Mail won't open after update

Hi WZZZ.

Sorry for the delayed response.

I didn't get any errors and the SMART status for both the Mac HD drive and the top drive (FUJITSU MHW2120BH Media) reads verified.

The disc i'm trying to re-install Mail from is Snow Leopard which i bought myself from Amazon when it came out. It doesn't look too promising however i've booked an appointment at the genius bar for Saturday.....

Once again - thanks for the great advice and patience you've shown to me.

I'll let you know what the outcome is!

K.

my mail app has totally disappeared, originally it wasnt working- so I found it in system profiler, in a seperate file- re ran the system update and then snow leopard. restarted computer and much to my dismay- mail is off my computer? help help help!

You need to be certain Mail.app version 4.6 is in Applications. Follow these instructions

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4424

yes, I did follow all those original instructions (from the exact same place you posted above) it WAS in applications , I downloaded the two things (upgrade and security) and then computer restarted. When I went to see if mail was now working, it was NOT in applications, on dock or anywhere I could see. Help,please.

Results of all the different fixes -- there are a number -- appear to vary weirdly from user to user. Let's try this first: Get Easy Find and search for "Mail.app" (Spotlight searching is often useless or next to useless.)

http://www.devontechnologies.com/products/freeware/

Set EF in Settings (gear in menubar) to Scan all files. Then down below: invisible, ignore case, folders (right now at least), All words.

okay, I did the above, it was not found.

If this doesn't work, threaten to throw a shoe at the computer: Reinstall Mail from the install DVD, found in Optional Installs. That will give you Mail 4.2. (check to see it's in the /Applications folder.) Run the Combo update, which will give you Mail 4.5 (check again in /Applications) and then run the Security update again. Run the updates booted in Safe Boot (Shift key down at startup. Give it much longer to boot than a "normal" boot.) Then restart normally.

You probably already have these dmgs. If so, no need to DL again.

http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1399

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1586

dumb questions before I start:

1.the combo update is what I did last night, right?

and

2.what are dmg(sorry I am mac/computer illiterate when it comes to these things!)

Thank you SO MUCH for all your help! I will most likely do this in about 4 hours when I get home from work (currently ran home to try to do this on my lunch break! This is aggravating! but I so appreciate all your help!)

also I assume the dvd would be the one that reads: applications install dvd.

just double checking so I am ready when I return to FIX THIS!! thanks 🙂

jwgrantham wrote:

dumb questions before I start:

1.the combo update is what I did last night, right?

and

2.what are dmg(sorry I am mac/computer illiterate when it comes to these things!)

Thank you SO MUCH for all your help! I will most likely do this in about 4 hours when I get home from work (currently ran home to try to do this on my lunch break! This is aggravating! but I so appreciate all your help!)

You would have done two updates last night, the Combo and the Security. I linked them both above. Combo is first.

.dmg is disk image. It's what you get when you download an update. It then needs to be double-clicked open, unless you're using Safari and in Preferences>General you have checked "Open 'safe' files after downloading." It is checked by default and is a TERRIBLE security vulnerability. Make sure it is unchecked.

EDIT: I think it's on the main Installation DVD, not the bundled applications one. It's in the Optional Installs folder.

Message was edited by: WZZZ

Hey I'd like to throw some boilerplate fixit text in here. And y'all can take it or leave it.

Essentially, jw, you've got to start over. Running that SecUpdate messed it up for ya.

And you've got to get your Mail v**4.5** back & back into the Applications folder & delete all other instances of Mail.app (duplicates, old versions from previous OSX's, etc.) and, for the sake of eliminating confusion after everything's fixed, all copies of Mail.app aliases wherever they are on your HDD.

THEN you can re-run the SecUpdate file & get your Mail up to snuff, to v4.6.

So here's the text. All of this is long, & boring & overdone to some I'm sure, but it covers all the bases.

2 parts: A & B. A is the Mail.app v4.5 recovery part, and B is the fix all the rest part.

The last extra part, Part C, will repair any Mail plugins, if you have any, that don't work for you after updating Mail to v4.6 & your Mail's back up & running again.

PART A: How to reinstall Apple Mail:

1. Do a HDD-wide search for all instances of Mail.app. Delete them all. However, should you happen to find a Mail.app v4.5 somewhere, move that to the Applications folder & wipe out all the rest of the Mail.app's, if any.

Wipe out all instances of aliases to Mail.app, too.

2. Get your OS-X Installation disk into your DVD drive.

Dbl-click "Optional Installs" in the window that comes up, & then dbl-click on the "Optional Installs" package file within that folder.

3. Click on "Continue" in the first two steps of the installation wizard.

Click "Continue" and then "Agree" to accept the license agreement.

In the "Select a destination" window click on your Mac's hard drive & then click on "Continue."

4. Click on the triangle icon next to "Applications" on the "Custom Install" screen to open up the list of Applications available.

Select the check box next to "Mail" and then click on "Continue."

Click "Install" to reinstall Apple Mail.

5. Restart your Mac.

6. Back at the Desktop, first run Disk Utility, select your harddrive, & click on Repair Disk Permissions.

When finished, run "Software Update..." under the Apple menu & install anything having to do with system file updates to ensure that your Mail.app is up to date (i.e., skip an iTunes or Safari update if you want to, for example).

PART B: Update OS-X & Mail v4.5 in particular to version 4.6 using the downloaded "Security Update 2012-004" file:

I went thru all this Security Update / post-update / DOA Apple Mail stuff late September, & I found the answer(s) thanks in part to others on here & I eventually got my Mail working just fine again, & fairly quickly, if you count the time it took to download the actual Security Update file as a time-consuming absolutely necessary step independent of however much time *that* frankly unforseeable & unexpected major necessary step took.

First, I'm going to assume that you've got Snow Leopard running on your Mac, since that OS is the only one with a recent Security Update (that I know of), & which has some people like yourself screamin' about their Mail not working anymore.

Essentially, the problem that you & I & others experienced with Mail after running the late September "Security Update 2012 004" for Snow Leopard is that the actual Mail.app, which without the Update installed is version 4.5, was *NOT* inside the root of the Applications folder. That's it...... believe it or not. All this trouble because of that. And since the Apple Security Update software writers' code looked for Mail.app v4.5 to be there and ONLY there, then when it didn't find it there, it just dropped into the App folder a half-baked, nonfunctional v4.6 Mail.app do-do.

So.... what you've got to do, in these chronological steps, is:

1. Find your Mail.app version 4.5 and get it into the root of the Applications folder (where Apple puts most of their apps).

NOTE: If you find an earlier version of Mail after doing the Mail reinstall from the Installation DVD (you probably will), you can run the 10.6.8 Combo Update v1.1 to update that older Mail to the one you previous had, to v4.5. I haven't clearly defined whether that step is absolutely necessary or not, or if running the "Security Update 2012-004" will update a version older than 4.5 up to 4.6. Best bet at this point though, really, is to go ahead & run the 10.6.8 Combo Update now, which will release you from having to run that Combo Update in the possibly necessary remedial steps after Step 4 below.

2. Find any and all other Mail.apps you may have on your Mac's harddrive, all versions (again, you may have a bogus, half-baked Mail.app v4.6 in your App folder after running the Update. Dump it.), and delete every single one of those other Mail.apps, should you find any more (i.e., duplicates, older versions than 4.5, etc).

All you must have is *one* Mail.app *only* existing on that harddrive, version 4.5, and it's got to be located inside the Applications folder. Dump *all* others throughout your Mac's harddrive. That includes, to avoid confusion down the road when Mail gets updated to v4.6, *ALL* aliases, too.

3. Download the "Security Update 2012-004" file from here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1586

4. Install the Security Update & then do the mandatory reboot.

5. After rebooting & returning to the Desktop, your Mail.app inside the Applications folder should be updated to version 4.6 & it should work just fine. THEN you can remake your Mail aliases from that Mail.app & stick them wherever you want; just keep the Mail.app itself inside the App folder.

However, if you're one of the unlucky ones & those 5 steps don't work for you, then you're going to have to basically start over & add another few steps. You'll have to "refresh" your 10.6.8's system files first.

So start that process by doing Steps 1 & 2 all over again, and then reboot.

Back at the Desktop, download the "Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1" from here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399

Install that Combo Update, which will rid your Snow Leopard of software glitches, including possibly your existing Mail.app version 4.5 which perhaps during the file-churning may have become un-upgradeable, and otherwise ensure 10.6.8's systemic integrity, and then do the mandatory reboot again.

After rebooting & returning to the Desktop, continue on with doing Steps 4 & 5 all over again, also.

Reboot, get back to the Desktop, & try out Mail by double-clicking it in the Apps folder. If it didn't work before, it certainly should work now. And if so, then *now* you can make your Mail v4.6 aliases & spread 'em around.

PART C: How to fix Mail plugins that don't work after the update of Mail to v4.6:

I've got several Mail plugins that did not work after running the "SecUpd2012-004" Security Update, which updated Mail.app from v4.5 to v4.6, and I'm sure there are others of you out there who ran into the same consequential problem.

Here is the downloadable fix I found, developed by Code2K:Labs:

From the Code2K:Labs site: http://code2k.net/products/mailpluginfix/

From MacUpdate: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/37804/mailpluginfix

Also, if you have plans to upgrade your Snow Leopard to Lion/Mountain Lion, Apple's got a new Supplemental Update for 10.6.8 out now that essentially will ready your 10.6.8 for the migration of your personalized stuff in Snow Leopard during the overwriting OS upgrading that occurs when you run the Lion/ML installer:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1429

I hope this helps, jw, & that my "intervening" in here with my 2 cents of help doesn't ruffle any feathers....

Happy Mac'in!

Kevin Kendall

Thank you, I now "have mail"! I truly cannot express my appreciation for the help you have given me. It took me longer than I wanted, but it would have taken me much longer, probably with a trip to the Apple store, and I learned a few things along the way. Again, THANK YOU.

Maria

thanks for your reply as well, it was helpful and although it scared me (because I thought for sure mine would be the one that just wouldnt come back easily)), I was lucky and my mail is restored.

I appreciate everyone that has helped and put in their "2 cents". I will take your 2 cents anyday!

Thanks!!!!! Maria

Hi Maria

Boy oh boy, are YOU ever happy!! 😀 As was I when *I* finally got my own Mail to come back up onscreen, too. Thought I'd be stuck with Thunderbird for a while....

jwgrantham wrote:

Thank you, I now "have mail"! I truly cannot express my appreciation for the help you have given me. It took me longer than I wanted, but it would have taken me much longer, probably with a trip to the Apple store, and I learned a few things along the way.

That's the ultimate aim here, Maria... Learning. And *then* helping others with what you have learned. That's the Apple/Steve Jobs credo. Unless your name happens to be Google somethingorother.... hehe Then, no love. wawawa....

Again, THANK YOU.

Maria

You're sure welcome. I'm glad it worked out for you. And there's certainly something to be said for fixing your own machine, whether following step by step help, or winging it on your own.... That Mac is truly YOURS then. 😉 And I, for one, sure learned some good stuff about Macfixin' in my researches & yakkityyak with others about this issue, finally getting it fixed, & then afterwards formulating help texts that I could pass on to others.

jwgrantham wrote:

thanks for your reply as well, it was helpful and although it scared me (because I thought for sure mine would be the one that just wouldnt come back easily)), I was lucky and my mail is restored.

Yeah, well I'm sure that all that text of mine appeared very daunting at first glance. But sometimes, not so much with this particular issue but sometimes, when there's all kinds of supposed "fixits" out there floating around & getting posted one after the other.... try this, try that.... it's best to just flippin' start all over from Point A, ya know? And that's what all my steps covered. Start over from the gitgo. That way, you KNOW it's going to work when you're done, very little doubt about it. And learning is the greatest benefit of such thorough & methodical "overhaul" types of fixes.

I appreciate everyone that has helped and put in their "2 cents". I will take your 2 cents anyday!

Why thank you! But I like to write, too. Can ya tell? hehe

Thanks!!!!! Maria

UR welcome, for my part! And don't forget to affirm that your issue's resolved to close this thread out & give a clue to others who've got the same problem when they see a green checkmark next to the title of your original post. Then they'll open the thread up & probably get their own problem solved, too. And hopefully then pass that helpful knowledge on to others, too.

Happy Mac'in, Maria. 😎 And Apple EMailing!

Kevin Kendall

That's terrific. You're welcome.