Sec. Update 2004-09-07 trashed my clock!

N

Numbers1820

IXOYS
I just installed, via Software Update, Security Update on my iBook (OS 10.2.8). After rebooting, my menu bar clock, battery usage and other menulets (proper term?) all disappeared!

I opened up System Preferences to make sure that they were all selected to show (yes, they were), but no dice.

I'm a little surprised that no one else has posted about this problem on this forum. Is my case an aberration? :confused:
 
Is this after a restart? Did you repair permissions? Have you tried booting with the OS Cd to use Disk Utility or use Disk Warrior or Drive 10?
 
Yes, this is after a restart.

Yes, I had repaired permissions (previous to the restart). Get Info for my HD now lists the Owner as "System", etc. so I think this is fine.

Are you suggesting that I run Disk Utility from the CD?

I have not encountered any other problems (besides the lack of menulets); is a diagnostic like TechTool Pro really necessary?
 
Have you tried turning them (clock etc.) off and then on again? Sometimes this helps with these kinds of problems.
 
Veljo said:
Have you tried turning them (clock etc.) off and then on again? Sometimes this helps with these kinds of problems.
Click to expand...

Yes...nothing happened.

I guess the real, underlying question I'm asking is: What are the geeky, fundamental, Unix-y things I should be looking for to diagnose why I'm not seeing these menulets? Isn't there a log, a Terminal query, a check to see whether or not a key pref file or library item is gone, missing, corrupted, etc.? I'm just shooting in the dark here. Nothing like this has ever happened to me... :confused:

BTW, I'm not entirely sure it was Security Update 2004-09-07 that precipitated all this. (I was doing a lot of tinkering at the time...can't remember all which.) All the same, the Apple Knowledge Base article that would seem to give a thorough background into what it did would be: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798
 
Try trashing the com.apple.systempreferences.plist from your home folder>Library>Preferences.

Empty the trash, then go to System Preference and select your options.
 
Cheryl said:
Try trashing the com.apple.systempreferences.plist from your home folder>Library>Preferences.

Empty the trash, then go to System Preference and select your options.
Click to expand...

I could have sworn that I'd replied earlier to you, Cheryl, but for some reason my reply doesn't seem to be showing up. Here's where I am:

I got the bright idea to use the few weeks I have of Apple Care left and give Apple a call. "Dana" suggested that I create another use (which we named "practice"), log out and then log in as "practice". Clock, other menulets back? No.

That meant that there was a system wide problem, so Dana suggested an Archive & Install. Oh brother. That took all night to get everything backed up and reinstalled from my 10.2 CDs then several Software Update sessions to get up to 10.2.8 etc., etc., etc. (I wish I would have gotten to your post beforehand, Cheryl! Oh, well.) Yes, the Archive & Install did definitely get my clock and other menulets all back into working order, so all's well that ends well.

I did run into a rather strange problem trying to get my HP LaserJet 1150 over at the office to work properly, though. I had to reinstall the HP driver from the CD, which is fine, but then all my print jobs ended with the "Opening Printer Connection" turning to "Jobs Stopped". Trying to reinstall the printer driver didn't work - I just got a message that the software had been reinstalled, so please quit the installer. A second call to Apple Care (and this time a second "Dana" answered my call, no less!) suggested that deleting my HP LaserJet 1150 from my Printer List might do the trick. It did! What a simple and elegant solution...but one that was found no where on either my iBook's offline Help nor HP's website (though I imagine calling HP would have yielded a similar suggestion).

Hope this experience helps someone else out there with similar problems. It is still a mystery to me why my clock and menulets got trashed to begin with, though.
 
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