[P]

Ever since I upgraded to 10.5, I've had a problem with Software Update. Basically, most packages that require that the Mac be restarted will not install - for instance, 10.5.3 did not work, although the latest Security Update did. It will pretend to install, but no actual files will change. If I install updates with the installer (downloaded from apple.com) I have no problems. Is this some sort of known issue?

The Mac is an iMac G5 1st gen, 2 GB RAM, upgraded from 10.4 using Archive and Install. This happened the first time when the install was fresh, so it's not a question of reapplying the latest Combo update or doing some repair task, and the hardware checks out. No APE or similar installed.

[jmiddel]

It is generally thought that downloading the installers (the combo for OS updates) from Apple is a better idea than running the automatic updater. It seems to run smoother and create less problems. Try and see whether it goes better, if not, you may have some corrupt files, in which case you would need to re-install 10.5 and apply the combo to the original install.

[jretzner]

jmiddel is correct, form my experience, regarding using the Combo upgrade for any 10.x upgrade. My G4 17" PowerBook with 1 Gig of RAM has not experienced problems with any of the upgrades. I'm currently using 10.5.4. The download is larger and takes longer to download, but both of those are worth the effort for worry-free upgrades. Give the Combo upgrade a try.

[P]

Originally Posted by jmiddel 

It is generally thought that downloading the installers (the combo for OS updates) from Apple is a better idea than running the automatic updater. It seems to run smoother and create less problems.

That's what I've been doing all along, and it seems to work fine, but it would be nice to have underlying problem solved.