Quicktime Can't open files after 10.4.10 update

[willrob]

I'm using Quicktime 7.16 and the latest OSX 10.4.10 update. Yesterday I downloaded the iPhone Guided Tour video and discovered that I couldn't get Quicktime to open it. I then discovered that Quicktime Player could not open any other file either—not aiff, .mov, mpeg, etc. I kept getting "Error opening Movie The Movie Could Not Be Opened."

I can view QT movies in a browser, I can drag them into iTunes and it can play them. It's only the Quicktime Player that can't. The application launches properly, it simply can't open a damn thing. I'm not sure when this happened, possibly after I updated to 10.4.10, but possibly before that. I have reinstalled the latest version of Quicktime, and reinstalled the combo updater for 10.4.10.

Is the a way to uninstall Quicktime completely? I've trashed the prefs, plug ins etc. But suspect there are framworks or some such. I'm thinking that if I can get all traces off it off and then reinstall it might solve the problem. I hate the idea of reinstall the total system, but may have to.

[Case]

I would start by applying some 'basic' Mac OS X troubleshooting: checking permissions and deleting system/user cache files (I don't mean your browser cache!) and also any prefs file relating to QT. Repairing permissions should be done before and after any update or installation. Clearing caches can solve many issues. (Font problems? Clear your font cache. Problems with any app? Clear that app's cache.) Cache files and Prefs files get read and written a lot, so that makes them likelier to go corrupt. Deleting either will force clean new files, without loosing any functionality.
There are some cache cleaning helper apps at the usual sites that will help you.

[rotuts]

I haven't installed 10.4.10 yet. Im hoping the QT problem is not systemic.

Im downloaded Chace OUt X just in case

its been a long time, to repair permissions I have to do that from the original DVDs that came w my MacPro, correct?

boot from them etc?

cheers

what a bummer if this is a systemic problem!

[willrob]

I don't think it's systemic. So far no one on the Apple Support forum has responded to my problem with a "Me too." So It's something unique to my system, I suspect. You can Repair Permissions without booting from the DVD, but if you want to Repair the Disk" you would need to. I'll report back when I have more news.

[rotuts]

How do I repair permissions w/o boot from DVD's?

just use the disk utilities in the appliction menu?

In on and Intel

about to reboot!

cheers and thank

[willrob]

Yes, repair permissions using Disk Utility. In fact, you aren't meant to Repair Permissions while booted from the DVD, since the permissions you need to repair are the one active in your system. But since your system isn't booted—the DVD's system is—you can't actually repair them.

Meanwhile here's an update on my original problem (which I still have). I installed Tiger on another hard drive, updated it to 10.4.10 and Quicktime 7.16. I have no problem playing Quicktime movies or sound files, etc. So the updates had nothing to do with it apparently.

I still don't know what to do to get my main start-up system to play Quicktime. I'm considering copying all the parts of QuicKtime from one drive to the other—frameworks and everything with Quicktime in the name. Since I use Cocktail, I can turn on invisible items, since much of OSX is invisible, I figure parts of Quicktime maybe also. Then I can be sure of getting everything.

Of course I know in advance that won't work, and I'll be faced with doing an archive and restore, and waste a day getting everything to work again.

[rotuts]

Will

sorry to hear of your troubles. I agree with you: archive and restore is a days work at the leaset!

Ill try to do the permission repair soon.

Of Note:

either here or in MacNN there was a lengthy and accurate discussion of just what the Permission issues is about.

i thought I kept it but can't find it

ring any bells?

cheers and good luck!

[willrob]

The one I recall was on MacFixit.com. It was one of their special reports.

[willrob]

After much aggravation, I have tracked down the problem. Some time ago, in order to watch some stupid video, I had installed an older DivX 5 plug-in. I'm not sure if it solved the problem I had back then, but it suddenly because the cause of a problem once I updated to QT 7.1.6. Newer DivX plug-ins are no problem.