Fixing FFS donation Edition install on Macos

Here are the most common real-world problems people hit when installing the FreeFileSync Donation Edition on macOS, along with practical fixes/workarounds based on actual reports and how macOS behaves.

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🔧 1. “Failed to copy Registered.dat” (Error code 1)

💥 Symptom

Installer throws:

“Failed to copy … .key to … Registered.dat”

Happens for both:

“All users” install

“Single user” install

🧠 Cause

macOS permissions (especially /Library/Application Support)

Installer script lacks sufficient privileges or gets blocked

✅ Fixes

Run installer with admin rights

OR manually copy the key file:

From the downloaded folder

To:

/Library/Application Support/FreeFileSync/

OR ~/Library/Application Support/FreeFileSync/

👉 Manual install (advanced workaround):

Extract the .pkg using tools like Pacifist and copy files yourself

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🔧 2. Donation features NOT activated after install

💥 Symptom

App installs fine

But runs like the free version (no premium features)

🧠 Cause

Registered.dat file not in the correct location

macOS sandboxing / path confusion

✅ Fixes

Copy the registration file manually:

/Library/Application Support/FreeFileSync/Registered.dat → ~/Library/Application Support/FreeFileSync/

Restart the app

✔ This workaround is confirmed to restore features

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🔧 3. App runs from “App Translocation” (weird temp path)

💥 Symptom

Donation features don’t activate

App path looks like:

/private/var/folders/…/AppTranslocation/…/FreeFileSync.app

🧠 Cause

macOS security feature App Translocation

Happens when app is run directly from:

Downloads folder

Untrusted location

✅ Fixes

Move the app to:

/Applications

Then launch it again

✔ This is critical — otherwise it may not find the license file correctly

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🔧 4. Installer fails with generic “installation failed” error

💥 Symptom

macOS popup:

“The Installer encountered an error…”

🧠 Common causes

Corrupt download

macOS security restrictions

Conflicts with existing version

✅ Fixes

Re-download installer

Move installer out of Downloads (try Desktop)

Remove old version completely:

Delete app from /Applications

Remove:

~/Library/Application Support/FreeFileSync /Library/Application Support/FreeFileSync

Then reinstall clean

✔ Reinstall attempts + clean removal often resolve this

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🔧 5. Activation fails (online or offline)

💥 Symptom

Error like:

“Invalid HTTP response”

Or cannot enter activation key

🧠 Cause

Firewall / network blocking activation

UI bug or installer glitch

✅ Fixes

Temporarily disable firewall or filtering apps

Try offline activation again

Reinstall cleanly if input box is broken

✔ Firewall interference has been identified as a cause

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🔧 6. App installed but not found / wrong version runs

💥 Symptom

App not in Applications folder

Or wrong version launches

🧠 Cause

Installed to unexpected location

Multiple versions present

Renaming the app (older versions issue)

✅ Fixes

Check actual install path:

Drag app into Terminal to see location

Ensure only one version exists

Avoid renaming the app (older bug)

✔ Renaming or duplicate installs caused activation issues in older versions

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🔧 7. Installer log warnings (MIME / resource errors)

💥 Symptom

Installer log shows:

“unsupported MIME type”

“Could not load resource license”

🧠 Cause

Usually harmless packaging quirks

✅ Fix

Ignore unless installation actually fails

✔ These warnings don’t always break functionality

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🧠 Key Takeaways (Most Important Fixes)

If you want the fastest success path, do this:

1. Move app to /Applications

2. Install as admin

3. If donation features missing:

Copy Registered.dat manually

4. If weird issues:

Delete all FreeFileSync folders and reinstall clean

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👍 Pro Tip (Important on macOS)

macOS security is the #1 reason this install breaks:

App Translocation

Permissions

Sandboxing

👉 Almost all issues boil down to:

“The app can’t see or write the registration file”

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