So after some unsuccessful attempts at updating OS X I finally got the 10.5.5 update to install and not trash the Mac hard drive. I am not going to write instruction how to do it because the problem it seems is that depending on your build, depending on what hardware, depending on the kernal and version of OS X (Kalyway, iDeneb, Jas, Etc) that there are so many variables involved that there is no sure fire way of doing this without trial and error. I had to reinstall OS X multiple times before I found the method for my machine that worked.
The following are some tips and notes from my update process:
Updating from 10.5.2 to 10.5.3
-I am using the Kalyway 10.5.2 and updating to 10.5.3 is very easy. Search and DL the10.5.3 Kalyway Combo Update, it comes with the 9.3 Vanilla Kernel update as well. I would dare say that even if you are not using the Kalyway version that this update would still work on your build.
Updating from 10.5.3 to 10.5.4
-This was even easier that the previous update. Here all I did was install the 10.5.4 Delta Update which I downloaded via Bit Torrent. Once downloaded run the installer, let it finish, restart with the “update -v” command at boot.
-Some people are saying the the Apple Update program works as well to update to 10.5.4. I would say to try this at your own risk. It does not work for every build, and for my build I got kernel panics and a trashed Mac partition when attempting this. Again, it all depends on the variables. If you are brave then try the Apple Updater first and see if it works, otherwise go the Delta route and do it manually.
Updating from 10.5.4 to 10.5.5
-This was not easy. I had the most trouble trying to get this to work.
-Same as before, manually download the 10.5.5 Delta Update via Bit Torrent
-Run the installer package
-During the install process quickly navigate to /System/Library/Extensions/
-Watch for the AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext to appear, move it to trash immediately
-Now at about the 88% progress of the installer the system will crash, show a kernel panic that the system needs to restart. (Yeah I was worried as well that I would have to reinstall everything again)
-Reboot machine, boot to safe mode first (”-x -v” command at boot)
-If machine successfully boots to safe mode then you should be OK to reboot and start-up as normal.
-Verify 10.5.5 update works by going to the “About this Mac”
-Lastly, check in /System/Library/Extensions/ for “Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext”
-If this exists then rename it to “DSMOS.ktext”
I used a number of sources and experimented with different ways of doing this update. Here are some of my sources, but be careful because ultimately you will need to figure out what the best method to update for your machine is.
-http://cocoatree.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/how-to-update-kalyway-1051-to-1054/
-http://netkas.org/?p=50
Good luck with your update process, share your experiences and tell me what worked or didn’t for you.
