10.5: Solve a repair permissions issue after 10.5.8 update

Aug 13, '09 07:30:00AM

Contributed by: robg

According to this thread in Apple Discussions, some users are noticing some odd entries in Disk Utility's Repair Permissions function after running the Combined Updater and then repairing permissions. It seems a number of files are coming up with absolutely no permissions. Other users, though, are seeing no such problems. After a long exchange, user 'Gerben Wierda' seems to have figured out the cause and a solution.

Gerben describes the problem and the suggested solution:

For files not installed yet, their permissions (and owner) are taken from nonexisting files during the update process and stored in the package Receipts (Base system). Obviously, the combo update may affect more files. Installing the update twice -- without repairing permissions between -- re-reads permissions from the files which, at that point, are available and the receipts are fixed.
So basically, if you installed the combined updater and then repaired permissions, you need to install the combined updater twice, back to back, and then repair permissions will work properly. I haven't tested this, as (being very honest here) I only ever consider repairing permissions on my system if I've got an issue that seems like it might be related to permissions.

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