Security Update 2008-004 for Tiger (#2): system will not startup; applications won't launch

Thursday, July 03 2008 @ 10:15 AM PDT

System will not startup Some users have report issues booting their Macs after applying Security Update 2008-004. Andrew Lewis writes:

"My iMac G5's OS was hosed by this update, it's stuck on loading system screen. I have run AppleJack, zapped PRAM and NVRAM. This is the first time I have been hosed by an update."

In many cases, startup issues after a significant system update can be resolved by simply booting in Safe Mode -- accomplished by holding down the Shift key while your Mac is starting up. A number of maintenance tasks are performed during the safe boot, and you might not need to perform any additional troubleshooting. Try a safe boot, then a normal restart first.

Failing the aforementioned, peruse our tutorial titled "Startup fails (particularly after a system or security update); solving." One of the solutions listed there -- including delete specific caches, rooting out problematic kernel extensions, repairing drive damage, and disconnecting external devices -- might prove successful.

Applications won't launch Some users have reported that specific applications will not launch after applying this security update is applied. MacFixIt reader Urs Wihler writes:

After the security update 2008-004(PPC) yesterday on my old iBook (500MHz PowerPC G3) Mail and Safari wont open anymore. I could not find a solution to fix this problem."

If you are experiencing similar issues, see our tutorial "What to do when a Mac OS X application will not launch."

iTunes issues A few readers have reported odd iTunes issues after Security Update 2008-004 has been installed. One reader writes:

"I'm using a G4 Tower as a mini-server with multiple disks attached to it. This allows me to keep the multiple external storage devices connected to one machine in the garage and all of my old internal hard drives on one box. The household uses this box for shared storage for all of our files in the home, including iTunes media. Since updating to 2008-004, iTunes skips to the next song in the middle of a song. The console log shows: kernel AFP_VFS afpfs_vnop_strategy: Cached read on song file failed 13"