Member Avatar for zillah

I have got problem with my friend's iMAC G5, that Safari won't launch on Mac OS X 10.3.9.

What I did was below

1- Go to Hard Disk/Library/Receipts and delete all files referring to Safari

2- Go to Home/Library/and delete the folder Safari (I will lose the bookmarks)

3- Then I downloaded Safari from the link below:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safari.html

But still Safari won't relaunch.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by John A

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Brief summary and focused diagnostics based on the thread: removed Safari-related receipts and the user Safari folder, ran a downloaded Safari installer package, and now no Safari.app appears on the machine; the installer refused to put the app on the volume and the Safari binary is not present. ’s suggestions to keep software current and check permissions are good initial steps, but the installer refusal points to a compatibility or target-volume problem that requires a slightly different set of checks.

Actionable troubleshooting (in order):

  • Remove the .pkg from the Applications folder (leave it in Downloads) and run it from there. Installer packages should be executed where they were downloaded, not stored in /Applications first.
  • Inspect the Installer log (Installer app → Window → Installer Log, set to show all messages) when running the package. The log will state whether the package was rejected for OS version, CPU architecture, disk format, or lack of space — that is the single most useful diagnostic.
  • Confirm the Mac’s exact system information (Apple menu → About This Mac) so the package requirements can be compared to the machine’s OS version and processor (G5 = PowerPC). If the package is targeted at a different CPU family or newer OS, the installer will decline silently.
  • If compatibility is unclear, right‑click the .pkg → Show Package Contents and inspect the Distribution/PackageInfo or Info plist inside for minimum OS or target-architecture notes. If the package is incompatible but contains the app payload, a tool such as Pacifist (third‑party) can extract Safari.app directly.

Other checks and cautions:

  • Ensure the target volume is the boot disk, formatted Mac OS Extended (HFS+), not read‑only or a network/USB volume, and has free space. If disk structure might be corrupt, run Disk Utility’s Verify/Repair Disk from the install DVD environment (not just Repair Permissions).
  • Because the local Safari folder was removed earlier, bookmarks may be lost unless there’s a backup; look for any Bookmarks.plist copies in user backups or shared locations before proceeding with destructive fixes.

These diagnostics will reveal whether the problem is a bad installer, the wrong package for Panther/G5, or an underlying disk/volume issue.

Recommended Answers

All 11 Replies

Member Avatar for John A

First of all, you should run Software Update to make sure that all your software is current. Safari might even be included in this, as the latest version is 1.3.2. Regardless, you should make sure that everything is up to date before proceeding.

If Safari still hasn't been updated, grab the , which will then allow you to install the .

Member Avatar for zillah

First of all, you should run Software Update to make sure that all your software is current.

I had already run update, I forgot to say that , but nothing it seems to me updated.

What I did from Apple menu tab I chose : "Software update",,,,Is that right ?

Member Avatar for John A

>What I did from Apple menu tab I chose : "Software update",,,,Is that right ?
Yep. Did you try updating before or after you installed Safari 1.2? Try once more just to be certain. If the Software Update still hasn't pulled in Safari 1.3, then you should try installing it from the links I posted.

Member Avatar for zillah

Did you try updating before or after you installed Safari 1.2?

After I installed Safari.

Try once more just to be certain

I will.

If the Software Update still hasn't pulled in Safari 1.3, then you should try installing it from the links I posted.

I will do that and update you what has happened.

Thanks for your advise.

Member Avatar for zillah

Try once more just to be certain

I tried again, nothing happened.

If the Software Update still hasn't pulled in Safari 1.3, then you should try installing it from the links I posted.

I received this message :

You cannot install this software on this volume. This system cannot use this software.

Member Avatar for John A

Another thing you might want to try: open Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities), and repair disk permissions, then try opening Safari again.

If it still doesn't work, open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities as well), then copy and paste the following command:

/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari

Hit 'enter' to execute it. Finally, could you copy and paste the output resulting from the command here?

Member Avatar for zillah

Another thing you might want to try: open Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities), and repair disk permissions, then try opening Safari again.

I had already tried that , but it did not work.

I will try your other advice

Member Avatar for zillah

Hit 'enter' to execute it. Finally, could you copy and paste the output resulting from the command here?

I typed in as below
STATION12:~admin$ /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari
output was

-bash: /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari: No such file or directory
Member Avatar for John A

Okay, so I'm assuming that you installed Safari in your Applications folder? What text is produced if you just drag the Safari application onto the Terminal window? (Not the alias from the dock, but the actual application.)

Member Avatar for zillah

Okay, so I'm assuming that you installed Safari in your Applications folder?

Please correct me if I am doing wrong.

I darg "Safari_1.2.pkg" to the "Application" folder

Then I double clicked the "Safari_1.2.pkg" and installed it

Then restarted the PC

Am I doing right ?

After restart when I opend the "Application" folder again I found only : "Safari_1.2.pkg",,,,I can not drag and drop it to the terminal, because it is directory!!!!

Member Avatar for John A

You don't need to drag the Safari.pkg into your Applications folder (although it doesn't do any harm). All you have to do is double-click it, and run through the installer. After doing so, in your Applications folder you should have an application named Safari. Drag this onto the Terminal window, and some text will show on the Terminal window. You do not have to execute this, just copy and paste that text here.

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