OS X Lion 10.7.4 is a dud!

[temple_treefrog]

Hi everyone,

Earlier this week after installing a delta OS X upgrade from 10.7.3 to 10.7.4 I encountered multiple issues that I've never come across before.

The issues I came across included:

• Time Machine causing system instability every few minutes (unstable disk activity), even when System Preferences indicated Time Machine was turned off. Initially I thought I resolved this by removing the plist file, however this was only temporary fix and the issue would reoccur after a reboot.
  
• System instability (kernel panics, application crashes which did not occur prior to the OS X update)
  

After doing a few Google searches, I come across countless threads where other Mac users are experiencing a range of issues after the update, including boot failures on hardware less than a year old!

I have done almost everything I can think of to resolve these issues including:

- Disk verification/repair and repair permissions (more than once) from the recovery console

- Disconnected external hard drives and unmounted network drives

- Termination of all user processes in the background, removal of non-essential login items

- Execution of all maintenance scripts via Onyx

- Reinstalled OS X Lion from recovery console over Internet (replacing existing installation only/not fresh install). The recovery resulted in an installation of 10.7.4.

After the above steps I am still experiencing system instability every ten/fifteen minutes with only Firefox running in the foreground (few add-ons, all plugins disabled).

Are there any Mac gurus here than can check the above troubleshooting steps and let me know if I have missed/overlooked something?

Anyone else going through the same issues?

[bbfc_uk]

I haven't experienced any issues with 10.7.4. The only app that sometimes crashes is Safari, but i'm running the dev preview, so that is to be expected.

[Miuku.]

Can't really comment - I'm running 10.7.4 on my laptops without issues (2007+2010).

If I were you, I'd download the combo update and apply that.

Also you reported hard drive clicking previously - are you still using the same drive?

[KillTheIrishman]

So it's not the "official" release and you're bitching? Does not compute.

[Order_66]

I've been having a little trouble since installing 10.7.4, every once in a while boot would take a lot longer than usual and eventually would just boot to a blue screen with nothing on it, only way to clear it out is a hard reboot but this doesn't happen all the time, probably one out of every 6-7 boots.

[Luis Mazza]

Check your S.M.A.R.T. reports.

[RvXtm]

All running smooth here on macpro 2008 :)

[temple_treefrog]

Can't really comment - I'm running 10.7.4 on my laptops without issues (2007+2010).

If I were you, I'd download the combo update and apply that.

Also you reported hard drive clicking previously - are you still using the same drive?

Thanks, I haven't attempted a combo update yet because the system is a fresh install. I will try installing a combo update later today.

No clicking has been happening. I described the issue with wrong wording in the previous thread.

So it's not the "official" release and you're bitching? Does not compute.

What exactly is unofficial? Your post does not compute. ;)

Delta updating refers to updates downloaded via Software Update in Finder.

I've been having a little trouble since installing 10.7.4, every once in a while boot would take a lot longer than usual and eventually would just boot to a blue screen with nothing on it, only way to clear it out is a hard reboot but this doesn't happen all the time, probably one out of every 6-7 boots.

I've come across other threads with similar/intermittent issues like this. Is the start-disk selected in System Preferences?

Check your S.M.A.R.T. reports.

Thanks, S.M.A.R.T finds no issues. I've checked with Disk Utility and Onyx.

[.Neo]

Since installing the v10.7.4 update I noticed my iMac's fans just start to spin up when the thing is doing next to nothing, i.e. only playing songs through iTunes. That said it has been fairly warm in Amsterdam (25C+), but my Mac isn't standing in any direct sunlight and the room is cooler than outside. :/

[+Matthew S. Subscriber²]

I've had issues with my old late 2009 Macbook and Lion 10.7.4. Keeps getting kernel panics after about 20minutes of usage on a clean install...

[Lunfai]

Since installing the v10.7.4 update I noticed my iMac's fans just start to spin up when the thing is doing next to nothing, i.e. only playing songs through iTunes. That said it has been fairly warm in Amsterdam (25C+), but my Mac isn't standing in any direct sunlight and the room is cooler than outside. :/

Mines the same, but still on 10.7.3, it's not in direct sun light but the weather had really made the fan start up more, even if it's just sat there on desktop. Room is around 26.5 C :/

[DeadEndAccount]

Just a couple of tips:

1) When you did a re-install did you completely wipe your drive:

diskutil zeroDisk disk0

Which should completely write 0's from beginning to end and remove any trace of anything on the drive.

2) Have you upgraded your memory from the standard amount that came installed? have you run a memory tester through it? Do you have the original memory - have you tried using that to see if the issues appear? have you tried reseting the memory?

3) Have you reset you SMC/PRAM?

4) Before upgrading did you notice any quirks or issues? sometimes minor quirks in a prior version might become exaggerated problems in an update - it could be a sign of hardware issues?

5) Do you have the crash log relating to the kernel panic?

[.Neo]

Mines the same, but still on 10.7.3, it's not in direct sun light but the weather had really made the fan start up more, even if it's just sat there on desktop. Room is around 26.5 C :/

Mine is around 21 when outside it's 26C.

[simonlang]

everything going just fine here :)

[temple_treefrog]

I decided to replace the hard drive as precautionary measure. I upgraded from the stock 1TB to a 120GB Intel 520 SSD with a clean install and so far everything has been fine. :)

And the performance gains with SSD are amazing.

Just a couple of tips:

1) When you did a re-install did you completely wipe your drive:

diskutil zeroDisk disk0

Which should completely write 0's from beginning to end and remove any trace of anything on the drive.

2) Have you upgraded your memory from the standard amount that came installed? have you run a memory tester through it? Do you have the original memory - have you tried using that to see if the issues appear? have you tried reseting the memory?

3) Have you reset you SMC/PRAM?

4) Before upgrading did you notice any quirks or issues? sometimes minor quirks in a prior version might become exaggerated problems in an update - it could be a sign of hardware issues?

5) Do you have the crash log relating to the kernel panic?

Thanks - really good advice above. I did try steps 2 and 3, and yes I did have a few Kernel panics in 10.7.3 (but narrowed it down to an older version of LittleSnitch).

[DeadEndAccount]

I decided to replace the hard drive as precautionary measure. I upgraded from the stock 1TB to a 120GB Intel 520 SSD with a clean install and so far everything has been fine. :)

And the performance gains with SSD are amazing.

From what I understand - the Intel SSD garbage collector is pretty good thus isn't worth hacking around with kexts to get TRIM support. I'm tempted to upgrading my hard disk to an SSD once I have some spare cash.

Thanks - really good advice above. I did try steps 2 and 3, and yes I did have a few Kernel panics in 10.7.3 (but narrowed it down to an older version of LittleSnitch).

IMHO I'd do a clean install and avoid anything that really mucks around with the kernel unless you really, really, really need to have a driver installed for a piece of hardware - Sierra Wireless drivers seem to be pretty stable from my experience since I used to own a 326U not too long ago. Although Apple does promise to provide a stable API for low level developers there are some times issues that arise due to bugs in the software or problems in the API being fixed but the kexts expecting the API to behave in a certain way.

One of the things I do like about the likes of EyeTV and Windows Phone Connector is their use of userspace kexts which mean if they crash the whole system isn't pulled down - hopefully little snitch developer in future will move to a design that ensures if his software goes haywire it can recover gracefully without the whole system being pulled down with it.

[butilikethecookie]

A little laggy on my 2006 MacBook. No issues though.

[Bamsebjørn]

No problems here... on a 2008 Mac Pro.

[DeadEndAccount]

Just a follow up, Apple has released a 10.7.4 Supplemental update (31K download for my machine) so see if that makes a difference.

[nyolc8]

I'm a PC, and 10.7.4 running without a single issue.

[Shadrack]

I really like 10.7.4 and think its the best Mac OS to date.

[.Neo]

My iMac's fans sounding like the entire thing about to take off was definitely weather related. So my only "issue" with v10.7.4 resolved itself. :)

[threetonesun]

Since release Lion has been pretty hit or miss for me. Fast User Switching has about a 50% chance of locking up completely.

[Lunfai]

My iMac's fans sounding like the entire thing about to take off was definitely weather related. So my only "issue" with v10.7.4 resolved itself. :)

Yepp same here. :)

[DeadEndAccount]

My iMac's fans sounding like the entire thing about to take off was definitely weather related. So my only "issue" with v10.7.4 resolved itself. :)

Were you able to track the issue back to a CPU hogging process? I've had my fans go into 'turbo mode' until I find that there is a rogue process gone crazy sucking up CPU time.