DrizzyGadget
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Q: Apps won't update "An error has occurred"

I have 4 apps that won't update from the Mac App Store (iMovie, iPhoto, Xcode and Pocket). When I click Update it fails and I get an error that says "App failed to download, Use the Purchases page to try again." I've tried to update for about a month after restarting and also tried on a different wifi network (heard somewhere that might work), but have been unsuccessful.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Jan 6, 2014 1:28 PM

by DrizzyGadget,Solvedanswer
DrizzyGadget DrizzyGadget
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A:

After I updated to the latest version of itunes (argh ugh) I then restarted in Safe Mode and was able to update the applications which I was unable to. I'll be going back to itunes 10.7 btw. Thanks for you guys help.

Posted on Mar 15, 2014 10:47 AM

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Q: Apps won't update "An error has occurred"

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 8, 2014 12:59 PM in response to DrizzyGadget
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jan 8, 2014 12:59 PM in response to DrizzyGadget

    I'm not sure what version of iTunes you'll get, but whatever it is, you can't go back to an earlier version.

  • by DrizzyGadget,

    DrizzyGadget DrizzyGadget Jan 8, 2014 1:02 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 8, 2014 1:02 PM in response to Linc Davis

    I'm on an earlier version now, 10.7. Would that cause an issue with updating other apps which I'm having now?

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 8, 2014 1:51 PM in response to DrizzyGadget
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jan 8, 2014 1:51 PM in response to DrizzyGadget

    If you've replaced any built-in components with those from an earlier version, you need to reinstall. I can't help you with a hacked configuration that I know nothing about.

  • by CMCCH3,

    CMCCH3 CMCCH3 Jan 22, 2014 11:35 AM in response to DrizzyGadget
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 22, 2014 11:35 AM in response to DrizzyGadget

    I had this same issue. For me, only Apple applications wouldn't update. Since Xcode was one of them and could be re-downloaded, I deleted Xcode and tried to update the others. This worked for getting the other programs to update. No idea why.

  • by DrizzyGadget,

    DrizzyGadget DrizzyGadget Mar 3, 2014 3:00 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 3, 2014 3:00 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Ok, so I updated my itunes to the latest version and I still can't get the aforementioned applications to update. Any other suggestions?

  • by CMCCH3,

    CMCCH3 CMCCH3 Mar 3, 2014 10:07 PM in response to DrizzyGadget
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 3, 2014 10:07 PM in response to DrizzyGadget

    Fresh out. Sorry.

  • by DrizzyGadget,Solvedanswer

    DrizzyGadget DrizzyGadget Mar 15, 2014 10:47 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2014 10:47 AM in response to Linc Davis

    After I updated to the latest version of itunes (argh ugh) I then restarted in Safe Mode and was able to update the applications which I was unable to. I'll be going back to itunes 10.7 btw. Thanks for you guys help.

  • by ka8ob,

    ka8ob ka8ob Jan 10, 2015 2:40 AM in response to DrizzyGadget
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 10, 2015 2:40 AM in response to DrizzyGadget

    In case others find this post and still have trouble, I had a similar problem for the past couple of months and only JUST NOW figured it out!

     

    To be clear, the problem manifested in 2 ways:

      1. Opening App Store > Updates, I got an error dialog: “An error has occurred” “Can't connect to the Apple Software Update server.”

      2. Sometimes though, instead of getting the error, the update list did appear, but hitting the Update button just caused a progress bar to flash quickly, followed by a button change to "Installed", only to revert back to "Update" again.  Checking the software version confirmed that the update had failed, even though it went through all the motions.

     

    The solution was first to ensure that Time Machine has an up-to-date backup, then to restore from this backup.  The reason this works is that restoring from Time Machine restored the file permissions which, at least in my case, was the source of the problem.  Note that using Disk Utility to repair permissions DID NOT WORK.

     

    Further investigation revealed that the bad permissions that broke App Store Updates is localized to just one folder named "private".  This folder is invisible and located in the root folder (e.g. Macintosh HD).  How could permissions go bad in the invisible "private" folder?  This can happen by choosing Get Info on the root folder and selecting "Apply to enclosed items...' under Sharing & Permissions.  Don't do this!  (Yes, I did, whilst trying to eliminate a bad user name "Fetching..." which had R/W permission everywhere.  That was before I realized the nasty side effect it had of breaking App Store Updates!)

     

    If you don't want to wait for a full restore of your entire hard disk, you might first try the following (although I have not tried it, it may work).  First, be sure your Time Machine backup is up-to-date.  In Finder, choose Go > Go to folder... and enter "/private" (without quotes) in the text box, then hit Go.  This opens the invisible "private" folder.  With this folder on top, Enter Time Machine with the latest backup, select all, and Restore.  This should have reset permissions.  Now go back and try App Store > Updates.  If that doesn't work, you may need to reboot to do a full Time Machine restore.

     

    After 2 months of bothering the local Genius Bar and a Senior Apple Support Engineer until they stopped speaking to me, I'm finally getting updates!  Hope this helps others.

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