Help! Can't open system preferences.

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Level 1

8 points

Help! Can't open system preferences.

Hey everybody - I can't open system preferences. When I try, I'm greeted with a popup saying " You can't open the application 'System Preferences' because it is being updated."

This is frustrating as I have restarted the computer (macbook pro retina 2016 on high sierra) several times included a couple of PRAM resets.

Issue began when during the installation of a wacom driver (most recent on site as of today) when system preferences stalled the install saying it did not have the permissions and to go to the security settings. When I attempted to navigate to system preferences to allow it, it popped up the above message for the first time and 30 seconds later restarted "due to a problem". Now I am stuck

Any help is appreciated.

Posted on Sep 5, 2018 1:12 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Carolyn Samit

Level 10

166,303 points

Sep 5, 2018 1:53 PM in response to griff235

Hi,

A Safe Mode boot deletes system caches that might help.

To start up in safe mode:

Start or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key. The Apple logo appears on your display. If you don't see the Apple logo, learn what to do.
Release the Shift key when you see the login window. If your startup disk is encrypted with FileVault.

To leave safe mode, restart your Mac without pressing any keys during startup.

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support

Then see if you can open System Preferences.

PS .. You may be able to use the Wacom hardware without the driver.

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Help! Can't open system preferences.

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