By Kasper Jade

Published: 08:00 PM EST (05:00 PM PST)

Power Mac Owners Report Sleep Issues

The latest update to Apple Computer's Mac OS X operating system has left a significant number of its single processor Power Mac G5 owners with a computer that will no longer properly put itself to sleep.

After installing the Mac OS X 10.3.5 update, a good number of 1.8 GHz Power Mac G5 owners are reporting similar problems when they attempt to put their Macs to sleep--their displays turn off, but the system fan refuses to do the same and continues to spin at full blast. A few affected users also report that their systems will eventually freeze-up, prompting a forced restarted by disconnecting the computer's power supply.

Apple is apparently aware of the issue but has yet to make any official statement on the matter or acknowledge that a fix is in progress. Since the the Mac OS X 10.3.5 update was released on Monday, Apple's support forums have accumulated nearly 150 posts on the subject from disgruntled Power Mac owners.

Additionally, some 15-inch Apple PowerBook G4 users are also reporting adverse affects of the Mac OS X 10.3.5 update, claiming that their laptops will no longer go to sleep when the lid is closed. These users says that after closing their PowerBooks, the sleep light will refuse to turn on and the computer will eventually lock-up and cease to respond.

Due to the number of affected users, its expected that Apple is working on a service update to correct the issue. Unfortunately, until the company does provide word of a solution, thousands of Power Mac owners will be forced to adopt the likes of a noisy desk fan.

New Mac OS X 10.3.5 update packages

In related news, with this week's release of Mac OS X 10.3.5, Apple has introduced a new distribution scheme for its Mac OS X system updates.

Traditionally, the company has released both "standard" and "combo" versions of its Mac OS X system updates. The smaller (standard) update is usually capable of updating only the most current version of system, such as Mac OS X 10.3.4, where the larger (combo) update would combine all the data necessary to update any prior point-release of Mac OS X 10.3.

Beginning with the release of Mac OS X 10.3.5, Apple has renamed its standard updater "regular-sized Delta" and introduced a third form of its system update package called "smaller-sized Delta." This even smaller-sized software update takes less time to download and install than regular-sized Delta or Combo updates. smaller-sized Delta updates will be offered to users when some Mac OS X system files can be modified instead of replaced in their entirety, according to Apple.

Users can make sure that they are applying the proper update by using the Mac OS X Software Update mechanism, which will automatically display the best update each computer.

Apple notes that not every computer that has Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later can benefit from smaller Software Updates. Sometimes, modifications made to Mac OS X system files, including ones made by third-party products, may require the installation of a full sized version of a Mac OS X software update, the company says.