Mail App wont open.

Donwload na Snow Leopard 10.6.8 combo. Ill check the security update link:

Snow Leopard Combo Update Link: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1399

Security Update LInk: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1586

See possible fixes here.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4355201?answerId=19760703022#19760703022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4311280?tstart=0

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4311280?answerId=19710911022#19710911022

Some have reported success simply by reinstalling the update.

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

Or download and apply, or reapply, the 10.6.8 Combo update first, then apply the Security Update again.

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

I'd suggest starting with the simplest of these fixes, so look them over first.

Basically, you've got to start over; i.e. get things back to pre-Security Update installing, & then do it all over again. Only correctly this time.

Essentially, the problem is caused by not having Apple Mail (i.e., Mail.app v4.5) in the root of the Applications folder when that Security Update is run.

Yep. Believe it or not. That's what got your & probably tens of thousands of other people's Mail hosed.

These steps I've posted to several people here might appear daunting at first, but they cover all the bases, & they're tried & true step-by-steps to getting your Mail back up & running.

I hope this does it for you! Expecting a good report back.....

Happy Mac'in!

Kevin Kendall

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For starters, the very first thing you've got to do is get your Mail v**4.5** back if it's "disappeared," & then 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. Trash 'em all except one, the v4.5 Mail.app, if you've got it still.

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

2 parts to this fixit: A & B.

A is the Mail.app v4.5 recovery part,

and B is the fix all the rest part.

The last part, Extra Part C, will repair most all Mail plugins, if you have any, that don't work for you after the Security Update updates your Mail from version 4.5 to version 4.6.

NOTE: Do this first "Part A" ONLY if you've done a harddrive-wide search for Mail.app version 4.5 but you can't find it (it's GOT to be version 4.5 !! ). The version number of Mail that is inside the Applications folder is critical. If you find a version 4.6, DUMP IT. All Mail aliases, DUMP THEM. All you want is Mail version 4.5, and it's got to be moved to the root of the Applications folder, where Apple puts just about all of their applications.

PART A: How to reinstall Apple Mail if you can't find a Mail.app version 4.5 anywhere on your harddrive:

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 OS-X 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 in 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 unforeseeable & 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 authors' code looked for Mail.app v4.5 to be there and ONLY there, then when the code they wrote didn't find it there instead of adding a then/if search & find & update function in the code, it just dropped into the Applications 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, since you're likely to have run Software Updates since that initial install), 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 v4.5 up to v4.6. Best bet at this point though, really, is if your Mail is <v4.5, just 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, versions older; i.e., with a smaller version number, than v4.5, etc).

All you must have is *one* Mail.app *only* existing on that Mac of yours, 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 possible 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 all over & add another few steps. Basically, 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.

After completing the Steps 4 & 5 above, get back to the Desktop, & try out Mail by double-clicking it in the Applications 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.

EXTRA 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 "Security Update 2012-004," 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. The code in that new 4.6 didn't recognize that some of my plugins were just fine anywho & they should get fired up along with everything else.

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 soon, 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 that you've got in Snow Leopard into Lion/ML during the overwriting OS upgrading that occurs when you run the Lion/ML installer:

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

postvisualist wrote:

My Mail App wont open. Giving me an error ---You have Mail version 4.5 (1084/1085). It can’t be used on Mac OS X Version 10.6.8 (Build 10K549). For more information, click the Help button.

and Believe me Help button is no help at all.

Anyone have any ideas? Please help...

Thanks

Hi postvisualist

Just got notification in my email that my lengthy series of steps to reviving Apple Mail after a failed Security Update worked out for you. It appears that Paldeng got some helpful info out of the steps also.

My steps are long but they're thorough which is what counts in my book, especially for an app as essential to everyday life these days as the Apple Mail email app. The steps cover all the bases & methodially going through them all as you did will save one from tearing his or her hair out trying others' suggestions that have the words "try this" & "should..." and "maybe" & so forth mixed in with the rest of their probably helpful but otherwise well-meaning help.

So... Glad to read that you got yours working! And thanks for the green "This Solved It" checkmark, too. That'll give indication to others poring through these discussion forums that this post is a good one for solving their own same or similar problems with Mail after installing the 2012-004 Security Update via Software Update which causes problems if you don't have your v4.5 Mail.app in the Apps folder when doing it. In my opinion, that's a goofup by the Apple Security Update authors. After the Apple software engineers see all the uber-miffed & sometimes frantic posts in Apple's Discussions forum here about Mail not working after the Update install, good bet that the next Sec Update will take into account that there's some folks out there who just.... Think Different. 😉 hehe

Happy Mac'in, p.v.! 😀

Kevin Kendall