Hi there.

I have installed WoW from the direct download (up to WotLK) and during some patching for 3.3.0a this error comes up:


The patch "base\signaturefile" could not be applied. (Invalid source file size: expected 3047911, actual 3131378.) If this problem persists, you may be able to solve it by uninstalling and then reinstalling the game. If you are unable to correct this problem, please contact Blizzard Technical Support. (BNUpdate::PTCApply)


I read another thread where the user was instructed to use Blizzard's Repair Utility. Since I am on a Mac, I cannot use it. I did remove the patch files as instructed, hoping to simply re-patch everything, but it does nothing (so I returned them to the Data folder).

I am currently at a loss as to what to do. If someone could please let me know a step-by-step method of fixing the issue, that would be great. Please note that I have tried to reinstall, but it didn't work.

Thanks in advance.

Morning Roflcer,

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Q u o t e:
Invalid source file size: expected 3047911, actual 3131378.

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There's more data than what the computer was told there would be, so it's either corrupted or you have a 3rd party security program on your Mac which is giving it false data and blocking correct data.

Hello Everyone,


If you do get this error try deleting the Blizzard Æ’older in the Mac HD => Users => Shared Æ’older. And if you are using a wireless connection try deleting the file and download it again using a wired connection, especially if you are running any Mac OS other than 10.6.2, which is using the now standard 802.11n protocol.

Hello New,


On a PC that error is a bit more extreme...

This error message is typically caused by the fragmentation of World of Warcraft files after a Windows System Restore. You will first want to revert the game to a previous version and patch again, however, you may need to perform a full uninstall, defrag the system, then reinstall to resolve the issue.

First, try performing a revert and repair:

The Repair.exe file should be located in your World of Warcraft directory (example C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\Repair.exe or C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft\Repair.exe for Vista/7 users).

If this file is not present you can download the latest version at: http://ftp.blizzard.com/pub/WoW/other/Repair.zip . Be sure to unzip the file into your World of Warcraft directory. In order to revert the game to a previous version, please try the following steps:

1. Open your World of Warcraft directory (This is commonly located at C:\Program files\World of Warcraft or C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft for Vista/7 users).
2. Open the folder called "Data"
3. Delete Patch.MPQ, Patch-2.MPQ, and any other file with the word "Patch" in it that ends with "MPQ"
4. Run the repair.exe utility found in the World of Warcraft directory
5. Click the button "Reset and Check Files"
6. The repair utility will say, "World of Warcraft is seriously damaged and will need to be reverted to an earlier version. After it has been reverted you may need to patch up to continue playing."
7. Once the repair utility has completed, you will need to reapply the patch to enter the game.


If the error message persists, please follow the steps below to perform a full uninstall, then defrag the system, then reinstall. This will resolve the issue:

In order to remove World of Warcraft safely from your system, you will need to go into your Control Panel and use Add/Remove Programs. To do this, first go to the Start/Windows button, click Control Panel, and then double click on Add or Remove Programs.
-For Windows XP, you will have the add/remove programs option.
-For Windows Vista/7, you will have an uninstall/remove option under the "Programs" or "Programs and Features" section.

If the game is not listed in your Add/Remove Programs, then you will have to manually uninstall the game by deleting the application directory where the program was installed. The default location is "C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft". On Vista/7, this folder may also have been moved to "C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft".

You may also want to search your hard drive for any Warcraft related files and delete them, including your Temporary folders and the Blizzard Entertainment folder from the common files folder. These folders will normally be located at:
C:\Windows\Temp
C:\Documents and Settings\<YourName>\Local Settings\Temp
(Delete all files in these folders that you are able to. Some files may be used by other programs and not able to be deleted.)

C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft
(Select and Delete this folder if it exists)

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Blizzard Entertainment
(Select and Delete this folder if it exists)

C:\Users\Public\Games\World of Warcraft
(Select and Delete this folder if it exists)

C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Blizzard Entertainment\World of Warcraft\
(Select and Delete this folder if it exists)

Once uninstalled, please also remove the remaining World of Warcraft game folder if this has not been done already.


Once all previous files have been removed, please defrag the hard drive:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/21144

Re-run the installer from the installation CD or downloaded install files to reinstall the game.

*Note* If you have the Wrath of the Lich King DVD available, you can install using this DVD as it will contain the files for the full game installation, and this will reduce the number of patches needed after.

After the game is re-installed, please make sure to not reinstall any custom UIs. Connect to the game servers and download the latest patches to test the game.

Hello Cpccody,


Did you delete the Blizzard Æ’older yet ? And are you getting the message: "This computer appears to be behind a firewall." ?

Hello Jcoc,


Do you have any 3rd party security programs on your mac ? I've been running tests on this issue to try to figure it out and apart from bad connections corrupting the date, people using file sharing programs like Limewire or Frostwire and damaging their hard drive directories from corrupted downloads, the only other thing that I have seen create this error are security programs, like PeerGuardian, Norton, etc.

And yes I actually installed a security program on my Mac for testing purposes, after uninstalling it I begged my Mac for forgiveness and took a shower. Now I know how MacBeth felt with the bloody hands. I might just reformat my Mac tonight to make sure there is no residual code left from the security program.

Side Note: Some 3rd party AddOn management software comes with security programs which install on your Mac when you install the management software.

Hello Everyone,


If you use any type of 3rd party AddOns management program you probably have PeerGuardian which causes this error since it blocks the updates.

If you need to reinstall WoW, please stop installing the original and the Burning Crusade, all you need is the WotLK installer which will install all 3 versions of the game in one take, getting rid of major updating issues and permission corruption.

Also, as per Apple's recommended monthly maintenance please do the following:

Repair Directory Procedure:

1. (re)start the computer
2. right after the computer starts press Cmd(Apple)+s until you get a black screen with white type
3. let go of the keys when this screen comes up
4. at the cursor please type the following: fsck -f -y and press return
5. please be aware that some of the procedures will look like they are frozen,
but are actually taking a long time i.e checking hierarchy
6. if anything had to be repaired, repeat step 4
7. once things are repaired type exit and press return
8. computer will boot into Mac OS

- AND -

Please use the steps below to repair file permission settings
on the hard drive you have installed World of Warcraft.

1.) click on the Finder icon in the Dock
2.) open the Applications folder
3.) open the Utilities folder
4.) double click on the Disk Utility application icon
5.) select the hard drive the game is installed on
6.) select the First Aid option
7.) click on the Repair Disk Permissions button


If you are still getting this error and don't have any 3rd party security program on your Mac, try the following:

1. go to your Macintosh HD => Users => Shared folder and move the Blizzard folder to the Trash
2. go to your Macintosh HD => Users => your account => Library => Preferences and delete any files associated with WOW:
(some files may not appear due to non-use)

- com.blizzard.downloader.plist
- com.blizzard.Downloader.prefs
- com.blizzard.errorreporter.plist
- com.blizzard.Installer.plist
- com.blizzard.launcher.plist
- com.blizzard.World of Warcraft.prefs
- com.blizzard.World of Warcraft.survey.prefs

3. empty Trash

- AND -

1. Select the World of Warcraft folder
2. press Command + i
3. in the World of Warcraft Info box, go to the Sharing & Permissions section
4. click on the lock and unlock it
5. make sure you have Read & Write permissions
6. click on the Burst icon ( cog wheel ) and select Apply to enclosed items**

** If using Mac OS 10.4.11, just click on the Apply to Enclosed items button.

Hello Araimfres,

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Q u o t e:
Suggestion: Leave the damned thing alone for a longish time and let it self-patch in peace.

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I couldn't have said it better myself. Maybe a 5 min wait will work, but just because a computer says it's finished, it most often is not true. The 100% indication is not a good indicator either. Thank you Araimfres for posting this.