The application Finder.app can't be opened.

Good suggestion but looking at the syslog of the 10810 error this user was getting back in the dim distant days of Tiger, what we are getting now is the same error code but from a different cause. I think there is a measure of agreement that from several triggering causes (external storage devices, VPN file transfers, Time Machine back ups) the common result is a issue in Finder cocoa coreservices. I don't think there is anything us end users can do to cure it. All we can do at present is try to avoid the triggering cause. If it is an external storage device, unplugging usually releases Finder. 10.6.3 update first build is being seeded on Monday, I believe and it will interesting to look at the notes to see if this issue is being targeted.

Wilson

Hello Wilson,
Yes, I was just trying to show how it might be possible for someone with the knowledge to correct what was in that time and is at this time a problem for a limited number of Mac users under the same OS version (in this case, 10.6.x).


While you're obviously correct pointing to the commonalities of triggering causes, the other side of that coin says that far more users with 10.6 AND using external drives, etc. are NOT having this problem.
So my guess is there is some as-yet unknown commonality among those having this problem with the Finder.

Example: on another thread there's been a long discussion among many Mac users about mysterious (and seemingly random) blurring of icons. (Icons for images, folders, applications.) Some commonalities were found and corrective trials were performed - directed at the commonalities. But it turned out one commonality which no one thought of was that each "victim" had a folder docked and in that folder were a large number of files with "custom icons."

Even then, it took a bit for everyone to understand that "custom icons" weren't all made using icon-making software: the example which proved that was a folder full of jpegs which the user had viewed with GraphicConverter's browser. IN that browser, one has the option of "creating preview icons" for the sake of quick image recognition. That's generally not thought of as a "custom icon" but it turned out that Snow Leopard and the way the Dock handles icons led to forced use of lower resolution (smaller size boosted to larger size) icons.

The discovery was made because, in the example, the user had stored 50,000 jpegs and put that folder in the Dock. It was the sheer number of images with "custom icons" which created the problem for -- a limited number of people.

Again, I'm just talking general concept here, not pointing to that or any other specific.


Still - like you - I will be VERY interested (even though I'm just an observer, not a "victim") to see what the build of 10.6.3 shows, if anything. I'll keep my fingers crossed on this. I hope Apple has this figured out.

Hi Macnoel,

Originally I was thinking along the same lines as you and was guessing that it could be a launch daemon from a third party bit of software that was causing this. Apple was suggesting as possible candidates, EYE-TV and Onyx. However after reading some posts on this thread and other threads (Macrumors etc) and talking to the Apple tech 2's and 3's at some length, some unfortunate folks have been getting this on their first day with a brand new iMac, before installing any third party software. That could sent you straight back to Windoze! As you say, "fingers crossed for 10.6.3".

Wilson

CarbonCore.framework: coreservicesd process died; attempting to reconnect but future use may result in erroneous behavior.

LaunchServices: _LSDoInitializeProcessesServices() returned 268435459, err=-1 vers=0, we are 10600000.

LaunchServices/5123589: coreservicesd is running an unsupported version, 0 ( we are 10600000 ), so we cannot talk to it.

/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder[417]: LaunchServices: _LSDoInitializeProcessesServices() returned 268435459, err=-1 vers=0, we are 10600000.

The level of fail (somewhere over 9000) of Snow Leopard is astounding...

I mysteriously had journaling disabled on my HD after installing SL also. I re-enabled it. I still get the Finder errors when I attempt to relaunch Finder. The only way I can get Finder back is too hold down the power button until it turns off the Macbook Pro and then restart it. Comes back just fine.

Wilson wrote: "... some unfortunate folks have been getting this on their first day with a brand new iMac, before installing any third party software. "

Well, that IS bad news. Suggests something is happening (intermittently) at the factory when the System is loaded.

So it looks like you're right: any user fixes aren't likely to work on this problem.

I forgot to check: has anyone tried a re-install yet?

Yes - I have done 2 reinstalls with no improvement. It has just got worse for me and the issue has killed my big Freecom Datatank RAID 2TB external HD. I am assuming the continuous unplugging while mounted has done something nasty. I just hope at least one of the 2 discs inside are OK because they have got about 12,000 RAW images on them. I am just waiting for a RTB number from Freecom UK to send it for repair/service. I am now running an additional back up to a Time Capsule via 802.11N wireless.It has taken over 2 days so far.

Wilson

I started with an upgrade - then did a reinstall due to another issue I ran into. The 10810 problem only started happening for me after the reinstall.

My girlfriends 13" MBP was upgraded to SL and is having this issue intermittently as well.

My first symptom of this problem was when my time machine disk died. Then I was trying to use a couple of external drives to move some files around when I started to get this error. Now two of my three macs are suffering from this issue. I've turned off time machine on all of them and that appears to have fixed the issue for now.

Wilson,
Two reinstalls, you say?
Wow - this is definitely a bug and it's obviously a real Bad Boy. Wondering (like the rest here) why Apple hasn't nailed this down since the original post by Kel Solaar last - August 30th!!

What's that make, 109 days and two "second point" upgrades without resolution? Easy to construe that as a bad sign, it may mean this is really some fundamental error in coding.

Also unusual, this is the second example I know of where reinstalls didn't cure a problem. The other is much less troublesome: the upgrade to iMovie 8.05 "killed" that app for some people, including me. Only iMovie users felt that one - and then only a limited number were affected. After trying every suggestion, most of use went back to 10.5.8 and iMovie 6. (Even doing a fresh install of iMovie "09" / 8 on 10.5.8 didn't restore that version of iMovie - yet another head scratcher.)

I know sympathy is poor comfort but you've got mine. I'm going to sit on the sidelines to see what happens from here. Good luck.

I fear the problem may have just got worse. I had a new Freecom 1TB Mac FW external drive delivered yesterday, to cover me while my Freecom 2TB RAID Datatank is repaired. Within a minute of plugging it into my iMac, the drive failed. It could not be recovered with either Disk Utility or Disk Warrior. It may have been a coincidence and just a faulty drive from new. We will see today when (8" of snow permitting), Amazon deliver the replacement drive.

Wilson

_** POSSIBLE SOLUTION **_ _** POSSIBLE SOLUTION **_ _** POSSIBLE SOLUTION **_



*DISCLAIMER :* +I have NOT tried this solution yet.... I just received it from a Senior Tech Support from Apple, who is pretty convinced that this is THE issue.+ (I am posting this here now, bc it may be some time before I get another drive to do a backup)

*SOLUTION :* Open Disk Utility, and check the following (*_DO NOT_ "APPLY"* or "SAVE" anything.... you are only "checking" to see if you have the "wrong" settings).... LATER, you can Actually Perform the "Solution"


_*STEP 1 (Confirm) :*_
a) Open Disk Utility,
b) Select / Highlight your External Drive (not the name you gave the drive, but it's "actual" name), for example, my External Passport Drive is called "+Portable Drive+".... However, the "actual" name of the drive is :" +500.11 GB WD PP III Studio II Media+ "
c) Look where it says "Partition Map Scheme" on the bottom right. It should say "GUID Partition Map" if it does not (mine didn't, it said "Apple Partition Map") then... THIS SOLUTION MAY WORK FOR YOU.
d) If it says "GUID Partition Map" then this solution has no bearing on your problem (as far as I know)


_*STEP 2 (Understanding the Partition Mapping) :*_
"Apple Partition Map" was a type of file organization used with both PowerPC and Intel Apple systems. Since Snow Leopard is Intel Only... this is now an outdated Partition Map. The proper mapping system (file organization method) is "GUID Partition Map"

+Where is this done? How do you "apply" it ?+
+* NOTE: DO NOT "APPLY" ANYTHING* or *SAVE CHANGES YET*.... this next step is only for identifying where "GUID Partitioning" can be applied.+


_*STEP 3 (Locating "Partition Mapping" Option :*_
a) Click on the "Partitions" tab
b) You should see an "Options..." button below the box that is shown.
c) If it is greyed out, then click on the Drop down menu (above the box) that says "Current" and select 1 or 2 or 3 or anything (b/c this is only to demonstrate something to you, not to actually create a partition)
d) Now the "Options..." button should be bold, and you should click on it
e) *_NOTE AGAIN:_ DO NOT CLICK "OK*" unless you want to REFORMAT and LOSE ALL YOUR DATA ! You are going to click the "Cancel" Button after this step !
f) You now should see a new window, that gives you the option to select "GUID Partition Table" ....(when you are ready, ie when you have backed up all your data to another physical drive... this is what you are going to select)
g) *CLICK "CANCEL"*
h) Quit Disk Utility or Close the window, and select "Close" (if it pops up with "Operations in Progress")


_*STEP 4 (Transfer all your data) :*_
Now you need to backup / move all your data to another location (on another drive)
After this is done, go to "Step 4"


_*STEP 5 (reformat and apply GUID Partition Map) :*_
a) Open DISK UTILITY
b) Confirm that the drive is Mac OS Extended (Journaled) (recommended)... if not, you may want to REFORMAT the drive (but this step can actually be skipped, it is up to you)
c) Select the "actual" drive name as in "STEP 2"....
d) Click on the "Partitions" Tab
e) Click on the "Current" button and select 1 or however many partitions you have / had / want
f) Click on "Options...." button...
g) Select "GUID Partition Map"
h) Click "OK"


_*STEP 6 (move all your data and files back) :*_
a) Move all your data and files back (exactly what the title says !)
b) breathe a sigh of relief !.....or maybe not?.....

to be continued.......



* THANKS TO BRANDON at APPLE TECHSUPPORT FOR THIS *



_** POSSIBLE SOLUTION **_ _** POSSIBLE SOLUTION **_ _** POSSIBLE SOLUTION **_

This may work for some but I don't think it will for everyone. The reason is that a lot of people, including myself had this problem happen with drives that are not intended for backup/time machine purposes and therefore don't need to have GUID partitions. GUID partitions are irrelevant for example in the case of a USB thumbdrive, which is what was causing my issues the few times I had it occur. Or is Apple now requiring that every drive that we plug in must have GUID? That would be a ridiculous requirement. So if Apple thinks that this is the source of the problems they better be fixing it to work without this requirement.

All my drives on my Mac Pro are GUID (internal and attached) and I still had the problem. But as I said previously, once I downgraded the Sonnet driver for the external SATA drives, the problem ceased. However, when I do a "save as" or something similar from photoshop or other program, it takes a long time with spinning beachball before the finder window appears to select where it is to be saved. This I can tolerate until there is a fix. Remember there was talk (I don't know how true) that Apple had completely re-written the finder with Sno Kitty. If I could downgrade to 10.5 without a lot of grief, I'd do it. On the other hand, my MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have been unaffected.

I think the tech who advised this should either a) be sent for 100% retraining or b) sacked. It is total garbage. The partitioning of a external drive/storage device or the formatting is or should be wholly irrelevant to the issue. Is he, for example, suggesting that all flash memory devices, which are formatted in FAT (16 or 32 depending upon requirements and size) should be reformatted into journaled HFS with a GUID partition. The fact that they would not then work in another device, such as a camera etc is of course, irrelevant!

This all smacks of desperation on Apple's behalf and they are looking for external solutions when they MUST know it is a coding problem and I suspect that a lot of Snow Leopard will need re-writing.

Wilson