Mac OS X 10.5.6 Update – Caution!

Posted by Clayton Lewis on December 23, 2008 under ALERTS!!, Blog Articles, Mac Tips | Be the First to Comment

Apple released an update to Leopard last week. OS X 10.5.6. As wtih any updates, I always recommend not jumping on the proverbial bandwagon and WAIT to see what kind of issues other folks experience. It’s not unusual for some to have problems.

Right now, I’m still hesitant to install this new update on anyone’s computer and cannot recommend it to anyone else. If you follow Mac FixIt, you will see the list of problems people have had to deal with during or after the installation.

Installation hangs and not booting past the white screen seem to be the biggest issues thus far. Apple has posted a fix for the installation hangs but if you’re one of the ones suffer through an installation hang then you may be in for a bit of trouble. Worst case, a failed install of the update can cripple your hard drive and have you recovering from a backup.

If you do decide to install the update (and I have successfully installed it  on a couple of test machines without issue) then follow this bit of advice.

1. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP. Before you do ANY update, make sure your machine is backed up.

2. Quit all running Applications

3. Repair Permissions BEFORE updating

4. Go to the /Library/Updates/ folder and remove all files in it. (As per Apple, Removing these files may prevent the problem from recurring for future updates)

6. Instead of using Software Update, download the stand alone Combo Update for 10.5.6 and install that. The download could take awhile as it’s over 650MB.

7. Once installed and rebooted. Repair Permissions once more.

Prior to installing an update, I typically take the added step of running Disk Utility on my drive by either restarting from the Install DVD, that came with the Mac or rebooting into Single User Mode and running FSCK. Click here for more information.

Good luck and feel free to leave a message on your experience.

The MacTech is Back in DC

Posted by Clayton Lewis on December 21, 2008 under ALERTS!!, Blog Articles, News, Announcments & Rumors, misc | Be the First to Comment

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that I’m back in the area and I will begin posting more tips, how-tos, etc on the site real soon. Thanks for everyone’s patience while I was on hiatus and I hope you enjoy the new look of the site.

The MacTech Needs iPhone Web App Help!!

Posted by Clayton Lewis on January 7, 2008 under ALERTS!! | Read the First Comment

Hi everyone,

We’re in need of an iPhone Web App developer’s assistance for a special project.  If you’re familiar with creating Web Apps for the iPhone please leave a comment below or email me direct to let us know a bit more about you and I’ll fill you in on the project. Thanks!!

Lithium batteries to be banned from air luggage

Posted by Clayton Lewis on December 30, 2007 under ALERTS!!, Blog Articles, News, Announcments & Rumors | Be the First to Comment

An article on the Electronista website states that airline travelers will no longer be able hold loose lithium batteries in their luggage, the US Department of Transportation says.

They key word here is “loose”. That means that folks that carry extra batteries for their laptop, phone, camera, etc will have to place them in a plastic bag and put them in their carry-on, similar to the liquid ban and there is a limit of two batteries per passenger. Otherwise the batteries need to be inserted into your device as normal use dictates.

Email Phishing… Trolling For Your Identity

Posted by Clayton Lewis on February 26, 2007 under ALERTS!!, Blog Articles, Mac Tips | Be the First to Comment

Hi gang,

I wanted to give everyone a heads up on a relatively new email scam called “Phishing”. It’s a very sophisticated scam that preys upon the trusting nature of normal users who aren’t paying attention. Below are some links that provide some very good information.

PLEASE… PLEASE take a moment to read through the information provided and educate yourself on what to look for and how to spot these scams.

What is a Phishing Scam?
How can I tell if an e-mail message is fraudulent?
The Dos and Don’ts of Dealing with Suspicious E-Mail
What to do if you’ve responded to a phishing scam
Phone Phishing: the latest scam

(even though it’s a Microsoft site, the information provided is meant for all platforms and email users… there are some references to Windows products but the Macs have similar counterparts)