Hi:

How do I copy a game from the MacBook I downloaded it on to my iMac? The iMac is offline, so redownloading the game to it from GOG.com is not an option.

I tried to simply copy then transfer the file to the iMac via Thunderbolt, but it won't open on the iMac--I get a message to the effect that I don't have permission to open the file.

Thanks for your help.

I was under the impression that the installer could be reused. Not sure if that's true now, BUT here's something I found from Apple and may be what is the problem:

Let me know if this works or not...

If you don’t have permission to open a file or folder, you may be able to change the permissions settings.

Select the item, then choose File > Get Info, or press Command (⌘)–I.

Click the disclosure triangle next to Sharing & Permissions to expand the section.

Click the pop-up menu next to your user name to see the permissions settings.

If you’re not logged in as an administrator, you may need to click the lock icon and enter an administrator name and password.

Change the permissions to either Read & Write or “Read only.”

If you can’t change the permissions, contact an administrator of your Mac or the owner of the file or folder.

Yes the installers can be reused as many times as you want without any technical limitations.

Probably some Mac-specific file rights mess, as you noted. I know nothing about Macs expect that they are supposed to be so much easier to use and figure out than anything else. Maybe occasionally this isn't true anymore, like in this particular case. :)

Sounds like it might be because its an installer from an unknown source, I know Windows likes to shout at me and try and stop me from using exes that I download sometimes. Gmail won't even let me email them incase I'm sending people viruses... :(

Thanks much for the replies.

I changed the permissions to Read/Write but unfortunately that did not work.

My next step is to add the "Administrator" Read/Write account permissions to the file first, before copying, then try to move the file again.

I'll try to post back if I make any progress.

Thanks again.

Let that be a lesson that clients fit the needs for simple use, while storing installers as backup give you all the control you'll ever need on your games library :-)

Does the file have execute permission?

If not, you need to enable it. I'm not familiar with Mac OS and its GUI, but if you are comfortable using the command line, you can chmod +x the file. (There is probably a way to set this in the GUI.)

Thanks for the ideas. I'm a pretty basic user, so I'm not familiar with using the command line.

I've also changed the iMac preferences setting to allow software from unidentified developers, but that didn't help.

I will mess around more with the settings.

Just to be clear, you transferred the .dmg file--the file that is the installer for the game. Right?

Sorry, but I do have to ask. X-P

Hey, no problem. Thanks for checking under all rocks.

Yep, transferred the .dmg and got the "don't have permission" message.

If the rest fails, just download the installer files (directly from the website or with the GOGdownloader, or with Galaxy in the "extra" files for your game), then copy them on your other computer and run the installation program. That should install the game without problem, since those installers have been created with this kind of use in mind. I used that method to install games on my new computer when I didn't have internet at home. On a PC, though, but I imagine it works for MAC too, since it's one of GOG's big selling points.

Of course, downloading the game AGAIN might not be an option for you. Depends of the game, I imagine. A 12Mb old game is easier to download than The Witcher 3 ;)

I copied the Freespace .dmg to a flash drive from the MacBook, copied it from there to the iMac and it installed.

Apparently the issue lies in transferring the file from the MacBook to iMac via Thunderbolt.

Thanks for the idea, Berolsaurus, and thanks all for the help.

Now if I could just get my Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick to work with Freespace...