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Finder Problem
#59337 08/21/21 04:49 PM
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Today I couldn't get into any of my applications from the Finder. They were all grayed out. Also, when I clicked on one finder icon (numbers) my "Pictures" icon came up. I have a pictures icon in the sidebar as well. I rebooted.

I ran D/U in standard mode and Recovery mode. Nothing. I logged out of my Mac and logged back in using my alternate login and everything worked. I went back into my standard login and it's still not working. So, I am thinking something is corrupted.

Where do I go from here?

Thanks.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59338 08/21/21 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
I ran D/U in standard mode and Recovery mode. Nothing. I logged out of my Mac and logged back in using my alternate login and everything worked. I went back into my standard login and it's still not working. So, I am thinking something is corrupted.

Where do I go from here?
You have gone through the typical first level troubleshooting steps so take it to the next level and follow the steps in this Apple Knowledge Base article to troubleshoot using a safe boot.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Finder Problem
joemikeb #59339 08/21/21 09:11 PM
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OK. I followed directions and it's still doing the same thing. The next step is reinstalling MacOS. I imagine I do that through the recovery option? If so, will I be able to reinstall Catalina that way, or will it insist on installing Big Sur?

Originally Posted by joemikeb
Originally Posted by plantsower
I ran D/U in standard mode and Recovery mode. Nothing. I logged out of my Mac and logged back in using my alternate login and everything worked. I went back into my standard login and it's still not working. So, I am thinking something is corrupted.

Where do I go from here?
You have gone through the typical first level troubleshooting steps so take it to the next level and follow the steps in this Apple Knowledge Base article to troubleshoot using a safe boot.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59340 08/21/21 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
OK. I followed directions and it's still doing the same thing. The next step is reinstalling MacOS. I imagine I do that through the recovery option? If so, will I be able to reinstall Catalina that way, or will it insist on installing Big Sur?
Having always installed the latest and greatest I cannot say from personal knowledge, what version will be installed so to get it straight from the horse's mouth read this knowledge base article. You will have to download a Catalina installer and run that.

A STRONG RECOMMENDATION

Rather than just downloading and running the installer…
  1. Get a good flash drive of at least 16 GB capacity like this or this with both Type A and Type C connectors (the two connectors will help guarantee connectivity with future devices.
  2. Download the Catalina Installer from the app store (that link will take you to the app store).
  3. Follow these instructions to create bootable thumb drive installer
  4. Option Boot your computer and choose the thumb drive.
  5. Run the installer
  6. Put the thumb drive in a safe place you will remember in case it is needed again in the future.


NOTE: don't let the terminal commands intimidate you. They can easily be copied from the instructions and pasted into Terminal. I have done this three or four times now and it is by far the fastest way to reinstall.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Finder Problem
joemikeb #59341 08/21/21 10:45 PM
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I'm going to suggest repairing user home permissions as per How to fix permissions issue on Catalina OSX (Shut down/restart afterwards.) before reinstalling Catalina.

For the 30 secs it will take, it's certainly worth a try.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59343 08/22/21 04:18 AM
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I tried the Terminal command and it did it's thing, then I restarted and tried again with Finder. Again, it didn't work. The page you gave me said to try terminal again with the word "sudo" in front of the command. When I tried that, it just put in the word "password"at the end of the command with a picture of a key. I couldn't type anything after that like my admin password. I sure wish it had worked because Joe's suggestion was so complicated, and I don't have a flash drive. I did notice that it's just some apps that are causing this. I click on them and then the whole Finder window grays out. I tried another app and that didn't happen. Maybe that's another clue.

Originally Posted by artie505
I'm going to suggest repairing user home permissions as per How to fix permissions issue on Catalina OSX (Shut down/restart afterwards.) before reinstalling Catalina.

For the 30 secs it will take, it's certainly worth a try.


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Re: Finder Problem
joemikeb #59344 08/22/21 04:20 AM
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Joe: I'm hoping for a simpler answer. That was very complicated and I don't have a flash drive. I've been thinking about getting one but I would probably get it through Amazon. It wouldn't be quick.


Originally Posted by joemikeb
Originally Posted by plantsower
OK. I followed directions and it's still doing the same thing. The next step is reinstalling MacOS. I imagine I do that through the recovery option? If so, will I be able to reinstall Catalina that way, or will it insist on installing Big Sur?
Having always installed the latest and greatest I cannot say from personal knowledge, what version will be installed so to get it straight from the horse's mouth read this knowledge base article. You will have to download a Catalina installer and run that.

A STRONG RECOMMENDATION

Rather than just downloading and running the installer…
  1. Get a good flash drive of at least 16 GB capacity like this or this with both Type A and Type C connectors (the two connectors will help guarantee connectivity with future devices.
  2. Download the Catalina Installer from the app store (that link will take you to the app store).
  3. Follow these instructions to create bootable thumb drive installer
  4. Option Boot your computer and choose the thumb drive.
  5. Run the installer
  6. Put the thumb drive in a safe place you will remember in case it is needed again in the future.


NOTE: don't let the terminal commands intimidate you. They can easily be copied from the instructions and pasted into Terminal. I have done this three or four times now and it is by far the fastest way to reinstall.


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Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59345 08/22/21 04:26 AM
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This is what happened after the first command. Do I need to run what's below in terminal now?

The default interactive shell is now zsh.
To update your account to use zsh, please run `chsh -s /bin/zsh`.
For more details, please visit https://support.apple.com/kb/HT208050.
MacBook-Pro:~




Originally Posted by artie505
I'm going to suggest repairing user home permissions as per How to fix permissions issue on Catalina OSX (Shut down/restart afterwards.) before reinstalling Catalina.

For the 30 secs it will take, it's certainly worth a try.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59346 08/22/21 07:28 AM
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First, my bad for assuming that you're more familiar with Terminal than you are.

When you run a "sudo" command, you enter your password at the prompt, but Terminal doesn't show that you've entered anything. You just enter, hit "return," and Terminal does its thing.

From your description of what happened, I can't be certain that the first command ran, so I suggest that you try the sudo command again.

When Terminal prompts you again, as I assume it will, run that command as you see it here...all characters
Code
`chsh -s /bin/zsh`
via copy & paste. (I'm running Catalina too, my shell is zsh, and I remember being prompted to update it from bash at some point, although I don't remember the specifics.) You may have to run this command before you're able to run the sudo command.

Finally, your description of what's happening suggests that you may have a corrupt Launch Services database, but we'll address that if repairing permissions doesn't work.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59350 08/22/21 04:51 PM
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I tried typing in the password at the prompt like I said but it wouldn't take it. I couldn't put anything there at all. So I quit terminal and then entered the chsh one but all it does is ask for a password with that key icon but wouldn't take any input.


Originally Posted by artie505
First, my bad for assuming that you're more familiar with Terminal than you are.

When you run a "sudo" command, you enter your password at the prompt, but Terminal doesn't show that you've entered anything. You just enter, hit "return," and Terminal does its thing.

From your description of what happened, I can't be certain that the first command ran, so I suggest that you try the sudo command again.

When Terminal prompts you again, as I assume it will, run that command as you see it here...all characters
Code
`chsh -s /bin/zsh`
via copy & paste. (I'm running Catalina too, my shell is zsh, and I remember being prompted to update it from bash at some point, although I don't remember the specifics.) You may have to run this command before you're able to run the sudo command.

Finally, your description of what's happening suggests that you may have a corrupt Launch Services database, but we'll address that if repairing permissions doesn't work.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59352 08/22/21 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
I tried typing in the password at the prompt like I said but it wouldn't take it. I couldn't put anything there at all. So I quit terminal and then entered the chsh one but all it does is ask for a password with that key icon but wouldn't take any input.

Are you saying that after entering your password at the key icon AND HITTING "ENTER," nothing happens?

You should see something like
Code
Last login: Sun Aug 22 14:22:46 on ttys000
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % sudo rm -rf /System/Applications/Books.app 
Password:
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % 
which tells you that your (invisible...your password NEVER shows) password was accepted and your command ran.

If your command doesn't run, you should see some sort of output explaining why, such as
Code
Last login: Sun Aug 22 14:29:51 on ttys000
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % sudo rm -rf /System/Applications/Calculator.app 
Password:
rm: /System/Applications/Calculator.app/Contents/_CodeSignature/CodeResources: Read-only file system
rm: /System/Applications/Calculator.app: Read-only file system
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ %
What do you see?


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59353 08/22/21 08:20 PM
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I know Artie has already mentioned this, but just to re-iterrate: when you enter a password in terminal you do not see anything. When you press "Return" there are four things that may happen.
  1. the command you entered will begin to execute. Depending on the command entered you may see a series messages as each step executes or even a progress message like
    Quote
    executing: …10%…20%…30%...
  2. you will prompted for the password again (this is an indication that either you entered the password incorrectly or the password does not belong to an account with administrative privileges). So try again.
  3. you will get an error message indicating there was an error in the command
  4. you may be returned to the normal terminal command prompt ( ~ %) which is an indication the command was successfully completed.


If you could grab a screen shot and post it for us to see, it would be very helpful.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59354 08/22/21 09:42 PM
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My bad now. I didn't realize I could type in my password but it wouldn't show. I typed in my password after entering the cshs command and then hit enter and it showed this: Changing shell for (my name).
Password for: (my name)

I even restarted my Mac. Then I tried Finder again. But it didn't work. I could click on the icon (Pages) but then everything in the App window turned gray, and even though the Pages App went down onto my Dock, it wouldn't open.



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Originally Posted by artie505
Originally Posted by plantsower
I tried typing in the password at the prompt like I said but it wouldn't take it. I couldn't put anything there at all. So I quit terminal and then entered the chsh one but all it does is ask for a password with that key icon but wouldn't take any input.

Are you saying that after entering your password at the key icon AND HITTING "ENTER," nothing happens?

You should see something like
Code
Last login: Sun Aug 22 14:22:46 on ttys000
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % sudo rm -rf /System/Applications/Books.app 
Password:
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % 
which tells you that your (invisible...your password NEVER shows) password was accepted and your command ran.

If your command doesn't run, you should see some sort of output explaining why, such as
Code
Last login: Sun Aug 22 14:29:51 on ttys000
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % sudo rm -rf /System/Applications/Calculator.app 
Password:
rm: /System/Applications/Calculator.app/Contents/_CodeSignature/CodeResources: Read-only file system
rm: /System/Applications/Calculator.app: Read-only file system
artie@Artie's-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ %
What do you see?


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Re: Finder Problem
joemikeb #59355 08/22/21 09:47 PM
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I really didn't realize I wouldn't see what I typed. As I told Artie I re-ran terminal and the only thing I got was Changing shell for (my name).
Password for: (my name)


It didn't make a difference. It still doesn't work. Still grays out.



Originally Posted by joemikeb
I know Artie has already mentioned this, but just to re-iterrate: when you enter a password in terminal you do not see anything. When you press "Return" there are four things that may happen.
  1. the command you entered will begin to execute. Depending on the command entered you may see a series messages as each step executes or even a progress message like
    Quote
    executing: …10%…20%…30%...
  2. you will prompted for the password again (this is an indication that either you entered the password incorrectly or the password does not belong to an account with administrative privileges). So try again.
  3. you will get an error message indicating there was an error in the command
  4. you may be returned to the normal terminal command prompt ( ~ %) which is an indication the command was successfully completed.


If you could grab a screen shot and post it for us to see, it would be very helpful.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59356 08/22/21 10:20 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
I really didn't realize I wouldn't see what I typed. As I told Artie I re-ran terminal and the only thing I got was Changing shell for (my name).
Password for: (my name)


It didn't make a difference. It still doesn't work. Still grays out.
Changing the shell was simply a housekeeping step necessary for you to perform Artie's suggestion...
Originally Posted by artie505
I'm going to suggest repairing user home permissions as per How to fix permissions issue on Catalina OSX (Shut down/restart afterwards.) before reinstalling Catalina.

For the 30 secs it will take, it's certainly worth a try.

As Artie said for the thirty seconds it will take it is worth a try, and hopefully it will work. If not then the simplest version of the next step would be:
Originally Posted by joemikeb
Having always installed the latest and greatest I cannot say from personal knowledge, what version will be installed so to get it straight from the horse's mouth read this knowledge base article. You will have to download a Catalina installer and run that.

But I still stick by:
Originally Posted by joemikeb
Rather than just downloading and running the installer…
  1. Get a good flash drive of at least 16 GB capacity like this or this with both Type A and Type C connectors (the two connectors will help guarantee connectivity with future devices.
  2. Download the Catalina Installer from the app store (that link will take you to the app store).
  3. Follow these instructions to create bootable thumb drive installer
  4. Option Boot your computer and choose the thumb drive.
  5. Run the installer
  6. Put the thumb drive in a safe place you will remember in case it is needed again in the future.

As a better, albeit more complex, procedure as you end up with an installer you can use again and again and again.

Unfortunately there is no guarantee either Artie's suggestion or either of mine will cure your problem. If not then the "fix" may take a while but in any case it is important that we give very specific step-by-step instructions and that you follow those instructions to the letter.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Finder Problem
joemikeb #59357 08/22/21 10:39 PM
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For the 30 secs it will take, it's certainly worth a try. [/quote]

I did that. That's what didn't work on terminal.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59358 08/22/21 11:36 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
For the 30 secs it will take, it's certainly worth a try.

I did that. That's what didn't work on terminal. [/quote]

Does that mean the command didn't run or that it ran and nothing changed?

Sounds like the latter, but just to be certain.

More: And I assume that you did it after changing your shell from bash to zhs?

Still more: I just realized that you've never told us if your problem occurs in a test user account. (It's THE most basic troubleshooting step, and I've completely forgotten about it 'til now, which will give you some idea of how little troubleshooting needs to be done these days.)

Last edited by artie505; 08/23/21 02:12 AM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59359 08/23/21 03:20 AM
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Does that mean the command didn't run or that it ran and nothing changed? It ran and nothing changed.

Sounds like the latter, but just to be certain.

More: And I assume that you did it after changing your shell from bash to zhs? Yes.

Still more: I just realized that you've never told us if your problem occurs in a test user account. (It's THE most basic troubleshooting step, and I've completely forgotten about it 'til now, which will give you some idea of how little troubleshooting needs to be done these days.) [/quote]

I did say that I used a test account and everything worked fine. That's why I thought it might be a clue for someone.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59360 08/23/21 04:06 AM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
Still more: I just realized that you've never told us if your problem occurs in a test user account. (It's THE most basic troubleshooting step, and I've completely forgotten about it 'til now, which will give you some idea of how little troubleshooting needs to be done these days.)
I did say that I used a test account and everything worked fine. That's why I thought it might be a clue for someone.

OOPS! You did, and I went ahead and totally missed the significance of your problem's not following you to a test user account combined with its following you in a safe boot. It means that something, but neither a login item nor extension, in your user account is corrupted (and that a reinstall won't fix it).

I'm not sure that it'll help, but based on your description of your problem, I think it's come time to rebuild your LaunchServices database...another quick Terminal project.
If you happen to be conversant with the Terminal app and the macOS command prompt, there’s a command that rebuilds the LaunchServices database. Type it (or copy and paste the following) in at the command prompt, press Return, then wait for a few minutes until the command prompt reappears:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

When the command prompt reappears, type:

killall Finder

then press Return to relaunch Finder and begin using the rebuilt LaunchServices database (Emphasis added)
Apps such as OnyX and Cocktail have this functionality built in, so you can also go that route if you've got such an app and it's up to date.

Last edited by artie505; 08/23/21 10:01 AM. Reason: Major rewrite

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Finder Problem
artie505 #59361 08/23/21 04:53 PM
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copy and paste the following[/color]) in at the command prompt, press Return, then wait for a few minutes until the command prompt reappears:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

When the command prompt reappears, type:

killall Finder

then press Return to relaunch Finder and begin using the rebuilt LaunchServices database (Emphasis added)[/quote]
Apps such as OnyX and Cocktail have this functionality built in, so you can also go that route if you've got such an app and it's up to date. [/quote]

I just did this. It obviously did something because when I went into Finder and clicked on apps in the sidebar, all my icons had a different look with an "A" instead of the real icon pic. Gradually the icons started to look like themselves. After that, I clicked on Pages and the icon went to the dock (like it should) but then another Finder window popped up in front of the original one and was all grayed out. I still can't open my app. I quit the second Finder window and clicked on Pages again but the same thing happened with the second finder window appearing and all grayed out. Why me?
Update: I went back into Finder and clicked on a few others apps and they loaded up fine! Wouldn't you know that the only two I was interested in were the culprits? They still won't load up. So now what, do I delete them and reinstall from the App store? Is there an uninstaller? Otherwise I will just use EasyFind.


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Re: Finder Problem
plantsower #59362 08/23/21 08:08 PM
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If the apps are from the App Store they are "sandboxed" which means everything is encapsulated in the application package. Apple's recommended procedure for deleting them is...
  1. Find the app in LaunchPad
  2. Click and hold until the icon begins to shake and a circle with an X appears at the top left of the app icon
  3. Click on the circled X
  4. When prompted click on Delete


That is all that is required.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Finder Problem
joemikeb #59363 08/23/21 09:13 PM
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Thanks, Joe!


Originally Posted by joemikeb
If the apps are from the App Store they are "sandboxed" which means everything is encapsulated in the application package. Apple's recommended procedure for deleting them is...
  1. Find the app in LaunchPad
  2. Click and hold until the icon begins to shake and a circle with an X appears at the top left of the app icon
  3. Click on the circled X
  4. When prompted click on Delete


That is all that is required.


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