Safari 3.1.2 for Tiger (#2): will not launch; problems installing

Will not launch Some users have reported problems launching Safari after applying the 3.1.2 update. One reader writes:

"After the update, Safari will not open. I get the unexpedly quit error message. I trashed it and reinstalled manually -- same problem. I guess I'm going to get more familiar with Firefox now."

There are a variety of causes for an inability to launch Safari, including:

• a corrupt general .plist file (delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist
• corrupt caches (delete the contents of ~/Library/Caches/Safari
• problematic plug-ins (look in /Library/Internet Plug-Ins and ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins

Generally deleting (or temporarily removing from their current location) any of the aforementioned files will not result in the erasure of any important data. The launching problem will be solved and you'll only need to reconfigure a few settings.

One source of failed Safari launches, however, is more problematic. If the bookmarks.plist (~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist) file becomes corrupt and prevents a Safari launch, the brute solution is to simply delete this file. This will, however, result in the deletion of all currently stored bookmarks.

There are two options if you don't want to lose your bookmarks:

• Move the file ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist to a different location then restart Safari, which will cause the creation of a new bookmarks.plist file. Then use a utility like PlistEditPro to extract your old bookmarks manually and re-enter them.
• As discovered by MacFixIt reader Art Robertson, navigate to ~/Library/Caches/Metadata/Safari/Bookmarks and find the file that is your default home page (you can do this by selecting "Get Info" in the Finder and looking under "More Info"). Sometimes launching this file will result in Safari being correctly able to access the page and properly launch.

Problems installing There appears to be some confusion regarding the Safari 3.1.2 update, which is only for Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger). Some Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard) users downloaded the update and received the odd error message "Requires Mac OS X 10.5.2"

If you are running Mac OS X 10.5.x, use the Safari 3.1.1 download or update to Mac OS X 10.5.4.

Previous coverage:

• Safari 3.1.2 for Tiger released

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