Mystery Mac Scenario? No programs at all is working suddenly after restart:

After my last restart when I try to open any program (even system settings) I receive this message:


You can't open the application “app name” because it may be damaged or incomplete.


(just for illustration above, all of the programs yield the same seemingly)



If I look into the «applications» folder there are no symbols showing (Icons of various programs are seemingly gone) and the app launchpad window is empty not showing any app symbols…… :



Now how could that happen after a restart???? (All the apps are seemingly suddenly  …… gone?




Scenario just prior to the restart:


This mystery problem happened on MacBook Pro with a good old OS X (High Sierra) and on a profile on the Mac which was previously restored via Time Machine (after the hard drive crashed, I did for about a year ago install a new drive and restored the whole Mac from the Time Machine backup with 2 admin user profiles on it). Now some people (a person in Adobe for example) claims that the restored Mac from Time Machine is in general  not as good / reliable as one created from scratch. I am not sure if this can have anything to do with the problem?


I have had some problems with Adobe Creative Cloud and had kind of given up trying to fix it. But there was a window which opened telling me something like that I needed to repair Adobe Creative Cloud, which I btw ignored…. (Just seconds before the restart):


(just for illustration above, not sure if that was the exact Creative Cloud message)


I have made a video of this (on Youtube), which shows in realtime what the problem looks like from my side.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Oct 8, 2023 3:06 AM

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21 replies

Oct 8, 2023 7:45 AM in response to Norwegian_Macfan68

This is an English centric community and that includes screenshots and YT vids ... they don't translate.


As nothing appears to be working to your satisfaction, if at all ...can't really tell; my guess is you need to reinstall your OS from the Recovery panel: How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support


Adobe's opinion is based on how Adobe believes you should operate your Mac. They feel the only important app is theirs. That notwithstanding, restoring licensed apps can be a bad thing resulting in an app that's inoperable.


Have you tried any type resets: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/reset-macs-smc-pram/


Or started up in safe mode: Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


Oct 14, 2023 3:39 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder


I did run the Ertrecheck (report above), but was unable to run it from the user which are the important user with all my data. I even tried to run it from an external disk, even on that disk the troubling user could not run it (same problems as with any other program I try to run from that user). EXCEPT that I can start and run Malware and Adobe Cloud from the top menu left of where the Mac shows the time and date (not sure what this is called / top menu?). So interestingly those two apps work.... (no problems with the Malware scans).


I tried to zap the pram again and reset SMC + start in Safe mode. No changes there.....

Oct 8, 2023 8:22 AM in response to Norwegian_Macfan68

it is ALWAYS a "Best Practice" to have a recent Trusted backup on hand.


That should be your Top Priority. Users can quickly provide instructions for using built-in Time Machine, which is really easy to set up. All you need to do is provide a backup destination drive that is LARGE -- recommended size is bout 2.5 time the size of what needs to be backed-up or larger. (If you have a 'found' drive at least as large as your data, you can use that, but it will quickly become annoying.)


By design, a re-install Of MacOS is intended to not disturb your data at all. Only System Directories are re-written. However, when more than 350,000 files are written to a drive that might already be having issues, the result is not always exactly what was designed -- the drive could fail completely instead.

Oct 14, 2023 6:00 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Poisoning Internet performance:


By far the easiest way to cause poor performance, instability, overheating and crashing is to install ANY third-party speeder-uppers, Cleaners, Optimizers, or Virus scanners. or a VPN that you installed yourself.


The idea that a third party, with no special knowledge of the inner workings of MacOS, can somehow find a simple way to protect your computer — that is not already being done by MacOS itself — suggests that the MacOS developers are somehow "holding out on you". That is absurd.


You should remove any and all (other than Apple built-in) virus scanners, speeder uppers, optimizers, cleaners, App deleters or VPN packages you installed yourself, or anything of that ilk.


Third-party file Sync-ers such as DropBox, BackBlaze, OneDrive, or GoogleDrive can ruin performance, but are not inherently dangerous.


Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8841




Oct 8, 2023 11:17 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you. I have a backup which are 10 days old. I was hoping to do some rescue efforts before resolving to a total restore from Time Machine.


I am not sure a reinstall of the Mac OS would solve this scenario because of the info below:


IMPORTANT HINT?


There is another admin profile on the same Mac which works without these problems. So on that admin user I can open programs without problems. So the problem occurs only on my main user admin profile where no apps now can be opened.

P.S. I was suppose to include that hint in my main entry above......., but was unable to do it.



Oct 8, 2023 11:40 AM in response to Norwegian_Macfan68

I am NOT advocating a MacOS Restore from backups.


Whatever you choose to do, if it at some point requires a re-install (which is VASTLY preferable to carrying your old MacOS from backups forward) there is a non-trivial risk that the drive, if sick, could die.


As a hedge against possible DRIVE issues, be sure you have backups good enough to live with.

Oct 9, 2023 6:19 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you. Yes I have tried running from another admin users with no problems. I think that drive issues perhaps then is also out of the question? It is a quite new hd (only some months old). I have not tried Safe Mode, but would "Safe Mode" be able to open any programs when running in that mode? Since the main problem is not being able to open programs.


But I am quite sure I have not added anything on that Mac lately. Any reason to run Ertrecheck anyways? Ertrecheck would need to be run from the usable other admin user then.....

Oct 12, 2023 4:25 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thank you. I could run an Etrecheck report from the other admin profile where it is possible to run programs, but that would probably not be any point?


I guess both the profiles are using the same OS X files (I guess some OS X files are profile connected)? Strange that one profile works and not the other.


Would it be possible to try to restore the OS X from the broken profile?


If I need to do a total restore I would have to use a USB startup disk for High Sierra and delete the whole drive right? No way I could restore from the one admin profile which works and see if I could repair the broken profile via the working profile?

Oct 14, 2023 5:58 AM in response to Norwegian_Macfan68

MalwareBytes is the best respected ONE-TIME Virus scanner for Macs. It is not needed, but its detection is better than most. What is detrimental to performance is its use as an 'always-on' Virus scanner, searching your files non-stop looking for viruses, which are not a serious problem on your already well-protected Mac. You should change its settings to run ONLY on demand.


Norton/Symantec is one of the WORST offenders of all the scare-ware "protection" vendors. They have never been up to date on Macs, and have a VERY long history of damaging your Mac.


A VPN you install yourself makes your Mac MORE subject to hacking, not less. These packages also tend to wander far beyond the VPN function and intrude into encrypted connections, often breaking into any protection that could have been provided. You should remove any/all VPN except that provided to connect to your institution's network.




Oct 14, 2023 6:07 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Yes thank you these things seems to make sense. I am listening. I am going to uninstall Norton!


Any more ideas on how to fix that broken profile?


Would it help to reinstall the OS X files for that broken profile? (How to do it eventually)? I guess perhaps not since the other admin profile (user which is working) and the broken profile user shares the same OS X basically?


How to backup the files only for that broken profile now? Just drag and drop the entire user profile to an external hd? I have a 3 weeks old Time Machine backup.


Any way to easily detect which files who were new or changed for the past 3 weeks?


Also in reply to @John Galt! Thanks to both of you!

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