# Lightroom won't run, help!



## Lofty (Apr 10, 2018)

Hi Guys,

My first post, please be gentle! So I updated to 7.3, backed up my Catalogue. Everything was good. Came to start Lightroom this morning and got the following popup:  'Lightroom might have encountered user permission issues on Launch. Lightroom is quitting.   AgPathUtils.getStandardFilePath: can't create directory at: /Users/jon/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom. Error message = %@' I then have OK and More Info buttons. OK Quits, More Info takes me to a trouble shooting page, which I have followed. Doesn't seem to help. After Victoria's last email I have refrained from doing anything rash.

Any help much appreciated.

Lofty


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 10, 2018)

As the message says, Lightroom wants to create a new folder in '/Users/jon/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom', but it can't. Probably because there is a permissions problem with this folder.  So in the Finder, choose the 'Go' menu and then 'Library'. If that menu doesn't show, then hold the Option-key. In that Library folder go to the 'Application Support' folder and inside that folder to 'Adobe'. Check the permissions of this folder and the permissions of the 'Lightroom' subfolder (select it, then choose 'Get Info'). What does it say at the bottom of the Info dialog?


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## Lofty (Apr 10, 2018)

Permissions on the Adobe Folder are Read & Write, however there is no Lightroom Folder just a shortcut!


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## Lofty (Apr 10, 2018)

Sorry, Alias......


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 10, 2018)

That's it! Lightroom tries to create a 'Lightroom' folder, but MacOS X does not allow it to overwrite a file (and an alias is a file) by a folder. So trash that alias (I don't know where it comes from anyway) and try again.


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## Lofty (Apr 10, 2018)

That's definitely the answer Johan, thank you. Lightroom needs that folder to write the Startup Preferences file and Color Profiles folder into.

Removed the Alias and created the Folder and all sorted thank you


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## LouieSherwin (Apr 11, 2018)

JohanElzenga said:


> That's it! Lightroom tries to create a 'Lightroom' folder, but MacOS X does not allow it to overwrite a file (and an alias is a file) by a folder. So trash that alias (I don't know where it comes from anyway) and try again.


 
Hi Johan,

This seems to be a problem. I believe Lightroom or any application for that matter should recognize that  the target is an alias or symlink and simply follow the link to the desired location and not throw an error. 

I think that this should be reported as a bug. 

-louie


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 11, 2018)

LouieSherwin said:


> Hi Johan,
> 
> This seems to be a problem. I believe Lightroom or any application for that matter should recognize that  the target is an alias or symlink and simply follow the link to the desired location and not throw an error.
> 
> ...



No, it's not a bug. Lightroom *will* follow a symbolic link (I use that all the time), but it *can't* follow an alias because of the nature of an alias (which is Finder-dependent).


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## LouieSherwin (Apr 11, 2018)

JohanElzenga said:


> No, it's not a bug. Lightroom *will* follow a symbolic link (I use that all the time), but it *can't* follow an alias because of the nature of an alias (which is Finder-dependent).



Hmm, for some reason I thought that this had been resolved in the more recent OS releases.  It certainly could have been as they are  essentially the same and with OS S filesystem it certainly would be possible to implement aliased as symlinks. The converse is true as my symlinks show in finder as aliases.  

I have and still occasionally come across an application that still choke on symlinks.  It seems to have to do with which system calls are made to resolve the full path to a file or folder.  I tend to stumble across that as I have used a symlink to relocate my home directory to dedicated HD for many years. But I haven't had any problems lately. 

With  the problems related to updating the profiles with the current release with at least one report relating to symlinks I have been holding off going to 7.3 until the dust settles. Also I am about to take off to Europe for a month and I want to take a stable system with me.

-louie


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## Johan Elzenga (Apr 11, 2018)

An alias is different from a symlink in two ways. First of all, it works only with the Finder, so other apps can't follow it. And secondly -because it works with the Finder- it does not get broken when the original is moved. That has always been the case and AFAIK, nothing changed with recent updates.


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## PixelPops (May 7, 2018)

I, too, am having trouble with LR Classic CC 7.3 launching. Running Sierra 10.13.4.  From this thread I looked at the permissions in the folder that it suggested and I have read and write capabilities. LR tries to start, the icon on the doc jumps up and down and then quits. There are no error messages and progress screens. It just does nothing.  I have uninstalled CC and the app and reinstalled both without success.  I'd sure appreciate some assistance. thanks


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## Victoria Bampton (May 26, 2018)

Hi PixelPops, sorry we missed you. Are you up and running now?


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## PixelPops (May 26, 2018)

I am back up. But had to do a work around. Neither Adobe or Apple could figure out even after they deleted everything and reset permissions. I had to create a new computer user and transfer all over. Thanks for checking up.


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## Victoria Bampton (May 27, 2018)

Oh good, thanks for the update.


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