Java for OS X 2013-005 Update Damaged 10.8.5

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Level 1

123 points

Java for OS X 2013-005 Update Damaged 10.8.5

This specific update wrecked a lot of fundamental functionality on my Mac Mini with OS X 10.8.5 volume. I have use the repair partition to reinstall 10.8.5 with NO improvement of the problem. The volume has been repaired by both Disk Utility and DiskWarrior with NO improvement of the problem. The Finder prefs have been removed with NO improvement of the problem. Sleepimage and swapfiles have been removed with NO improvement of the problem. Zapping the PRAM made no improvement in the problem.

Here are some symptoms:

- Finder can't boot any application.

- No Dock.

- No desktop picture, just gray.

- No virtual desktop spaces.

- No Mac anything in the Menu Bar. No system preference functions in the Menu Bar. Only separate applications show up in the Menu Bar.

If I log into my account and hold down the Shift key to stop login items from loading, I get just the cursor and the gray background. I get nothing else. The Finder doesn't even boot.

ALL of the above was caused only by the Java update. I had restarted this volume just after installing the Java update. There have been no other problems before the update. The system had already been repaired before the update. I cannot find any other factors involved.

I'll be attempting other tricks to see what can repair the damage, such as trying to get at the account's cache files and dumping them. For the moment, it's important to document that this damage can be the result of the update.

If folks would like to suggest further repair tricks to try, please be certain you have read through what I have already attempted in order to avoid redundancy. Thanks.

Mac mini (Mid 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), OS X Server

Posted on Oct 16, 2013 8:51 AM

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Answer 1

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macjack

Level 10

111,168 points

Oct 16, 2013 8:54 AM in response to Derek Currie

Try starting in Safe Mode and see if the problem still occurs?

Restart holding the "shift" key.

(Expect it to take longer to start this way because it runs a directory check first.)

If this works look in System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login items and delete any third party login items (-), you can always add them back with the (+). Also look in /Library/Startup Items. Nothing is put in that folder by default, so anything in there is yours.

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Answer 2

Derek Currie Author

Level 1

123 points

Oct 16, 2013 10:28 AM in response to macjack

Thanks for a good idea macjack! It didn't solve the problem, but I gave you credit for helping, like you need more points! You're a great asset around here.

Your suggestion got me thinking about going after something deeper in the System folder and root Library folder. The problem wasn't any of the account's Login Items. I had already checked that out by using 'Safe Mode' for just the account. Using 'Safe Mode' for the root account, however, was another matter! THAT proved to solve the problem! IOW: When I booted the root account into 'Safe Mode', (via holding the Shift key during boot) the problem was gone.

Therefore, I got to work removing various bits and pieces in the root account and rebooting. Eventually I dug out whatever has been causing the problem and am now fine!

Narrowing down the source of the problem is going to take some time as I have to gradually add back what I removed until the problem arises again. I don't want to go through the gory details as I test. But I will, for the moment, state that none of the System/Library/Extensions foreign KEXT files was to blame. They contributed nothing to the problem. What I have pulled at this point includes all of the following that are not Apple's own:

- All PreferencePanes (in /Library and ~/Library just to make sure)

- All Startup Items (in /Library)

- All LaunchDaemons (in /Library)

- All LaunchAgents (in /Library and ~/Library just to make sure)

- All Fonts (in /Library and ~/Library)

- All QuickTime components (in /Library/QuickTime)

Something among the above, foreign and not Apple's, caused the problem. It's going to be interesting to work through them all and discover what. I am going to guess that whatever it is has something to do with Java and the changes made by this Java update. But we'll see.

For now, I have other work to perform. But I should have the antagonist identified this evening and will post the results here.

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Answer 3

macjack

Level 10

111,168 points

Oct 16, 2013 10:31 AM in response to Derek Currie

Try running EtreCheck, a system diagnsotic we've found very helpful

http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

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Answer 4

Derek Currie Author

Level 1

123 points

Oct 17, 2013 7:38 PM in response to Derek Currie

The culprit in the dysfunction of OS X 10.8.5 after the Java for OS X 2013-005 update is, I'm sorry to say:

CNET TechTracker.app version 2.1.1, the current version. Specifically, it turned out to be the user account LaunchAgent file 'com.cnet.ttengine.plist'. The creation date of the file is 'Tuesday, September 1, 2009 09/01,1:13 PM'.

If you run into the same conditions I experienced, pull that specific file from:

~/Library/LaunchAgents/

Then log out. Then log in again. That solved me problem in entirety, verified upon repeated testing. Nothing else was involved with the problem.

I don't know if this is a universal problem. But it certainly was the single cause of my problems on 10.8.5, even after reinstalling the OS.

Digging into the CNET TechTracker app I see no .jar files, no indication that it uses Java. Possibly that one .plist file got damaged during the installation or a cosmic ray happened to knock one of its bits out of line on my hard drive. Anyway, that is specifically what solved my problem. I am not going to be reinstalling CNET TechTracker for further testing as I no longer use it in any case.

Case closed. - Thanks for the EtreCheck tip MacJack! I found it clunky but very useful.

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