Cannot install Helper tool on Big Sur 11.6.2

Sorry, but I am not sure I understand what you are saying.

Which computer are you talking about?

I have already downloaded, installed and run successfully SoftRAID 6,2 on my wife's Mac mini.

I downloaded SoftRAID from here https://www.softraid.com/support/download-latest-version/

@numinoos 

Remember that Mac OS now tracks "where" a file came from which is probably why the copy on your machine got quarantined.

I am just suggesting that on your "non working" computer, you download a fresh copy of SoftRAID and try once more to install.

Its worth the effort. While you cleared the quarantine flag, there may still be a remnant in mac OS that is flagging it.

Another clue is have the system log open when you run SoftRAID. Maybe there will be an entry about what is happening at the moment when the app quits.

I have not encountered this at all, so its hard to know what to do to fix this.

OK, I will try that the day after tomorrow as it is Christmas Eve in my country.

By the way, how can I have the system log open when I run SoftRAID again?

Have a merry Christmas you, your team and your family.

@numinoos Merry Christmas for you also.

Open the console.app. Go the "system log". It enters information in real time, have it open when you launch SoftRAID. See if there is any entries that are clues.

Here is what the system log records when I launched there SoftRAID app.

Dec 26 18:30:25 MacMiniHou com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: Coalition Cache Hit: app<application.com.softraid.SoftRAID.1190576.1190587(501)> [1446]

Dec 26 18:30:41 MacMiniHou com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.system): entering bootstrap mode

Dec 26 18:30:41 MacMiniHou com.apple.xpc.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpc.launchd.domain.system): exiting bootstrap mode

Nothing gets installed because the Install Helper Tool aborts and quits.

I did notice that this file only gets installed: Com.OWC-HelperToolRepairSRTool.plist

I also tried to create a new and separate admin account on my Mac mini to install SoftRAID to no avail.

Now, I remember one thing that I did wrong with SoftRAID. I did not use the Utilities menu item to uninstall SoftRAID following your recommendations.

I used the "App Cleaner & Uninstaller" utility from Nektony to uninstall SoftRAID 6.2. That was a mistake.

I should have told you before.

After I did a clean install of macOS Big Sur and updated to 11.6.1, I used migration assistant to restore my apps and I have probably migrated back a corrupt uninstall.

Is there any way I can correct this or do I have to do a complete new install of Big Sur?

I have another issue now which is of greater concern.

As I said before, I was able to install the SoftRAID 6.2 app and the driver on my wife's Mac mini (same 2018 model with T2 chip).

When I hook up my OWC Thunderbay 4 with my RAID5 array to my wife's Mac mini, I can mount and access the array no problem.

However, the RAID5 array is empty, to my amazement?

How can it be empty since I only uninstalled SoftRAID and did not touch the array at all?

I presume that uninstalling SoftRAID and the driver should not affect the RAID container, right?

Can the RAID array only be read on my Mac mini?

I am lost and do not what to do next.

@numinoos

Apps that install drivers should never be removed with a third party. ALways use the applicaitons uninstaller, such as "uninstall SoftRAID" from SoftRAID utilities menu.

First, here is how to manually uninstall all SoftRAID components. give it a try (many commands will be file not found, which is OK) then lets see if you can run the application.

How to manually Remove/uninstall the SoftRAID driver and components:

Paste each command line below into the terminal application. You will need your normal admin password for some steps.

Delete the SoftRAID driver:
sudo rm -r /Library/Extensions/SoftRAID.kext
sudo touch /Library/Extensions
sudo kextcache -fu /

Now, Restart your computer

Remove the daemon and SoftRAID Monitor:
sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.softraid.softraidd.plist
sudo rm /Library/LaunchAgents/com.softraid.SoftRAIDMonitor.plist

Remove the SoftRAID application support directory:
sudo rm -r /Library/Application\ Support/SoftRAID

Remove all the SoftRAID preferences:
defaults delete com.softraid.SoftRAID

Remove preference files
sudo rm -r com.softraid.com

reset the extensions caches:
sudo kmutil clear-staging
sudo kextcache -i /

Restart the Mac. SoftRAID volumes will no longer mount on the desktop, but that is temporary, until you reinstall the driver.

When you run SoftRAID to install the driver, do not immediately restart. wait until the dialog box pops up to go to System Preferences/Security. "Allow" OWC as an Identified developer, now restart later when you quit System Preference, go to SoftRAID and restart.

As far as the other volume, no it should not be empty, if the volume mounts, all data should be there. Its possible the directory was damaged on the volume. Can you send me a SoftRAID tech support file from that computer?

And also, see what happens once you get SoftRAID onto your computer, does the volume still mount with no files? (I am guessing it will)

I tried the above step-by-step and same results.

The Install Helper Tool crashes or quits or aborts. No message appears on "Allow" OWC as an Identified developer. The only message I get is "SoftRAID 6.2 downloaded from internet".

Then, as soon as I type my admin pwd in the dialog, the Install Helper tool quits, aborts. Nothing gets installed.

Also, after I launch SoftRAID 6.2 the 1st time after the above procedure, I checked Gatekeeper. The app is quarantined. Then I remove the quarantine with the terminal command and restart: sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SoftRAID\ 6.2/SoftRAID\ 6.2.app

After a restart, same behavior, the Install Helper Tool quits on me, even if I give the SoftRAID 6.2  app full disk access.

I even disabled "startup security" on my Mac mini.

This is becoming a nightmare;  nothing works.

@numinoos 

I doubt I can get help on this until next week. I have not encountered this.

Does your system have any administration "security" software installed? I ran into one situation, where the installed security software changed ownership/permissions on a couple internal Library folders and we had to "chown" them back to normal and create exemptions, to enable SoftRAID drivers to load.

No I do not have any security software installed.

Now, I want to concentrate on my RAID5 volume which I can load on the Mac mini of my wife where I have SoftRAID 6.2 installed.

SoftRAID tells me that myRAID5 volume is empty. However, I did not delete anything except the driver from my Mac mini. Why is my RAID5 volume empty is a complete mystery to me.

Attached is the Technical support file your requested.

@numinoos 

What do you see in the "Finder"?

In 6.2, you cannot count on the "available" as when we added APFS support, we left a bug in the data gathering for the available space.

When I mount my RAID5 volume named "Numinoos photos" on the Mac mini of my wife where SoftRAID 6.2 is installed (macOS X Big Sur 11.6.2), the volume is shows as empty:

There are no errors on the RAID5 volume as reported:

However, if I run a scan with R-Studio for Mac, after 12 hours, the recovery software is able to retrieve RAW files (Nikon NEF files) from the "empty" RAID volume.

The application would require 6-7 days to run and recover all files and folders from the RAID5 array.

I cannot believe that by deleting the software and driver the wrong way (using Nektony uninstaller), I damaged the RAID array.

Do you have a simpler and less time-consuming way for me to recover the lost files and folders?

@numinoos 

If you have access to Disk Warrior, it has the ability to repair most scenarios like this one. Since you have R-Studio, you have to weight the 7 hours recovery v spending money on Disk Warrior. It is likely to recover all files "in place", but I would be cautious. Disk Warrior has a "Preview" mode. If you use it to "mount" a pseudo volume, it will show you what it will have as a replacement volume. Check it carefully that all your files are there. If they appear to be (there may be files in "rescued items", thats OK), then click "replace" and the volume directory will be repaired.

Disk Drill is of comparable capabilities to R-Studio, so it would not likely be any faster.

I have both Diskwarrior and R-Studio for Mac, so no licensing issue.

From the 12-hour scan I ran on the Macmini8,1 of my wife (identical to mine) with the RAID5 volume mounted via SoftRAID6.2 on the OWC TB 3 enclosure, R-Studio is able to recover files but it will take DAYS not hours.

It fact, R-Studio assesses to time to scan a 6TB volume to 6 DAYS !

I have never used Diskwarrior for this specific purpose before. I wrote to Alsoft support to ask them how to go about recovering files on a RAID volume and how long they estimate the time to scan a 6TB volume.

From your experience in recovering files from RAID arrays, which piece of software do you recommend?

Also, there is still one thing that's nagging me: I have a hard time understanding why and how uninstalling the SoftRAID driver has affected my RAID5 array?

I would appreciate if you have an explanation.  I am aware it is my mistake but I am trying to learn from it (won't repeat it again ;-)) 

@numinoos 

Disk Warrior sometimes takes a long time, but if it can find the original directory, it may only take an hour. There is no risk to scanning, only in the last step, "Replace", where you can click "Preview" and inspect the results first. Only then click the "replace" button.

Disk Warrior is the best tool, as it repairs the volume. Sometimes it cannot work, however, and in the last sets of tests I did, R-Studio and Disk Drill were the best two in results. Both seemed relatively faster than the other apps I tested.

I don't know why the volume directory was damaged. Let me know what Disk Warrior says when you scan.

I got a reply from Marc at Alsoft tech Support. He says "It appears you deleted the RAID set.  As such, the directory of the storage volume would have been deleted. DiskWarrior will not recover the files."

I replied to him that R-Studio was able to recover NEF image files (not the folder structure yet) and asked him to confirm that Diskwarrior could not recover files from a deleted RAID set. I haven't got a reply yet.

I wrote to the tech support of R-Tools Technology to ask them the recommended procedure.

At least, I know I can recover my Nikon NEF files even if is going to take days but it would even be better if I could recover the folder structure of the files.