Odd Os Update Discrepancy - 2010 MBA

[Ratsima]

The other day I was freeing up disk space on this old MBA. I deleted a bunch of unused apps and other old files and got the free space up to 17GB. Yesterday I noticed that the free space was suddenly down to 12GB. A search for files over 1GB revealed the presence of "Install macOS High Sierra" in the Applications folder with a Date Last Opened of yesterday. A look at the App Store shows that MacOS High Sierra was installed yesterday.

I did not download this installer nor did I run it.

About This Mac still shows 10.9.5 which is the last update I installed.

sw_vers from the command line also shows 10.9.5.

Any idea what’s going on here? How did that installer get downloaded and why does the App Store think it was installed?

 

[pigoo3]

A look at the App Store shows that MacOS High Sierra was installed yesterday.

I did not download this installer nor did I run it.

Any idea what’s going on here? How did that installer get downloaded and why does the App Store think it was installed?

Check all your auto-update settings.

Also at least once/day on each of my computers I get an auto-update reminder window...which I decline each & everyday...and the longest choice when I decline is "Tomorrow" (24 hours)...until I see it again. I need to do this each day for all three of my computers...and it gets really bothersome...I don't want to upgrade my OS. If I were to accidentally agree to the upgrade (by accidentally clicking on the wrong choice)...then I'm gonna get an OS upgrade (so I need to be VERY careful which selection I make each day (3x)).

Of course also got to be careful that a 2nd user of the same computer doesn't agree to an update (that you don't want).

- Nick

 

[Ratsima]

I have automatic updates turned on. But, I stopped getting OS update offers on this machine several years ago, so why now? And, why does the App Store say the update was installed when it wasn’t? And, why does the Finder say the installer was opened yesterday when it was not?

I certainly didn’t do it and my wife was in Probate Court all day yesterday and there’s no one else here.

There’s more here than meets the eye.

BTW, now that I have a High Sierra installer, should I do it? The machine only 2GB RAM, so I’m very hesitant. All the machine does is run she’ll scripts 24/7 and no one uses it for anything else.


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

 

[Ratsima]

(outdated link removed)

I think the screenshot says it all.

Who the heck was up before 5:00 AM to open this installer?


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

 

[Ratsima]

So, Nick was right. Apple went ahead and downloaded and tried to install High Sierra without my permission. (Don’t they usually ask about installing a major system upgrade? Especially a huge jump from 10.9 to 10.13? Maybe they thought they could sneak it past me in the early morning hours.)

From the console log:

Jun 10 04:48:26 Axe.local softwareupdated[240] : SWU: downloading "macOS High Sierra,  "
Jun 10 04:49:14 Axe.local softwareupdated[240] : SWU: installing "macOS High Sierra,  "

But, because of sandboxing, the install failed.

From the System log:

 Jun 10 04:48:27 Axe.local com.apple.authd[42]: Sandbox denied authorizing right 'system.install.app-store-software.standard-user' for authorization created by '/System/Library/CoreServices/Software Update.app/Contents/Resources/SoftwareUpdateConfigData' [3852]
Jun 10 04:48:27 Axe.local sandboxd[160] ([3852]): SoftwareUpdateCo(3852) deny authorization-right-obtain system.install.app-store-software.standard-user
Jun 10 04:48:45 Axe.local storeagent[354]: CKSoftwareMap: Registering with Daemon
Jun 10 04:48:58 Axe.local sudo[3898]:     root : TTY=unknown ; PWD=/private/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.yQBbHN/Scripts/com.apple.pkg.LegacyInstallAssistantAuto.DvYbuS ; USER=mnewman ; COMMAND=//System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Noticeboard.framework/Resources/nbctl poll
Jun 10 04:48:58 Axe.local launchservicesd[76]: Application App:"nbagent" asn:0x0-88088 pid:3900 refs=5 @ 0x7fc82859d3d0 tried to be brought forward, but isn't in fPermittedFrontApps ( ( "LSApplication:0x0-0x1001 pid=63 "loginwindow"")), so denying. : LASSession.cp #1481 SetFrontApplication() q=LSSession 100004/0x186a4 queue
Jun 10 04:48:58 Axe.local WindowServer[91]: [cps/setfront] Failed setting the front application to nbagent, psn 0x0-0x88088, securitySessionID=0x186a4, err=-13066
Jun 10 04:48:58 Axe.local nbagent[3900]: XPC Activity invoked with state=0
Jun 10 04:48:58 Axe.local nbctl[3899]: Poll finished with success=1 error=(null)
Jun 10 04:48:59 Axe.local sandboxd[160] ([3901]): nbstated(3901) deny ipc-posix-shm-read-data com.apple.AppleDatabaseChanged

But, apparently the App Store app didn’t get notified of the failure and still thinks it installed High Sierra.

This is messed up.


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

 

[Ratsima]

This from 9to5 Mac:

"Just to be clear, Apple will not automatically install macOS updates without your permission and the automatic download doesn’t change your Mac. It just takes up space or speeds up the upgrade process if you do want to start using the latest version of macOS. Automatic downloads will also only happen if your Mac is compatible with the macOS update that Apple is pushing."


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

 

[IWT]

What you could do with the macOS High Sierra Installer app is make a bootable version of it for future use on any Mac that is compatible with that OS.

You can do this with Diskmaker X - Create Bootable High Sierra Install Drive with Disk Maker

or follow Apple's way: How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

Why would you do this? Well having a bootable installer of that OS means that any time in the future that you want to install that app on any suitable Mac, you can do it straight from the USB Stick. Even when macOS High Sierra is no longer available. And the USB Installer can be used as often as you wish.

Having done that, you can then completely delete the Installer app from this computer, thus regaining the 5GB of space.

I guess you know this but Open App Store > Preferences and choose which options you want re Upgrades, Updates for the Mac and for third party apps.

Ian

 

[Ratsima]

All the other Macs I have are High Sierra or above, so I don’t really need an installer stick. I’m not likely to want High Sierra on this old MBA.

On the old MBA there's no option regarding OS downloads in the App Store pane ("Install macOS updates" isn’t an option). I want app updates to be downloaded and installed. I want system security updates to be installed.

What I don’t want is OS updates to be installed without asking me as was attempted in this instance. I’ve never seen this behavior before on any of the many Macs that I own.

The option I have checked says, "You will be notified when the updates are ready to be installed." That didn’t happen in this case. Maybe the installer did t want to disturb my sleep.

I should note that this machine has been running 24/7 for several years now and this is the first time it has ever automatically downloaded an OS update.

Why now? And, why try to install it?

 

[Ratsima]

I think I finally figured this out. Until I pruned away the excess junk on the hard drive, it was probably too full to install a new OS. Once I freed up some space, the High Sierra installer was downloaded.

I still think it should have asked my permission to actually try to install it.


Sent from my iPad using Mac-Forums

 

[IWT]

Mike,

You don't see this in Apple Store > Preferences -



Note what I have checked; and what the red arrows are pointing to. If you have these checked, then downloads can/will occur automatically.

Ian

 

[Ratsima]

Mine looks like this. No option to automatically install MacOS updates.


I want the updates to download automatically, but I want to be asked before they are installed.

It says, "You will be notified when the updates are ready to be installed."

I was not notified, it just went ahead and tried to install. Luckily for me, it failed.