Member Avatar for geekme

Hello,
I've just bought a macbook pro, switching from stereotype windows notebook.I'm unable to do a lot of things that I used to in windows-
a)can not open a file in new tab( not new window) in safari.
b) can not open any installer , mono for ex.The .dmg file does download but when I click nothing happens.
Please help.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 114 Views
  • 1 Month Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

Dani AI

Generated

Follow-up to . The thread from , and highlights two separate behaviors: how Safari prefers tabs vs windows, and how macOS treats downloaded disk images and installers. The items below give targeted diagnostics and safe fixes that go beyond the brief suggestions already offered.

Safari tab behavior: confirm whether the goal is opening links/pages in a tab or opening local files inside a tab. Safari’s Tab preferences control whether new pages appear as tabs or windows; the contextual menu on a link (right‑click) offers “open in new tab” or “open in background.” Local HTML files can be dropped onto the tab bar to create a new tab. Note: binary installer images (like .dmg) are not opened inside Safari — they must be mounted in Finder first.

.dmg and installer troubleshooting (practical checks):

  • Locate the .dmg in Finder (Downloads). If double‑clicking does nothing, check whether a volume appeared in Finder’s sidebar or under /Volumes.
  • Use Disk Utility -> File -> Open Disk Image to try mounting. Disk Utility will show verification errors if the image is corrupted.
  • Run a mount attempt in Terminal to see precise errors and to verify integrity. Example commands:
    hdiutil attach ~/Downloads/Name.dmg
shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Name.dmg
xattr -l ~/Downloads/Name.dmg
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ~/Downloads/Name.dmg

    Interpretation and safety notes: “no mountable file systems” usually means a corrupt download; re-download from the vendor and compare checksums. A quarantine attribute or macOS security policy can prevent an installer from opening; Control‑click -> Open (one‑time override) or use Security & Privacy settings only for trusted software. Removing quarantine attributes bypasses a safety feature and should be done only for known-trusted files.

Quick checklist: verify the image with Disk Utility or hdiutil, compare checksums, inspect Console.app for mount/installer error messages, try Safe Boot or a different user account to rule out profile-level interference, and only then consider re-downloading or obtaining the installer from an official source.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for jingda

First of all what do you mean when you cannot open a file in new tab? Can you explain and give me some examples, perhaps?

Installer will open automatically when you double click on a .pkg file. Can you tell me what file types you see in the dmg. .zip or .pkg?

Member Avatar for massy7890

Hi,
If you are using Safari then you can simply Press (Command+T) to open the page in a new tab. You can not directly open the installer it will open automatically when you click on something that needs installation.
<snip>

Edited by ~s.o.s~ because: Use the signature facility for your links; don't embed them in posts
Member Avatar for rubberman

What jingda and massy7890 said. Also, you can install Chrome or Firefox on OSX if you prefer them to Safari.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.