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How many people are having problems with their PowerBooks after updating to 10.3.8


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How many people are having problems with their PowerBooks after updating to 10.3.8
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sith_lord
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-16, 01:05

I would like to know how many people are having problems with their PowerBooks. Please list the problems like this for instance which is what I'm experiencing.

• Loss of trackpad & button.
• No sleep mode available when lid is closed
• When sleep mode is selected under Apple menu item and the lid is closed; after several minutes, the computer wakes up even when lid is closed.

Please also list down whatever you have tried to fix this problem.
I have tried several methods to fix this problem to no avail!

• Ran Diskwarrior booted from CD, also booted from external HD
• Zapped PRAM
• Rebuid desktop
• Ran diskutitlty software from OSX CD
• Reformated HD and zeroed all data
• loaded the native Jaguar OS for PB G4 17" rev. A
• Downloaded Sidetrack but no fix
• Downloaded Cache Out X from versiontracker "nada!"

Your feedback is really important and hopefully it would raise some sleepy heads at Apple to fix this buggy update!

Also if anyone had returned thier Powerbooks to Apple regarding the problem that they had experienced after updating to 10.3.8. Please list down whatever info you if a part had to be replaced due to the OSX update.

I didn't read the posting guidelines.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2005-03-16, 01:08

I'm sure you mean Panther, not Jaguar.

No problems here, other than the known spastic backlight flicker when the ambient light gets low enough to juuuuuuust trigger the dimming feature. No biggie.

Not saying you're doing it, but I've seen people smash down so hard on the trackpad button that they broke it... and the underlying circuitry that connects to the latch that controls sleep. Just a thought.

With the symptoms you're stating, the fact that they're all right there in the same physical location makes me wonder if it isn't simply hardware.
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julesstoop
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Leiden, the Netherlands
 
2005-03-16, 01:15

I asume you ran the combo updater (big manual download)?
I always do out of a sort of superstition.
No problems here with Powerbook G4 15" al 1 Ghz
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I Thrash Therefore I Am
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: LA
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2005-03-16, 01:31

No problems other than its a little slow when I'm waking from sleep, but thats because it prompts me for my password and I have atleast 3 things running at a given time.

15" PB 1.67Ghz 1GB ram. 10.3.8
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BlueRabbit
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
 
2005-03-16, 02:22

No problems here. It seems as though my exorcist did a good job.

PB 12" Rev. B 1.0 GHz, used SW Update.
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Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Over Yander
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2005-03-16, 03:02

I have a problem on my Pismo since the update.

Every few minutes EVERYTHING freezes up for 5 seconds. Programs, finder, mouse, screen brightness/sound. Something is freaking out.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2005-03-16, 05:00

As usual, not a problem here.
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Mac+
9" monochrome
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: 🇦🇺
 
2005-03-16, 06:57

All good here: 10.3.8 on a 550MHz TiPB.
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scratt
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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2005-03-16, 07:15

I have had consistent processor run-aways on my Dual G5 since about 10.3.4!!
I just have to kill the process a few times in Activity Monitor, or Sleep and "un-Sleep" to get rid of it.

It is either a SystemGUIhandler task or an errorhandler.

Other than that on all our machines here at home 10.3.8 is fine....

I hope 10.4 will clear the G5 issue.
I am just too lazy to do a fresh install on my G5 before then!! :smokey:

'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take'
Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt
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onlyafterdark
Sucker for shiny objects
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Kitchener, ON
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2005-03-16, 11:30

No problems here.
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sith_lord
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-16, 11:56

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha
I'm sure you mean Panther, not Jaguar.

No problems here, other than the known spastic backlight flicker when the ambient light gets low enough to juuuuuuust trigger the dimming feature. No biggie.

Not saying you're doing it, but I've seen people smash down so hard on the trackpad button that they broke it... and the underlying circuitry that connects to the latch that controls sleep. Just a thought.

With the symptoms you're stating, the fact that they're all right there in the same physical location makes me wonder if it isn't simply hardware.
PB G4 17" rev. A (which is the very first 17" Powerbook to roll out) came with Jaguar. Hoping to restore all the factory settings from this method to regain control of the trackpad didn't do it all. The trackpad works when I do the following:

Activate sleep mode in Apple menu items instead of closing the lid and wait several minutes in sleep mode and then wake the computer. The trackpad is then functional but sleep mode is still buggy when the convenience of the lid is not at my disposal. When I shut down the PB it reverts back to the same old problem.

I'm not alone in this problem the Apple forum also has some owners in a bind as well. http://discussions.info.apple.com/we...eH.0@.68a70101

I'm suspecting it's a glitch in the update to have caused a problem with the existing firmware. I have read on these boards a member having to send back his PB after the update and Apple had replied regarding the status of his laptop saying that the part needed to repair the computer was backordered. They did not disclose what part was needed to repair the problem.

I didn't read the posting guidelines.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2005-03-16, 12:03

no problems with my 17" PB, but best of luck with yours.
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Ebby
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2005-03-16, 16:00

Oh yea, forgot to add that my Dual G5 has that rev-up fan issue if I don't have the energy saver set to highest.
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__^^__
New Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
 
2005-03-16, 23:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by scratt
I have had consistent processor run-aways
What's that??
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nomorewindows
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Rockie Mountains
 
2005-03-16, 23:49

No problems. Really! I love my PB.
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scratt
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2005-03-16, 23:51

Well... I have not dug into this too much... But basically after booting up my Processors will run at 100%. If I run Activity Monitor it will show a process.. As far as I can remember it is always a system process such as SystemGUIHandler (I might not have got the name 100% right) which is taking up 99% of the processor time, or as much as it can grab.

I can still do stuff.. But obviously the fans go bezerk and the machine is not as responsive as it should be.. Although to be honest I have run stuff with this still going on without realising and the Dual G5 2Gig is still pretty snappy!

It is not a huge problem as it sometimes doesn't happen and is as easy to kill as killing any process using Activity Monitor.

I have tried Combo updates as well as re-installing / removing certain apps and utilities, but it still comes back...

I just don't have the time to debug the entire system as my machines are work machines and I am always using them. When 10.4 comes out I will probably archive the whole machine ready for Spotlight and the like and start with a fresh install.

I am sure if I did this with 10.3 it would also solve the problem, but I kept hoping an update youwlget rid of the problem. After 6 months I have come to the conclusion it is one of those things that is caused by 2 or more contributing factors and is probably not an OS bug per. se.

'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take'
Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt
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Kickaha
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Join Date: May 2004
 
2005-03-16, 23:58

If you can figure out which process it is exactly, we might be able to help keep it from happening again. Canon's scanner drivers are infamous for gobbling up CPU time by just sitting there and continually looking for a scanner that isn't hooked up. Like *many* times a second.
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scratt
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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2005-03-17, 00:09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha
If you can figure out which process it is exactly, we might be able to help keep it from happening again. Canon's scanner drivers are infamous for gobbling up CPU time by just sitting there and continually looking for a scanner that isn't hooked up. Like *many* times a second.
Thanks... Firing the beast up now... Will report back..

(EDIT) - Wouldn't you know it... 3 Boot ups and no problem!!
The only change recently (lik in the last few days) was a security update
I will keep a note of this thread and post back next time it happens..

'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take'
Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt

Last edited by scratt : 2005-03-17 at 00:16.
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scratt
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2005-03-17, 01:34

OK..

It's the SystemUIServer..

This is what I get when I look at the Open Files info..

/ (/dev/disk0s9)
/dev/null
/dev/console
/dev/console
0x0498edb4 file struct, ty=0x3, op=0x3167f4
0x0498ee20 file struct, ty=0x3, op=0x3167f4
/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Extras.rsrc
/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/HIToolbox.rsrc
/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/English.lproj/Localized.rsrc
/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIServices.framework/Versions/A/Resources/HIServices.rsrc
->0x04d6f28c
->0x04d6f180
->0x04d6ef68
->0x04d6f074


The Parent Process is loginwindow..

Any good?

'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take'
Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt
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dviant
Lord of the Spoiler
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Lost
 
2005-03-17, 11:59

I have a Albook 1ghz 15" (1gb, bt, ap) and I have no problems I can attribute to directly 10.3.8. The few odd things that happen have done so prior to this update. For reference those issues are:

- Sometimes not waking from sleep (open lid to black screen have to hard shutdown)
- My user takes a lot time to load once the desktop image hits (spinning beach ball for like a minute or so)
- If mail was left on when computer was put to sleep, it sometimes has trouble accessing my .mac mail (not always, quitting mail and restarting it solves this)

Shhhh, I can't see!
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Track_40
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Chicago
 
2005-03-18, 11:11

No Probs here, good luck.
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night-dj
 
 
2005-03-19, 08:36

I've no problems with OS 10.3.8 on my Powerbook. It runs perfectly.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2005-03-19, 14:38

Ya got me. That list looks okay, I can't think of what would be causing it to gobble up CPU like that. Weird.
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DMBand0026
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Chicago
 
2005-03-20, 13:42

No problems here. Things are working great as usual.
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