Mac firmware updates, itunes updates etc.

[Ziko]

Hi there,

I was wondering what approach most people took when updating the firmware on their Mac? Is there somewhere to look on the digi website to see if that particular model and firmware is compatible or has any known issues?

If not, what approach do most people take? Are they generally safe?

Also, I see a lot of people talking on the forums about issues with Quicktime and iTunes updates, how do I know if a certain update is OK or not?

Again, if there's nowhere that lists compatibility, what's a good approach?

Cheers,

Simon

[Slim Shady]

Basically the best approach for info not listed on the compatibility docs is to come here and ask, so nice work mate!

Firmware updates should be fine, I don't recall any Apple firmware updates ever having any affect on Digi's products, and since they're usually essential to maintaining a well-operating system, you should definitely install them... after reading the instructions of course. I believe they instruct you to disconnect firewire and USB devices before doing the firmware, and even if not you might want to consider doing so just to be safe.

It's more the OS versions that you really need to watch out for. The issues with iTunes and Quicktime generally have to do with CoreAudio not working with them, although Quicktime can cause other issues with PT so it's wise to come and check here about those before making major upgrades. Generally if a new version is released and it doesn't work with PT, there will be a thread on the DUC about it pretty quickly, so if something has been out for a few days at least and you can't find any warning threads on it here, you can assume it's probably safe.

And FWIW, I'm running 10.5.4 and Quicktime 7.5 - both released within the past week or so - with no problem with PT on my Mac Pro 8x2.8. I do not use any CoreAudio apps with my Digi hardware though, so I can't speak on how well that is (or isn't) working.

[Ziko]

Thanks Slim, as usual a well informed and succinctly written response.

Cheers.