delete the renamed Envelope Index.

Emails with all black backgrounds in Apple Mail

According to Apple Knowledgebase article TS3385, after updating to either Mac OS X 10.6.4 or Safari 5 ( with Leopard or Snow Leopard), the Apple Mail application may display some emails automatically generated by applications may be displayed with a solid black background, making the text unreadable.  Apple is working on a fix, but until it is released their workaround is clicking in the black message body area, then selecting “Make Plain Text” from the Format menu. http://support.apple.com/kb/Ts3385

WideMail update needed after Mac OS X 10.6.4

The Mac OS X 10.6.4 update is incompatible with older versions of the WideMail plugin, a plugin for Apple Mail that allows the message list and message body to be displayed side by side.  The incompatibility results in the plugin not working, and blank subject lines.  The fix is to update to WideMail 2.0pr2 or later.

Mac Servers

Network account users can’t launch Safari 5

If you have network account users who are running Leopard and Safari 5, Safari will not launch.  The workaround is to launch Safari 5 in Rosetta mode (do a File->Get Info on the Safari application and check the box for “Open using Rosetta”).  This problem does not occur with network account users who are running Snow Leopard and Safari 5.

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Tips from the Trenches

This tip comes from Neil McDougall, an invaluable onsite Mac tech and technology consultant who has been with Techcare since 2004.

Neil was building a new Mac mini, attempting to use a Mac OS X 10.6.4 disc image that had previously worked perfecty on a new MacBook Pro, new iMac, older iMacs and Mac Minis…

"I just installed the image on a new (mid 2010) Mac Mini. The new Mac Mini ships with 10.6.3. My image is 10.6.4 (from the combo) so it should be fine, right? No.

The Mac Mini boots just fine, but I have no Ethernet. It’s dead. I thought it might be the cable, so I tried different cables and different wall ports. Still no Ethernet at all. It says that the cable is unplugged. I thought the Mac Mini was broken, but on checking the web, it’s a common problem with people trying to boot the new Mac Mini from anything other than the system that came with it. I guess the Mac Mini has custom kext files (drivers) for the Ethernet and for the SD card slot. If you don’t have those drivers then you can’t use the built in Ethernet or card slot, and those drivers are not included anywhere else other than on the Mac Mini disks. The 10.6.4 combo update does not contain them, which to me is the most messed up of all.

I downgraded it back to the 10.6.3 that came with the Mac Mini. Ethernet is back. Fun."