BinsuJiro
Level 1 (11 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Safari 10 will not open - edited

I have a new install of Sierra, and Safari 10 will not open. There is no stand-alone download and the one-size-fits-all AppStore solution to Apple updates is not sufficient to deal with situations like this.

 

At least the Mozilla site has the Firefox browser that works, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to ask this question

 

I cannot access my TM backup either, so downgrading to the last version is not possible and the Apple web site decides for us what it wants instead of what we need...A Stand-Alone Download.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've already wasted 3 hour of my workday on this issue.

MacBook Pro, macOS Sierra (10.12), iPad Air, iPhone 6, and iOS 10

Posted on Sep 22, 2016 8:19 AM

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BinsuJiro

Q: Safari 10 will not open - edited

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  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 22, 2016 8:25 AM in response to BinsuJiro
    Level 9 (72,268 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 22, 2016 8:25 AM in response to BinsuJiro

    Have you tried opening it from the Applications folder?

     

    Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.

     

    Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferenes, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.

     

    Isolating an issue by using another user account

     

    If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account.  Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.

     

     

     

    Safe Mode - About El Capitan

     

    Safe Mode Startup – El Capitan.

     

    If it works in the Safe Mode, try running this program when booted normally and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor.  Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. On the screen with Options, please open Options and check the bottom 2 boxes before running. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy to Clipboard” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.
      

    Etrecheck – System Information

  • by BinsuJiro,

    BinsuJiro BinsuJiro Sep 22, 2016 8:33 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 22, 2016 8:33 AM in response to Eric Root

    If I remove the Bookmarks.plist it will reopen until it starts to build a new bookmark list, then it crashes again.

  • by BinsuJiro,

    BinsuJiro BinsuJiro Sep 22, 2016 8:49 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 22, 2016 8:49 AM in response to Eric Root

    I just tried to open Safari 10 for a fresh installation of Sierra and with an empty Safari content folder in my Library directory. Safari crashes within one minute of opening.

     

    The next attempt to reopen Safari yields an almost instant crash.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 23, 2016 8:46 AM in response to BinsuJiro
    Level 9 (72,268 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 23, 2016 8:46 AM in response to BinsuJiro

    Did you try Safari in another admin account and the Safe Mode?

  • by BinsuJiro,

    BinsuJiro BinsuJiro Sep 23, 2016 4:47 PM in response to BinsuJiro
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 23, 2016 4:47 PM in response to BinsuJiro

    OK, I found a solution and the culprit!

     

    I always save the downloaded installation file sent by the App Store.

     

    — Using the application Pacifist, I opened the "Essentials.pkg" file, and dragged the Safari application to my Desktop.

     

    — I opened the Safari application on the desktop and it created new Library files.

     

    — After the new Library files were created, I closed Safari.

     

    — After closing Safari, I replaced the Library files that were created with my old Library files.

     

    — The Safari application crashed on the next open.

     

    — I removed the Bookmarks.plist and the History files from Library/Safari

     

    — The Safari application opened, was stable for a while, and crashed.

     

    — I replaced the history files with the originals, and trashed the Bookmarks.plist

     

    — Safari opened and was stable, until it accessed a file somewhere that tried to recreate my Bookmarks.plist

     

    So, the culprit is the Bookmarks.plist or the database that contains the information to populate the Bookmarks.plist

     

    What I don't know:

     

    — Why dropping the Safari application file from the Essentials.pkg caused the installed iteration of the application in the "Applications" folder to finally work.

     

    — What specific file the application accesses to recreate the Bookmarks.plist, and

     

    — What I can do to rescue my applications and properly import them back into Safari.