Could not install (null) screen saver

[purplespud]

Howdy,

Attempting install "Aerial.saver" (v1.7.1) and preference pane is opened and I am met with "Could not install (null) screen saver" OK.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) 10.15.2

[glouel]

Hi @purplespud

Did you have a previous version installed before ? You must close System Preferences and not keep it open before double clicking the .saver file.

[purplespud]

I read that somewhere and System Preferences was indeed closed. On double clicking the install it opens the preferences pane and a slide down sheet arrives with that message "Could not install (null) screen saver" OK.

[glouel]

Is this the first time you tried to install Aerial ?

I'm wondering if your file might be corrupted. Can you please try redownloading from this link and try again : https://github.com/JohnCoates/Aerial/releases/download/v1.7.1/Aerial.saver.zip

?

Edit : 2 more things, first, do you get a prompt that asks to install for your user or all users before that error or not ? Second, if you option click the Aerial.saver before and ask for info, here's the size of the file : 16  457  217 bytes

[purplespud]

Thanks for help. Just tried that for you but same issue. Yes, I did have previous version installed. Q: do you get a prompt that asks to install for your user or all users before that error or not ? NO Q: if you option click the Aerial.saver before and ask for info... YES file size is 16,457,217

Restarted computer and also have deleted previous version and restarted to no avail. Same issue

[glouel]

Ok, sorry about that. I just tried installing 1.7.1 here on my main machine to double check, and in a VM and it works correctly just in case something with notarization was amiss.

So, here's my suggestion, please launch Console.app, this is Apple's logging thing. Top right, there's a filter field, type screensaver and validate.

Now, try to install, it will probably fail, but you'll see a bunch of stuff being added in the console window. Can you copy paste this info ? This might tell me more about your issue.

Thanks !

[purplespud]

Thanks and sorry for MULTIPLE EDITS:

Is this it?

Feb 17 12:36:24 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.preference.desktopscreeneffect.screeneffects.remoteservice[8105]: objc[8105]: Class CIScreenSaverView is implemented in both /System/Library/Screen Savers/Shell.saver/Contents/MacOS/Shell (0x10ff58528) and /System/Library/Screen Savers/Arabesque.saver/Contents/MacOS/Arabesque (0x10edfcd60). One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. Feb 17 12:36:24 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.preference.desktopscreeneffect.screeneffects.remoteservice[8105]: objc[8105]: Class CIScreenSaverOpenGLLayer is implemented in both /System/Library/Screen Savers/Shell.saver/Contents/MacOS/Shell (0x10ff58578) and /System/Library/Screen Savers/Arabesque.saver/Contents/MacOS/Arabesque (0x10edfcdb0). One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. Feb 17 12:36:24 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.preference.desktopscreeneffect.screeneffects.remoteservice[8105]: objc[8105]: Class CIScreenSaverMetalLayer is implemented in both /System/Library/Screen Savers/Shell.saver/Contents/MacOS/Shell (0x10ff585c8) and /System/Library/Screen Savers/Arabesque.saver/Contents/MacOS/Arabesque (0x10edfce00). One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. Feb 17 12:36:42 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.Computer-Name[8106]): Service did not exit 5 seconds after SIGTERM. Sending SIGKILL. Feb 17 12:36:42 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLife-Slideshow-Extension[8108]): Service did not exit 5 seconds after SIGTERM. Sending SIGKILL. Feb 17 12:36:42 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.Engine.legacyScreenSaver[8107]): Service did not exit 5 seconds after SIGTERM. Sending SIGKILL.

[glouel]

@purplespud thanks for doing this !

So, this line may be it " __dirhelper_create_relative_with_error: error Operation not permitted"

I have to ask, are you running some company management tool (MDM) on your mac ? Here's a suggestion, can you select a Finder window, then pick "Go to folder". Looks like that here in french, the one in blue:

Then paste ~/Library/Screen Savers in the finder window.

This should show you your user's screensaver folder. Now, take the Aerial.saver file and copy it there. Then launch System Preferences, Aerial should be there. If you see an error when copying the file, there might be something denying you access to the folder or something, if you do let me know.

Sorry about all that in any case !

[purplespud]

No, company management or mdm.

That got it to show up in preferences but my new friend I am afraid the preview is just a black screen and screen saver options is greyed out.

[glouel]

That's wild.

Sorry to ask a few more questions/suggest more things, as I'm trying to think this through.

• First, can you close system preferences (leave the file where it is). Then open Console.app again, do the filter thing with screensaver, it should be blank now (and you can clear previous messages if it's not). Then launch System Preferences and select Aerial in the control panel. Now paste all that has appeared in Console.app

• Second, how did you download Aerial, did you use Safari or another browser ? If so which. And after download, did you have a zip file that you had to unzip, or did you have a .saver file directly ?

• Third, you may want to give another build of Aerial a shot, although I'm doubtful this is the issue. Here's the latest build I made earlier today : https://github.com/glouel/Aerial/releases/download/v1.7.2beta4/Aerial.saver.zip

Catalina sandboxing is weird, but I haven't had many install issues of the sort you are having right now...

[purplespud]

Was Safari and it was a zip on arrival. Did try other build before posting original issue. Console output in a second

[purplespud]

Feb 17 14:26:33 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.Engine.legacyScreenSaver[2537]): Service exited due to SIGKILL | sent by legacyScreenSaver[2537] Feb 17 14:26:36 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLife-Slideshow-Extension[2527]): Service exited due to SIGKILL | sent by iLifeSlideshows[2527] Feb 17 14:26:36 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.Computer-Name[2525]): Service exited due to SIGKILL | sent by Computer Name[2525] Feb 17 14:26:36 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.Engine.legacyScreenSaver[2526]): Service exited due to SIGKILL | sent by legacyScreenSaver[2526]

[purplespud]

your beta link same problem. tried another browser to download, same issue. Can I shout "tabarnouche" without offending!

[glouel]

Console output in a second

Ok, that's not as helpful as I would have hoped.

Feb 17 14:26:36 Jamess-MacBook-Pro com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.ScreenSaver.iLife-Slideshow-Extension[2527]): Service exited due to SIGKILL | sent by iLifeSlideshows[2527]this is one of Apple's screensavers misbehaving but I've seen that elsewhere and shouldn't be linked to your issue.

Did try other build before posting original issue.

Ok :(

Was Safari and it was a zip on arrival.

Ok, this might sound weird, but it might be your issue depending on what tool you used to unzip. With gatekeeper and sandboxing, some metadata may not get preserved. May I suggest you try this, go to Safari's menu, Preferences, then enable that setting I circled in red. Safari will unzip for you (you can revert afterwards, but this may be it).

Now download again (delete whaterver .saver/zip file is remaining from your previous tries first), make sure you get a .saver file, then double click that.

Can I shout "tabarnouche" without offending!

Yes you can !

If you still have an issue, the last thing I'd recommend is doing the Console.app thing, but without filtering with screensaver. Instead, on the left, you'll see something like "All messages" and "Errors and failures" (or something roughly like that). Click the errors and failures thing.

Your list should now only show stuff with yellow/red dots. Clear again the output, then launch again System Preferences and click Aerial in the screensaver panel. The error might show up here.

Again sorry to ask so many various things !

[purplespud]

!vous êtes un héros!

The safari trick worked!

Thanks you so much for your time and effort.

No idea what is going on with the unzipping. mind blown.

[glouel]

Yes !! Thanks for sticking with me through it !

I'm pretty sure it's an issue with whatever tool you are using to unzip. It's probably older than Catalina and probably wipes some extended attributes or puts the unzipped files in a weird state.

With gatekeeper, when you download a program from the internet, the file normally gets quarantined. Gatekeeper will check if the file is notarized (I have to register every build of Aerial with Apple so they sign it) before allowing it to be launched.

So my suggestion, keep the safari thing, and update your unzip thing, as this will be an issue for any zip file you download in Catalina that contains an app ! Take care !