MacBook Owner Issues and Fixes

As wondrous has it has been, MacBook owners are starting to report some minor- but irritating – issues. Four of these are: an odd discoloration on the palm rests, “kernel panics” when transferring large amounts of data via an AirPort connection, corrupted Property List Files, and a laptop that “wakes up” when the lid is closed.

The discoloration seems to be appearing on the white 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz models after about three weeks of use. Cleaning solutions have had only limited success. The discoloration may be due to heating, or a chemical reaction between the plastic housing and skin.

The “kernel panics” do not occur when using an Ethernet connection, but is very pronounced when any sort of wireless connection is used. Some of these problems have been attributed to faulty AirPort Extreme cards. before replacing their card, however, one should make sure that the card is seated properly, and may wish to have it tested at an Apple Service Center. This issue may also be due to improper network settings or a bad RAM chip.

Property List (.plist) files are corrupted in many ways, generally due to “buggy” write routines in third-party applications. This is to be expected, but since it is the third-party application modifying the file, tracking down the cause is much easier.

Many users report that the Macbook Pro fails to sleep when the lid is closed. Usually, this is caused by external devices, and can be remedied by disconnecting these devices. One can also modify the Energy Saver settings. If all else fails, look for a file called “com.apple.PowerManagement.plist” (located in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/), open with your favorite text editor and do a search for the line “Wake On Clamshell Open.” Change the “1” in the line of text below this to “0,” then save. (Note: an Administrator password will be required to do this.) Afterwards, restart the Mac, and the problem should be solved.

Via MacNetworkNews

As wondrous has it has been, MacBook owners are starting to report some minor- but irritating – issues. Four of these are: an odd discoloration on the palm rests, “kernel panics” when transferring large amounts of data via an AirPort connection, corrupted Property List Files, and a laptop that “wakes up” when the lid is closed.

The discoloration seems to be appearing on the white 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz models after about three weeks of use. Cleaning solutions have had only limited success. The discoloration may be due to heating, or a chemical reaction between the plastic housing and skin.

The “kernel panics” do not occur when using an Ethernet connection, but is very pronounced when any sort of wireless connection is used. Some of these problems have been attributed to faulty AirPort Extreme cards. before replacing their card, however, one should make sure that the card is seated properly, and may wish to have it tested at an Apple Service Center. This issue may also be due to improper network settings or a bad RAM chip.

Property List (.plist) files are corrupted in many ways, generally due to “buggy” write routines in third-party applications. This is to be expected, but since it is the third-party application modifying the file, tracking down the cause is much easier.

Many users report that the Macbook Pro fails to sleep when the lid is closed. Usually, this is caused by external devices, and can be remedied by disconnecting these devices. One can also modify the Energy Saver settings. If all else fails, look for a file called “com.apple.PowerManagement.plist” (located in /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/), open with your favorite text editor and do a search for the line “Wake On Clamshell Open.” Change the “1” in the line of text below this to “0,” then save. (Note: an Administrator password will be required to do this.) Afterwards, restart the Mac, and the problem should be solved.

Via MacNetworkNews