/System/Library/StartupItems missing after recent updates.

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/System/Library/StartupItems missing after recent updates.

Hello,

I'm currently running OS 10.6.8 and after installing the itunes 10.4, safari 5.1 and the remote desktop updates, and rebooting. Console gets flooded with the following error (this error happens during bootup.):

Jul 20 18:27:55 localhost com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.SystemStarter): Failed to count the number of files in "/System/Library/StartupItems": No such file or directory

Jul 20 18:27:59: --- last message repeated 12 times ---

I did a ls /System/Library/ in terminal, and there isn't a StartupItems directory.

Dose anybody know the contents of that directory? Is it safe to create an empty StartupItems directory so I don't get that error, and if it is safe, what should the permissions of that directory be?

Thanks in advance. 🙂

Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 9:44 AM

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Answer 1

r0n1n. Author

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Jul 21, 2011 5:21 PM in response to r0n1n.

I manually created a StartupItems directory and that error stopped showing up when I reboot.

If anyone else has this problem, you have to create the StartupItems directory in Terminal, because you can't right click>New Folder when you're viewing the /System/Library directory in Finder. This is how I did it.

First, open up Terminal (Located in your /Applications/Utilities folder). Then cd to the /System/Library directory by typing:

cd /System/Library

Press enter. Now you have to create a new StartupItems directory. To do this type:

sudo mkdir StartupItems

Press enter, and it will ask for your admin password, type it in, press enter one last time, and that's it. 😀

The second command is case sensitive, so make sure that the "S" and the "I" in StartupItems are capitalized. Also, if anyone is wondering why do you have to use sudo. It's because, any command that modify's the /System/Library directory needs to be executed as root.

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Answer 2

jpw2011

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Jul 23, 2011 2:05 PM in response to r0n1n.

"/System/Library/StartupItems" disappeared from my MacBook Air and white MacBook, both running OS 10.6.8, after installing the recent updates consisting of Remote Desktop Client Update 3.5.1, Safari 5.1, Migration Assistant Update for Mac OS 1.0, and iTunes 10.4.

I restored the "/System/Library/StartupItems" directory from Time Machine, and it remains in place after restarts.

Was the removal of this "StartupItems" folder intentional on Apple's part, and should we not have restored it?

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Answer 3

clcorrea

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Jul 27, 2011 2:51 PM in response to r0n1n.

What types of errors were you getting as a result of this error? I have been dealing with some navigation delay SMB issues that have me going to the Console to try to determine what is causing the delay. Currently, I get a delay trying to navigate to different folders on network storage, both within applications trying to open or place files and also in the Finder. I realize that is somewhat vauge, I am just wondering if you were also experiencing navigation delays. Thanks!

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Answer 4

kcmac11

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Nov 15, 2011 10:30 AM in response to r0n1n.

I am needing help My macbook goes off and reboots I am getting this below seems I can find no one to help me please any one out there.

11/15/11 11:40:57 AM [0x0-0x5a05a].com.apple.iTunes[1066] 2011-11-15 11:40:57.325 AppleMobileBackup[1218:903] WARNING: Backing up 63cd62a7e45b735ea66f4dcb9a6a57788f7dd30a11/15/11 11:43:23 AM AppleMobileBackup[1224] WARNING: 11/15/11 11:51:16 AM AppleMobileBackup[1239] WARNING: Backing up 11/15/11 12:04:46 PM [0x0-0x5a05a].com.apple.iTunes[1066] 2011-11-15 12:04:46.747 AppleMobileBackup[1259:903] WARNING: Backing up 11/15/11 12:04:46 PM AppleMobileBackup[1259] WARNING: Backing up a11/15/11 12:04:46 PM [0x0-0x5a05a].com.apple.iTunes[1066] 2011-11-15 12:04:46.747 AppleMobileBackup[1259:903] WARNING: Backing up

11/15/11 12:09:32 PM com.apple.launchd[1] *** launchd[1] has started up. ***

11/15/11 12:09:43 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.SystemStarter) Failed to count the number of files in "/System/Library/StartupItems": No such file or directory

11/15/11 12:09:50 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.SystemStarter) Failed to count the number of files in "/System/Library/StartupItems": No such file or directory

If any one can help please I am also getting Kernal panics

thanks

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Answer 5

Jun 16, 2012 1:16 PM in response to kcmac11

Did you get any solution to this?

Having the same at the moment with an imac...

Its a pain.

Not the top part just the following trys to count the files anumber of times

com.apple.launchd[1]

(com.apple.SystemStarter) Failed to count the number of files in "/System/Library/StartupItems": No such file or directory

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Answer 6

Jul 30, 2013 10:30 AM in response to r0n1n.

Just curious, r0n1n, what symptoms were you experiencing when this error was appearing ... if you remember. I'm seeing frequent and lengthy (minutes long) SBBOD that I'm attemptint to diagnose. I see this error frequently in my Console messages, as well as multiple errors in the private/var directory.

Thanks.

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Answer 7

May 9, 2014 5:16 AM in response to r0n1n.

On Mavericks (10.9.2) this directory is hidden. If you go into Terminal and navigate to /System/Library then do ls command to list all folders for that directory, you'll see it there. Then do open StartupItems and the folder will open. I couldn't find the offending file in that folder though.

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Answer 8

Aug 12, 2016 9:25 AM in response to r0n1n.

I'm running OS X 10.6.8 on a Mac Book Pro. Time Machine was stuck. Console message was something about couldn't count items in StartupItems.

I rebooted and everything worked!

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