iTunes 10.4.1 or Security Update 005 trashes audio I/Os

[mjc]

Yesterday (Sunday) I updated to iTunes 10.4.1. On Saturday I had done some recording and eveything was fine. My project played back exactly what I had recorded. I also played a commercial track via iTunes 10.4 as a 'reference' against my own recording.

After the iTunes update and a Restart, I opened DP and got a message saying that the Audio Hardware Setup had changed and that DP would open without Audio! Yikes.

I looked in System Preferences>Sound and was gobsmaked to see only my iSight camera. No other audio devices at all. No Built In, no digital, no USB, no Firewire devices.

Next I looked in Audio/MIDI Setup and again only the iSight camera on the Audio Window. The MIDI Window was empty apart from a "LOADING" message. And the spinning beachball. AMS then seemed to lock up. I could not switch windows nor could I switch to other open applications. I finally got the cursor's Pointer tool back via the Dock and Forced AMS to Quit.

I did a quick cable check, re-plugging all my audio devices and then checked About This Mac>System Report. This showed all my connected USB and Firewire devices were being recognised on the relevant busses EXCEPT my MOTU 828II FW and my MTP AV usb. Both appeared as Unidentified Device.

After a few restarts and finally disconnecting the 828, I have finally got my Firewire devices to show up in System Prefs and AMS, BUT AMS still locks once it is opened, and the MIDI Window is intermittently showing connected devices with a red question mark superimposed on their icons, OR it's the empty window with "LOADING". iTunes will not begin playback of any selected tracks.

I have a call scheduled with Apple Support at 14.45 GMT. I have Time Machine backups which could re-instate the system to its last working state, but I'd like some guidance from Apple before I undertake that.

My MacBook Pro also has iTunes 10.4.1 and USB and Firewire audio devices attached. Everthing on that system works fine, so this COULD be a problem which primarilty affects MOTU hardware - my Firewire devices were daisychained with the 828 in the chain, and my MTP AV is the hub for most (but not all) of my MIDI devices.

I'll report back after the call with Apple. Meantime, if you run a recent Mac Pro AND Lion, think carefully before installing iTunes 10.4.1.

Mike

[mjc]

A quick update on Monday morning: I powered the Mac on with all FW and USB external devices unplugged, ran System Prefs>Sound and then plugged the devices in one at a time. This time all the audio input and output devices showed up. I then opened Audio/MIDI Setup and the active devices showed, though the icons on any device I had added were generic with a red question mark. This seems to indicate the device is present, but no icon has been chosen. I did a check by clicking on my Mackie MCU, selecting an icon and checking the settings. All the devices with question marks had been reset to the same setup - all 16 channels in and out selected! I tried to open my last saved Configuration file, but AMS locked up and I had to Force Quit.

Checking About This Mac>System Report showed that my MOTU MTP AV was now being recognised by name on the USB bus, but the 828 MkII was still showing as Unknown Device.
More irritatingly, each time I turn the 828 on or off, iChat opens! I may have to unplug the iSight camera as a temporary fix.

My conclusions at this point are that iTunes 10.4.1 has somehow overwritten Audio/MIDI prefs and/or its Default AND Custom Configuration files (these may be part of the prefs file, I'm not that clued up on the inner workings of AMS prefs).

Nope, scatch all the above! I thought I'd play a song in iTunes to test the system. Opening System Prefs I found only the iSight camera again! It looks like each time I get a lock-up in AMS, the System Prefs revert to iSight only. This is too weird.

Help me, Apple Tech Guy! Only you can save us now.

Mike

[mjc]

So Apple Tech Gal didn't solve the problem! After telling me that my hardware was out of warranty cover (well, duh!) we agreed that the problem I was reporting was software related.

We then tried a re-install of Lion. Over a Wi-fi network that takes hours (5hrs 35mins apparently). Long past my bedtime, so I left my Mac to get on with it overnight. Next morning (Tuesday) I found that the download had frozen about 75% of the way through. I was presented with a dialogue box offering a choice of CANCEL or CANCEL DOWNLOAD. I CANCELled and tried again. This time the download and re-install worked smoothly. Unfortunately it made things worse. Text Edit crashed on launch. Systems Preferences froze on the opening window.
MOTU Audio Setup crashed after opening. My 828MkII was not recognised etc. etc.

Another call to Apple Tech Support identified another possible culprit for the problems: Software Update showed iTunes 10.4.1 and Apple's Security Update 2011-005. The latter is the one that requires a re-start, and my candidate for Naughty Software.

I have decided to re-install Snow Leopard and then update as far as 10.6.8. This involves erasing the System disc. I have Time Machine backups of the entire disc, but Apple Tech Guy suggested only Restoring the User folder and re-installing all the applications. This may take some time!

[David Polich]

This sounds scary. I'm wondering if it is Lion-related. Do let us know
what you find out. Good to see you're going back to SL.

"Getting used to Lion and liking it" is like getting used to smoking cigarettes. Lion is Apple's version of Windows Vista.

[mjc]

Thanks Dave,

It just keeps getting worse! I re-installed SL and then transferred my User Settings from Time Machine. After re-start I was asked for my admin password. Typed in my old password and got the 'wagging head' meaning incorrect password. I tried three times more, watching each keystroke, but no luck. Then got a password hint - for the password I just typed three times! I tried variations, but got nowhere. Eventually I concluded that the Security Update had trashed my Keychain password.

Am now re-installing SL again after first erasing the HD for the third time today. Luckily (luckily??) my setup is not a commecial one or I would be raging about the time and money I'd wasted - the best part of three days. Australian Chardonnay is keeping me sane (that's the wine, not a footballer's wife).

I'll report back when I get some actual progress!

Mike

[MIDI Life Crisis]

YOu can reset the password by starting up from your install disk.

[FMiguelez]

"Getting used to Lion and liking it" is like getting used to smoking cigarettes.

You mean because it's bad for one?

Lion is Apple's version of Windows Vista.

OUCH!

I hadn't heard it expressed that way, but judging by the comments I keep reading, you are absolutely right! Unless until Apple releases a GOOD Lion revision

[FMiguelez]

I re-installed SL and then transferred my User Settings from Time Machine.

Bad move. I would copy what's needed manually.
If you are using TM to get back settings from your Library (preferences, etc.), and they were corrupted, they will get copied like that again.

Ditch TM and transfer your personal files (projects, documents, etc. - not system files) manually. The rest should be fresh system files from the reinstall.

[mjc]

YOu can reset the password by starting up from your install disk.

Apparently not after the "Security Update" has corrupted permissions and extensions left right and centre!

It took three calls to Apple Tech and a very nervous session in Terminal (the Apple Tech guy was nervous; think how I felt!) to regain control of my system. As of today, I have fully re-installed all my applications, and am now running SL 10.6.8 for the forseeable future.

I have checked DP and apart from my last project getting the Audio and Analysis folders hidden in the Documents folder (why?) everything is fine. Logic Pro also worked as expected, even recognising that my Mackie MCU was connected on startup.

It has been tedious beyond words to rebuild my entire System Disk. At one point I was so tired that I accidentally erased my data drive instead of the System Drive (Security Update had sneakily reversed their running order in Disk Utility) but Time Machine had a complete backup, so all I lost was some hair and several hours whilst TM Restored 250Gb of Samples and Projects.

On the upside, I have taken the opportunity of a clean install to review my filing procedures, and to get rid of various bits of software and miscellany that had not been used for many years.

Security Update 005 keeps popping up each time I check Software Update, but I'm not buying!

Mike

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Whew! That is scary. Anyone not convinced Time Machine works?

You lucked out. I just checked and apparently I already applied that security update, but I did it before I installed a single program on this disk. Only a matter of timing as I just bought & installed the machine in my studio a few weeks ago.

As for folders getting moved around, that could be directory corruption. Glad you got it all back together. If I can play Devil's advocate... if it were me... what I'd probably do is go buy a new HD and install the OS and all updates from scratch and then reinstall my programs from th original discs/downloads. Yeah, a PITA, for sure, but I don't know that I'd trust the old disc and I like to stay up to date with the OS updates ('cepting Lion, of course). Not so grrrrrrreat, IMO. (Oh wait, that was Tony the Tiger, wasn't it?)

[mjc]

The 'old' disc is a few months old as I bought the Mac Pro this summer! I think it must be one of those things, a combination of the hardware configuration, attached peripherals and the software I had loaded. I haven't seen anyone else with this specific problem, and Security Update 005 has caused no probs on 3 MacBook Pros running Lion (2) and SL 10.6.8 (1). Who Knows Where The Time Goes? as Sandy Denny rhetorically enquired.

Still, it was fairly scary for a few days. I was initially misled by Apple Tech boilerplate advice to reload the OS. If I had immediately used Time Machine to restore the System Disk to its state earlier in the day on Sept 18th, all would have been well. But at that stage I did not know the scale of the problem, or exactly what had caused it. A lesson there about waiting for others to Update before partaking myself.

Mike