14 DAY TRIAL // A handful of customers updating to Mac OS X 10.6.8 last week have reported issues with their Snow Leopard installation following the update process, with one user claiming to have received word from Apple Support that they’ve acknowledged an issue.
Apple launched Mac OS X 10.6.8 last week. The Snow Leopard system update is tasked with adding full upgrade compatibility for OS X Lion (the next major version of the Mac OS), security fixes, and other tweaks.
Users who had taken the plunge on day one began reporting that their computers behaved strangely.
One Apple forum member wrote:
Hello,
“Here is the list I have so far with this latest update.
> Preview Crashes when looking at an Excel Files. if Preview is used on an Excel file within Outlook then Outlook crashes.
> App Store crashes
> iTunes Store crashes.”
Assuming this user was not experiencing these issues before, it is fair to say OS X 10.6.8 was to blame.
After repairing permissions and restarting, as instructed by a fellow Apple Support Communities user, thread starter ‘hkbrandt’ added:
“I have tried to no avail. I have spoken with Apple Support today and they have acknowledged they have an issue. I was trying to see if others were experiencing the same issues.”
Whether or not this information is legit, many have been able to fix their troubles by manually downloading and installing the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Combo Update, which increments the base version of Snow Leopard (10.6) to the most recent version specified.
Replying to a number of users who suggested this move as a potential resolution, user ‘hkbrandt’ wrote:
“Thank you very much. The Combo update fixed everything. Well done.”
However, we’re left wondering what exactly did Apple Support ‘acknowledge’ to this user, since he mentions at least three potential crashes caused by the update.
Moreover, by looking at the relatively small number of complaints regarding the latest maintenance release of Snow Leopard, we’re inclined to believe there’s nothing wrong with 10.6.8.
We’ve installed and tested OS X 10.6.8 ourselves and found no issues whatsoever with it.
If we’re to compare this release with previous versions of Snow Leopard that proved to be much more troublesome, we’d say it’s one of the most stable ones to date.
Nevertheless, those of who’ve had a similar experience are encouraged to share their thoughts in the comments below. Provide your system specs, just in case there’s a common issue that needs isolating.