Protection Error [SOLVED]

Hi guys. I have developed a weird and frustrating problem suddenly on my Mac Mini Logic Rig. This morning i was having trouble with a Library on an External Drive and i had to Force Quit Logic and restart my computer. It's unrelated to my problem because i've tried all combinations of booting without it mounted and booting Empty Logic Sessions or existing Projects, all with and no effect on the new issue. I just think the Force Quit caused it. So now, if i try to open Logic with my computer online, i get the Protection Error Dialogue Box telling me Logic is running on another computer, which is isn't. I even took my other computer completely offline and that still didn't fix the problem. The only way i can open Logic is to take my Music Computer offline while working in Logic. Not the end of the world but a drag. And when i DID get Logic running i happened to notice in the Bounce Dialogue Box that Logic thinks i have 2 mac Minis. Or at least that what i think it thinks! Any thoughts as to what has been corrupted by the Force Quit and what i can do?

 

The (2) after the macmini name is not there looking at things in the Finder

 

Thanks in advance

You've most likely got some kind of network issue where traffic is seeing your Mac as another computer on the network (hence the protection error.)

 

Have a look at your network config. I have heard of this before, some searches might turn up some more info if no one else drops in with some tips...

if i try to open Logic with my computer online, i get the Protection Error Dialogue Box telling me Logic is running on another computer, which is isn't.

 

How do you know for sure? When your computer is online, any other computer connected to the internet is in your internet network. If anyone got your serial number one way or another, and runs Logic with your serial, you will get that alert.

 

So ask yourself if it's possible that someone stole your serial, and contact Apple to see what they can do.

Thanks for the reply David. My network is at my home and it's just my MBP connected with an Ethernet Cable and my macmini connected via WiFi. Password protected and realistically, it's just me. No one has my Logic Serial. And like i said, all started after the crash. Even the weird "(2)" after my macmini name in the Bounce Dialogue. Strange things have happened with this Force Quit

The problem you have is related to having a 'Ghost' network drive/share on your system

 

To remove the 'ghost' drive/share see the following article but be aware, do not try this unless you are reasonably comfortable using terminal... and read all of the article before attempting.

 

http://superuser.com/questions/20879/how-to-remove-duplicate-ghost-network-drive-on-os-x

Thanks for your help n6smith. Really appreciate it. I'll put up with things till the weekend, then clone my drive, sit down and see if i'm brave enough to attempt the fix.

The problem you have is related to having a 'Ghost' network drive/share on your system

 

Thanks for chiming in. I'd never heard of that ghost network volume issue before - how do you know that's the problem in peeb's case?

I know David. Me neither. I was talking to a buddy yesterday and saying i think because of the usual "Macs just work" thing, which is largely true, we NEVER have to deal with things on this kind of level. Mostly we've never even heard of them. I'm going to try several things to fix it. Firstly i'm going to clone the drive exactly as it is, just to have a copy. I also have a current Time Machine back up which luckily wasn't connected while all this was going on, so it's definitely unaffected by this issue. Then i'll try the solution using Terminal and if doesn't work i'll try a full restore from Time Machine, and as well as all that have the clone i make today (problems and all) as a safety. I'm a bit paranoid about archiving

Good luck to you peeb. Please do let us know how it turns out!

Thanks David. Definitely will let the forum know what does and doesn't work. For the next poor bugger

Sorted. But i was too chicken to try the Terminal fix n7smith kindly pointed me to. Thanks n6smith anyway. Greatly appreciated. Luckily, as i said, i'm paranoid about archiving so i ended up replacing the External Drive that initially caused the crash using its clone. Nothing wrong with the drive itself but it was an incompatibility issue with an Energy Saver Drive, the enclosure it was in, and the way Ivory wanted it to behave. Gave me no end of grief so this was the impetus to sort it. I also bought a faster 2.5" drive, did a Time Machine restore to it, then installed it in my Mac Mini. A few issues but nothing that won't get fixed a small problem at a time over the next few days

 

So this is a long winded post to say thanks for the help, and saying thank God (or Steve Jobs) for Time Machine!

Well thanks for reporting back from the front. Glad to hear it wasn't a stolen SN issue as I was originally suspecting.

Yeah that would have been awful David. I think if it were, i would have messed about trying to sort it for a few days and then cracked and gone out to buy Logic again!

Actually I believe with a proof of purchase you should be able to contact Apple to ask for a new serial number - but I've never been in this situation before.

Well that's even WORSE because i wouldn't have thought of that! I would have repurchased Logic, posted here what i'd done, and THEN you would have set me straight Dodged a bullet

 

Anyways, thanks again and thanks for this INVALUABLE Forum

You're welcome! Anytime!

David/Peeb,

 

(Updated with further info for clarity)

 

The reason I gave that response is that I have been through that exact same scenario myself.. and it drove me nuts until i got some advice from one of the clued up Apple techs in my area who 'hand held' me through the solution.. which worked perfectly. The 'clue' was the (2) showing up after the computer/HD name... I have actually had a couple of issues relating to ghost network drives/computers which OS X still thinks exists... with other programs too. The most common program affected by this weird issue is usually Time Machine... when it suddenly stops being able to write to a drive because the drive no longer exists in reality and has been renamed to something like backup (2) instead of backup as a quick example... These 'ghosts' can sit around for ages in the system and are a real pain to get rid of until I found this admittedly slightly scary solution but it does indeed work and fixes it great.

 

The usual cause (as far as I understand it at least..) of a 'ghost' is something akin to a power failure by which the drive/share is still active when the computer unexpectedly shuts down and then as it reboots it thinks the drive is still there so it creates a new share leaving the old one behind as a ghost...

 

Anyhow, that's the background behind my last post... Thanks for letting me chime in again......

 

Cheers...

Edited November 15, 2010 by n6smith

Nigel, thanks so much for detailing your answer, helps understand your troubleshooting method. I'm sure it'll help others!

Nigel, thanks so much for detailing your answer, helps understand your troubleshooting method. I'm sure it'll help others!

 

Thanks David and my apologies for not giving more detail initially... No excuse.. Just typed in a hurry!

 

Cheers..

Nigel, you're a legend and a gentleman for helping out and giving so much time and effort with your response. And yep, TIme Machine was not working either. I was honestly just fortunate to have a TM Back-Up less than a day old and my Logic Folder copied to a 3rd HD. So it was a matter of a full TM Restore, sorting out the Logic Folder, and i was back in business

 

The Ghost thing is fascinating and scary. I'm very glad for us both we made it out the other side. As i said, we are mostly spoiled here in Mac Land. I was at a friend's Studio today and he left me alone so i opened his Browser to read the pape while he was gone. It was a PC that is NEVER online and he got a bloody Virus! Sorted, but that's crazy!

 

Thanks again Nigel

Nigel, you're a legend.....

 

In my own lunchtime... possibly!

 

Thanks again Nigel

 

You are welcome...

 

Cheers..