The application Finder.app can't be opened.

Ericthehalfabee wrote:
I helped a customer solve this problem by doing these steps.

1. Boot from his original Install DVD or boot from whatever DVD you installed the current OS from.
2. Run Disk Utility and repair the disk.
3. Reboot and log in.

This fixed the issue for my client. Hope this helps!

How did this fix the problem for your client? (Do you know "why or how" it fixed the problem?)
How do you know the problem is fixed?

(note: I've done this [proposed solution] too and it didn't fix the problem)

Regards.

Eric,

I am afraid that repairing hard disc errors and file permissions would have been the very first step most of us would have tried almost universally without any improvement. We are rather beyond this now and looking for coding errors in the Carbon Coreservices API and possible cures by writing sub routines in Terminal.

Wilson

Can't understand why : although the "open /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app" command doesn't seem to work (-10810 error) , a simple "/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder &" in the terminal launches the finder without any problem (at least on my computer)

It's dirty and i can't close my terminal window, but, however if you don't want to restart your computer it's a good quick fix. I'm thinking about making an apple script and putting it in my dock...

Just wanted to let people know that there is a new software update (10 AM Central Europe time) that specifically targets "hanging hard drive" issues. It SEEMS to have addressed my problem with my WD 1 Tb externals...I hope it works for you as well.

Sadly this will do nothing for me. The update is only for various Macbooks and as far as I can see addresses internal not external hard disc stalls. My Macbooks are OK it is on my iMac which normally has various external hard discs attached that I have the problem, if I allow it to go to sleep with a hard disc attached.

Wilson

More about the update mentioned by ChrisdeG at TUAW...

{quote:title=TUAW wrote:}Performance Update 1.0 "addresses intermittent hard drive-related stalls reported by a small number of customers." It may not show up for you, unless you have one of the following Macs:

MacBook Air (Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009), iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009), MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008), MacBook Air (Late 2008), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008), iMac (24-inch, Early 2009), iMac (20-inch, Early 2009), Mac mini (Early 2009)

If you own one of these models, be sure to load the update at your earliest convenience, especially if you have experienced the problem described in the update notes.
{quote}

http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/14/software-update-alert-performance-update-1-0-avai lable-for-down/

Link added by: Eric Celeste

Put the bunting away - this will not fix the finder issue. Just tried it.

I am going to spend this weekend backing up my Macbook and doing a complete erase and install.

If that doesn't fix it I'm going back to Leopard as nothing in Snow Leopard is worth the hassle of not being able to open the finder.

Excellent work around and amazing that is actually works.

Thanks alamaz, for:

Can't understand why :
"open /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app" command doesn't seem to work (-10810 error) ,
"/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder &" in the terminal launches the finder without any problem (at least on my computer)
(and on mine)

Can't say on my mac Pro, since Finder has not crashed for a day or so now, but.

How do you create a dock icon to run that with a click rather than opening terminal and typing?

Neil,

There is a very good tutorial here www.macinstruct.com/node/68 which explains how to write an Applescript routine. I am not sure you can keep it in the dock but you could certainly keep it on the desktop.

Wilson

OK, thanks I'll try that.

it wil need to be in the dock, because when Finder fails, the desktop icons go as well. That I have done for now is past the line in to a text document, and keep that in the Documents folder, and that does appear in the Dock, so i can at least open the text file from the dock, then past it back in to terminal

I'm seeing the same problem. It's happened 3-4 times this week. Only when I'm at home and off the work network. The whole UI gets bogged down and I can't type anywhere. If I'm persistent, I seem to be able to change apps by clicking on whatever is visible, but I can't do anything with them.

Here's a few relevant entries in my windowserver.log:
Oct 16 22:29:16 [60] kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "iTunes" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
Oct 16 22:29:17 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:17 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:18 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:18 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:19 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:19 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:20 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:21 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:22 [60] kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "iTunes" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
Oct 16 22:29:22 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066
Oct 16 22:29:30 [60] kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Microsoft Entourage" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
Oct 16 22:29:31 [60] [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to Activity Monitor, psn 0x0-0x2da2da, securitySessionID=0x315a74, err=-13066

Any ideas?

WilsonLaidlaw wrote:
Neil,

There is a very good tutorial here www.macinstruct.com/node/68 which explains how to write an Applescript routine. I am not sure you can keep it in the dock but you could certainly keep it on the desktop.

Wilson

Well I could not work out how to do it using Apple Script, but managed to get Automator to do it, and with a shortcut in the dock to the Automator workflow, I can re launch Finder from the dock. Typically, now I have done this, Finder has not crashed so i can't test it for real

Well I could not work out how to do it using Apple Script, but managed to get Automator to do it, and with a shortcut in the dock to the Automator workflow, I can re launch Finder from the dock. Typically, now I have done this, Finder has not crashed so i can't test it for real

Murphy's law V. 10.6.1 ;-]]

Wilson

So there's still no any fix for this problem?