Users reporting boot failures after installing Thunderbolt software update
According to various posts on Apple's Support Communities webpage, the software update pushed out on Monday to bring compatibility for the new Thunderbolt Gigabit Ethernet Adapter has reportedly been causing a number of Macs to freeze and suffer boot errors.
It is unknown how widespread the problem is, though affected users are reporting kernel panic crashes or improper boots that force drastic action be taken before the Macs are once again operational. Remedies for the bug include a reapplication of the combo updater, restoring from a backup or a complete reinstall of OS X. As of this writing, only OS X 10.7.4 Lion users have experienced the issue.
A report from CNET has found that the Thunderbolt update applies to a single kernel extension called "IONetworkingFamily.kext" and is possibly carrying a bug that makes the connectivity kernel incompatible with Lion Macs. The report also noted the process of installing the new Thunderbolt software cannot be reversed since it is an update to an extension and not the installation of a completely new kernel.
While the problems persist Apple hasn't yet pulled the update from its Support Pages and the company hasn't issued a formal statement as to what may be causing the issue.
18 Comments
I'd read the reports of the problems after I'd downloaded the update, but before I'd restarted to install it.
I just went back to Software Update to make that update Inactive so I wouldn't install it by accident and found it was no longer in my Software Update queue.
Could Apple have pulled it from Software Update, but not from its Support Site?
For the few times I use Thunderbolt at the moment, I'll happily wait for a revision of this one...
Bummer. I installed it and immediately upon restart got a kernel panic. Had to do a clean install of 10.7.4 to get rid of it. Only took 8 hours as I had to reboot from another volume, do a back up and then the re-install. I should know better than to do a software update when it first comes out.
Everyone knows you should have a bootable backup before you install any software or updates. If you don't do this, it's your fault not Apple's.
[quote name="eksodos" url="/t/150656/users-reporting-boot-failures-after-installing-thunderbolt-software-update#post_2126423"]Everyone knows you should have a bootable backup before you install any software or updates. If you don't do this, it's your fault not Apple's. [/quote] That's silly. Yes, you should have a bootable backup before installing software, but that doesn't mean that Apple's not at fault if an update fails.