Permission denied during software installation

I am having a problem when installing Acrobat XI on my Mac Book Pro retina. After checking with Adobe, it appears to be a Mac OS permission issue.


The log show this error:

preinstall: sudo: can't open /private/etc/sudoers: Permission deniedduring the installation of Acrobat.


The installer log shows thatthere is issue with the Mac OS and sudoers file, and every software installer which wouldrequire elevated privileges will not work.


So how can I fix this permission issue ?

Posted on Nov 28, 2012 3:43 AM

Reply
13 replies

Nov 28, 2012 11:01 PM in response to macktruck

Back up all data.


Boot into Recovery by holding down the key combination command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.


Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with networks that require any kind of authentication other than a WPA or WPA2 Personal password.


When the OS X Utilities screen appears, follow the prompts to reinstall the OS. You don't need to erase the boot volume, and you won't need your backup unless something goes wrong. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade, so make a note of those before you begin.

Nov 28, 2012 11:20 PM in response to Linc Davis

There is another thread mentionning this issue:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3680870?start=0&tstart=0


One reply says:

I had this exact problem. It was due to the group execute bit being set to 0 on the root directory (not /private, not /private/etc). Be sure that both the owner and group execute bits of the directories containing /private/etc are all set to true, otherwise sudo won't be able to open the sudoers file.


But how exactly do you do that ?

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Permission denied during software installation

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