Ventura 13.3.1 (a) - Apps can't access files, downloads hidden, etc.

Question

Ventura 13.3.1 (a) - Apps can't access files, downloads hidden, etc.

Hi,

Rather strange things going on with multiple symptoms (Safe Mode didn't help), like:

Double-click on a file prompts a 'file cannot be accessed' sort of message, then it works on the second attempt
Apps can't read or write files, i.e., when you expect a window to show up to choose a location to store or upload a file in Mail, Outlook, Firefox, etc. the colored wheel spins for maybe 30 seconds, then either nothing happens next or the app crashes (Outlook in particular).
DropBox can't start
Files downloaded from Zoom calls don't show up until the next restart

Any idea? I initially thought it might be DropBox messing up, so I removed it from the Login Items but in the end it doesn't change anything.

Ventura 13.3.1 (a) (22E772610a)

iMac 27″

Posted on May 18, 2023 9:40 AM

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Answer 1

May 19, 2023 1:59 PM in response to Steph' De Wolf

Update (end?)

Pulled the plug on GPG and a few extensions inherited from previous Macs & migrations (e.g., NetBarrier, etc.). That solved most issues. So then I completely uninstalled GPG, threw away the very old stuff, and I'll cautiously replug DropBox... Fingers crossed!

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Answer 2

leroydouglas

Level 10

206,178 points

May 18, 2023 7:29 PM in response to Steph' De Wolf

Steph' De Wolf wrote:

• Hi,

Rather strange things going on with multiple symptoms (Safe Mode didn't help), like:

Double-click on a file prompts a 'file cannot be accessed' sort of message, then it works on the second attempt

• Apps can't read or write files, i.e., when you expect a window to show up to choose a location to store or upload a file in Mail, Outlook, Firefox, etc. the colored wheel spins for maybe 30 seconds, then either nothing happens next or the app crashes (Outlook in particular).

• DropBox can't start

• Files downloaded from Zoom calls don't show up until the next restart

Any idea? I initially thought it might be DropBox messing up, so I removed it from the Login Items but in the end it doesn't change anything.

Ventura 13.3.1 (a) (22E772610a)

The current stable release of Ventura including bug fixes, security updates is macOS Ventura 13.4 — I would start there

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

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Answer 3

May 19, 2023 3:25 AM in response to leroydouglas

Thanks. For some reason the update wasn't made/offered, but now it's done and unfortunately it doesn't improve anything to the problem, to the contrary. Oh, and I forgot another symptom: Finder freezes, sinks, and can't come back to the surface (again and again) until you force the shutdown and restart. With 13.4, it seems to do it even more often so it's worse than before. This Mac becomes unusable... :-(

Ventura 13.4 (22F66)

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Answer 4

May 20, 2023 7:54 AM in response to Steph' De Wolf

Update (not the end yet?)

Apps still freeze and generally crash when trying to open or save a document.

DropBox seemed to work normally.

Any idea? Even a radical one?

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Ventura 13.3.1 (a) - Apps can't access files, downloads hidden, etc.

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