FIXME: IOUnserialize has detected a string that is not valid UTF-8, "SMB012"

[mateus]

No one on the Apple Support Discussion forums seems to know what this message means, so I wondered if any one here might...

configd[14]: FIXME: IOUnserialize has detected a string that is not valid UTF-8, "�SMB012".

The above message started appearing in System.log on Jan 8 and repeats every 30 seconds! As you can imagine, this line appears in the log literately thousands of times.

Anyone got any ideas? I assume it's network related and the complaint relates to the � character.

 

[mateus]

As I got no response on this forum, I asked else where. Here's the answer just in case anyone else has this problem and finds this thread...

I ran the configd in debug and checked all the .bundle packages. Running the following gave loads of odd messages in System.log:

sudo /usr/libexec/configd -dv -t /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/PowerManagement.bundle

Assuming power must be to blame, I removed the battery and the messages stopped! So the battery must be faulty and sending codes to the Mac that it doesn't understand.

M.

 

[ahanuban]

Assuming power must be to blame, I removed the battery and the messages stopped! So the battery must be faulty and sending codes to the Mac that it doesn't understand.
M.

I have a similar error coming from powerd and any other process calling data from the battery.

3/31/12 1:52:18.076 PM powerd: FIXME: IOUnserialize has detected a string that is not valid UTF-8, "�SMB012".

Sometimes my mac crashes immediately after this error message appears. It seems to be the serial number of the battery using a character that's not utf-8. System Profiler seems to display that character: ˇSMB012

This has happened with 2 third-party batteries, but I don't think it has happened with any of the three apple batteries I have owned. Maybe one of them.