Software Update not working in Mountain Lion

Right after checking for updates, check the Console app, All Messages, for messages relating to trying to connect to the update servers. There might be something there.

Try running Software Update in the Terminal. It might report what errors it is running into:

sudo softwareupdate -l

Just copy and past that command into Terminal. It will ask for your password, but won't echo anything to the screen as you type. You must be logged into an admin account to use sudo.

IKR wrote:

I ran the Console APP and this came up:

03/09/2012 11:50:25.664 Dock[311]: LaunchPad: __53-[LPAppManager(StoreSupport) _acceptStoreConnection:]_block_invoke_0 app store xpc message error: Connection invalid

I tried running the process in Terminal but couldn't see anything happening after typing in "sudo softwareupdate -l"

Nothing appeared in Console either.

It should have asked for your password, then it will show nothing until it contacts the server or times out.

Try logging into iTunes (yes, iTunes), and view your account info. If there are any service agreements that you must accept, do so.

That's just a random console message not related to your problem.

I guess the softwareupdate command line tool doesn't report any errors it runs into.

In Console, under /var/log, select install.log.

Look in those messages for any failures. I'm not sure what it is going to say, exactly, but the section where it starts checking has installd: Starting. It would be after that where it lists problems connecting to the server.

For whatever reason, you are not getting a reply back from the software update servers.

When you connected directly with ethernet, did you connect to your router or directly to your modem?

I'm wondering if maybe your router is blocking the return, or not communicating with Mountain Lion correctly.

You might try restarting both modem and router.

I had seen on some other posts where people fixed some networking problems by lowering the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU). Long ago, there used to be a problem where OS X wouldn't connect with the standard of 1500 and it had to be reduced. I can't remember the number to use, but 1492 sounds familiar (could just be the year Columbus sailed the ocean blue).

Set it on the Hardware Tab of the WiFi (or Ethernet) Networ System Preferences:

Hi,

Any luck with this yet?

Hi Barney-15E,

I read about your support to IKR, I would like you to support me too.

I have a similar problem trying to update my MacBook Pro with OS X 10.8: the App Store states that no updates are available. My Console app says:

Oct 11 11:22:53 nb-acoco.isti.cnr.it Software Update[277]: SUAppStoreUpdateController: found in cache: <none>

Oct 11 11:22:54 nb-acoco.isti.cnr.it installd[283]: installd: Starting

Oct 11 11:22:54 nb-acoco.isti.cnr.it installd[283]: installd: uid=0, euid=0

Oct 11 11:22:54 nb-acoco.isti.cnr.it Software Update[277]: SoftwareUpdate: Scan for client pid 277 (/Applications/App Store.app/Contents/MacOS/App Store)

Oct 11 11:22:55 nb-acoco.isti.cnr.it Software Update[277]: SoftwareUpdate: Using catalog https://swscan.apple.com/content/catalogs/others/index-mountainlion-lion-snowleo pard-leopard.merged-1.sucatalog.gz

Oct 11 11:22:59 nb-acoco.isti.cnr.it Software Update[277]: Can't instantiate distribution from https://swdist.apple.com/content/downloads/34/58/041-7694/n8pqcwj6lgbzl71l04jiyi qq2n6nh5qe3m/041-7694.Italian.dist: Error Domain=NSXMLParserErrorDomain Code=4 "zero length data" UserInfo=0x7fc1d63a5e40 {NSLocalizedDescription=zero length data}

So it is clear that someting is missing, what do you think?

Thank you very much.

Sorry, I don't know what that means.

Don't worry, thanks anyway.

My experince is simple. Apple App Store OS Updates is an abject and complete failure. The iMovies 1.08GB update has failed dozens of times for me. It simply produces an ERROR everytime. I have gotten as far as 900MB before I am told there was an ERROR. Once I try to download again, I must download the entire file again and guess what---ERROR! One cannot resume the patrial download. I spoke with Enterprise Support (I have a contract) and they told me "there's nothing we can do about heavy Internet traffic." A more arrogant and useless response could not be uttered. They simply DO NOT CARE.

Even the hackers of the 90s realized traffic can affect downloads and built packeting, checksum and a "Resume" feature into their downloads. Apple simply needs to rebuild the App Store app to record how much one has downloaded then allow one to resume their download.

It's nothing short of maddening.

I'm not even starting in on how many features were left out of Final Cut X that make the program useless to any who use tape decks to import media. They simply DO NOT CARE. I padi for a full year of Pro Support for Final Cut 7 and have now, with 6 months left in my contract, been told I will no longer have support for FC 7 while FC X does nothing I need to do and has rendered my Mac useless to me.

I can't help but think that when Steve Jobs passed, the last and only moral person and policy at Apple is gone.

Terrible company. terrible employees, terrible experience. I'll be switching my video editing to a PC shortly.

And I'm experiencing this problem again today. I keep getting the 'An error has occurred' message for the Safari and iPhoto updates. I also had an update for Aperture. The Aperture update installed itself about three (3!) times but the other updates refuse to happen. I've tried all sorts of things (most ideas provided from the Apple community) to no avail. This is really becoming tiresome.