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MacOS 10.15.4 breaks everything including finder (iMac 15,1)

After logging in, I can see my desktop background and dock. An error message comes up saying Finder quit unexpectedly. Trying to open Finder results in a pop-up saying 'The application "Finder" Can't be opened.'


Problems:

  • Most Apple apps don't seem to open (Finder, System Preferences, Safari, Photos, Notes, Music, App Store).
  • No WIFI networks are visible or connected.
  • Taking a screenshot with command+shift+3 shows the preview in the bottom right corner but results in the spinning colour wheel if the preview is clicked.
  • Spotlight doesn't open.
  • The top menu bar is only present when a third-party app is open. Clicking on the Apple logo presents the usual options. 'About this Mac' does nothing. This makes it impossible to tell if I have actually updated to 10.15.4. I just think I have because my iMac updated overnight and my MacBook Pro did not and my MacBook is running 10.15.3.
  • Pressing 'option' and clicking the Apple logo shows 'System Information' as an option but it does nothing.
  • Restarting normally or in Safe Mode does not fix any of these issues.


Things that do work:

  • Terminal opens
  • Some third-party apps open and work as long as they don't need WIFI.
  • MATLAB (coding app) works. I can search the file system to open MATLAB files. I can run a MATLAB program that requires the reading of .csv files.
  • Bluetooth keyboard and graphics tablet connect and work as normal.


Please help. My iMac has suddenly become unusable with this Catalina update.

iMac, OS X 10.11

Posted on Apr 30, 2020 7:51 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 30, 2020 8:32 PM

If the same problems are occurring in "Safe Mode" then reinstall macOS. If they continue to occur Contact Support. That Mac needs repair.

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MacOS 10.15.4 breaks everything including finder (iMac 15,1)

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