Riccardo08

Q: "About This Mac" window won't appear after upgrade to El Capitan

After upgrading to El Capitan I find that "About This Mac" under Apple logo will not display.  Nor will System Information window.  I have come at these from all different locations - but still nothing.   Also the App Store update process seems to hang. 

 

Data on my Mac Pro:

  Model Name:          Mac Pro

  Model Identifier:          MacPro3,1

  Processor Name:          Quad-Core Intel Xeon

  Processor Speed:          2.8 GHz

  Number of Processors:          2

  Total Number of Cores:          8

  L2 Cache (per Processor):          12 MB

  Memory:          22 GB

  Bus Speed:          1.6 GHz

  Boot ROM Version:          MP31.006C.B05

  SMC Version (system):          1.25f4

 

System Software:  10.11.2   (problem also existed in 10.11.1)

Login items are:

       DropBox

       i1ProfilerD2Lion

       ProfileReminder

       DiskWarrior

       iTunesHelper

       GrowlHelper

       GrowlMenu

 

So I figured I would need to reinstall El Capitan.  But first I opened in Safe Mode - and voila - the problems were gone!  System Info opened up, About This Mac displayed and App store update functioned properly.

 

But then I restart, login with my regular login info, and the problems are back.

 

Seems a reinstall would not be needed if it works in Safe Mode.  But then how do I figure out what is causing the problems?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Jan 12, 2016 10:30 AM

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Q: "About This Mac" window won't appear after upgrade to El Capitan

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 12, 2016 10:46 AM in response to Riccardo08
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jan 12, 2016 10:46 AM in response to Riccardo08

    As a first step, please delete the "Growl" items from your login items, then log out or restart the computer.

  • by Riccardo08,

    Riccardo08 Riccardo08 Jan 12, 2016 10:54 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 12, 2016 10:54 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks, Liunc.

     

    I deleted the "Growl" items, logged out then back in, but no change.  Problem still there.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 12, 2016 11:04 AM in response to Riccardo08
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jan 12, 2016 11:04 AM in response to Riccardo08

    1. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve the problem. But with the aid of the test results, the solution may take a few minutes, instead of hours or days.

    The test works on OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later. I don't recommend running it on older versions of OS X. It will do no harm, but it won't do much good either.

    Don't be put off by the complexity of these instructions. The process is much less complicated than the description. You do harder tasks with the computer all the time.

    2. If you don't already have a current backup, please back up all data before doing anything else. The backup is necessary on general principle, not because of anything in the test procedure. Backup is always a must, and when you're having any kind of trouble with the computer, you may be at higher than usual risk of losing data, whether you follow these instructions or not.

    There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

    3. Below are instructions to run a UNIX shell script, a type of program. As I wrote above, it changes nothing. It doesn't send or receive any data on the network. All it does is to generate a human-readable report on the state of the computer. That report goes nowhere unless you choose to share it. If you prefer, you can act on it yourself without disclosing the contents to me or anyone else.

    You should be wondering whether you can believe me, and whether it's safe to run a program at the behest of a stranger. In general, no, it's not safe and I don't encourage it.

    In this case, however, there are ways for you to decide whether the program is safe without having to trust me. First, you can read it. Unlike an application that you download and click to run, it's transparent, so anyone who understands the code can verify what it does.

    You may not be able to understand the script yourself. But variations of it have been posted on this website many times over a period of years. Any one of the millions of registered users could have read the script and raised the alarm if it was harmful. Then I would not be here now and you would not be reading this message. See, for example, this discussion.

    Nevertheless, if you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them. Ask for other options.

    4. Here's a general summary of what you need to do, if you choose to proceed:

    ☞ Copy a particular line of text to the Clipboard.

    ☞ Paste into the window of another application.

    ☞ Wait for the test to run. It usually takes a few minutes.

    ☞ Paste the results, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page.

    These are not specific instructions; just an overview. The details are in parts 7 and 8 of this comment. The sequence is: copy, paste, wait, paste again. You don't need to copy a second time.

    5. Try to test under conditions that reproduce the problem, as far as possible. For example, if the computer is intermittently slow, run the test during a slowdown.

    You may have started up in safe mode. If the system is now in safe mode and works well enough in normal mode to run the test, restart as usual before running it. If you can only test in safe mode, do that.

    6. If you have more than one user, and only one user is affected by the problem,, and the affected user is not an administrator, then please run the test twice: once while logged in as the affected user, and once as an administrator. The results may be different. The user that is created automatically on a new computer when you start it for the first time is an administrator. If you can't log in as an administrator, test as the affected user. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this section doesn’t apply. Don't log in as root.

    7. Load this linked web page (on the website "Pastebin.") Press the key combination command-A to select all the text, then copy it to the Clipboard by pressing command-C.

    8. Launch the built-in Terminal application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    Click anywhere in the Terminal window to activate it. Paste from the Clipboard into the window by pressing command-V, then press return. The text you pasted should vanish immediately.

    9. If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You will not see the usual dots in place of typed characters. Make sure caps lock is off. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter the password, the test will run anyway, but it will produce less information. If you don't know the password, or if you prefer not to enter it, just press return three times at the password prompt. Again, the script will still run.

    If the test is taking much longer than usual to run because the computer is very slow, you might be prompted for your password a second time. The authorization that you grant by entering it expires automatically after five minutes.

    If you're not logged in as an administrator, you won't be prompted for a password. The test will still run. It just won't do anything that requires administrator privileges.

    10. The test may take a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer. A computer that's abnormally slow may take longer to run the test. While it's running, a series of lines will appear in the Terminal window like this:

        Test started
            Part 1 of 4 done at: … sec
            …
            Part 4 of 4 done at: … sec
        The test results are on the Clipboard.
        Please close this window.

    The intervals between parts won't be exactly equal, but they give a rough indication of progress.

    Wait for the final message "Please close this window" to appear. If you don't see it within about 15 minutes, the test probably won't complete in a reasonable time. In that case, press the key combination control-C or command-period to stop it. Then go to the next step. You'll have incomplete results, but still something. If you close the Terminal window while the test is still running, the partial results won't be saved and you'll have to start over.

    11. When the test is complete, or if you stopped it because it was taking too long, quit Terminal. The results will have been saved to the Clipboard automatically. They are not shown in the Terminal window. Please don't copy anything from there. All you have to do is start a reply to this comment and then paste by pressing command-V again.

    At the top of the results, there will be a line that begins with the words "Start time." If you don't see that, but instead see a mass of gibberish, you didn't wait for the "close this window" message. Please wait for it and try again.

    If any private information, such as your name or email address, appears in the results, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

    12. When you post the results, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the software that runs this website. Please post the test results on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

    13. This is a public forum, and others may give you advice based on the results of the test. They speak for themselves, not for me. The test itself is harmless, but whatever else you're told to do may not be. For others who choose to run it, I don't recommend that you post the test results on this website unless I asked you to.

    14. The linked UNIX shell script bears a notice of copyright. Readers of ASC may copy it for their own personal use. Neither the whole nor any part may be redistributed.

  • by Riccardo08,

    Riccardo08 Riccardo08 Jan 13, 2016 9:20 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 13, 2016 9:20 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Line - thanks you for your detailed post regarding progressing toward a solution to my problem.  I will have to think a bit before committing to go down that rabbit hole. I would certainly like to fix this, although, for now, it is only an inconvenience.  I can always boot into safe mode as needed to get updates from app store, or check my system info. 

     

    But thank you for your input.    I'll follow your instructions if I do proceed, and post them here.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 13, 2016 12:31 PM in response to Riccardo08
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jan 13, 2016 12:31 PM in response to Riccardo08

    If you prefer not to follow the instructions in my last comment, see below. Allow at least a full working day for the project.

    Please back up all data to at least two different storage devices, if you haven't already done so. One backup is not enough to be safe. The backups can be made with Time Machine or with Disk Utility. Preferably both.

    Erase and install OS X. This operation will destroy all data on the startup volume, so you had be better be sure of the backups. If you upgraded from an older version of OS X, you'll need the Apple ID and password that you used, so make a note of those before you begin.

    When you restart, you'll be prompted to go through the initial setup process. That’s when you transfer the data from a backup.

    Select only users in the Setup Assistant dialog—not Applications, Computer & Network Settings, or Other files and folders. Don't transfer the Guest account, if it was enabled.

    After that, check the App Store for software updates.

    If the problem is resolved after the clean installation, reinstall third-party software selectively. I can only suggest general guidelines. Self-contained applications that install into the Applications folder by drag-and-drop or download from the App Store are usually safe. Anything that comes packaged as an installer or that prompts for an administrator password is suspect, and you must test thoroughly after reinstalling each such item to make sure you haven't restored the problem.

    I strongly recommend that you never reinstall any "security" products or "utilities," nor any software that changes the user interface, or the behavior of built-in applications, in an unsupported way, nor any unlicensed commercial software. If you do any of that, the problem is likely to recur.

    Any system modifications that you do choose to install must be kept up to date.

    Before installing any software, ask yourself the question: "Am I sure I know how to uninstall this without having to wipe the volume again?" If the answer is "no," you could be creating a future problem that will be very hard to solve. Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it.

  • by leroydouglas,

    leroydouglas leroydouglas Jan 13, 2016 1:05 PM in response to Riccardo08
    Level 7 (22,894 points)
    Notebooks
    Jan 13, 2016 1:05 PM in response to Riccardo08

    I would suggest removing (—)  all those login items (not just hiding). Restart,  and test.

  • by Riccardo08,

    Riccardo08 Riccardo08 Jan 15, 2016 12:30 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 15, 2016 12:30 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks again Linc, for your advice and warnings.  I appreciate it. 

     

    I am torn between doing the clean install you outlined above, and just biting the bullet to in invest in a new MacPro 2013 system.  If I knew I could keep this one (the 2008 one) going for a few more years, I would certainly do it.  But of course I can't know that.  

     

    The Clean Install may cure what ails this machine.  I have found a few other problems cropping up now - like the App Store just spins and spins, so I must use a Force Quit to get out of it.  That was not happening before.


    I'll give this more thought.  It works OK for now - a little bit crippled but not unusable.  Although that could change anytime, I suppose.

  • by Riccardo08,

    Riccardo08 Riccardo08 Jan 15, 2016 12:32 PM in response to leroydouglas
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 15, 2016 12:32 PM in response to leroydouglas

    Thanks Leroy.  Did that and no change.  So problem lies deeper in the machine.

  • by kellyjk53,

    kellyjk53 kellyjk53 Jan 18, 2016 7:42 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 18, 2016 7:42 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc,

    I am having a similar problem to that of the initial poster in this thread - after upgrading to El Capitan from Yosemite, I can no longer access "About This Mac." If I attempt to view system information through the System Profiler utility, I get an error that pops up that reads: 'The application “System Profiler” can’t be opened.' I am interested in your directions above to run a test and post the results, but I noted that you suggest not just showing up here and posting results unless you asked the individual to run the test. Would you be willing to review results that I share here, or should I start a new thread? This problem is really irritating me, as I only purchased my iMac less than a year ago (after using a very aged one for about 8 years) and I hate when things aren't working as they should be. Thanks! 

  • by Riccardo08,Apple recommended

    Riccardo08 Riccardo08 Jan 19, 2016 2:54 PM in response to kellyjk53
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 19, 2016 2:54 PM in response to kellyjk53

    Well I solved the problem.  I did 2 things.  1) Physically removed a CalDigit PCIe card I had installed a few years back to get USB 3.0 capability.  It was not functional under El Cap,  and 2) unplugged the Zoom 3095 modem I had connected into one of the original USB 2.0 ports.  Both of these items seem to run fine under Yosemite.  


    But unplugging the Zoom modem I think was the difference. I was getting ready to do the Clean Install when I thought to just remove the orphaned PCIe card.  Then I though to start it up after the removal, just to see what happens.  No externals plugged in.  It worked.  Then I started plugging peripherals back in, and when it came to the modem, the problem came back. 

     

    Just though anyone reading this should now.  It was, I believe, a hardware compatibility problem, and not a software issue.  This is consistent with it operating OK in Safe Mode.

  • by UncleRichard,

    UncleRichard UncleRichard Apr 7, 2016 6:32 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 7, 2016 6:32 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Hi Linc, I have a similar problem and have started a new thread here, with the results of the diagnostic texts. Would be grateful if you could take a look.

     

    Re: About this Mac and System Profiler won't open, El Capitan