Applications folder problems

Hello,
Hoping someone can help me. I installed some software updates today and after doing so decided to install some new software, when asked to drag the application into my applications folder, I did, only to get an error message telling me that I don't have permission to modify the applications folder. I can however click authenticate and enter the password to install it. But I have never had to do that before today.
When looking at the folder permissions it tells me that I have read only permissions. Any idea how it got that way, and how I can change it back to read and write, easily and safely?
Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

Did you repair your permissions after you installed the update and/or software? That might help. However I can't remember since I never run as admin and have to enter my password to install something anyway but it may have happened with one of the OS updates in regard to security (honestly I don't know).
It's really not a bad idea to have it that way but if you want to change it and you are in the admin account when you have your get info box up click on the lock in the box and enter your password and you should be able to click on the drop down box where it says you can read only and change it to Read & Write.

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Applications Folder Problem+Permissions

I just recently had this problem, it showed up today. I can't copy anything to the application folder unless it asks me for my password. When I look on the "Get Info" screen, there's only 2 things, an unknown user which i can't delete and "everyone" which is my access. I try to add myself to it via the plus symbol and the finder crashes.
Is it a security breach?

The correct permissions are
system: read&write
admin: read & write
everyone: read & write
Have you run Repair Permissions from Disk Utility?
-mj
[email protected]

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Thanks but there's still something wrong. Here's what happens when I try to install a prog (Firefox). You can see the prog icon but it hasn't installed. (I've added the empty Applications folder to the sidebar and dragged the download into there as well).
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So when I click on what looks like the installed prog icon to open it it just pops up the window below.
The Applicaitions folder from the menu bar pops up a bit slow too.
This might give further clues....
Thanks!

Permissions problems in Applications folder

Recently my Mac has stopped asking for an admin password when I modify things in my Applications folder. The "Allow user to administer this computer" box is NOT checked for my account. I notice a wide variety of owner/group settings for apps in this folder, including myname/myname, myname/admin, myname/wheel, root/admin, root/wheel. "Verify Permissions" does not report any problems. Also, oddly, I can rename Stickies.app (for example) using the Finder, but not using Terminal, which reports "permission denied". I'm concerned that I may have compromised security somewhat... can someone explain what's going on and suggest a fix?

Try logging out and logging back in. Sometimes Finder is slow to adapt to permissions changes.

Problem Application - can't open Applications folder in finder

Dear All,
I went to upgrade an application (Transmission) today, but during the upgrade, my macbook requested to be restarted. I did this, and now whenever that application is encountered in finder, it crashes finder. This means I cannot open the folder in finder, or from my dock. If I search for it using spotlight, it also crashes.
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tjw62 wrote:
I went to upgrade an application (Transmission) today, but during the upgrade, my macbook requested to be restarted. I did this, and now whenever that application is encountered in finder, it crashes finder. This means I cannot open the folder in finder, or from my dock. If I search for it using spotlight, it also crashes.
Welcome to Apple's discussion groups.
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Problem with Applications folder

In trying to put my photos on to a flash drive, all the pictures ended up in the "Applications" folder. I tried the restore from time machine but could not succeed. Is there a way I can correct this problem?

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Hi all,
I'm facing serious issue's with Mavericks.
I'm a in-house developer, and I made a few apps that are bing used in process.
A few weeks ago I made an 'autoUpdater'. This checks a windows fileshare for any updates. If there are updates, it will copy this file to the /Applications folder.
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Hi LexSchellings,
installing applications I do for all users.
The problem goes when I'm copying .app files to /Applications.
If I do it from my 'autoUpdater' application, or manually, it does not work.
There is an little application called 'Permissions Reset', which actually fixed the problem, but I have to do that manually, I need to do this by terminal commands, because I'm talking about updating a small application for 1500+ desktop / laptops and they never are all on ;-)
My application checks for new updates when they boot up.

After re-installing Lr 5 with a hard disk on my computer,installation was completed but Lm 5 didn't appear in application folder. What can I do to resolve this problem?

[email protected]
After re-installing Lr 5 with a hard disk on my computer; installation was completed but Lr 5 didn't appear in my application folder.
What can I do to resolve this problem?

What is your OS?

Applications folder - ACLs problem

I had a problem with my Account shortname being misspelled. So I Google for the solution and managed to change it. However the problem now is that anytime I need to update an application in the Applications folder (say Skype e.g. or anything else), upon dragging it I get an error message about not having enough privileges to perform that operation.
So as a work-around, I have been deleting the app I need to update prior to dragging the new build into the Applications folder.
However, I still would like to find a solution.
Link:[http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=7334683|This relevant thread] sounded like the solution to my problems but when running sudo chmod -RN /Applications
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run the following commands in terminal (copy and paste please):
sudo chown -R root:admin /Applications
you'll have to enter your admin password (which you won't see). that's normal.
this might be enough. if not run the following commands also
sudo chmod -R gwr,X /Applications
sudo chmod -RN /Applications
sudo chmod +a "everyone deny delete" /Applications /Applications/Utilities

10.5.8 Applications folder permissions problem

Hi all,
I'm running 10.5.8 on a MacPro.
Somewhere between 22 September and the 29 September, something on my computer changed the permissions on my applications folder after doing a apple or software update. (I found out the change using time machine)
They are now
System read & write
wheel Read only
everyone Read only
Because of this I need to enter my password to do any app upgrades, replacements or deletions.
Doing a repair permissions doesn't fix it.
I did a STFW and have done the following
running
ls -Olde@ /Applications
gives me
drwxr-xr-x+ 235 root wheel – 7990 10 Nov 00:54 /Applications
0: group:everyone deny delet
runnning
sudo chmod 775 /Applications
sudo chgrp admin /Applications
This put the Applications folder back to
System read & write
Admin Read & write
everyone Read only
but if I run repair permissions, it will put it back to "wheel read only".
This is starting to give me all sorts of other problems now. Installing a new app will put the wrong groups on the app the give me a few problems till I add Admin to the app.
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Any Ideas?

System read & write
wheel Read only
everyone Read only
There have been a number of reports of this. The cause is still unclear, though an iTunes 10 update has been suspected - see this thread:
*Applications folder owner & permissions*
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2580261
if I run repair permissions, it will put it back to "wheel read only".
I think you are the first to document this, though others have reported that repairing permissions did not fix an already-existing problem. Something must be messed up in the installer receipts.
Somewhere between 22 September and the 29 September, something on my
computer changed the permissions on my applications folder after doing
a apple or software update.
Can you further pin down what else might have changed in your system at this time? You can get a dated history of installed software via System Preferences>Software Update, and Time Machine might give further clues.
In terms of trying to fix it, I guess you could try downloading and re-running the stand-alone versions of any suspect software updates, as well as running the Leopard OS X 10.5.8 combo update.
As things stand though, you have another reason not to run Repair Permissions routinely - you'd have to continue to manually fix /Applications each time afterwards.

Applications Folder Permissions Problem

I did a maverick clean install.
Everything seemed fine but now a few days later...
I am constantly told I have to authenticate
and this morning if I try and take anything out of app folder
I am told I don't have permission to do this.
suggestions?
can you be a little more specific.What are you doing when it asks to athenticate? For the Applications folder, that is normal, but... what are you moving and to where
For ten years, because I deal with a lot of apps
I have kept folders in my apps folder called:
- Archive (When an app is never getting used but it's not time yet to get rid of it...
the app goes in there.)
- A/V Apps
- Mind Map Apps
- 3rd Party Utilities
- Online Marketing Apps
- Social Networking Apps
However, since installing Mavericks...
If I try and drop an app in any of these folders...
I am not even asked to authenticate.
I am just told I don't have permission to perform this task.
When I get info on these folders...
- Apps Folder: admin R/W
- Archive: admin read only
- A/V Apps: admin read only
- Mind Map Apps: admin read only
- 3rd Party Utilities: admin R/W
- Online Marketing Apps: admin R/W
- Social Networking Apps: admin read only
1. I can't unlock the get info permissions window on any of these folders.
2. If I try to drag an item from one admin R/W folder to another admin R/W folder...
I am told I don't have permission to perform this task.
3. If I drag an item from any of these folders into the Apps folder, no problem.
At this moment, this problem seems isolated to the apps folder.
I can drag and drop without problem everywhere else.
Has the permissions structure of the Apps folder
radically changed with Mavericks?

Your ACLs have gone awry and need to repair your OS X installation. Use the Recovery Mode and reinstall OS X on top of your install and it should correct the errors.
I too have nested folders in my Applications folder and the structure migrated over from Snow Leopard to Mavericks intact. See picture below.
On a day to day basis I use my Mac as a standard user, which does not have permissions to modify the Apllications folder or its contents. However, when I install, move, trash or replace an App, Mavericks prompts me for an Admin user name and password.
When I 'move' an App from one Application nested folder to another, it 'Copies' it after authentication; hence I have to delete the original (once again after authenticating with an Admin name and password).
Now when I am logged into an Administrator account (which I rarely do), I can install, copy, move and delete Apps and folders at will without further authentication.
The above behaviour works as expected. Below is a pic of the permissions of my Applications folder. All enclosed items inherit the same permissions.

3 problems with application folder???

1. In my applications folder I have 2 folder aliases, one named applications and the other named applications 2. Do I need these? If not how can I get rid of them?
2. I opened the application folder and did drag the Firefox icon to the dock. Now there isn't an icon for Firefox in the application folder? Shouldn't there be one?
3. I recently downloaded Mozy. Again there isn't an icon in the application folder...Shouldn't there be one?
Any help with these would certainly be appreciated.....
Message was edited by: Shelby1975

1. Select each and hit CMD+delete key to move them to the trash. Then, CMDSHIFTdelete to empty the trash.
2. Yes.
3. Only if you put Mozy in that folder.
For 2 & 3, restart and see if the icons pop back. If not, launch the Terminal app in /Applications/Utilities/, copy & paste this one-liner into the window that pops up, hit the return key, quit the Terminal app, OPTION-click & hold on the Finder's Dock icon, and select Relaunch. That should restore the icons.
*/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchS ervices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user*

I'm on ff 3.5.5 for Mac. I've been prompted twice to download latest version. Each time I have dragged the ff icon from applications folder to the dock and all seems ok. But next time I start ff it says I'm on 3.5.5 and should update to latest version!

There was no "update failed" message
I wonder whether I'm doing the right thing when I drag to the dock. There's only one ff icon in the applications folder. The first time I was prompted to update it showed that days date next to the icon as if the update was successful. The second time was a few days later but I think it was still the same date next to the icon (25/8/10) I've only just noticed that (on 10/9/10) so can't be sure but I'm sure the second time was around 2nd or 3rd of Sept.
Also, I am running two versions of ff- one is english, the other is the Italian version. They can't be opened at the same time but they seem to talk to eachother in the background, so to speak, because when I open one after a long gap, it opens with all the history and settings of the other one, right up to the last website I went to. I think I closed both when updating because it prompts you to close all programmes and restart (I think/ remember) so I just clicked ok to that prompt.
By the way, I got the prompt to update twice for ''BOTH'' the Italian and the English version- so 4 times altogether so it would seem that ff does recognise them as separate but still has problems concluding the update for each separate one respectively.
Thank you very much if you can help.
Trapperjohn

Download a new copy of the Firefox program: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/all.html
Trash the current Firefox application to do a clean reinstall.
Install the new version that you have downloaded.
Your profile data is stored elsewhere in the [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox Firefox Profile Folder], so you won't lose your bookmarks and other personal data.

Delete locked file from /Applications folder

Hi there
I used Clean My Mac to remove a file install - something I have done many times without any problems.
This time though the application file was left behind in the /Applications folder and I am unable to move it to the Trash because it is locked.
I have tried the following
sudo chflags nouchg /Applications/CrashPlan.app
This however does not resolve the issue and I am still unable to move the file to Trash - it does not remove the locked flag
Does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions how to remove the file?

Hi WIlliam
I tried what you said but I get an unexpected result...
Johns-Mac-Pro:~ John$ sudo rm -r /Applications/CrashPlan.app
Password:
rm: /Applications/CrashPlan.app/Contents: Operation not permitted
override rwxrwxr-x root/admin schg for /Applications/CrashPlan.app?
I'm not sure how to respond to the question it is asking. I tried keying in Y but the response was
override rwxrwxr-x root/admin schg for /Applications/CrashPlan.app? y
rm: /Applications/CrashPlan.app: Operation not permitted
Johns-Mac-Pro:~ John$

Applications folder problems

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