CUI CUI CUI error 10.7.3 all apps crashes

I've just downloaded the 10.7.3 update (Client) http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1485 , and checked the SHA1. It just works, but the built-in software update didn't.

Has anyone considered that it might be the built in updater in OSX that is at fault. I got some errors from updating through this. Saying the update 10.7.3 wasn't downloaded correctly...

But all fine now, installed 10.7.3 from .dmg file downloaded at http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1485 and it just works.

Others have been using the combo file. Seems to work as well.

Wish you luck.

I upgraded three Mac simultaneously; Mac Mini, iMac, and a MacBook (set to German Language). All systems with the exeption of the MacBook updated successfuly via Software Update. I'm doing a re-install of Lion via the recovery partition on the MacBook right now. Glad to see I wasn't alone.

Same problem here. Very very serious. Late 2010 MacBook air had been running 10.7.2.

What is the best approach to recover? If I use the recovery partition to reinstall Mac os x, will it lose my settings? Is it better to restore from a time machine backup?

I can't believe apple didn't test this better. Lion overall has been very buggy for me. Not that impressive...

I restored using Time Machine and manually updated to 10.7.3 using the Combo Fix. All OK now.

The best reply/answer has been Tom's response from earlier, regarding target disk mode. Unfortunately for you, without a Thunderbolt or Firewire port, you're out of luck in this regard.

Your next best option is to do a time machine restore using the Lion Recovey Partition. Hold Command-R or Option after a restart and choose Recovery Partition. Choose the latest pre-10.7.3 back you have. And restore!

Does anyone know how pervasive this problem is? Has Apple officially acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix?

I'm trying to advise my non-technical (i.e., can not handle a manuale update process) friends.

One more complaint, for any Apple folks that read this. I installed 10.6.8 on an extra HDD I had laying around, then proceeded to download the 10.7.3 combo update. Fired it up, and was greeted with an error:

10.7 or later is required.

Surely, this kind of check can be done at the destination select? What's the point of not allowing the upgrade to launch at all, if another partition does contain 10.7?

I've upgraded the 10.6.8 partition to Lion, and am now installing the combo update on my original drive. Looks like that's a working solution for those of us who don't want to take 9 hours to restore from a TimeMachine backup.

@VJC: What's there to instruct for the combo update? Just give them the combo update link, (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1484), download it and install like any application.

I, too, am happier, but only in an emotional sense. I suppose that's worth a lot, but my honeymoon with Apple is coming to a close. I think Apple will always be at least "half-full" for me, meaning that all things considered I prefer it, but there are inconsistent UI behaviors, serious Finder incapabilities, and update consistency and stability issues that give me pause. The biggest daily usage difference between OS X and Windows, other that the Apple ecosystem, is how files are treated. Windows is serious about your filesystem, whereas Apple has always been loose, and of late I dare say antagonistic, towards a file-centric perspective. Their overall approach is highly successful, of course, but unpredictable UI behaviors, overly guided filesystem management, and situations like this CUI problem leave me anxious relative to a system that handles those aspects very well.

Again, I actually am happier, but I chalk it up to the ecosystem, industrial design, and ease of network (non-)configuring.

Okay, so I can report that if you DON'T have another mac lying around, but DO have a spare external HDD and an OSX install disk, this is a viable alternative (if restoring from Time Machine or doing a reinstall of Lion would take too long / lose data):

1. Install a copy of Lion to your spare HDD (If you don't have the USB version, like me, you can install Snow Leopard to the drive, then update it to Lion). Lion will be required to launch the combo updater.
2. Boot your machine by holding down Option at startup, and select your external drive.
3. Download the 10.7.3 Combo Update (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1484)
4. After download, launch the Combo Update, select your SNAFU'd Boot Disk as the destination for the install.
5. Wait for the install (~15 minutes) to complete.
6. Reboot into your original drive with no data loss.

@tedfromel cerrito:

Here is an image of the "CUI CUI CUI" error we were greeted with on rebooting into 10.7.3. (I didn't get the window title, but it was one of like 100 Crash Reports of Applications failing to launch)

You shouldn't have to do a Time Machine restore. First, that will take a lot of time, and second, you might have valuable files or data since your last backup. You just need to be able to enter recovery mode somehow (through the recovery partition, an external drive, a Lion USB restore drive) and reinstall the OS. This will take some time, but not nearly as much as a Time Machine restore, and it will get you up to 10.7.3. This worked for me.

Here is a link for a fix: http://osxdaily.com/2012/02/01/fix-mac-os-x-10-7-3-update-problems-cui-errors-st uck-installs-and-crashes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Fee d%3A+osxdaily+%28OS+X+Daily%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Suggestions that have worked for the 10.7.3 CUI problem include:

All fixes involve downloading the 10.7.3 combo update from Apple and installing that over the failed 10.7.3 update.

1. If firewire is available, boot another Lion machine, connect to failing machine via target disk mode, run combo installer pointing to failing machine disk drive.

2. If you have an external disk drive, can install Lion on it, download combo installer, run combo installer pointing to failing machine disk drive.

3. Same if you have Lion on USB stick.

4. If no firewire, no external drive, no USB installation, least destroying seems to be to use recovery mode (boot with Command-R), then reinstall Lion. This may install 10.7.3 directly. If not, can download the combo installer and update.

5. Last resort which many people are doing is to restore from a Time Machine backup if available. Can decide to update or not. If updating to 10.7.3 download and run the combo installer.

Is that ok if I just download and install combo update rather than through software update? MacBook Air 2011.