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User profile for user: mikefromeastwood
mikefromeastwood Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Catalina can't open safari and mail.

Hi,


I have an iMac at home. I can't remember the yer model. It's QUAD core and has 32GB RAM with a 3TB fusion drive.


I upgraded to Catalina and I am so so sorry I did.

The iMac became un-useable. Often it just sits there and does not respond to any input.

At other times is just refuses to open apps like mail and safari. It just display a message "Can't open application Mail". Also at times, safari just won't open webpages. I click on URLS and nothing happens. i.e. it's not even attempting to load them.


So i made a bootable usb and did a clean install of Catalina rather than an upgrade.

Then transferred all my info from Timemachine.

I still get the same errors but now with less frequency.


I have 4 mac in the household. I am not upgrading any others until this one works correctly.


Any ideas on how to fix it? Or even find out what is wrong with it?


I want to avoid doing another clean install and then selectively transferring files over.




Posted on Nov 10, 2019 2:07 PM

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User profile for user: den.thed
den.thed
User level: Level 10
82,540 points

Nov 10, 2019 8:30 PM in response to mikefromeastwood

mikefromeastwood wrote:

Any ideas on how to fix it? Or even find out what is wrong with it?

Please run Etrecheck Pro and post back here with the Report.

from the developer, go to > http://www.etrecheck.com/

from the App Store, go to > https://apps.apple.com/us/app/etrecheck/id1423715984?mt=12


I want to avoid doing another clean install and then selectively transferring files over.

Yes I agree, no one shouldn't have to go thru all of that, just to upgrade to a new macOS.


FWIW I did the same things as you and the 2nd method of installing Catalina on a USB 3.0 SSD. Then migrated from TM, which worked much better than installing Catalina directly over the current Mojave on my internal SSD. So then I scrapped Catalina off of my Mac's internal SSD and went back to Mojave for now. That way I can keep my old life, while deciding if the new features in Catalina are worth the other losses. Or at least help myself, get over the initial shock.

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User profile for user: mikefromeastwood
mikefromeastwood Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Nov 10, 2019 7:22 PM in response to DonH49

That is not a useful suggestion.


FWIW, that is exactly what the apple upgrade process does.

  1. it updates the OS
  2. it copies your user data from TM.


That is what i did the first time.

The 2nd time I did a clean install and then transferred my user data from TimeMachine.... the apple product, used by apple, to put back onto the apple hardware, running the apple OS.


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User profile for user: den.thed
den.thed
User level: Level 10
82,540 points

Nov 12, 2019 12:56 PM in response to mikefromeastwood

mikefromeastwood wrote:

EtreCheck... waste of time.

Why do you say that? EtreCheck Pro has helped countless thousands of people sort out a countless number of software and hardware issues.


No matter what problem it was looking for it said "found spyware".

Please explain this phrase in more detail? Do you have spyware or you are using useless Cleaning crapware, Spy crapware or AV crapware, that has made a mess out of your macOS.


Some of these files were there since 2016. If they weren't a problem then. They aren't a problem now.

I agree and have accumulated files as far back as 2000 and most have never caused a problem.


The problem now is, that we really can't help you without more detailed information. Like for example, the information that is in your EtreCheck Pro Report.

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User profile for user: mikefromeastwood
mikefromeastwood Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Nov 17, 2019 4:30 PM in response to den.thed

The only thing that EtreCheck said in the report was that it had found suspicious files. i.e. spyware or malware.


There were no other problems found.

Therefore the computer has a serious problem and EtreCheck did not find it. So, for me, it was a waste of time.


I restored the machine back to Mojave because i couldn't put up with it any longer.

This was from TimeMachine. All of those "spyware" files got restored too. Mojave works perfectly.


FWIW, the "spyware" files it reported on were from apps I installed. e.g. Fit Bit fitness tracker.


I will either have to wait until a later release of Catalina and hope for the best... or stay on Mojave.

As a Mac user of 20years i have never ever had it go this wrong!!! ever!!

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Catalina can't open safari and mail.

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