Help!: Error "Master Pointer was nil (-109)" [RESOLVED]

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dix
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Help!: Error "Master Pointer was nil (-109)" [RESOLVED]

Post by dix »

I found a long thread from someone with the exact same issue I'm having (I too have a looming deadline!) here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60582 I had a random crash (first one in weeks) and now I get (-109) when I try to launch any version of DP. Tried booting Safe Mode and restarting: nada. However I did create a new account that can open DP (though I skipped all the plugin tests).

The thread above goes off topic and I'm having trouble deciphering what the definitive solution is. The OP doesn't ever say if it got fixed and how.

Is restoring from Time Machine to a new drive the solution? Is there anything else to try? If not can someone please go over the procedure of how get back up and running? I have Time Machine but haven't actually ever used it. ....I have my project drive and my boot drive on TC. DO they both get rolled back if I restore?

Thanks!
Last edited by dix on Fri Feb 03, 2017 10:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
dix
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

Flailing around on the internet for info. I find that to restore to a new drive I'm supposed to hold down Cmnd-R to get the Restore utility. Holding down Cmnd-R does nothing for me. The Mac never boots :(
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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cuttime
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by cuttime »

I'm not the expert on this, but I've always used "Hold Option on Startup" to boot from another volume (including Time Machine). Good Luck!
828x MacOS 13.6.5 M1 Studio Max 1TB 64G DP11.31
dix
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

Option on Startup also doesn't work for me :(
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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cuttime
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by cuttime »

Damn, do you have an Apple Hardware Test disc at your disposal? I had some problems in the past and had to run it several times to get to the root of the problem.
828x MacOS 13.6.5 M1 Studio Max 1TB 64G DP11.31
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

Not that I can find.

It's so weird that DP opens fine in a new account on the same boot drive. I even imported the prefs from my main account. DP launches no problem.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

In liue of a better solution I'm now in the process of getting the account that will run DL up to and running. A major, major PIA. I'll give MOTU a call first thing tomorrow. I'm hoping they are someone here has a better way out of this mess I'm in.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by mikehalloran »

Did you create your boot drive by cloning? If so you did not create a repair partion and neither Option-R nor Option-Boot can work. One of the many reasons that Apple recommends cloning only ... oh yea, Apple never recommends cloning.

Download the OS and install it as should have been done in the beginning. This creates your repair partition and can fix many problems. It's probably not your issue, however.

-109 means that you cannot write to a directory. It can mean anything from a bad hard drive to a directory that doesn't exist or a folder to which you do not have privileges. If you imported files from a CD without dragging to your drive first, you'll get this as DP tries to modify the CD—which it can't do. If those files are on a drive created on another Mac, you might not have privileges to write to it—move them to one where you do.
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

Did you create your boot drive by cloning? I believe I did.

Thank you Mike. I'm bleary now, at this late hour, from setting up the new account that will run DP (only took 6 hours!). I'll need to investigate all this in the AM. ...but nothing was imported from CD. Seemed like just a random crash - after days of solid performance on the same project.

Thanks again. I sleep now. Tomorrow I will ask about:"Download the OS and install it as should have been done in the beginning. This creates your repair partition and can fix many problems". I had/have no idea.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by mikehalloran »

If your project is on a remote drive, zip it, move the archive to your desktop and decompress. See if -109 goes away. If not, zip your audio files, move them to your desktop, unzip and re-load them into your project copy.

This should be done anyway but you can put it off if the above works.

In the App Store, you should see your latest OS under Purchased. You can download the installer and run it. This will fix any anomalies caused by the OS and install a repair partition.

Next, do a Safe Boot to repair any paths that may have become corrupted.

If a plugin path has become corrupted, a reinstall of DP should fix that.

If reinstalling the OS fixes your problem, you probably have a bad stick of RAM—an imperfect clone is a pretty reliable symptom. Bounce to Disk failure is another symptom.
DP 11.31; 828mkII FW, micro lite, M4, MTP/AV USB Firmware 2.0.1
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

If your project is on a remote drive, zip it, move the archive to your desktop and decompress. See if -109 goes away. If not, zip your audio files, move them to your desktop, unzip and re-load them into your project copy.
DP won't launch at all. I get the error after the plugins load before the Start page. In that case would you still suspect the project? MOTU had me start DP in Safe Mode (bypassing plugins) and Shift-launching DP which bypasses the hardware. I've also tried removing Clippings.

MOTU concurs that it's something in the OS, but reinstalling the OS will take more time than I have at the moment. Since I'm up and running on the new account. I'll do this after my deadline. I'm wondering if I should try restoring my System and Library via TM. I can't do a full restore without a Restore partition, but I can restore individual components. Would that be worth trying?

Thank you for your help Mike!
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
dix
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Re: Help!: Error message "Master Pointer was nil (-109)"

Post by dix »

Well, reinstalling the OS (and DP, and the other things suggested above) didn't fix the issue, but it did enable me to create and access TM's Restore partition so I could roll back my system to a point in time before the corruption occurred and DP will again launch!

I haven't done any work yet, but all indications are that I'm good. Only took like an hour to complete. In hindsight that would have been far faster than setting up DP in a new account. Live and learn. ...though a time consuming and stressful ordeal I did learn the ins and outs of Time Machine.

Thanks again.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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Re: Help!: Error "Master Pointer was nil (-109)" [RESOLVED]

Post by labman »

Glad to hear you are back Dix. But sorry you had to go through that.
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dix
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Re: Help!: Error "Master Pointer was nil (-109)" [RESOLVED]

Post by dix »

Thanks. Only seven hours from when I got the error to when I was back up running! If I'd done the OS restore, probably would have been more like four after all the trouble-shooting.

I had no idea that cloning a drive doesn't create a Restore Partition (i assumed it did. after all it's a clone!). That's the biggest take away. Also, that keeping your all your authorizations in one easy to get document (which I'm pretty good at) is super helpful in emergencies like this.

I panicked for a moment as I was restoring, wondering if the project-drive, that's also part of my TM scheme, would get rolled back to, but it was not. I was also glad to see that even though I rolled back my OS I still have the Restore Partition.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
dix
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Re: Help!: Error "Master Pointer was nil (-109)" [RESOLVED]

Post by dix »

Incase anyone else gets this error:

This just came up again, but this time before I did an OS restore I tried removing MOTU Clippings form Library>Preferences and that fixed it too.

I remembered that I had removed some obsolete aliases directly from the MOTU Clippings folder recently and thought I'd try removing that folder before I did a full OS restore, per the above post. I don't remember if I had done anything similar last time this came up, but it's possible.
14-inch MBP M1 Max (2021), 13.6.x, 64GB RAM, UAD Quad Tb Satellite, 4 displays ::: 2009 4,1 > 5,1 MacPro 12-core 3.33 ghz , 10.14.x, 96GB RAM, GeForce GTX 770 , NewerTech eSATA/USB3 PCIe Host Adapter, UAD-2 Quad, ::: 15-inch MBP (2015) 10.14.x, 16GB RAM ::: Lynx Aurora (n) USB ::: DP (latest version), Vienna Ensemble Pro danwool.com
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