PGP Desktop 9.x for Macintosh

[#1]

Running PGP Desktop 9.7 under Leopard 10.5.2 - periodically PGP stops decrypting messages and disappears from the System Menu.
PGP log records: "Message was encrypted to one or more unknown keys"
Crash reporter records a crash when I  subsequently launch PGP.app (PGP Desktop Application) but not until I do so.  I then have to quit PGP.app (looks like it is responding normally in Dock, but Desktop window does not appear). The CrashReporter log is given below (only reproducing crashed thread to save space):

Process:         PGP Engine [194]
Path:            /Library/Application Support/PGP/PGP Engine.app/Contents/MacOS/PGP Engine
Identifier:      com.pgp.engine
Version:         9.7.0.1012 (9.7.0.1012)
Code Type:       X86 (Native)
Parent Process:  launchd [71]

Date/Time:       2008-02-29 09:21:09.085 +0000
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.5.2 (9C31)
Report Version:  6

Exception Type:  EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS)
Exception Codes: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread:  0

Thread 0 Crashed:
0   com.pgp.engine                    0x000f8d84 PGPPeekXMLPrefContext + 6
1   com.pgp.engine                    0x000b9a63 -[CPGPPrefsController prefsUpdated:] + 130
2   com.apple.Foundation              0x91927cdc _nsnote_callback + 364
3   com.apple.CoreFoundation          0x917c571b __CFXNotificationHandleMessage + 587
4   com.apple.CoreFoundation          0x917c580e __CFXNotificationReceiveFromServer + 238
5   com.apple.CoreFoundation          0x917c0555 __CFMachPortPerform + 117
6   com.apple.CoreFoundation          0x917e4921 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 3921
7   com.apple.CoreFoundation          0x917e4d18 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 88
8   com.apple.HIToolbox               0x92c716a0 RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 283
9   com.apple.HIToolbox               0x92c714b9 ReceiveNextEventCommon + 374
10  com.apple.HIToolbox               0x92c7132d BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInMode + 106
11  com.apple.AppKit                  0x901197d9 _DPSNextEvent + 657
12  com.apple.AppKit                  0x9011908e -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 128
13  com.apple.AppKit                  0x901120c5 -[NSApplication run] + 795
14  com.apple.AppKit                  0x900df30a NSApplicationMain + 574
15  com.pgp.engine                    0x00002db2 _start + 228 (crt.c:272)
16  com.pgp.engine                    0x00002ccd start + 41

[#2]

Since 10.5.1 I've been having the same problem for several PGP versions. PGP Engine crashes when started as part of my Login Items. I then must manually start PGP, then quit it, then start it again before it will begin proxying mail.app connections. The first time I manually start it, it shows up in the dock, but I don't get the splash screen and it won't do anything (but respond to ⌘-Q). The second time it appears to start-up normally and I'm in business. 

Additionally, PGP Engine crashes periodically: it is not unusual to come back to my system after being away for several hours and find PGP Engine has crashed and needs to be restarted. This is true even if mail.app is not running and so, in principle, there is no application level activity that should be engaging PGP. 

Following is the most recent crash report (just the thread that crashed) following a system reboot. PGP Engine was launched as part of my Login Items. 

Process:         PGP Engine [214]

Path:            /Library/Application Support/PGP/PGP Engine.app/Contents/MacOS/PGP Engine

Identifier:      com.pgp.engine

Version:         9.8.2.3005 (9.8.2.3005)

Code Type:       X86 (Native)

Parent Process:  launchd [162]

Date/Time:       2008-04-04 11:52:02.279 -0400

OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.5.2 (9C7010)

Report Version:  6

Exception Type:  EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS)

Exception Codes: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x0000000000000000

Crashed Thread:  0

Thread 0 Crashed:

0   com.pgp.engine                 0x000f87cc PGPPeekXMLPrefContext + 6

1   com.pgp.engine                 0x000b9635 -[CPGPPrefsController prefsUpdated:] + 130

2   com.apple.Foundation           0x96d6ccdc _nsnote_callback + 364

3   com.apple.CoreFoundation       0x935cb71b __CFXNotificationHandleMessage + 587

4   com.apple.CoreFoundation       0x935cb80e __CFXNotificationReceiveFromServer + 238

5   com.apple.CoreFoundation       0x935c6555 __CFMachPortPerform + 117

6   com.apple.CoreFoundation       0x935ea921 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 3921

7   com.apple.CoreFoundation       0x935ead18 CFRunLoopRunInMode + 88

8   com.apple.HIToolbox           0x9329f6a0 RunCurrentEventLoopInMode + 283

9   com.apple.HIToolbox           0x9329f4b9 ReceiveNextEventCommon + 374

10  com.apple.HIToolbox           0x9329f32d BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInMode + 106

11  com.apple.AppKit               0x964ed7d9 _DPSNextEvent + 657

12  com.apple.AppKit               0x964ed08e -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 128

13  com.apple.AppKit               0x964e60c5 -[NSApplication run] + 795

14  com.apple.AppKit               0x964b330a NSApplicationMain + 574

15  com.pgp.engine                 0x00002552 _start + 228 (crt.c:272)

16  com.pgp.engine                 0x0000246d start + 41

[#3]

This has happened to me several times also (and in both 9.8.0 and 9.8.1). Pain in the neck because once a message arrives and has not been decrypted you have to decrypt it "manually" from then on. Bummer.

IN ADDITION, following a reboot and re-log-in my PGPEngine does not launch. If I try to mount a PGPDisk, it reports that I am not licensed and it won't mount the volume. (Perhaps this is a related bug.)

When this failure occurs, if I launch the PGP Desktop app, then the first time it doesn't display its "Desktop" window - doesn't show any PGP keys and it just won't do anything useful. If I then QUIT it and launch PGP Desktop app again, it says that it is starting the PGP Engine, and this time the "Desktop" window opens properly. Also, after this I can open PGPDisk volumes. So clearly PGPEngine is not launching following a restart. Or perhaps it's trying ot launch and is then aborting.

IN ADDITION, on occasion PGPEngine grabs the CPU and just cranks as hard as it can. If at such times I open PGP Desktop and look at the log in "debug" mode, it is repeatedly trying to log in to a POP3 email account, over and over and over again, and failing every time. If I try to fetch mail (in Entourage) at such times, Entourage will always time out and is unable to fetch mail. If I go to Activity Monitor and QUIT (not FORCE) PGPEngine (but with Entourage shut down, of course), it then re-launches later when needed and works properly (low CPU usage).

[#4]

oops- apologies to LSF - this is EXACTLY what you described, isn't it? About PGPEngine crashing upon a login. Sorry. YES I am having exactly that problem. As well as once in a while it goes into a tailspin and I have to kill PGPEngine in order to get normal functionality back.

[#5]

A fix for the underlying cause of this issue should be available in the next release (it's still being tested).

[#6]

Awesome! Glad to hear it: thanks, guys!

[#7]

Good news - that will save me considerable hassle. 

[#8]

i'm not running leopard yet (10.4.11), but i have noticed significant issues when PGP Engine tries to start as a login item.  Sometimes, nothing shows in the menu, other times the menu item actually shows, but things are still screwy.  Typically, i'll see the following processes running;

PGP Engine 

pgp-agent

PGPsyncEngine

PGPsyncEngine

If i try running PGP Desktop after login, it's very unpredictable because the PGP Engine is actually in a messed up state even tho it claims to be running.

My solution to this problem is this;

1. login and let all of the startup items finish loading

2. open Activity Monitor.app

3. add "pgp" to the filter and search

4. select the PGP Engine process and click Quit

5. select the pgp-agent process and click Quit

At this point all of the bogus login items for PGP will be stopped and you can click on the PGP desktop app and it will launch cleanly.  After it starts up, you'll see the following in the Activity Monitor window (no particular order);

PGP

pgp-agent

PGP Engine

PGPdiskEngine

PGPsyncEngine

You shouldn't have any problems with it if you start it this way.  It works great, just remember to do this every time you login (until they fix the startup problems)... 

[#9]

Is this going to be a minor release to 9.8? or a major release with 9.9? I upgraded from 9.6 to 9.7 in January, and don't particularly want to upgrade to 9.8 if I have to upgrade to 9.9 straight afterwards. I'm a little peeved that the 9.8 release came so soon after 9.7, and there doesn't appear to be a free upgrade for what is essentially bugfixes.....

[#10]

---

think wrote:
A fix for the underlying cause of this issue should be available in the next release (it's still being tested).

---

I'm now running 9.8, and I still have this issue - when I reboot, PGP doesn't start. I have to manually start PGP, when it fails to start, and then restart PGP whereupon I will get the message that the PGP Engine is starting.