Prompted to install Yahoo Messenger upon restart even though already installed

Question

Prompted to install Yahoo Messenger upon restart even though already installed

I have Yahoo Messenger (3.0.1 beta) installed on my MacBook Air (Lion OS X 10.7.2). It is working fine, however every time I restart my computer and access the Flash Drive (Go - Computer) or the Applications Folder (Go - Applications) I'm prompted to install Yahoo again. I get a Yahoo Messenger installation dialog box asking me to install it. The only way to get rid of this dialog box is to accept the Yahoo agreement and go to the next step for installation - dragging the Yahoo icon into the applications folder. At this stage I can either drag the icon and replace the current one, or just close the drag dialog window. Either way my Yahoo Messenger works fine. If I click the "decline" button the installation dialog box just reappears until I click the "accept" button.

I like to have Yahoo Messenger installed because it allows me to chat with 2 different Yahoo ID's simultaneously - one in iChat and one in Yahoo Messenger.

I contacted Yahoo, but was give this info:

"As of November 15, 2011 Yahoo! Customer Care will no longer provide agent support for Yahoo! Messenger for Mac. If you continue to use this product and have questions or concerns about it, please use the self-service help pages".

This is a brand new computer (and my very first Mac) and Yahoo Messenger was the very first program I installed. Despite the annoyance upon restart I can use both programs (iChat and Yahoo Messenger) together without problems.

I have tried removing all traces of the Yahoo Messenger program using "Appcleaner" and downloaded it again and reinstalled it from scratch, but to no avail.

I would really appreciate some help with this problem.

Thanks in advance.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Dec 6, 2011 9:34 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 6, 2011 1:08 PM in response to lesliefromgold coast

Hi,

Can you tell us more about this Flash Drive ?

Is it connected all the time ?

Is this where the Applications folder is that you Installed Yahoo to ?

If the answer to the first question is Yes can you drag that drive to the Trash (It will say it can be removed as it has been Ejected).

Then can you go to the Applications folder itself and see if Yahoo is in there ?

I suspect that it is not there and that you have been running Yahoo from the "drive" that appears when you open the .dmg and that the "Drag" to the Applications Folder has not worked.

In fact, is this the "Flash Drive" you talk about ?

Are you using your Mac in an Admin Account or did you create a second User Account for everyday use ?

9:08 PM Tuesday; December 6, 2011

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

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Answer 2

Dec 7, 2011 1:13 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Thank you very much for the effort you've made to help me out.

I'm sorry - I've used the wrong terminology. Please excuse me as I'm brand new to Mac. I used "Flash Drive" when I should have called it "Flash Memory Drive". I'm talking about the installed Macintosh HD. Under "about this Mac" it reads as Startup Disk - Macintosh HD. It's not an exterior drive.

I made a shortcut on the desktop called Macintosh HD. Whenever I click on that after a restart I'm prompted to install Yahoo Messenger again.

To answer your questions:

According to your diagram, Yahoo Messenger is at the bottom. It is in the application folder and appears as an icon on the dock. It functions exactly as I would expect.

The part I find puzzling is that it shows under the Devices category in your photo above. When I click the arrow next to Yahoo Messenger here it disappears, but then I get prompted to install it again before a restart. All the while Yahoo Messenger is already installed and working perfectly. There is no way I can get rid of this dialog box to install without clicking on "agree". I cannot cancel it out.

I am using an admin account. For some reason I have two admin accounts but I'm only using one.

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Answer 3

Dec 7, 2011 12:04 PM in response to lesliefromgold coast

Hi,

Ok so the Internal "Drive" on your Mac is a Solid State one ?

You say you put an Shortcut/Alias of it on the Desktop.

Was this by going to the Finder's Own Menu > Preferences > General section and ticking the Box to Show Hard Drives/Disks ?

If I "Open" (double Click) an .dmg to Install something I get an icon on the Desktop that looks like Drive icon (Similar to the USB stick ones) AND I get the item listed as a "Device" (in this case GoogleEarth)

I tend to Drag these to the trash when Finished with them as it "Unmounts"/"ejects" the item. (I used the quotes to show it is a similar action to removing a USB Drive - obviously a CD or DVD would also pop out of the Optical Drive)

Based on the way you describe using the Finder > Go Menu > Computer It get this view

As I Unmount mine I can't really say what happens if I shut the computer down.

As technically it is a Window (the OS sees icons on the Desktop as windows) then I can imagine Lion is Opening it up again if it was there at Shutdown. (See Message at Shutdown about restating open Windows on next boot and also the System Preferences > General Section).

I will try shutting down and will post after I have done that

8:04 PM Wednesday; December 7, 2011

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

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Answer 4

Dec 7, 2011 12:28 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

More...

I cannot get a .dmg that has been "opened" and is showing a "Hard Drive" type icon on the Desktop to reappear if I Shut Down and restart the computer.

I also checked my Downloads folder and found that I have this version of the Yahoo Beta 3 (See Build Info)

The Desktop Icon for this "Mount" does not Appear until I have Agreed to the licence. (it is then Purple as is the background to the "Drag Window).

Just confirming the Shut Down Message.

At this point I can see that it is likely that there is some sort of Trigger that is reopening the download.
What I cannot tell at the moment is why it seems to be different for you than it is for me. (I can see you might have a different Build number and the Download may be different in that respect).

Opening Yahoo Messanger get me a Message about updating to a later Build.

I am not sure what to suggest other than removing the .dmg from wherever it currently is on your Hard Drive (Macintosh HD) In the Download Folder ?

8:28 PM Wednesday; December 7, 2011

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Reply

Answer 5

Dec 7, 2011 7:56 PM in response to lesliefromgold coast

You've solved the problem Ralph!!

I removed the .dmg from the download folder and no more prompts to install.

It would seem so obvious.

Thanks again for your help.

Merry Christmas

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Answer 6

Dec 8, 2011 11:07 AM in response to lesliefromgold coast

Hi,

I am glad that it is sorted.

I would actually consider that to be a case of Bad Practice as it "should" know it has been installed adn it certainly should not ask you again and again.

7:07 PM Thursday; December 8, 2011

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Reply