System Preferences will not open from apple menu in El Capitan

[Photios]

I just did a system software update to the latest version of 10.11 to 10.11.2 and now I cannot launch system preferences from the apple menu. I can launch it from the dock or the applications folder.

Anyone have an idea as to what is going on? I have deleted plist files, booted into safe mode... no luck.

Totally strange... When I click on the system preferences menu item, I see the dock move slightly to the left but nothing opens or loads.

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[CoastalOR]

Try downloading and running the 10.11.2 Combo Updater to see if that fixes the problem.

 

[Partron22]

You rebooted?

 

[Photios]

Try downloading and running the 10.11.2 Combo Updater to see if that fixes the problem.

Unfortunately that did not work.
Thanks for the suggestion, though.

 

[Photios]

You rebooted?

Yes.

 

[dianeoforegon]

Log into Guest User. Does System Preferences launch? If no, then download the full El Capitan installer and run it over your install. Under Purchases in App Store, look for El Capitan. Select to download. It will say it's already install but you can select to continue to download again.

 

[Photios]

Log into Guest User. Does System Preferences launch? If no, then download the full El Capitan installer and run it over your install. Under Purchases in App Store, look for El Capitan. Select to download. It will say it's already install but you can select to continue to download again.

I booted holding the option key down, and selected the hidden "emergency" partition. I installed El Capitan on top of my boot disk, and still have the same problem.

I'm going to erase my hard drive at this point and reinstall from scratch, and then pull in my preferences and other files from a backup. I hope that will solve it. If not, then I'll have to completely start over.

 

[Photios]

Log into Guest User. Does System Preferences launch? If no, then download the full El Capitan installer and run it over your install. Under Purchases in App Store, look for El Capitan. Select to download. It will say it's already install but you can select to continue to download again.

That did not work either. I thought it would, though.

 

[Photios]

I fixed the problem without having to wipe the drive and reinstall El Capitan. What did I do? I used the freeware program "Onyx". I used the automation setting, and checked everything. Not sure what it all did... but it worked. It's strange... we cannot repair permissions anymore in El Cap, though... onyx has that as one of the presets in automation. Perhaps that is what did it?

Thank you to everyone who replied!