Bus Error, System Pref won't launch

This isn't a case of the System Preference not being found, being moved out of the Applications Folder, or anything trivial like that. System Preferences will not launch. This is a clean install of Leopard, and updated to 10.5.8. The error message in console is:
9/1/10 3:11:45 PM com.apple.launchd74 (0x0-0x18018.com.apple.systempreferences212) Exited abnormally: Bus error
"The application System Preferences quit unexpectedly." Relaunch doesn't wo

baltwo swrote : "Move the com.apple.systempreferences.plist file out of your /Library/Preferences/"
Was my first idea and would love to but, as this is just after having installed the system, Sys Prefs has not yet created any Pref, good, bad or indifferent ; ).
Catch22ish, huh ?

Similar Messages

System preferences won't launch

Hi,
2011 Core i7 iMac with Lion. Noticed yesterday that system prefs won't launch. No spinning beachball, does absolutely nothing including no launch animation. Read some suggestions on these forums and tried resetting the SMC, followed by booting into disk utilities and doing repair permissions. Then did a reinstall of Lion, again from the disk utilities boot. Not sure if I was at 10.7.3 or 10.7.4 before all this, but reinstall got me back to 10.7.3, updated to 10.7.4, problem persists with both.
I just noticed this is only with the main admin account. There is one secondary account on the computer that my kids use - if I switch to it I am able to access system prefs.
Any suggestions? Do I have to archive and install now?

Have same problem, plus other issues too....
Have tried doing the restart in safe mode and then go to SysPrefs to Users & Groups, etc...but I can't open the SysPrefs window and when I try to select Users & Groups from the pull-down menu, nothing happens.....
Also, when I try to search for 'com.apple.systempreferences.plist' file to delete, search does not respond, ie, I don't see that it is searching for anything...
What started this for me, was when I came back to my MacBook which is hooked up to an external 24" LCD monitor, and tried to wake up the display/MacBook and saw the message on the external monitor "No HDMI Input". So, was trying to figure out why all of a sudden the monitor wouldn't work and went to check SysPrefs....which of course, wouldn't open....
This is very odd....and frustrating too....
Any suggestions????
Thanks for any and all help!

System Preferences Won't Launch, console "bus error"

This isn't a case of the System Preference not being found, being moved out of the Applications Folder, or anything trivial like that. System Preferences will not launch. This is a clean install of Leopard, and updated to 10.5.8. The error message in console is:
9/1/10 3:11:45 PM com.apple.launchd74 (0x0-0x18018.com.apple.systempreferences212) Exited abnormally: Bus error
"The application System Preferences quit unexpectedly." Relaunch doesn't work.

I have exactly the same problem after having installed 10.5.8.
I had to do this after not being able to start the machine at all because of (what I believe to be) a bug with Security Update 2010-005. The Archive and Install process did not work.
This thread should be in "Using Mac OS X Leopard". I found it Googling "Exited abnormally: Bus error".

Sys Prefs won't launch after update to 10.6.6

Hi,
V odd problem. Unable to launch sys prefs, some applications (like coda & other text editors). They attempt to load, bounce in the dock, then sit there with the glowing jelly below them. They're showing as unresponsive in force quit. I suspect it may be something to do with 'secrets' which I have installed. Or some other extension.
Can anyone advise how I go about isolating/removing a troublesome extension?
Other extensions are little snitch & growl. I have also run disk utility from the start up disk and done a repair permissions and repair disk... no difference.
Cheers
R
Message was edited by: rickblackdog

Pardon me while I talk to myself
Finally persuaded googles updater software to stop torturing me by deleting the launcher files. This solved the system pref issue, it will now restart properly.
One last problem remains, which may or may not be related. DMG's are incredibly slow to load, small ones (3mb) takes about 4 mins to show. Tried downloading chrome again (because I'm a glutton for punishment) and it's been 6 mins so far and still hasn't mounted.
Anyone know if this is related?
13/03/2011 10:55:18 com.apple.quicklook[212] Sun Mar 13 10:55:18 Blackmac.local quicklookd[212] <Error>: Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment
13/03/2011 10:55:18 com.apple.quicklook[212] Sun Mar 13 10:55:18 Blackmac.local quicklookd[212] <Error>: Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment
13/03/2011 10:55:18 com.apple.quicklook[212] Sun Mar 13 10:55:18 Blackmac.local quicklookd[212] <Error>: Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment

Re-installed Tiger..not system preferenced won't launch

So I had installed the new OS on my old G5 tower a few months back, and have had a number of problems with it. I assume most of these problems are stemmed from the fact that the new OS is designed for the new intel chips, which i just missed the boat on with my tower. Either way, I decided to re-install tiger from the discs that were included with this computer when i bought it.
The install went fine, but when i launched into tiger for the first time, I found that I could not get the system preferences to load. Whenever I click the system pref option from the apple pulldown menu, an icon STARTS to pop up in the dock, then goes away and nothing loads. I have tried to repair permissions based on the advice of another user here, but it didnt help. Does anyone else have any suggestions? And If i need to completely re-format and re-start, can someone help me walk though it?
Thansk.

There are no guarantees, but following this procedure when installing updates and upgrades on your Mac, or even re-installing them, will go a long way towards avoiding unpleasant after effects and ‘post-update stress disorder’.
It is also worth noting that it is an extreme rarity for updates to cause upsets to your system, but they may well reveal pre-existing ones, particularly those of which you may have been unaware. If you are actually aware of any glitches, make sure they are fixed before proceeding further.
So before you do anything else:
If you can, make a full backup first.
Turn off sleep mode for both screen and hard disk.
Disconnect all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.
1. Repair Permissions (in Disk Utility)
2. Verify the state of your hard disk using Disk Utility. If any faults are reported, restart from your install disk (holding down the C key), go to Disk Utility, and repair your startup disk. Restart again to get back to your startup disk.
At least you can now be reasonably certain that your system does not contain any obvious faults that might cause an update/upgrade to fail.
3. Download the correct version of the COMBO update from the Apple download site. If your car runs on gasoline you would not want to fill the tank with diesel, so don’t try to install the PPC updater on an Intel Mac!
If you prefer to download updates via Software Update in the Apple menu (which would ensure that the correct version for your Mac was being downloaded), it is not recommended to allow SU to install major (or even minor) updates automatically. Set Software Update to just download the updater without immediately installing it. There is always the possibility that the combined download and install (which can be a lengthy process) might be interrupted by a power outage or your cat walking across the keyboard, and an interrupted install will almost certainly cause havoc. Once it is downloaded, you can install at a time that suits you. You should make a backup copy of the updater on a CD in case you ever need a reinstall.
Using the Combo updater ensures that all system files changed since the original 10.4.0 are included, and any that may have been missed out or subsequently damaged will be repaired. The Delta updater, although a temptingly smaller download, only takes you from the previous version to the new one, i.e. for example from 10.4.10 to 10.4.11. Software Update will generally download the Delta updater only. The preferable Combo updater needs to be downloaded from Apple's download site.
Now proceed as follows:
4. Close all applications.
5. Unplug all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.
6. Install the update/upgrade. Do not under any circumstances interrupt this procedure. Do not do anything else on your computer while it is installing. Be patient.
7. When it ask for a restart to complete the installation, click restart. This can take longer than normal, there are probably thousands of files to overwrite and place in the correct location. Do nothing while this is going on.
8. Once your Mac is awake, repair permissions again, and you should be good to go!
If your Mac seems slightly sluggish or ‘different’, perform a second restart. It can’t hurt and is sometimes efficacious!
9. Open a few of your most used applications and check that all is OK. In this connection please remember that not all manufacturers of third party applications and plug-ins, add-ons, haxies etc, will have had time to do any necessary rewrites to their software to make them 10.4.10. compliant. Give them a weeks or two while you regularly check their websites for updates. This applies particularly to plug-ins for Safari 3.
N.B. Do not attempt to install two different updates at the same time as each may have different routines and requirements. Follow the above recommendations for each update in turn.
Lastly, Apple's own article on the subject of Software Update may also be useful reading:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106695
If you are updating to Safari 3.0.4 (or just have):
Input Managers from third parties can do as much harm as good. They use a security loophole to reach right into your applications' code and change that code as the application starts up. If you have installed 10.4.11 and Safari is crashing, the very first thing to do is clear out your InputManagers folders (both in your own Library and in the top-level /Library), log out and log back in, and try again.
So, disable all third party add-ons before updating Safari, as they may not have been updated yet for the new version. Add them back one by one. If something goes awry, remove it again and check on the software manufacturer's website for news of an update to match your version of Safari. Remember: Tiger up to 10.4.10 used Safari 2.0.4 or, if you downloaded it, Safari 3.0.3 beta. Safari 10.4.11 uses Safari 3.0.4 which is not a beta. If Safari 3.0.4 on 10.4.11 is not the fastest browser you have ever used, then something is wrong!
Moreover, trying to revert to Safari 2 when running 10.4.11 can have repercussions, as Safari 3.0.4 uses a completely different webkit on which other applications like iChat, Mail and Dashboard Widgets etc also rely.
Most errors reported here after an update are due to an unrepaired or undetected inherent fault in the system, and/or a third party ad-on. Two such add-on that have been frequently mentioned here for causing such problems are Piclens and Pithhelmet. If you have them, trash them.
Additional tips on software installation here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106692

Preview missing - no menubar clock - System Prefs won't open....help!

Wow. Preview is missing (it shows up in the Application window as a zero K app, then when I click on it, it vanishes), all the Preview docs I had on my desktop are neutral icons ( just a white rectangle), and also my menubar clock is gone. System Preferences won't open. Help! I've tried repairing permissions but that's as far as I know what to do. Thanks, Chris

Wow, I feel a tiny bit proud of myself. And actually, Disk Warrior eventually helped,in a circuitous way. I reloaded the Combo Update for 10.3.9, that seemed to rejuvenate Preview. But still no System Prefs, no menubar clock. I right-clicked on System Preferences ( that
right-click or option-click is really useful sometimes, because it can open
packages and other single-icon deals that you can't see into otherwise - I
really recommend a 2-button mouse, I was resistant to it after 20 years of Mac-ing but the 2 buttons combined
with a scroll wheel is way better than the Apple mouse and the Dell mouse
is about 10 bucks on eBay)... once that was cracked, there was a Terminal
icon which I clicked on... wwhich indicated that there was a
pref file it couldn't find. When I searched for it with Find, there it was
in the 'REscued Items" folder from DiskWarrior. Dropped it in where the
Terminal readout indicated it was missing, and voila! A restart, and I
have System Prefs again and a menubar clock. The only thing still FU is
that shift-3 isn't working to get a snapshot of the screen so in order to
generate a PDF from the screen I have to use Grab and finagle there. I
have a feeling, though, that I'll find a way to fix it now. And as you
know, sometimes these things weirdly self-correct after a while, a few
dozen restarts, whatever. At any rate if that's all that I have to contend
with it's not a big deal. So -= DW helped in the end! Thanks to the respondents on this issue- C

HT200100 Just upgraded to 7.4 and system preferences won't launch. Any suggestions?

I've just upgraded to Lion 7.4 and the individual system preferences panes won't launch. Any suggestions?

I am having the same issue. Users folder also seems to be locked.

"itunes.exe-entry point not found" error message, itunes won't launch

32 bit
xp pro
itunes won't launch
HELP!

Try removing iTunes and all Apple related software using the instructions in this Apple support document and downloading a fresh copy of the newest version from Apple's website.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1925
B-rock

System Profiler won't launch/ About this Mac more info button grayed out

Panther 10.3.9 on 1.25 imac G4. I recently restored this mac to get ready to sell it and after the restore and Panther upgrade (from system discs) System Profiler no longer launches. I have run disk utility to repair permissions. The area in the dock opens up for the System Profiler icon but it just shuts right back down. I can't launch it directly from utilities and the "more info" button on the about this mac menu is grayed out. Anyone have a solution? Thanks!

Hi cornelius,
I posted the link to the thread due to the fact that there were a number of suggestions of troubleshooting the user could try to resolve their issue.
One was the standard Repair Disk/Repair Permissions, one was to reset PRAM (not sure why that was suggested in this particular case), and one was to check to see if it could be a font issue and one was to test with a new user account to see if the problem was system wide. And one was for reinstalling System Profiler by using Pacifist.
The OP in that thread did not post back to indicate if any of the suggestions helped but I thought that the OP here might benefit.
I wasn't suggesting anything specific as I personally have never had the problem but I thought those suggestions might help the OP.
Or am I misunderstanding what you are asking?
best as always,
littleshoulders

System Prefs won't open from Apple Menu

Ay, ay, ay.
Gigabit G4, Tiger
I couldn't get rid of the blue label on Applications/System Preferences so I created an "archive" of it, tossed the original in the trash and opened the archive. The renewed Sys Prefs gave me permission to change the label, but now it won't open from the apple menu. I guess its an alias there. Where would it be? How to fix it?
Casey

Hi,
In some cases "newer" version of an App will not run on Older OS software.
For instance Leopard's iChat 4 will not run in Tiger.
You say a clean install and do not say if you moved your Home Folder Contents back.
Your Mail would have been in there as would the Address Book info.
However related to the first item, you may have issues getting the older Tiger apps to read documents/Databases created by the newer Apps in Leopard.
10:46 PM Monday; October 11, 2010

System Preferences won't launch from Apple menu in Mac OS X 10.5.8

Hello there,
I recently upgraded to 10.6 and then went back to 10.5.5 in a few hours.
When doing so, I chose to save a folder called "Previous System", as the Installer gave me this option.
I've upgraded to 10.5.8 via Software Update, after prior 10.5.5 installation through the DVD.
At some point, I tried to launch the System Preferences through Apple menu and got the familiar message: "The application quit unexpectedly, etc.". Since then it's a recurrent problem. It's been 3 days.
However, it does open from the dock icon.
I still have the "Previous System" folder on my disk. I've moved a few things from it to my Library (i.e. some minor applications like Skype, some Desktop items like documents and folders, some photos, music, etc.). I've pretty much started from scratch with everything else - Finder preferences, Wacom tablet driver, etc.
Any clues? I've seen someone had the same problem with a downgrade from 10.5.8 to 10.4, but it's still a mystery as well.
Thanks in advance!
--

iyacyas wrote:
Try repairing permissions from Disk utilities...
Hey iyacyas, thanks for suggesting the disk permissions repair. I tried this, but it didn't work out.
I'm far from understanding any of this, but I tried to figure somethings out from the Report the crash sends to Apple and I noticed that it's trying to launch the "System Preferences" from the folder "Previous Systems"… gee!
Here it goes, in their own words:
Path: /Previous Systems.localized/2010-01-17_1147/Applications/SystemPreferences.app/Contents/M acOS/System Preferences
Anyone has any ideas how could I fix this? I mean, "tell" the Apple Menu to search for the System Preferences inside my ACTUAL Applications folder?
Thanks!
--

System Prefs won't stay locked

My computer has all sorts of problems when I restart it, mostly regarding things in the System Preferences. The network settings don't remember my passwords for networks and when I have the lock clicked on to prevent further changes, it will be unlocked again after I restart. Do I just always get stuck with the freak computer, or does this happen to other people, too? Frankly, I'm kind of sick of nothing ever working right on my computer that's supposed to never have problems (if you believe everything you see on TV).

Hi
I think the way it works, at least in 10.3 which I am using, which incidentally is the focus of this forum, though maybe it is the same with Tiger, is that for an Admin account, the Sys. Prefs are unlocked based on the correct assumption that the administrator has the privileges to make changes to those preferences, like Sharing, and therefore is not required to unlock anything by default,
In a standard account (ie. no Admin privileges) the locks are always closed by default and can only be opened by supplying the Admin account name and password.
As you state that "sharing prefs in particular need to be accessible only to myself", I suggest having standard accounts for everyone whom you do not want to have access to the Sys. Prefs, so for them they will be locked and only your admin account will open unlocked.
This may not suit your particular requirements but is an attempt to explain the situation.

Software Update + System Preferences won't launch from menu bar

For some reason, I cannot launch Software Update or System Preferences from the apple menu bar. This happened after I quit Parallels. I can open System Preferences from Applications. I tried launching Software Update from About this Mac, and that didn't work either. Is there something I can do in Terminal?
Thanks in advance,
Eric

Hi Eric, I doubt Terminal would be the way to go.
Have you done Disk Maintenance with Disk Utility lately?
Using Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later to verify or repair disks...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672
About Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751

Windows and system recovery won't launch

I have HP Pavilion dv7-2015TX. It is running Windows Vista when it used to work. It stopped loading windows and initially offered me the recovery mode or starting windows normally. When I chose the recovery mode it kept asking me to find the operating software to repair which it couldn't find. Now I'm not even being offered that option. Hitting esc on startup brings me to the startup menu. I've run System Diagnostics and done a start-up test where it came up with no errors, stating startup test passed. The Error log comes up with 0305 @ Time 07132013-185631; 0601 @ time 06082013-080914; 0601 @ time 06062013-183504; and 0305 @ time 11152012-033540.
Choosing the system recovery option just makes it start to try and load windows and I end up back with a blue screen and an arrow.
If I just let the system continue its boot without hitting the esc key and going to the startup menu, then it starts to load windows but eventually also ends up on the blue screen with the white arrow.
I have made a set of recovery discs but can't get the system to load from them either. Repeatedly hitting F11 on startup doesn't stop the system from trying to load windows and then the blue screen. Hitting F9 just gets me to a black screen with a line of incomprehensible characters.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I really suspect that your hard drive is bad and will have to be replaced. Not sure though if this would also be causing the problem of booting from Recovery Disks. Can you boot from any other disk?
Get a utility cd such as PW. It will allow you to test hard drive, format it if possible.Scroll down on the page and get> Bootable CD ISO and> ImgBurn to burn the iso image to cd-a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here. Once created, boot from it. Delete any hdd partitions, create one and format.
******Clicking the Thumbs-Up button is a way to say -Thanks!.******
**Click Accept as Solution on a Reply that solves your issue to help others**

Lib error in brasero - won't launch

n/m - I originally searched for brasero *and* libtotem and got no threads, but i see one now, here:
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=38631
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
since the last update brasero is missing libtotem-plparser.so.1:
slackhack@arch1:~ $ brasero
brasero: error while loading shared libraries: libtotem-plparser.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
slackhack@arch1:~ $ li libtotem
/usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so.7.1.1
/usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so
/usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so.7
no bug report - anyone else duplicating this? thanks.
>> edit: "fixed" with:
cp /usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so.7.1.1 /usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so.1
not sure if that means it's just a small error or typo in the coding related to version numbering of the library, or if it's more serious, but it seems to launch at least. can't test it atm because i'm currently burning with k3b... will try in a few minutes...
Last edited by slackhack (2007-10-17 22:51:50)

hussam wrote:
Don't "cp /usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so.7.1.1 /usr/lib/libtotem-plparser.so.1 " That's a very bad approach.
You simply need to recompile brasero against the new totem-plparser and it will be fine.
yeah, that's why i put "fixed" in quotes like that.
the symlink approach seems to work as a kluge for now, at least. The person who started the original thread should probably file a bug report so it can be fixed properly.

Bus Error, System Pref won't launch

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for