[bonniescotland]

I used to be able to unstuff/expand/unzip (not sure what the correct terminology is) files that I downloaded, however I reinstalled my system software recently and now I can't expand any compressed files. So far I can't open .dmg or .bin files.

Because I could do it before I must have had some kind of expansion software on my computer which seems to no longer be there, as I don't even know what it would be called I don't even know how to look for it, though I have done a search for "stuffit" on my computer with no success.

I’ve googled and keep finding links to what people say is a free stuffit expander but when I go there it isn't free. Any other ideas?

[angelmb]

Yes, there is a free stuffit expander available here.

Maybe something is wrong with your Mac OS Launch Services… if that was it, free apps like Onyx let you to rebuild them.

[Curiosity]

Zipeg handles many different types of archives.

[CharlesS]

For .dmg files, just Get Info on a .dmg file, go to "Open With", and set the application to DiskImageMounter. Then click "Change All..." to make it the default. After this, .dmg files should mount normally when you double-click them.

If this doesn't work, then go to /Library/Caches and delete all files starting with com.apple.LaunchServices. Then immediately reboot and your problem should go away.

For .bin files, you'll probably need either The Unarchiver or StuffIt Expander.

[bonniescotland]

Thanks all, your help much appreciated, I downloaded Stuffit Expander, but I've now realised that what I thought was the problem isn't, because I can't open .dmg or .bin files at all either with Stuffit Expander or Disk Image Mounter.

When I try to open .dmg with DiskImageMounter it comes up with an error message: "The following disk images failed to mount" I also can't open this with Disk Utility.

When I try to open the .bin file with Stuffit Expander it has a long error message but the gist of it is: "The file whatever.bin does not appear to be compressed or encoded." Also I have Toast and it tried to default to open it but this also wouldn't work.

Any ideas what could be the issue? Would this Onyx maybe work that angelmb suggested or is that for a different issue?

[CharlesS]

Perhaps the files are damaged. Do other .dmg files work normally?

[angelmb]

LaunchServices is how an application is found to run when you double-click on a document, so I would like to think to rebuild 'might' be worth a tryl… AFAIK it is not going to do any harm.

As CharlesS suggest, download any .dmg from a trusted source, be it a web browser, be it any shareware app, an Apple small updater… and see if DiskImageMounter can open it.