10.7 - unable to directly update app in Applications folder

Topher Kessler from MacFixit had an excellent article on what causes this - it's because for example the Application changes the icons of it's documents so that some resources inside the Application bundle are "In use" by the Finder all the time even when the app is closed. Deleting the current app and then adding the new one is the way to go as even though it's "in use" it can be moved to the trash.

Regards,

Shawn

Can you provide a link to the article.

One thing is really new in 10.7.4: Sometimes it sais, that the programm is in use. This would match with your comment. But I really do not understand. I try my test always with the same programm, so I use to install it the first time and use exactly the same programm to install it the second time. No start inbetween. No change of anything by the application as you described, as both versions are identically.

Sure, link is:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57419526-263/how-to-manage-file-in-use-erro rs-for-os-x-applications-upgrades/?tag=mncol;txt

Regards,

Shawn

I think I can exclude that the example from the article fits with the general problem.

The programm I installed has no background processes and it was not started since boot-time. So nothing which can be "in use" during the installation.

Yup- this isn't the same issue. I never get an error message telling me that any file is in use and this occurs with all apps, not just ones that I have run since booting.

I think from the Article the "in use" is from the Finder - not the application, at least that's how I read it.

Regards,

Shawn

Yes- that's what the article details- Finder telling you that it could not overwrite the app because one of the files in it was in-use. That is not a symptom anyone else has seen in this issue. We get no such error.

Another me too. I hope that this is resolved. Has anyone put in a bug report? I may do so, since it's the only way to get real visibility on these issues.

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I have always been a supporter of not using an Admin account on Mac OS X, but perhaps with the move toward an iOS operating system, this is a thing of the past.

It is just a permissions problem, but replacing the whole application is usually easier (and a lot less scary) than walking people through using the Terminal to change the permissions of the application..

Red_menace,

No - I don't believe that this is 'just a permissions' problem. It is a persistant issue and a genuine bug in Apple's finder.

When I replace an app in the Apps folder and I am not an admin on the Mac, Mac OS asks for admin credentials. I give them to it and it then fails to do the privilege escalation properly- it wipes the existing app but fails to copy in the new one.

Changing permissions to make the Apps folder world-writeable is a workaround, but it's not a very good one as I'm sure the security bods would tell you.

Davefromst. augustine,

Thanks for the reminder- I have raised Bug ID# 11494139

It is just a permissions issue, but one that involves the ownership of files inside an application bundle, not access to the /Applications folder. An administrative user isn't much different than any other user, they can just temporarily elevate their access privileges, so authenticating as an admin when trying to write to the /Applications folder will give you access (since the folder allows access to the admin group), but it doesn't also give you permissions to modify files that you don't have access for. You can change the permissions of the files in the particular application bundle first (you don't need to change anything with the /Application folder), but usually it is easier to just delete it from the folder first, and then add the updated app.

No, it is not just a permission issue!

I did

sudo chown -R root:admin TheApp.app/

sudo chmod -R 777 TheApp.app/

with no positive effect.

I can even do that with an application in my home folder and get the same result, because the owner is now root - what happens when you set the ownership to your user?

There is no difference.

You can try this:

cd /Applications

sudo mkdir /TheApp.app

sudo chmod 777 TheApp.app

Go in Finder and select the information of TheApp.

Give Read/Write permissions to admin+everyone

Try to copy TheApp again in the Application folder.

It will fail again.

Or

Create in Finder on your Desktop a folder with the name "Test.app".

Move the object to Applications

Create in Finder on your Desktop a second folder with the name "Test.app"

Move the object to Applications.

It will fail

If you create a folder without the extension".app" it will not fail!