The Need Mac Help Blog » Snow Leopard

Important update in Software Update today

sara — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:59:03 +0000

Actually, Apple released Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 yesterday. From Apple’s site:

About Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard

This update addresses an issue with the Migration Assistant application in Mac OS X Snow Leopard that prevents transfer of your personal data, settings, and compatible applications from a Mac running Mac OS X Snow Leopard to a new Mac running Mac OS X Lion.

So! Be sure to update before you install Lion 10.7! Either update via Software Update under the Apple Menu on your machine, or download from Apple’s site.

Snow Leopard 10.6.7 Font Update

sara — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:08:30 +0000

Some of our clients began reporting font printing issues after updating to 10.6.7. Our industrious tech James found the fix earlier this week in Apple’s 10.6.7 Font Update.

As James noted, it’s rare for Apple to release one-bug-specific OS fix, and since the symptoms exactly match the problems and the 10.6.7 update timing matches the start of the problem that our clients were experiencing, he’s pretty darned confident that the problems will be resolved with the fix.

It appears as thought Apple got immediate reports of the problem, were able to replicate it and had an easy fix to push out right away, so they didn’t find a need to document it in their Knowledge Base.

The update includes the following fixes:

Address an issue in which some OpenType fonts don’t display correctly in certain applications
Resolve issues printing from Preview
Address an issue with PDF files not opening in third-party PDF viewing applications
Resolve invalid font errors when printing to PostScript printers

To download the update, visit the Apple website here.

Mac OS X 10.6.7 update

sara — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:46:19 +0000

Snow Leopard update number 7 arrived this week and can be downloaded via Software Update. As always, please please please make sure you are backed up before installing!

According to Apple’s security notes, among the many bug fixes and security updates to be had are those that:

Improve the reliability of Back to My Mac.
Resolve an issue when transferring files to certain SMB servers.
Address various minor Mac App Store issues.

More information on the 10.6.7 update can be found on Apple’s site here.

An interesting post released today by MacRumors.com reveals that the 10.6.7 update for the 2011 MacBook Pro (a separate update from the general 10.6.7 update for the Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pros) has support for several AMD graphics cards that are not presently found in any Mac. As MacRumors notes, this could be a glimpse of the kinds of graphics cards that will be found in future Macs.

Snow Leopard Update 10.6.6 and the new Mac App Store

sara — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:48:49 +0000

Mac OS X 10.6.6 was released today. Although the support notes mention “general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac,” 10.6.6 really appears to be centered around the new Mac App Store, which is included in the upgrade.

The Mac App Store is not only convenient, but it also makes updating incredibly easy. Instead of going into each individual app and checking for updates, you can click on the Updates tab of the App Store to see which apps have updates available for download. Just like on iOS or in Apple’s Mac Software Update, you can pick and choose updates to install, or just hit the “Update All” button. However, The Mac App Store does not seem to recognize older versions of Apple apps for upgrading, nor does it recognize third-party software that has been installed on your machine. Again, The Mac App Store only works with Snow Leopard.

The two notable improvements in 10.6.6 are:

Addresses a cropping issue with some postscript printing in landscape page orientation.
Resolves an issue with some Macs (that have in ATI graphics card) in which the mouse pointer movement could become erratic if an external DVI display is connected.

As always, be sure to back up your machine before updating!

Snow Leopard Graphics Update

sara — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:10:32 +0000

Apple released the Snow Leopard Graphics Update this past Monday. According to the support notes on Apple’s site, the update provides stability and performance fixes for graphics applications and games in Snow Leopard version 10.6.4.

More info can be found in Apple’s support document here.

All About the Mac mini Server

sara — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:21:26 +0000

Over the past few years, we have deployed the Mac mini as a server for several of our small business clients, all of whom have been happy with its performance. Since Apple released the new Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server back in October, some of our clients have been considering upgrading.

Our tech Gene sent me this very thorough review of the Mac mini Server that was published by MacInTouch last week. The review runs through the history of the Mac mini and OS X Server and gives a very good overview of the features.

Recent Updates: Snow Leopard 10.6.2 and Safari 4.0.4

sara — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:42:14 +0000

Many fixes are included in the Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update, among them a fix for the “Guest Account” bug that was deleting user files. Users can find the full list and update information on Apple’s website.

Be sure to back up your system before you install the 10.6.2 update. Tips on backing up your Mac to an external hard drive can be found here.

And bad news for the hackintosh fans: 10.6.2 breaks Intel Atom-based netbooks that have been hacked to run Mac OS X.

The Safari 4.0.4 update addresses “performance, stability, and security.” Click here to get Apple’s full list of security flaws addressed in this update.

Magic Mouse Updates Available for Leopard and Snow Leopard

sara — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:53:41 +0000

For our users who just purchased the latest iMac, which comes with the super sleek Magic Mouse, and for those of you who may have just purchased the Magic Mouse alone, there are software updates available. The only information that Apple has provided about the updates is that you should install the software to “take advantage of your Magic Mouse special features.”

Magic Mouse Update – Leopard

Magic Mouse Update – Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard and Printer Drivers

sara — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:38:10 +0000

If your printer drivers were not included with the Snow Leopard OS installer, you probably need to install Rosetta.

Apple has a straightforward support document in its Mac OS X 10.6 Help section here.

Snow Leopard Update 10.6.1 Available

sara — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:44:26 +0000

Yesterday Apple released the Mac OS X v10.6.1 update for Snow Leopard users. Users can get the update by going to the Apple menu and selecting Software Update.

This update includes the following fixes:

Improves compatibility with some Sierra Wireless 3G modems
Addresses an issue in which some printer compatibility drivers might not appear properly in the Add Printer browser
Addresses an issue that might cause DVD playback to stop unexpectedly
Addresses an issue that might make it difficult to remove an item from the Dock
Resolves an issue in which the Command-Option-T keyboard shortcut would sometimes bring up the special characters menu in applications such as Mail and TextEdit
Addresses instances in which auto account setup in Mail might not work
Resolves issues when sending mail with certain SMTP servers
Addresses an issue in which Motion 4 could become unresponsive
Includes an update to Adobe Flash Player plug-in version 10.0.32.18