Mac Software update Crashes after 10.6.7 update - Please Help me :(

ayjayirl

Hello everyone.

I am hope the collective boards wisdom can help me cause I can't find a solution to this problem I am having at the moment.

I updated to 10.6.7 yesterday. The update went fine except or one thing, the internet dropped when it was downloading the update and cancelled. When I went back in to do it again it picked up where it left off and downloaded the rest of the file and updated the system upon reboot. The problem I am having now is that software updater crashes every time I try to load it. I will attach the output from the crash to this thread in the hope someone can help. I trawled through the apple forums and saw a few problem with this update for itunes, flash and some java apps but I have none of these problems, only software update. I tried to download the pkg file from the apple website (combo update) but when I execute it, the same crash happens. The rest of the system seems to be working fine. I am at a loss. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Anyone know how to reinstall the software update app without an OS re-install?

My sys specs:
Model: MacBookPro3,1, BootROM MBP31.0070.B07, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.2 GHz, 4 GB, SMC 1.16f11
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT, GeForce 8600M GT, PCIe, 128 MB
Memory Module: global_name
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x168C, 0x87), Atheros 5416: 2.1.14.5
Bluetooth: Version 2.4.0f1, 2 service, 12 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet, Ethernet, en0
Network Service: AirPort, AirPort, en1
PCI Card: pci168c,24, sppci_othernetwork, PCI Slot 5
Serial ATA Device: FUJITSU MHW2160BHPL, 149.05 GB
Parallel ATA Device: MAT****ADVD-R UJ-857E
USB Device: Built-in iSight, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8502, 0xfd400000
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8205, 0x1a100000
USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x021c, 0x5d200000
USB Device: IR Receiver, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8242, 0x5d100000

Sad Professor

Do you mean Software Update or the Installer application? It sounds like you are talking about the Installer app.

Try repairing permissions and restarting.

ayjayirl

Sad Professor wrote: »

Do you mean Software Update or the Installer application? It sounds like you are talking about the Installer app.

Try repairing permissions and restarting.

Yes, it is the installer app itself. I have repaired disk permissions through disk utility already. I have also reset the PRAM, just in case.

I literally think I will need to reinstall the app itself but I cannot find out how to do that without an OS re-install. I really don't want to do that. I can if needs be but......

Its a bit of a doozy. I've had a mac since 2003, through varying systems and never had a problem with Apple software. Sometimes 3rd party alright but this app is kind of important.


Update: The appstore application also crashes. I am assuming they are using the same libraries.

Greentree_uk

will send u a zip with it.

ayjayirl

Greentree_uk wrote: »

will send u a zip with it.

PM sent - thanks!

ayjayirl

update:

I have now discovered the colloquy (irc client app) also crashes when it tries to connect to the IRC server. This is strange. It starts ok and only crashes when it tries to connect to the internet to the server. This was the same behaviour with software update. It starts and runs for a few seconds (I assume its contacting the server at this time) and then crashes.

Could this be a network protocol problem? I am on the web (browser) without a problem. My mail client (thunderbird) is also working fine.

Sad Professor

ayjayirl wrote: »

This was the same behaviour with software update. It starts and runs for a few seconds (I assume its contacting the server at this time) and then crashes.

Wait, I thought you said it was the Installer app? It doesn't connect to the internet.

ayjayirl

Sad Professor wrote: »

Wait, I thought you said it was the Installer app? It doesn't connect to the internet.

That's what I think/thought it is/was. When I click on software update, the program runs for about 10 seconds and then crashes out. The same is true of the app store app. I thought it was something specific to the applications themselves as no other apps that I have been using are having a problem.

itunes
MS Office 2008
Firefox 4
Preview
Text editor
Omnigaffle
Thunderbird

I have used all of these without a problem and it wasn't until I started colloquy that the problem was with anything other than the two apps in my OP. When you mentioned that it could be the installer app, I had no reason to think it couldn't be at that time. I suspect some protocol for none http connection (best I could narrow down for now) is corrupt. I am no expert on this, this is just a gut feeling.

Sad Professor

You may have a more serious problem, but to get Software Update working again, try the following:

You need to delete a file called "com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist". There's probably two of them.
- The first is in Macintosh HD > Library > Preferences.
- The second is in Macintosh HD > Users > [Your username] > Library > Preferences.

Also, go to HD > Library > Updates. Delete any files that are inside.

Then restart and see if it works.

ayjayirl

Sad Professor wrote: »

You may have a more serious problem, but to get Software Update working again, try the following:

You need to delete a file called "com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist". There's probably two of them.
- The first is in Macintosh HD > Library > Preferences.
- The second is in Macintosh HD > Users > [Your username] > Library > Preferences.

Also, go to HD > Library > Updates. Delete any files that are inside.

Then restart and see if it works.

Unfortunately this did not help. Now the software update program just sits there doing nothing and the app store app (funny) crashes like always.

The realisation that an OS re-install will have to happen is really annoying me

Sad Professor

Try booting into safe mode (hold shift key on startup) and see if you can install the combo update from there.

ayjayirl

Sad Professor wrote: »

Try booting into safe mode (hold shift key on startup) and see if you can install the combo update from there.

Hey Sad Professor,

Thanks for you help yesterday. Unfortunately, none of what we tried was sucessful so I backed it up, re-installed 10.6.x (not sure which one) and then updated with the combo pack to 10.6.7. It is working on now - Finally.

Thanks again for all your suggestions.

Aaron

Sad Professor

Glad you got it sorted. Obviously the OS just got messed up. I think the problems you had updating (with the internet disconnection) may have just been a coincidence and the incremental update screwed things up. It's rare, but it happens.

If you don't keep an up-to-date Time Machine backup, then in future (instead of using Software Update for system updates) you might want to consider installing the full combo updates from Apple's site. They are much larger but can avoid these kind of issues.