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Mac OS 10.4.10 and MacBook AirPort Issues? [Updated]

MacBook Pro as well

I've been plagued by this on my MacBook Pro as well!

I have a Linksys WRT150N router, and it's been almost impossible to diagnose what the problem is. If I use the N-Enabler on my MacBook Pro it will do odd things like 'freeze' the system by killing the network and most apps are then frozen as well... Can't launch new or quit running apps. But I just had it happen again this morning even without N enabled, but it sure is more frequent with N.

Outside of the N issue, even with only G I get lots of weird dropouts, halts, freezes of net activity, etc. VERY FRUSTRATING!
 
Possible solution to Airport 10.4.10 issues

UPDATE 2: Apple's solution mentioned here only seemed to work because I was plugged in to AC. Running on battery contributes to the issues (see post 58 of this thread below).
----------------------------------
I've had the same problem here and *may* have a solution, though I have a hunch this is a shotgun approach for something with a simpler fix.

I typed a long me-too post yesterday (my first post after years of lurking; thanks to many of your for your advice) and had a kernel panic just before submitting it. Oh, the irony.

I installed both the most recent security update and 10.4.10 on a MBP Core 2 Duo 2.33 17" a few days ago. I did not get around to repairing permissions prior to the issues. For context, my system has been getting a bit sluggish over the past month and I'd also been wondering what's happening to cause that.

Same symptoms as many: Airport stopped working here and there (showing no wireless networks, which eventually clued me in to stop trying to fix it by resetting my router), and it was usually resolved however briefly by cycling Airport off and then back on. Sometimes it required a restart to begin working again.

The kernel panics started a day or two later, about two a day the first day and then about 6 the second day.

So, I contacted Apple and the many steps we did appear to have resolved the issue (at least after a few hours of use). Apple has apparently NOT identified or documented this as a known issue and I mentioned there were threads online discussing the problem, but this was news to the tech with whom I spoke. Here's what I hope is a complete list of what we did:

- He believed it was likely a hard drive problem, as this is their first thought with kernel panics. With Disk Utility we checked the hard drive and found one or two small block count errors. We repaired the hard drive from the OSX install disk that shipped with the Mac (boot from the disk holding C down, select a language, then select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu).

- We deleted the caches folder from the home library folder.

- We deleted com.apple.finder.plist from Library>Preferences

- Rather than deactivate all my startup items from my user account login tab, I asked if we could remove the Startup Items folder from the Hard Drive volume’s Library folder.

- We zapped the P-RAM (restart holding command, option, p, and r keys until hearing three chimes).

- We repaired disk permissions using Disk Utility (I asked what matters for sequence, and the disk permissions must be done after removing the com.apple.finder.plist file and dealing with startup items.

RESULTS:
So far no kernel panics and wireless is working properly. It's my first post after years, so forgive me if I note that my system is "snappier" (I just couldn't resist) for all the maintenance performed. It's back to acting like a new MBP.

Hope this helps some of you having the same issue.
 
I have the MacBook Pro 2.2Ghz running on a WPA Airport Extreme (the new one) network and have none of the issues with kernal panics or dropped connections. However the Airport indicator in the menubar sometimes drop to 1 line where as normally it is at full signal. Also when waking from sleep the Mac is considerably slower than my previous PowerBook G4 1.5Ghz. Previously I was online as fast as I could open Safari when the computer woke from sleep. Now it often happens that I get the "No internetconnection/webpage address" message in Safari simply because the Airport isn't connecting fast enough. Hopefully Apple will fix this soon.
 
Kaptajn Haddock said:
I have the MacBook Pro 2.2Ghz running on a WPA Airport Extreme (the new one) network and have none of the issues with kernal panics or dropped connections. However the Airport indicator in the menubar sometimes drop to 1 line where as normally it is at full signal. Also when waking from sleep the Mac is considerably slower than my previous PowerBook G4 1.5Ghz. Previously I was online as fast as I could open Safari when the computer woke from sleep. Now it often happens that I get the "No internetconnection/webpage address" message in Safari simply because the Airport isn't connecting fast enough. Hopefully Apple will fix this soon.
Click to expand...


These were my early symptoms, FYI, before it started dropping connections 1-3 days later.
 
I'm having issues too... To put it simply, sometimes, I cannot connect my MB (Core Duo 2Ghz) to the router for days...
I have a PC laptop next to the router. Can I buy a "wifi pendrive" and use the pc as an internet provider? I'm ignorant when it comes to create a network...
 
Juan Moro said:
I'm having issues too... To put it simply, sometimes, I cannot connect my MB (Core Duo 2Ghz) to the router for days...
I have a PC laptop next to the router. Can I buy a "wifi pendrive" and use the pc as an internet provider? I'm ignorant when it comes to create a network...
Click to expand...

Do you normally see neighboring WiFi networks in your available networks list in Airport (or can you take your laptop somewhere where you would)?

Do you see other networks listed when yours is not, or are all networks suddenly gone? Seeing other networks might suggest an issue with your router (reset it or diagnose other trouble). Seeing nothing when others usually appear points more toward the laptop, in which case it seems sharing wireless from the PC may not help if you're Airport won't find any network.
 
Just a quick post to add to the pile.

I am experiencing intermittent internet drop on a Buffalo router using WPA2. In addition, I have had 3 kernel panics today. That has not happened in years! MacBook Pro 2.33 15". Started after the 10.4.10 update.

Unfortunately, I can't downgrade because 10.4.10 is required for iPhone! I might try the archive and install, permissions, etc. I'm sure Apple is working quickly on a fix.
 
Apparently running on battery causes the dropouts & kernel panics

UPDATE 2: Apple's solution mentioned in an earlier post only seemed to work because I was plugged in to AC.

I thought I was noticing a pattern and apparently others posting elsewhere on the web have, like me, only had wireless issues and kernel panics when running 10.4.10 laptops on battery (perhaps having to do with going to a low power mode).

Apple support is still not seeing this as a known issue, so they may need to hear from more of us to begin work on a patch if they haven't already. There are various hacks mentioned elsewhere on the web (reinstalling old airport updates, switching channels, disabling security) but no official word yet from Apple.

I called tech support back and they transferred me to a wireless specialist, who had me test hardware but then conceded it must be a software issue and suggested reinstalling 10.4.9 (I don't have a spare 5 hours to reinstall all my software, thanks!). Tomorrow they'll have me talk to a Product Specialist when they reopen. No official word on whether a patch is being developed, but having tech support not recognize the topic isn't encouraging.

Now if I could only post this without knocking my power cord out by mistake and losing wireless before hitting submit this time....
 
Boxcar Edit said:
Do you normally see neighboring WiFi networks in your available networks list in Airport (or can you take your laptop somewhere where you would)?

Do you see other networks listed when yours is not, or are all networks suddenly gone? Seeing other networks might suggest an issue with your router (reset it or diagnose other trouble). Seeing nothing when others usually appear points more toward the laptop, in which case it seems sharing wireless from the PC may not help if you're Airport won't find any network.
Click to expand...

Other people's wifi networks seem to work just fine, contrary to mine... When I've been in hotels, I've been able to connect whenever I wanted. However, I've read somewhere (it could be untrue, granted) that this issue is particular to certain airport cards/router pairs.
I've resetted my router like a thousand times, and switched it on and off... for nothing. I'm getting my new MBP in a few days, so I'll see if it solves something...
Thanks ;)
 
I don't believe this is a problem with router-pairing/configuration.

Resetting your router might work for a moment but your wireless WILL drop again eventually.

The issue is with AirPort/10.4.10. Also, if you are on 10.4.10, the issue will only occur when you are on battery power. Keep this in mind. If it works with one router and not another, it is likely that you were on AC power when you tried the other router.

Downgrading to 10.4.9 will solve the problem. Simple as that. Nothing else will fix it besides this, or an update from Apple.
 
cleanup said:
Also, if you are on 10.4.10, the issue will only occur when you are on battery power.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure that this is true. I was using my Macbook, plugged in, on Sunday and never got connectivity on my own wireless network that day. Signal strength was full, but nothing actually responded on the network - classic symptoms of this problem.

However, I was able to connect to the neighbor's open wireless network and get connectivity just fine. I tried switching back to my own network at various points that afternoon, but always got the same result - no network. Back to the neighbor's network and I was able to surf the web just fine.

Finally, rebooting the machine is what got me back on my own network. At no time was I using battery power while this happened.
 
Is there an easy way to copy the 10.4.9 drivers to 10.4.10? I have a backup HD with 10.4.9 on it that I could use.
 
Possible Fix?

Hi all - sorry, I don't know if someone mentioned this already as I just saw this thread and didn't read through it all because I'm in a rush (I know it's a short one too :)).

Anyway, I was experiencing the dropouts as well on my 1st gen Macbook and then I opened up Apple Airport Utility and it mentioned there was an upgrade for my Airport Extreme Base Station (7.1.1 I believe). After updating the base station, I no longer get dropouts. So for those connecting to an Airport base station, that might help if you haven't done it already.

Hope this helps.
 
I concur that this only happens on batteries, not on AC, and only with certain routers.

I have a new SR MacBook Pro 2.2, and it will work flawlessly with my Buffalo WHR-G54S (running DD-WRT firmware) while on AC, and it kernel panics after only a few minutes on batteries. It works fine with a Linksys WRT54GL, runing HyperWRT firmware (both AC and batteries)
 
Has anyone experienced these issues on a Mac Pro? I recently installed an Airport card and it worked fine up until about an hour ago. Since then it refuses to find any networks most of the time. If I turn it off and leave it off for a while and then turn it on again it picks up my wireless signal at full strength but then drops it a few minutes later. I can't even disable the wireless. In my restarts I had one occasion where I got a computer must restart on boot and the next time I booted up it said "no airport hardware detected". I opened it up, reseated the Airport card and booted up again. It detected fine, connected fine but then lost a connection a few minutes later.
My two iBooks connect to the WEP encrypted wireless without any problems. Incidentally, I also noticed that this morning my downloads were going quite slowly on the Mac Pro.

Edit: BTW Mac Pros, MBPs and second generation MacBooks all share the same wireless card so what happens on one might happen on the others.
 
OMG! I have been plagued with problems since the 10.4.10 update on my Macbook 1st gen. Firstly, the connection drops...I went to the Apple Store to get my Airport Extreme card replaced. Now, the damn connection fluctuates on and off and whenever i click the Airport icon i get the rolling color circle and it shows "No network found!" when i am sitting 3 feet away from my AEBS. There has to be a fix for this! :mad:
 
Even after download the audio fix I could swear I still hear a popping noise at times. I was able to get the sound levels back up though that were lowered significantly in 10.4.10
 
I am having wireless problems with my MacBook Pro running 10.4.10. My symptoms are just dropouts of the wireless connection, which is annoying but not too serious.
 
Read this before resorting to archive/install back to 10.4.9!

iLunar said:
Is there an easy way to copy the 10.4.9 drivers to 10.4.10? I have a backup HD with 10.4.9 on it that I could use.
Click to expand...

In the Apple Discussions thread (linked in original post to this thread),
the user IamNobody posted the following on page 6; I've pasted it here:

I HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM!!!!! Here's what I did:

1) Download Pacifist http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743

2) Download airport extreme update 2007-002
3) Download 10.4.9 combo update

4) Go to /system/library/extensions and copy appleairport.kext and appleairport2.kext to a backup location just to be safe and then delete them from the extensions folder.

5) Also in the extensions folder you'll find IO80211Family.kext and copy it to backup folder and then delete it.

6) Mount airport extreme update dmg and then open Pacifist.

7) In Pacifist click on "Open Package" and select the airport extreme update package.

8) In Pacifist you will now see all the files that are in the package. Find system and expand it's tree by clicking on the triangle. then expand library and then extensions. You will now see the IO80211Family.kext file. Click once on it so it's highlighted and then click "Install".

9) When it's done copying files expand coreservices and then menu extras. Highlight "Airport Menu" and click install.

10) When it's done copying close the window in Pacifist for the airport update package.

11) Now mount the 10.4.9 combo update dmg and click "Open Package" in Pacifist and select the 10.4.9 combo package.

12) Again find the system folder and expand it and then expand the libray and extensions folders.

13) In the extensions folder you'll see a bunch of files. Look for appleairport.kext and highlight it. Click "Install".

14) when it's done copying you should see the appleairport2.kext. Highlight it and click "install".

15) when Pacifist is done copying reboot your Macbook.

16) Once booted try your internet and then jump up and down shouting YIPEEEEE!!! IT'S FIXED!!

I have now had a solid connection for over 30 minutes on battery as I've been typing these instructions when I couldn't stay connected for more then 1-3 minutes before applying this fix.

Who needs Applecare support!!!!...HEHEHEHE!!!!

Hope this helps and enjoy having your internet connection back. I think I'll send Apple a bill for all my labor time fixing their bug. Boy wouldn't they just love that..LOL!!!!

THIS IS WHAT WORKED FOR ME! FOLLOW THIS GUIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK!! I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG SUCH AS YOU DELETED THE WRONG FILES OR YOUR SYSTEM HAS OTHER ISSUES THAT MAY AFFECT THE OUTCOME!!!


I was having a lot of kernel panics, and non-loading webpages when running off battery.
I was about to do an Archive/Install (to go back to 10.4.9), when I saw that post.
I also filed a detailed bug-report with Apple (registered a free ADC account to do so).
So far, so good!
 
Damn...I just called the Apple Support got routed to the support tech and then to the Product Specialists... man what an attitude he was giving me on the phone! :rolleyes: He is like we really don't bother about a small percentage of whiners...etc..This is not Apple's problem! I am like hello there are 2 people who I know personally who are having this problem since 10.4.10! He also had the audacity to insult my PC! He is like you are comparing Apples to oranges.....:D
 
I'm having trouble with my wifi dropping out too since this update :mad:At least I know its not only me with the problem
 
issues...possible solutions...

I had the same issues, what I did may help you as well, I have a mac mini with airport g connected to a D-link router, and after the upgrade I did notice connection issues etc, I did read in some other forums that if you have a 2gz cordless phone, it may interfere with your connection, I dont so I continued my research, I did discovered that it could be the way the the computer disconnects or re-engages the signal after sleep or restart, I logged into my router and set it so the router logs off automatically from the machine, a setting that may be in all routers, second I went to my network settings and deleted all trusted networks except my router's, I also set my connection rate to 25% since its a small apt and disabled its broadcast name. I've no longer need to restart the router after sleep or restarts for missed or disappearing signals. nor did I had to re-install the software or revert to 10.4.9. if I remember anything else I iwll post it.
 
Update to the story

Update: Reports indicate that Apple's engineering team has acknowledged the issue as a bug and is working towards a resolution.
 
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