No longer able to Install

[n0m0n]

This is strange:
Since yesterday whenever I try to install a new app or upgrade an existing one, (via Installer) it runs its course and then automatically returns to the iPhone home screen.
In the past it would install / upgrade and then co back tothe Installer main page.

Could there be a confilct or a setting wrong?
I do have about 5 pages of applicaitons / icons (77) so maybe its reached its limit?

I dont know why upgrading a existing app would also be affected though.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[hanson]

Hey dude, i've got the same problem with some apps

categories.app for example.
I've tried to uninstall a lot of apps and then install categories.app ... doesn't work.

i figured out, that the app is saved in the "applications" folder, but it soesn't appear on the springboard.

could anyone of you guys help us out?

how can i manually delete apps completely? or are they ONLY saved in the applications folder? do't think so.

best regards ... hanson

[BigBoss]

Since yesterday whenever I try to install a new app or upgrade an existing one, (via Installer) it runs its course and then automatically returns to the iPhone home screen.
In the past it would install / upgrade and then co back tothe Installer main page.

For one thing you could be out fo disk space. Understand this has nothing to do with how much space you have free on your ipod storage. There are two hard disk partitions and the smaller one is only 300mb. Without apps installed you only get about 45mb free before it is full. It only takes a few apps and you're full! Now, depending on what you have installed we can troubleshoot it. Do you have ssh or termvt100? If you have either, get into your phone and type "df -h" it will show the amount of free space. If your disk is full there are fixes for that as well.

categories.app for example.
I've tried to uninstall a lot of apps and then install categories.app ... doesn't work.

I'd love to help you out, but "doesn't work" just isn't any bit of information to go off. What doesn't work? What does happen? What steps do you take and what is the result? Please provide some details and perhaps an example.

how can i manually delete apps completely? or are they ONLY saved in the applications folder? do't think so.

Most are but if you use installer and you manually delete them, they will still show up inside installer.

Since yesterday whenever I try to install a new app or upgrade an existing one, (via Installer) it runs its course and then automatically returns to the iPhone home screen.

This is installer crashing. If you have SSH installed, you could run it directly by connecting to the phone and typing /Applications/Installer.app/Installer then if it crashes you may get an idea of what the last output on the screen was prior to the crash. We can go from there.

[techgirl]

Big Boss - Could def use your help. I've been without installer for like 4 days. It's killing me. Mine definitely isn't a space issue, I successfully moved my apps like 2 mths ago. However, I can't even get to refreshing sources, well maybe once in a while, but mainly just shuts down. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the app, but no success. Can you please help? Thanks

[dlubbat]

Hey BigBoss. I am also having the same problem. I have 82 apps on my homescreen. When I try to install anything kind of app via installer it crashes. When I install a theme or something for the customize.app it works perfectly fine. For example, I tried downloading the game Garf.app & iPhysics.app and th installer crashes. Can you please help me out? Thanks

[BigBoss]

Ok there are a couple things that I know makes installer crash. That is if you have ever "reset" your phone using the settings menu, it wipes your /var/root directory. If you did that then installer will crash when you load it almost right away. If you are able to refresh sources, then this is *not* your problem. If this is your problem we can fix it by giving installer a couple files it needs via ibrickr or ssh.

If the above does not apply, the best thing to do is to run installer via an SSH terminal. There will be output in the terminal that will tell you more what is going on and we can go from there based on the text we see. You need to be able to SSH into your phone. So SSH in and then type /Applications/Installer.app/Installer. When installer loads up, try to refresh and install something. When it crashes out we can see what happened (hopefully) by the output in the SSH window. You can paste it here.

Now, if you don't have SSH installed, this is a bit tricky. You can use installer to install open SSH but that's a catch 22 if installer doesnt work. I guess you could install dropbear using the windows sshify.bat stuff that came with jailbreak 1.1.1.
Let me know where you guys are at on this.

[techgirl]

I guess I'm confused about the ssh into part. You mean using terminal enter commands and it should produce an error? Installer should load on my Mac? So confused. My installer simply opens and then shuts, no sources or anything, so it seems like your 'need for files' explanation is the best for me. Please tell me where to get these files. Thanks

[BigBoss]

Ok so what do you have in /var/root/Library/Installer dir? Does that dir even exist?

Here are the files for the directory above. Just rename the Installer dir to something else and create a new one then extract these into it. I cant see where to upload a file so here is a link: http://markmon.mine.nu:90/Installer.zip

[techgirl]

LocalPackages.plist
PackagesSource.plist
RemotePackages.plist
Temp
TrustedSources
Uninstall Data
Uninstall Files

[BigBoss]

Your reply came as I was editing so I will post this to get your attention again.
Here are the files for the directory above. Just rename the Installer dir to something else and create a new one then extract these into it. I cant see where to upload a file so here is a link: http://markmon.mine.nu:90/Installer.zip

[techgirl]

YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST! It worked. Everyone, I guarantee his solution to work. Thanking you officially now! Thanks, Thanks, Thanks

Techgirl

[BigBoss]

YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST! It worked. Everyone, I guarantee his solution to work. Thanking you officially now! Thanks, Thanks, Thanks

Great, but you're not quite out of the woods yet. With those files, you have no apps, no sources installed. But you really do. What I would do is one by one replace the files you have back over the ones I sent you until you find which one is the culprit. If you can at least get the LocalPackages.plist in place that will allow the installer to recognize which apps you have installed.

[Ale_lock]

This has been happening to me also, it would download, update, install and thats when it boots back to the springboard.

I honestly feel its something with the sources rather than installer itself. I noticed that if the program has just been released, it will crash to springboard after trying to update/install but for example after waiting a couple hours to a day, stuff like catergories and listen updated without any issue and no tinkering on my part.

[n0m0n]

For one thing you could be out fo disk space. Understand this has nothing to do with how much space you have free on your ipod storage. There are two hard disk partitions and the smaller one is only 300mb. Without apps installed you only get about 45mb free before it is full. It only takes a few apps and you're full! Now, depending on what you have installed we can troubleshoot it. Do you have ssh or termvt100? If you have either, get into your phone and type "df -h" it will show the amount of free space. If your disk is full there are fixes for that as well.

Ok I want to attack these one by one.
I tried the above and did find that I have VERY low free space (18k) and this is after deleting a few apps.
You shared that there might be fixes, what might they be?

I normally use my PC to sync which has WinSCP, iBrickr, and Putty (never used putty though).
I also have a mac but I have never used iNdependence with my iPhone.
I say this to qualify your future instruction as to how to fix the memory issues.

Also above you said: "Do you have ssh or termvt100?"
I have both or so I think installed on my iPhone v1.1.1.
BUT in respect to SSH it only appears as a trigger or a on/off ( I access it via BossPref.) not a actual app with a associated icon.
Should there be a icon for it?

[dlubbat]

the same thing is happening to me too. I have never used putty before. I have ssh installed on my phone. I am running 1.1.2. When I try to install something my installer crashes back to the springboard. It's killing me because I have no idea why it is doing this. Can someone please walk me through this? I want to install BossPrefs.app but it won't let me...

[techgirl]

Guys, when BigBoss says 'ssh into' he means on your computer. If your on windows - winscp, mac - cyberduck or fugu. You will check your phone for the ip # 192.168.1.5 or something like that, enter that into the program with the username root, password alpine. Then download the file he attached above. In Var/ Root/ Library/ Installer, drag the file 'Local Packages' from the current Installer directory to your desktop. Drag the files you downloaded from BigBoss into the Installer directory. They will replace the old bad files. Now, take the 'Local Packages' file you downloaded and move back to Installer app directory. This allows the app to know what files you already have on the phone.

Worked very well for me! Thanks again BigBoss.

Great, but you're not quite out of the woods yet. With those files, you have no apps, no sources installed. But you really do. What I would do is one by one replace the files you have back over the ones I sent you until you find which one is the culprit. If you can at least get the LocalPackages.plist in place that will allow the installer to recognize which apps you have installed.

Yep. Of course I got this once I had replaced the LocalPackages.plist with the new one, so I have to scroll through hundreds of apps! Could I use someone elses? Would that work?

Thanks

[n0m0n]

Guys, when BigBoss says 'ssh into' he means on your computer. If your on windows - winscp, mac - cyberduck or fugu. You will check your phone for the ip # 192.168.1.5 or something like that, enter that into the program with the username root, password alpine. Then download the file he attached above. In Var/ Root/ Library/ Installer, drag the file 'Local Packages' from the current Installer directory to your desktop. Drag the files you downloaded from BigBoss into the Installer directory. They will replace the old bad files. Now, take the 'Local Packages' file you downloaded and move back to Installer app directory. This allows the app to know what files you already have on the phone.

Worked very well for me! Thanks again BigBoss.



Yep. Of course I got this once I had replaced the LocalPackages.plist with the new one, so I have to scroll through hundreds of apps! Could I use someone elses? Would that work?

Thanks

Thanks for the clarity in respect to SSH.
I use WinSCP and switch SSH on on my phone.

My problem appears not to be a program in installer but low memory, so I was interested as to what is meant by there is a fix if it was a memory issue.
Maybe I did not represent myself clearly above.
Sorry if that is the case.

Thanks

[fmg00]

Since yesterday I'm having the same problem, the only thing I updated related to Installer were the community sources...

[billchase2]

Seems like I have the same issue too.

When I go to install/update an app, it downloads, then gets about half way through the installation and then quits to the home screen.

[BigBoss]

Ok I want to attack these one by one.
I tried the above and did find that I have VERY low free space (18k) and this is after deleting a few apps.
You shared that there might be fixes, what might they be?

Yep, sorry, but this will be sort of hard. But the fact that you have the ability to SSH to your phone is great.
There is a tool to automate this but unfortunately, you don't have enough disk space to install it. So let's get started. The first thing we will do is move something sort of harmless like ringtones. That may free up enough space to install the tool that will automate the rest of this.
1) SSH to your phone (or load term, either one).
2) Type these commands:
cp -r /Library/Ringtones /var
rm -rf /Library/Ringtones
ln -s /var/Ringtones /Library/Ringtones
3) repeat with wallpaper
cp -r /Library/Wallpaper /var
rm -rf /Library/Wallpaper
ln -s /var/Wallpaper /Library/Wallpaper
df -h (this will show you your free space).
4) Now you should have more than 8mb free with the df -h command. You will need at least 5mb free for the next step:
5) Load installer and add my repository: http://sleepers.net/iphonerepo
6) Install bosstool from utilities
7) Load the disk space section and click "relocate applications".
The reason you want to use bosstool to do the last step is that it will check your permissions in your /etc/fstab to make sure the applications are on a drive marked for execution permissions. (Note, if you can free up enough space to install bosstool you can do all the above steps in the tool)
Anyways, after this you can uninstall bosstool. You dont need it anymore. Reboot the phone and you're good to go hopefully.

If all the above seems too hard, you can start uninstalling stuff in the /Applications dir that you dont need. You need to free up about 5 mb of hdd space. Then when you do that, install bossprefs, run it, move all the 3 folders, reboot, and install your stuff back. In fact, maybe that's the better way.
(PS: don't kill me if I typed some of the commands above incorrectly. I did this off the top of my head. If you aren not familar with unix perhaps the method to unisntall apps to free space then use bosstool is the best.).

I normally use my PC to sync which has WinSCP, iBrickr, and Putty (never used putty though).
I also have a mac but I have never used iNdependence with my iPhone.
I say this to qualify your future instruction as to how to fix the memory issues.

Putty is on PC. I guess on OSX you just use terminal. I'm not sure how you SSH but you need to be able to ssh to your phone.. or just use the terminal vt100 app.

BUT in respect to SSH it only appears as a trigger or a on/off ( I access it via BossPref.) not a actual app with a associated icon.
Should there be a icon for it?

Nope, this is exactly how it should work. It comes with no GUI configurator. Thats why you need a tool like bossprefs to toggle it.