macOS installation of TeamViewer fails with the message "The package is trying to install content to
I have a 'new' macbook pro circa 2013 that I've initialized to Catalina 10.15.2 and used the Migration Wizard to transfer my files from my prior mid-2009 Mac (running the dosdude1 version of Catalina 10.15.2). When attempting to run TeamViewer it would try to start and then disappear.
I ended up uninstalling it via "App Cleaner and uninstaller.app" (from the App Store). Now when I attempt to reinstall TeamViewer (via a newly downloaded .dmg from the TeamViewer web site) it gets part way through the install and then, after I type in my SysAdmin password, I get:"The package is trying to install content to the System Volume. This package is incompatible with this version of MacOS. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance"
I tried a number of things to get past this including disabling SIP, running the installer via terminal, examining the installer.log file, removing the auth.db on the system volume, etc. all to no avail. I'm suspecting there is something about my installation that is confusing the installer/OS but heck if I can find what it is.
Can anybody help?
Best Answer
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Well I figured this out!
The folder structure on my hard disk was messed up, in theory due to using the Timemachine backup restore when rebuilding my mac. The short version is that /tmp was not present. Once I corrected that, the TeamViewer installer ran like a dream.
The longer version...
The proper disk structure is for /tmp to actually be a symbolic link to /private/tmp. In my case this was setup properly BUT the folder /private/tmp was ALSO a symbolic link to /private/tmp. This caused a circular reference and the installer would just detect that it did not have access to /tmp, and would display the message in the original post, and would quit.
I fixed this using Terminal and the following commands:
- cd /private
- sudo mv tmp tmp1
- sudo mkdir tmp
- sudo chmod 1777 tmp
- sudo rm -f tmp1
What do these do?
- go to the correct starting directory
- gets the existing incorrect symbolic link for tmp1 out of the way
- creates a new tmp folder
- sets the permissions on the folder to Read/Write/Execute for the user group and world, and sets the sticky bit so that only owners of files within /tmp can delete thier files
- gets rid of the old symbolic link.
- Note: its important to run these commands using sudo so that the final directory is owned by root in the wheel group.
Hope this helps others with the same issue.
5
Answers
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Bueller?
0 -
Any luck with installing Teamviewer 15 on Catalina (10.15.2)?
I'm experiencing the same problem - error message that says that TV is trying to install content to system volume.
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Sorry to say, no progress at all. Wish I could call tech support but I only use the free version to support my mothers Mac.
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Same problem. I even tried buying the paid version hoping that the tech support wold fix it - but they never even tried
0 -
Well I figured this out!
The folder structure on my hard disk was messed up, in theory due to using the Timemachine backup restore when rebuilding my mac. The short version is that /tmp was not present. Once I corrected that, the TeamViewer installer ran like a dream.
The longer version...
The proper disk structure is for /tmp to actually be a symbolic link to /private/tmp. In my case this was setup properly BUT the folder /private/tmp was ALSO a symbolic link to /private/tmp. This caused a circular reference and the installer would just detect that it did not have access to /tmp, and would display the message in the original post, and would quit.
I fixed this using Terminal and the following commands:
- cd /private
- sudo mv tmp tmp1
- sudo mkdir tmp
- sudo chmod 1777 tmp
- sudo rm -f tmp1
What do these do?
- go to the correct starting directory
- gets the existing incorrect symbolic link for tmp1 out of the way
- creates a new tmp folder
- sets the permissions on the folder to Read/Write/Execute for the user group and world, and sets the sticky bit so that only owners of files within /tmp can delete thier files
- gets rid of the old symbolic link.
- Note: its important to run these commands using sudo so that the final directory is owned by root in the wheel group.
Hope this helps others with the same issue.
5
