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Certification problem despite following advice in Known Issues

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Armin Prediger

20 Apr, 2020 12:32 PM

I've previously used Goalscape 2.7.2 on Mac OS Mavericks, and it still works on that on a backup hard drive. I now want to use it on Mac OS High Sierra (10.13.6). I'm on a MacBook Pro (17-inch, late 2011).
I've already run into some problems while trying to run Goalscape 2.7.2 (unable to reach Internet for license activation, cannot install due to certification problem) and followed advice on the Internet, including the Known Issues here. I'm now trying a clean install of Goalscape 2.9.

I have completed the following steps:

1. I've uninstalled Goalscape 2.7.2 by moving it to the Trash, and AppTrap has helped out by moving associated system files to the Trash. Accordingly, Goalscape should now be uninstalled. I also removed any other preferences etc. according to the instructions here: https://goalscape.tenderapp.com/kb/known-issues/resetting-registry-and-preferences

2. I've uninstalled Adobe AIR using the Adobe AIR Uninstaller.app in the Utilities folder of my Applications folder.

3. I restarted my MacBook Pro.

4. I downloaded the latest version of Adobe AIR (32.0) and installed it.

5. I downloaded the latest version of Goalscape (2.9) and installed it by double-clicking GoalscapeDesktop.air.

I have tried to open GoalscapeDesktop.air, both from my Downloads folder (on an external drive) and from my Applications folder, on my main drive which also contains the OS, and I get the following message: "The application cannot be installed due to a certificate problem. The certificate does not match the installed application certificate, does not support application upgrades, or is invalid. Please contact the application author." There are no other links or messages I could follow up on.

It seems to me that I have followed the Troubleshooting advice given in the Known Issues article and in any other articles I've found in the discussions here, but I'm still getting the notification with the certification problem.

Are there any other remedies I could try?Many thanks in advance for any help. Kind regards,

Armin Prediger

1. Support Staff 1 Posted by Richard Parslow on 20 Apr, 2020 01:25 PM

   

   Hello Armin

   Thanks for your inquiry – and for the very full description of what you have tried so far.

   Goalscape 2.7.2 is over 6 years old, and in that time Adobe has changed its certification protocols. We issued updates to accommodate this, which unfortunately you appear to have missed.

   I confirm that the error message you are seeing referring to a 'certificate problem' is misleading: it actually indicates that the problem is in your local Adobe AIR environment – and possibly also with the Registry and Preferences information left on your machine. So the solution is as follows:

   1. Uninstall Goalscape Desktop – in case of any 'legacy' issues from your previous installation you should also find and delete any 'Goalscape' files and folders that may still be on your computer after uninstalling. NB do NOT delete any of your existing Goalscape projects (.gsp files) – they will probably all be in your 'Documents' area.

   2. Uninstall Adobe AIR using the special 'Adobe AIR Uninstaller' app, which should be in Applications > Utilities.

   3. Clear your Registry according to the instructions here. You will need to delete all the folders you find in your Library that have the form 'com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]' (where 'guid' is a long character string).

      Note that as you previously had an installation of version 2.7.2 and you have also installed the latest version, you will need to look in both the possible locations:

      For the 2.7 Registry information: [user_home]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR/ELS/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]/ELS

      For the 2.9 Registry information: [user_home]/Library/Application Support/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]

   4. Clear your Preferences. You will need to delete all the folders you find in your Library that have the form 'com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]' (where 'guid' is a long character string).

      Note that as you previously had an installation of version 2.7.2 and you have also installed the latest version, you will need to look in both the possible locations:

      For the 2.7 Preferences information: [user_home]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/AIR/ELS/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]/Local Store/#SharedObjects/

      For the 2.9 Preferences information: [user_home]/Library/Application Support/Preferences/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]/Local Store/#SharedObjects

   5. Download and install the latest Adobe AIR and Goalscape Desktop from here: http://goalscape.com/how-install-goalscape-desktop

   6. Accept the EULA and activate the installation by entering your Goalscape username and password at the Welcome screen.

   All the best – and stay safe

   Richard

   • Edit

2. 2 Posted by Armin Prediger on 20 Apr, 2020 02:04 PM

   

   Hello Richard,

   thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly, it’s highly
   appreciated.

   Thanks for your inquiry – and for the very full description of what you
   have tried so far.

   Goalscape 2.7.2 is over 6 years old, and in that time Adobe has changed its
   certification protocols. We issued updates to accommodate this, which
   unfortunately you appear to have missed.

   I didn't miss them as such, I haven’t been able to install them due to a
   number of problems. I had previously tried to install the 2.8.3 update, and
   that didn’t work either.

   I confirm that the error message you are seeing referring to a 'certificate
   problem' is misleading: it actually indicates that the problem is in your
   local Adobe AIR environment – and possibly also with the Registry and
   Preferences information left on your machine. So the solution is as
   follows:

   1. Uninstall Goalscape Desktop – in case of any 'legacy' issues from your
   previous installation you should also find and delete any 'Goalscape' files
   and folders that may still be on your computer _after_ uninstalling. **NB
   do NOT delete any of your existing Goalscape _projects_ (.gsp files) – they
   will probably all be in your 'Documents' area.**

   Done.

   2. Uninstall Adobe AIR using the special 'Adobe AIR Uninstaller' app, which
   should be in Applications > Utilities.

   Done.

   3. Clear your **Registry** according to the instructions [here](
   https://goalscape.tenderapp.com/kb/known-issues/resetting-registry-and-preferences).
   You will need to delete _all_ the folders you find in your Library that
   have the form 'com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]' (where 'guid' is
   a long character string).

   **Note that as you previously had an installation of version 2.7.2 _and_
   you have also installed the latest version, you will need to look in _both_
   the possible locations:**

   For the 2.7 Registry information: [user_home]/Library/Application
   Support/Adobe/AIR/ELS/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]/ELS

   The only folder in ELS is called
   “com.adobe.amp.4875E02D9FB21EE389F73B8D1702B320485DF8CE.1” with four
   “PrivateEncryptedData” files in it. I had previously deleted two folders
   with the “com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]” pattern.

   For the 2.9 Registry information: [user_home]/Library/Application
   Support/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]

   This is not here.

   4. Clear your **Preferences**. You will need to delete _all_ the folders
   you find in your Library that have the form
   'com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]' (where 'guid' is a long
   character string).

   **Note that as you previously had an installation of version 2.7.2 _and_
   you have also installed the latest version, you will need to look in _both_
   the possible locations:**

   For the 2.7 Preferences information: [user_home]/Library/Application
   Support/Adobe/AIR/ELS/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]/Local
   Store/#SharedObjects/

   The only folder in ELS is called
   “com.adobe.amp.4875E02D9FB21EE389F73B8D1702B320485DF8CE.1” with four
   “PrivateEncryptedData” files in it. I had previously deleted two folders
   with the “com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]” pattern.

   For the 2.9 Preferences information: [user_home]/Library/Application
   Support/Preferences/com.goalscape.app.GoalscapeDesktop.[guid]/Local
   Store/#SharedObjects

   I see no “Preferences” folder inside the “Application Support” folder. I
   checked inside the “user_name/Library/Preferences” folder, and there were
   no such files here.

   So at this point I have deleted (or didn’t have to begin with) the files
   that need to be deleted.

   5. Download and install the latest Adobe AIR and Goalscape Desktop from
   here: http://goalscape.com/how-install-goalscape-desktop

   Done. So far this is exactly the process that I had previously gone
   through, as described in my original message.

   I’ve downloaded and installed Adobe AIR.

   I tried to install Goalscape Desktop (both this and AIR from the installers
   linked from the URL you gave).

   And again I got the same message re. certification: “The application cannot
   be installed due to a certificate problem. The certificate does not match
   the installed application certificate, does not support application
   upgrades, or is invalid. Please contact the application author."

   6. Accept the EULA and activate the installation by entering your Goalscape
   username and password at the Welcome screen.

   Unfortunately I don’t get to this point.

   It seems I have followed the remedy exactly as prescribed and downloaded
   the latest installers of AIR and Goalscape, and I still get the error
   message. What am I missing here?

   Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards,

   Armin Prediger

   • Edit

3. Support Staff 3 Posted by Richard Parslow on 20 Apr, 2020 02:12 PM

   

   Hello Armin

   Thanks for the additional information.

   We have not heard of the 'com.adobe.amp' files (and they are not present on our test rig running macOS 10.13). Since they are under the Encrypted Local Storage area under Adobe AIR (Adobe/AIR/ELS), they may well be what is interfering with your attempts to reinstall AIR and Goalscape Desktop correctly. So please try deleting them too: they will be reinstated when you reinstall the latest Adobe AIR.

   Best

   Richard

   • Edit

4. 4 Posted by Armin Prediger on 24 Apr, 2020 07:52 AM

   

   Hello Richard,

   unfortunately that didn’t do it either – it’s the same problem, following
   exactly the same procedure I’ve described before (which is the one
   following your e-mail instructions).

   I’ve also looked at whether my Adobe AIR was installed properly, following
   instructions at Adobe’s website. It all seems to be properly in place, and
   I now know that my AIR version is 32.0.0.125, FWIW.

   I’m using the latest Goalscape installer that I got from the Goalscape
   website. I’ve also seen that the latest version of Goalscape is 2.9.9. On
   Goalscape’s own website, it says that the version of the installer that I’m
   downloading is Goalscape 2.9 – is this actually 2.9.9?

   (On a sidenote, I’d like to offer – by way of constructive criticism – that
   downloading the latest installer from Goalscape’s own website seems
   unnecessarily complicated. Instead of a simple link, there’s a window with
   a Flash player that initiates the download. When I click this (using
   Firefox on a Mac), it tells me that my Safari preferences are not set up
   properly and so I can’t download it – this is because Flash requires
   special permissions on current browsers. Using Firefox, I can’t download
   the installer at all, and in Safari I have to look up how to permit the
   browser to use this Flash player. These seems unduly complicated when a
   simple link to a zipped file could accomplish this same purpose.)

   I’m not sure what else I could try at this point… any more ideas?

   Kind regards,

   Armin Prediger

   • Edit

5. Support Staff 5 Posted by Richard Parslow on 25 Apr, 2020 01:36 PM

   

   Hello Armin

   Sorry you are still having trouble.

   I confirm that the versions of Adobe AIR and Goalscape Desktop you are downloading from our website are always the latest versions. The error message you are seeing confirms that the problem lies in the Adobe AIR environment on your machine.

   It is possible that your Mac OS has 'quarantined' AIR. If so, the solution is to unquarantine AIR: simple step-by-step instructions are on our Known Issues page under 'Issues with Adobe AIR under macOS Catalina'. NB until now we have only heard of this affecting macOS Catalina (10.15); it is though worth investigating whether this has happened on your machine.

   I have also escalated this to our development team and they will post here with any news.

   Stay safe

   Richard

   • Edit

6. Support Staff 6 Posted by Tomas Lehuta on 27 Apr, 2020 02:20 PM

   

   Hello Armin,

   I'm the Lead Developer of Goalscape client software and I've tried to replicate your issue. I'm running the same macOS High Sierra (10.13.6) with the latest Adobe AIR 32.

   So I uninstalled Goalscape 2.9.9 completely with purging all the residual files (more on that below) and reinstalled it from the latest distribution package which can be downloaded from our website (see https://goalscape.com/en/how-install-goalscape-desktop/). The installation was completed without any error message and I was also able to activate the license without any problems.

   It means there must be some problem on your system which makes the installation fail. The error message "The application cannot be installed due to a certificate problem. The certificate does not match the installed application certificate, does not support application upgrades, or is invalid. Please contact the application author." actually indicates that there are still some residuals from the previous GSD 2.7.2 installation on your system which prevents to install GSD 2.9.9 as it was signed with newer certificate and thus doesn't obviously match the previous old one. So the question is if you really managed to successfully clean up all the files/folders from the previous installation.

   You mentioned that you had used AppTrap. But I don't really know this app and cannot tell if it removed all the associated files correctly. But I'm using a different app for this purpose which does it correctly and you might consider to use - AppCleaner (https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/). However, I'm aware that it might not help you since you've already uninstalled previous GSD 2.7.2 so there's already nothing to uninstall.

   So another simple check in macOS might be to use Finder search to look for name of file or folder which begins with "com.goalscape.app" string. To make it easier for you I'm attaching a zipped Saved Search for you that you can just unpack and use on your system. It should be displayed as a dynamic folder in macOS which just lists all the files and folders that match the searched name.
   So give it a try and let us know how it works..

   All the best,

   Tomas

   • Goalscape_saved-search.zip 1.77 KB
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