High Sierra Finder freeze naming/moving files remotely on a PC

Question

High Sierra Finder freeze naming/moving files remotely on a PC

Hi guys!

I recently upgraded my 27” iMac (Spring-2017 model) to High Sierra 10.3.2, from Sierra 10.12.6

And now I’m suffering a problem that never suffered before.

I usually work doing 3D animations, working on my Mac and then copying the files to a Dell-PC to render the project there.

All was fine with Sierra. But since the upgrade to High Sierra and connect to my PC (using a SMB connection), when I’m copying files from Mac to PC, or changing names (on the PC from the Mac), or moving / changing directories (everytime on the PC from the Mac) I unexpectly have a complete freeze on my Mac Finder. 3 times today. One more time yesterday.

It’s a “fatal freeze”. No matter I try to restart my Finder (using CMD-OPT-ESC) this does not work: the Finder completely goes away and even if I can open other apps in my Mac, the Finder no more appears.

And the only thing I can do is to force a shutdown, using the backside button. I even tried to shut down using Terminal (sudo shutdown -h now) without luck.

I saw some related posts like this or this, what points that maybe I’m not alone on this.

Any ideas?

One more detail: when moving files between my iMac and the PC, sometimes I use the Finder, manually, and sometimes I use a third-part utility (GoodSync). With this app al also have problems: doing the “analyze-directories” operation, no problem. But once I press the “Syncronize button… bang! The same story, which ends with a hard-shutdown :-(

Thanks for your feedback! :-)

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017), macOS Sierra (10.12.6), null

Posted on Dec 15, 2017 11:14 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 15, 2017 11:21 AM in response to Cristobal_Vila

Hi

Have you isolated the issue to Mac or PC. try transferring from mac to mac internally, just move something from download to desktop. then repeat on PC TO PC

Also I would run first aid on the disc

Repair a disk using Disk Utility - Apple Support

this will resolve any directory issues on HD

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Answer 2

Jan 24, 2018 2:05 AM in response to Cristobal_Vila

UPDATE January 24, 2018: it seems that 10.13.3 update finally fix this issue:

“This update: Resolves an issue that could cause your Mac to stop responding when connected to an SMB server”

I will update my machine this weekend.

Thanks for fixing it, Apple :-)

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Answer 3

Dec 15, 2017 11:39 AM in response to Cristobal_Vila

Strange, so iMacs work, but 2017 iMac does not like windows PC

Some ideas

repair permissions on 2017 iMac HD
clear caches and saved application state

I would go with resetting the permissions on macHD

Just in case...

Go to finder>On the left click your mac icon> secondary click Mac HD >click get info >permission at the bottomUnlock it> change permission to read and write for your user, then click the cog and click apply to subfolders. thats it wait a few mins for it to complete

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Answer 4

Dec 15, 2017 11:28 AM in response to hercules-king

Hi Hercules.

The problem appears only from this new iMac with HighSierra TO/FROM the PC.

I can move, copy… manage files inside my Mac, inside my PC, and also from my new iMac from another old iMac (with Mavericks). No problems there. Only working from my new iMac over the PC.

In fact, I workaround this issue using my old iMac as a bridge:

2017 iMac High Sierra <—> 2010 iMac Mavericks <—> Dell-PC Windows 10

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Answer 5

Dec 25, 2017 9:41 PM in response to Cristobal_Vila

Same problem here. I have a PC connected to my TV running Windows 10 as a media server and rename and move files on it connected to if from a mac book air running High Sierra. Finder is currently hung in the background with the spinning rainbow disk as the latest attempt to move something failed and I'm just about to go and restart again! I hope you find an answer!

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Answer 6

Dec 26, 2017 3:40 AM in response to michael.murray

Hi there, Michael! (and also to other possible ones affected by this issue)

Just to update this post: last week I received a phone call directly from a software engineer at Apple-California. This was a great (and pleasant) surprise for me: they had read this post and consequently contacted to me in order to gather more info about this problem, repeating the Finder-freeze at the same time that my machine was been tracking by them.

They are completely aware of this issue (introduced with High Sierra). And they are working to know WHY it occurs, and the most important: to create a FIX that will be included on a next OS update.

Don’t waste your time trying to perform repair permissions, clear caches, etc, etc.

As a detail: copying files from the WinPC to my iMac with HighSierra (and operating from this iMac) has no problem. The Finder-freeze occurs when you try to modify, rename, delete… a file in the WinPC from the Mac with HighSierra. At least on my iMac (but not only, as the kind Apple engineer confirmed…)

I personally found a “workaround”: when I need to move files from my new iMac to my Win-PC I use an intermediate old 2010 iMac (with Mavericks). Is a 2-steps process… not a fantastic path, but much better than suffering a complete Finder freeze…

Looking for a new OS update that will fix this nasty issue…

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Answer 7

Dec 29, 2017 6:52 AM in response to Cristobal_Vila

From the misery loves company department, same problems here. Finder freezes when transferring files from my brand new 27" iMac to my PC. This forces me to do a hard reboot.

Really disappointed that this is known issue and remains unfixed at this time. Frustratingly galling, and ironic, for me as I have always been an advocate for mixed platform use.

Oh, well, time to log off an do a hard reboot so I can try to transfer over my work files to my laptop PC again.

Perhaps I'll do the High Sierra to El Capitan to PC route next time.

Ugh

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Answer 8

Dec 29, 2017 10:13 AM in response to Cristobal_Vila

This is a major bug that I just ran into also.

I have found a workaround until the fix is here. Copy the files (hold down option and then click and drag) to the folder you want them in and then delete them in the original location. It works and it does not freeze Finder.

That should save the step of using the intermediate computer.

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Answer 9

Dec 29, 2017 10:21 AM in response to brycesteiner

Thanks for your suggestion, Brycesteiner! 🙂

For me is not such a headache to use a 2-step procedure, since I use an app to synchronise my files (GoodSync) between my main workstation (the new iMac) and my render machine (the PC-Windows). Now, using that 2-step procedure through my old iMac (and also using the GoodSync route), I get a benefit: my work is also backed-up in a third machine!!! 😁

(obviously, I also wait for a real fix to this on the Apple side. Cross my fingers that will be sooner…)

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Answer 10

Dec 15, 2017 11:48 AM in response to hercules-king

Thanks, Hercules. I will try…

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Answer 11

Dec 29, 2017 10:05 AM in response to brycesteiner

Thanks, I did not find that to work. Going through the secondary Mac is what I'm stuck with until the Apple fix.

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