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Snow Leopard eating users at home

On 8 October, CNET reported that some users’ home directories suffered random munchie Snow Leopard (SL) attacks. Yup, the world’s most advanced operating system is eating its way into the hard disks of a select user base. Apple are aware of this issue and are taking strides to correct the problem — which is reckoned to occur only in “extremely rare cases” — but a problem like this which did not exist in Leopard shouldn’t plague even a small minority of Snow Leopard users. According to Apple’s Discussion forum, affected Snow Leopard users have experienced random data wipes of the directory of most import: the home directory. iPhone users, too, are affected; the device’s data too, is backed up in the home directory: users/Library/Application Support/Mobile Sync/Backup.

In one blow, SL can erase your most important data, along with all of your iDevice backups. Naturally, users should use a backup system such as Time Machine which comes standard in OSX 10.5-6, but there are other, cheaper, and in some cases, better options. One such is Carbon Copy Cloner which I prefer simply because it is bootable and therefore, great for trouble shooting. It is also Free.

Carbon Copy Cloner

If Apple can fix this issue, it will still be an uphill battle against the issue-plagued OS. In case you missed our other findings, SL has outted: optical drive failures (not an issue of Snow Leopard), and Battery failure (probably the fault of Snow Leopard).

Remember that the vast majority of users have reported no concerns, but even these few instances are marring what could/should have been a great launch to an important incremental upgrade to Apple’s showy OS.

[via The Register]