Gen5 Useage Meter Lauches but only runs in background but no display on Mac Sierra OS Ver 10.12.5

[cybercycle1]

Just upgraded today from my HN900 to Gen5 today and really like the system!  Here is the first issue I have which involves the Useage Meter Ver. 6.6.1.  I downloaded the app and moved it to my app folder as usual.  Then when I launch it, the app appears in the task bar (as it should), but immediately "leaves" the task bar where I would normally expect to have it appear after launch.  My activity monitor shows it running in the background, but there is NO display for the app.  I can force quit the app via the activity monitor.  So, the app appears to either have a "bug" or compatibility issue with my OS.

Is there a "fix" on newer version that addresses this problem?

[GabeU]

I don't know anything about Macs, but with Windows, when it does this, it's because the taskbar icon for it has to be changed to always show.  If there is an adjustment for the icons in your taskbar, I would check there.  

[cybercycle1]

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@GabeU wrote:

I don't know anything about Macs, but with Windows, when it does this, it's because the taskbar icon for it has to be changed to always show.  If there is an adjustment for the icons in your taskbar, I would check there.  

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Thanks GabeU for responding, but the taskbar has no adjustability.  Note the icon for meter does appear momentarily before it is removed.  The puzzling thing is the app is running, but only in the background without a display appearing.  That leads me to believe that app code would be the first place to investigate (only HN could do that)...?

I have a lot of experience with Mac OS's and have only seen this once before many years ago on an early Mac OS, but don't recall the resolution...I hated to admit that...LOL!

[Liz]

Good morning cybercycle, 

Thanks for posting and sharing these details. We don't have a Mac in the lab available to us, but I believe we do in our main lab so let me send this over to them to see what's up. I'll let you know what I find out.

Your patience and understanding are much appreciated.

[Liz]

In the meantime, let's also get some basic troubleshooting and data gathering out of the way, since I will surely be asked these kinds of questions:

Does the issue persist after uninstalling then reinstalling the Usage Meter?

If you have another machine to try, does the same behavior persist there?

Sierra 10.12.5 is the latest update, is your OS up-to-date?

If not, which 10.12 iteration do you have?

Your cooperation, patience, and understanding are much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing back.

[cybercycle1 · Accepted solution]

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@Liz wrote:

In the meantime, let's also get some basic troubleshooting and data gathering out of the way, since I will surely be asked these kinds of questions:

Does the issue persist after uninstalling then reinstalling the Usage Meter?

If you have another machine to try, does the same behavior persist there?

Sierra 10.12.5 is the latest update, is your OS up-to-date?

If not, which 10.12 iteration do you have?

Your cooperation, patience, and understanding are much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing back.

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After answering Liz's questions, I proceded to research the issue and test various possible solutions.  BTW...I am currently running the latest version of Mac Sierra OSX ver 10.12.5 and the solution I found may only be true for that version and with any of the security updates at the time the problem was discovered (this week).  Given the rapid changes in OS updates, the "fix" may no longer be necessary with the next OSX update or security patch.  Also, if you are running a separate security software package/program, this "fix" may not work for you.  Anyway, this is how I arrived at a fix:

I began with the assumption that the most recent security updates to address the "hacking-for-profit" scams we've seen in the news lately, was included in the latest OSX update, and that may have caused the meter lauching problem.  As is often the case in a Mac, logging in as Administrator (called Root User in Apple's lingo) often allows me higher level privieiges to do certain tasks (like installing an app in this case).  So,  I rebooted my MacBook Pro in Root User (Administrator in Windows lingo) mode and reinstalled the app.  After a successful installation, I launched the meter app and it momentarily appeared in the Dock (this is normally where you will see the app's icon until you close it).  Well, this time the app displays in the Menu Bar at the top of the computer's display.  The icon is a plain circle (not the app's icon that briefly appears in the Dock) that resolves into a popup menu when the curser points to it.  That menu displays all the options which allow access to the various meter functions.  I tried each option successfully.

This is certainly unconventional for how a Mac app normally appears (normal=app appears in and stays in the Dock).  In any case, and I'm only deducing here, the last security update to the Mac OSX might have impacted the meter app in how it is launched (and displayed on the screen), and a security update prevented a successful install initially from a routine MacUser account (i.e. not the Administrator).  So, installing the app as Administrator probably resolved any security restrictions.  Anyway, the meter is working now.  Not sure it should be that hard...I guess it is just a "sign of the times" that our OS's will be so secure we won't be able to run any non-native app's!  I hope this helps our Mac users...at least until the next OSX update.

Lastly, I want to thank Liz for her help in this matter!