Can't open Finder, Trash, Chrome, and many other apps

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Level 1

5 points

Can't open Finder, Trash, Chrome, and many other apps

Can't open Finder, Trash, App Store, Chrome and any other apps on Macbook. Clicking on the app icons from the dock or trying to open from Spotlight does nothing. The menu bar on top is viewable for more drop-down options but nothing happens when I click into it. I'm not sure how this happened. May have deleted some files I'm not supposed to? I was told the directory file is not being recognized, so it may be corrupted.

Got an error when I try to open Finder:

The application Finder can't be opened. -10810

Running on OS X (Snow Leopard). Tried to reinstall OS X but it keeps telling me "this item is temporarily unavailable."

Any ideas how I can reinstall OS X Snow Leopard when none of the apps are opening for me? Or does Mac have something similar to a PC restore where I can restore it to a previous time or condition? Hoping one of these will solve my problem.

I have a lot of important files on it so a factory reset and erasing everything is my last resort. I really hope it doesn't come to that.

Greatly appreciate it if anyone can help me!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), null

Posted on Jun 10, 2015 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

seventy one

Level 7

27,430 points

Jun 11, 2015 12:56 AM in response to QR Living

Hello QR, I don't have an answer but it is an interesting situation ... so by responding like this I am pushing your post back to the top ... where I hope it will get more attention.

Good luck.

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Answer 2

Eric Root

Level 10

684,045 points

Jun 11, 2015 7:44 AM in response to QR Living

Do you have a backup you could restore from?

Try booting off the Snow Leopard DVD to see if you can reinstall from there. If not, do a backup, preferable 2 separate ones on 2 drives. Then boot off the DVD, erase the hard drive, and reinstall the OS. Use Setup Assistant to reload your files from the backup.

The combo update will save time in Software Update.

10.6.8 Combo Updater

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Answer 3

QR Living Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 11, 2015 11:07 AM in response to seventy one

Thank you!

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Answer 4

QR Living Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 11, 2015 11:13 AM in response to Eric Root

Thanks Eric.

Unfortunately, I do not have a backup. And I don't think I can do a backup right now. None of the apps are working and I can't even move or copy files onto an external HD. Also, I don't think I have the Snow Leopard DVD.

Will I be able to download the Snow Leopard onto an external HD and then reinstall it through that?

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Answer 5

Eric Root

Level 10

684,045 points

Jun 12, 2015 7:41 AM in response to QR Living

You are welcome. There is no legitimate Snow Leopard download. You would have to buy new disks.

Snow Leopard Purchase

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Answer 6

Jun 12, 2015 4:47 PM in response to QR Living

Can you open System Preferences? If yes, try creating a new User.

CREATE A NEW USER

Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Users & Groups.

Switch to the New User by logging out under the Apple in the Menu Bar.

Can you launch apps in the new User.

If no, do you qualify to upgrade to a newer version of OS X. You might have to download the installer on another Mac.

System Requirements Lion

An Intel Core 2 Duo, i3, Core i5, Core i7 or Xeon processor

Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)

7 GB free hard drive space

2 GB RAM

There are number of Macs that are limited to Lion 10.7.5.

MacBook 2.1, 3.1 and 4.1

MacBook Air 1.1

MacBook Pro 2.1 & 2.2

MacMini 2.1

iMac 5.1, 5.2, & 6.1

MacPro 1.1 & 2.1

Any Mac that can run OS X 10.7 Lion or later can run Yosemite. Even most OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard-compatible Macs are eligible, though specific features require newer hardware components.

iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)

MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, Early 2009 or newer)

MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)

MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)

Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)

Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

Xserve (Early 2009)

Apple's other official requirements are 2GB of RAM and 8GB of available storage; Personally I feel 4GB of RAM is minimum. I would recommend 8GB RAM for a better experience with Yosemite .

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Answer 7

QR Living Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 15, 2015 2:42 PM in response to dianeoforegon

I couldn't launch any apps nor was I able to go into System Preferences.

I went to the Apple Store (again) and someone was able to help me fix the issue! The first time I went, the technician that assisted me wasn't of much help. He didn't know what was wrong with my Mac and wasn't able to do anything. I scheduled another appointment (hoping for a different outcome I guess) and was assisted by the same guy.. Luckily another employee overheard my problem and suggested I talk to this other technician. And he was able to fix my Mac!

I'm still not too sure what specifically caused my Mac issue in the first place, but from what the technician told me, was that my OS was too old and needed an upgrade. He said my apps wouldn't open because when it tried to launch it wasn't being directed properly. So he went into safe mode to fix it (I don't know what he did specifically).

Thanks for all your responses! I'm just glad it's working now.

I also found a link on why an application isn't launching on Mac and how to fix it. Hope this will be helpful for someone.

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