I guess I got lazy and did not follow my normal routine of backing up and repairing permissions PRIOR to installing software updates from Apple’s auto updates. So, last night, I simply installed the update from the Software Update program. Well, after rebooting (which took abnormally long – but has been duplicated by others so is expected behavior), I was welcomed with this beautiful alert:
My wireless card was dead. I could not launch it. The system extension was not loading. I then thought that I should reinstall the Security Update, but being to lazy to get up from the sofa to connect to my wired connection, I used Cocktail to enable hidden files, then navigated to /harddrivename/Library/Packages and sorted by date and found the installer for the Security update. I tried running that twice but after each reboot, still had the alert box listed above.
So, I decided to use AppleJack (which I wrote about earlier) to run a full repair on my disk. There were lots of permissions and other things to be repaired (they flew by my screen so that I didn’t really see all of them…I may review the logs later). But on reboot, my wireless extension was back and my wireless was working. So, I guess that AppleJack saved the day again!
I strongly recommend that you visit MacFixIt prior to installing any updates. You can always see what they think is the best way to install (e.g., use a Combo installer if possible, repair permissons, back up, etc.). You can also get user feedback. Here is the link to this security update there. (Not sure how long it will stay active…you may have to be a subscribe to see older articles.)
Good luck!
