.dmg image on desktop

[Varjak]

I've been using VLC for ages on PCs; but recently set-up a Mac Mini to use as a HTPC. It's been a while since I used Mac; but most of it is familiar.

However, when I installed VLC 2.2.1 on a 2010 Mac Mini 2.66 with Snow Leopard 10.6.8 (which seems to work by the way, unlike one thread that said it won't work unless you're using a 64-bit Mac), every time I use VLC, the .dmg disk image icon shows up on the desktop. I had already searched around for help elsewhere and it says the same thing I found on an older thread here: drag the application to the applications folder first, then to the dock, and then trash the .dmg icon. It won't work. Do I need to de-install and reinstall it?

Also, on a side-note, I played a few videos and the volume seemed very low, although they seem fine on my laptop. Is this a Mac OS quirk or something?

Edit: By the way, I had the same issue when installing Firefox; but somehow I got the .dmg icon to go away eventually. In both cases, I dragged the app icon to Applications and then to the dock. Not sure what happened.

[dfuhrmann]

drag the application to the applications folder first, then to the dock

You need to drag the VLC icon to the application folder, this is correct. But when, just eject the VLC disk image and delete it.

You probably dragged the same VLC icon from the disk image to the Dock, of course then OSX needs to open the disk image again and again.
If you want to keep the VLC icon in dock, just first eject the image, then start VLC e.g. with Spotlight. Then you can right click on the VLC icon in Dock, and select something like "keep in dock".

[Varjak]

Okay, I'll give that a try. I thought I'd done that; but maybe not.

The VLC icon is in the dock now. Do I have to do something to that icon first?

[Varjak]

I still can't get this to work and I can't seem to delete or de-install it. I Googled a bunch of sites and some say there's a script to de-install VLC but I can't find it. Can someone give me directions on how to de-install this and perhaps re-install it? At this point, it's totally messed up.

[kdean]

However, when I installed VLC 2.2.1 on a 2010 Mac Mini 2.66 with Snow Leopard 10.6.8 (which seems to work by the way, unlike one thread that said it won't work unless you're using a 64-bit Mac),

Your Mac Mini 2010 is a 64-bit Intel Core 2 Duo. Older Intel Core Duos are 32-bit.

[kdean]

1. Remove the VLC icon from your dock either by dragging it off the dock or right-click the VLC icon on the dock and select Remove from Dock.

2. Go to your Applications folder and find the VLC icon. If the VLC icon has an Arrow on it, that's an indicator that it's an alias or Shortcut in Windows terms. If there is an arrow, drag that VLC icon to the trash.

3. Mount the VLC dmg file if it isn't already. DMG files are virtual disk images that when mounted and like a drive. Drag the VLC icon from the disk image to your Applications folder.

4. Find the Mounted VLC icon on your desktop or in finder sidebar and eject it.

5. Find the VLC icon you just dragged in the Applications folder and drag that icon to the dock.

You should be good at this point.

[Varjak]

Sorry, but I'm sort of way beyond that. For a few days I couldn't trash the icon, app, or dmg file. It kept saying the app was running when it wasn't I finally managed to do that and then reinstalled VLC. I thought I had it done; but instead of the cone icon, I had what looked like a white circle with a line through it over some papers as the VLC icon. I dragged that to the dock, which seemed to work; but when I clicked it to open, it said the file was incomplete, etc. I've never seen an install procedure so f'ed up like this. Firefox installed fine. Why doesn't it just install the bloody thing in applications and then let you drag it out? I've trashed everything again and need to know what to try next.

Edit: By the way, I did step three (a few times) but it wouldn't drag the icon to the dock the last couple of times (that's what I did the first time and it seemed to work; but even with ejecting the dmg, I couldn't get the dmg file to go away, which started this whole mess).

[kdean]

It's really not that hard. Not sure what you're doing.

When you saw the App icon with papers and a line through it, that was indicating that it could not find the original app. Basically it was already linked to an unmounted DMG at that point so dragging that to the dock wouldn't get you anywhere, it just deepens the problem. Note that installing Firefox and VLC is exactly the same.

Please re-read the instructions with close attentions since you mention your attempts at step 3 as dragging the icon to the dock, when that's absolutely wrong. Step 3 is dragging the icon to your Applications folder (which is even provided as a shortcut in the mounted DMG's window. Dragging an icon from the mounted DMG window directly to the dock is not what you want to do.

If you can't eject a DMG, then the app is running off the DMG and not from the Application folder. If you can eject the mounted DMG, but still see the .dmg file, then that's absolutely fine since ejecting the DMG only onmounts it, it doesn't trash it. If you can run VLC with the DMG unmounted then VLC is installed properly. Then you can trash the .dmg file if you like.

[Varjak]

I think the first time I did this, I did drag the icon from the window to the applications folder and then to the dock (that's how I did Firefox and it worked fine). But for some reason, and it could well be my fault, I screwed up VLC. It's getting back to square one that I'm having the problem with. I couldn't rectify the situation that was left the first time, so I did manage to trash all that stuff so I could start from scratch. Unfortunately, now the install doesn't seem to work right, partly because I think VLC detects that it's installed already. When I said I dragged the white circle to the dock, that was from the applications folder, not from the little window that pops out from the .dmg image.

Are there other things I should delete so VLC will act as if it's being installed from scratch?

[Varjak]

I re-downloaded it and now I have the dmg on the lower right of my screen and the little window with the cone, the applications folder with the little arrow in the lower left, goodies, and read-me. What do I do now? I tried dragging the cone to the applications folder (not the one in the same window) and it won't let me do it, saying it's being used. This happened a bunch of times in the past.

Also, I don't know if it's related; but now my Safari won't open. I've done nothing to the computer but install Firefox, try and install VLC, and transfer over a folder of video files I intended to use to test VLC (and don't have viruses or anything that I know of).

[CarstenK]

You probably also set VLC to start automatically when you log in - look into your dock for a VLC symbol - click on it, close app, then try copying the VLC symbol to 'Applications' again. Things like this are sometimes very nagging to experience, but also to explain from a distance... try find someone locally with some more Mac OS X experience to help you, as this is no VLC specific issue. You could also try to input 'VLC' on the magnifier Spotlight symbol input field on the upper right edge of the screen - it may show other instances of VLC in other folders, DMGs, etc. Just try to get rid of all of them before downloading and mounting the most recent version before proceeding. And yes, reboot from time to time

I see this very often - people downloading apps in the form of a DMG, mount it, drag the app symbol to their dock. Then when someone finally deletes the DMG from 'Downloads' or 'Desktop', the problems start.

There is no installation, and there are no other things installed that need to be cleaned to fix that problem. It is really just a matter of copying the app from the mounted DMG the right way, and to get rid of the remains of 'wrong way' beforehand.

- Carsten

[Varjak]

Two other things, which may be getting ahead of myself:

The other thing I don't understand is now that I think I've wiped most of VLC off (it's not in the dock, the apps folder and the dmg icon is trashed), why does the installation procedure not seem like the full one (where I can drag the cone icon into the apps folder and then to the dock)? I thought that might solve my problem.

How come VLC Player doesn't show any menu options at the top of the window? I see the first screen shows a link to peruse one's library; but I miss all those links for playback, etc. along the top.

[Varjak]

No, it doesn't start automatically and there's no VLC icon in the dock. If I click on the cone icon from the little window that pops out from the .dmg, VLC will start; but when I quit VLC and then try to move the icon to the applications folder, it says I can't do it, the app is being used or something.

As I said, I left the computer with the dmg on the desktop and the window with the 4 icons in it (cone, app folder with arrow in lower left corner, goodies, and a read-me file). I'm stuck at this point as to what to do.

Edit: I admit it, I totally screwed this up; but I don't see why there isn't an easier way to de-install this app or re-install it. As evidenced by Google, this is a VERY common issue and there isn't a simple way to fix it.