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Update of Notion 4 fails - incorrectly signed

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2014 5:06 pm
by edwardjarchibald
I'm trying to update my Notion 4 to the latest version. I am currently running 4.0.325, 64-bit. After downloading the 71.1 MB update, I get the following message - I have tried this three times now:

Update Error!
The update is improperly signed.


Then I have a single choice: 'Cancel Update'

I am running Notion on a MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM and the following properties:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro10,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 16 GB
Boot ROM Version: MBP101.00EE.B02
SMC Version (system): 2.3f36

System Version: OS X 10.8.5 (12F45)
Kernel Version: Darwin 12.5.0
Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
Boot Mode: Normal
User Name: Administrator (integrity)
Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
Time since boot: 9:33

Any tips for getting this update to work would be appreciated!

Re: Update of Notion 4 fails - incorrectly signed

PostPosted: Mon May 26, 2014 8:56 am
by Surfwhammy
edwardjarchibald wrote:I'm trying to update my Notion 4 to the latest version. I am currently running 4.0.325, 64-bit. After downloading the 71.1 MB update, I get the following message - I have tried this three times now:

Update Error!
The update is improperly signed.


Then I have a single choice: 'Cancel Update'

I am running Notion on a MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM and the following properties:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro10,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 16 GB
Boot ROM Version: MBP101.00EE.B02
SMC Version (system): 2.3f36

System Version: OS X 10.8.5 (12F45)
Kernel Version: Darwin 12.5.0
Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
Boot Mode: Normal
User Name: Administrator (integrity)
Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
Time since boot: 9:33

Any tips for getting this update to work would be appreciated!


I am running Mac OS X 10.9.3 (Mavericks) on a 2.8-GHz 8-core Mac Pro (Early 2008) with 20GB of memory, so I can tell you what happens with current software. And I can provide information on a safe way to do a major operating system upgrade on the Mac, which is relevant because you are running Mountain Lion rather than Mavericks . . .


EXPERIMENT AND CODE SIGNING

I downloaded the current NOTION 4 update for the Mac from Notoin Music website, and after unzipping it, the result is a Mac OS X application appropriately named "Notion.app" . . .

It is not an installation program or an "update"; instead it is the actual application . . .

The first time you run it, you will get a warning message about it being an application that was downloaded from the web, which is the expected behavior. You should choose the reply that indicates you want to run it. If this does not work, then you can right-click on it and and select "Open", which will give you the same option, but if you continue to get the error message with no option to run "Notion.app", then you probably need to contact Notion Music customer service (a.k.a., "technical support") . . .

As I recall, sometime during the operating system transitions from one major version to another, Apple added a new feature for where developers were required to "sign" applications, and when developers did not do the extra step of "signing" their applications, this generated the problem referenced in the error message, and since Apple did not provide a lot of advance warning and time for developers to complete all the various steps required to meet the criteria for being able to "sign" applications correctly, this was a problem for a while. And as I recall the problem reappeared in the transition from Mountain Lion to Mavericks . . .

[NOTE: "Code Signing" started with Mac OS X 10.7, but there have been changes to the various technologies since then . . . ]

THOUGHTS ON NOTION 4 UPDATE

If you are trying to do the update via NOTION 4 using the "Check For Updates . . . " menu item on the NOTION 4 main menu, then visit the Notion Music website and download the current version of NOTION 4, which is what I did in the experiment (see above) . . .

Image

[NOTE: Obvious as it might be, it is important to select the version for the Mac . . . ]

Downloads (Notion Music)

If this is what you were doing, then try the right-click method ("Open") . . .

THOUGHTS ON UPGRADING TO MAC OS X 10.9 (MAVERICKS)

Your MacBook Pro is sufficiently new to be able to run Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), where the current version is Mac OS X 10.9.3, and unless you have particular applications that only run in Mountain Lion, there is no reason to avoid updating to Mavericks . . .

There is a safe way to do this that provides the ability to revert to Mountain Lion, but it requires a bootable external hard drive like the 2TB LaCie d2 Quadra USB 3 external hard drive . . .

LaCie d2 Quadra USB 3.0 (LaCie)

Your 15" MacBook Pro has two USB 3.0 ports and two Thunderbolt ports, so you might want to consider getting an external Thunderbolt drive, which will be very fast, but it costs a bit more. There is a model that has two internal hard drives in various RAID modes, where the default is RAID 0, and it is approximately $350 for the 2TB version, while the aforementioned 2TB USB 3.0 LaCie external hard drive is approximately $190 (US). When you go to SSD (flash memory), the prices increase significantly, as does the speed, but the 2TB LaCie d2 Quadra USB 3.0 model works nicely for cloning a primary internal hard drive for purposes of doing a major operating system update . . .

You also need SuperDuper! (Shirt Pocket), which is used to create a bootable clone of your primary internal hard drive (or you only internal hard drive, as the case might be, since it is a MacBook Pro) . . .

[NOTE: The free version of SuperDuper! is all you need, but I recommend purchasing the license, since this helps keep the company in business. SuperDuper! has been a valuable tool here in the sound isolation studio, and the company provides a bit of technical support, which is very helpful at times . . . ]

SuperDuper! (Shirt Pocket)

These are the high-level steps:

(1) Clone your primary internal hard drive using SuperDuper! and a LaCie external hard drive, where the key aspect of using a LaCie external hard drive is that it needs to be bootable for the Mac . . .

(2) Boot you MacBook Pro from the newly cloned LaCie external hard drive and do a bit of testing to verify that everything is working correctly. Running a few applications and doing a few simple tasks is sufficient for the verifying aspect . . .

(3) Disconnect the newly cloned LaCie external hard drive. It is your backup, and it provides the ability to revert to Mac OS X 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion), should that be necessary. Later, you can use it as an archive drive or data drive, as you desire . . .

(4) Do the upgrade to Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) via the Mac App Store . . .

(5) When the update to Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) is done, do a bit of verification testing, and there you are . . .

[NOTE: This is the way I did the upgrade to Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), and the only applications I had to reauthorize were Digital Performer 8 (MOTU), MachFive 3 (MOTU), and Reason 7 (Propellerhead Software). Reauthorizing DIgital Performer 8 only required inserting the original DVD, and the other reauthorizations required refreshing their respective USB dongles, one of which is an iLOK USB dongle, where the USB dongle refreshing was done over the web and took just a few minutes. Doing the operating system upgrade this way, you are using your primary internal hard drive, so the unique "footprint" identification should be the same for purposes of most types of licensing software systems, since they usually key in part on the ID of an internal hard drive, which is not changed in this strategy . . . ]

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Everything works nicely here in the sound isolation studio, so it is possible that the problem is caused by running Mac OS X 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion) rather than 10.9 (Mavericks), where the current version is Mavericks 10.9.3 . . .

If this is the case, then upgrading to Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) is one way to solve the problem . . .

You might want to call Notion Music customer service (a.k.a., "technical support"). since they might have insights on the problem, but it tends to work best to keep current on Mac OS X . . .

Lots of FUN! :)