Why don't you just zip them (The Unarchiver is nice) and store them in /Users/Shared until it's clear whether you need them again.
I've always used Shared for folders of Copies, Archives, Removed items, all zipped. Very handy.
To investigate the problem, please run Console to check the recent logs for more details (look for com.apple.installd).
In example, I had something like:
com.apple.launchd[1]: (com.apple.installd[69518]) Job appears to have crashed: Abort trap: 6
ReportCrash[69520]: Saved crash report for installd[69518] version 332 to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/installd_2014*.crash
If you see the crash in your logs, then check the backtrace under System Diagnostic Reports, so there is something like:
Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: '*** -[NSKeyedUnarchiver initForReadingWithData:]: incomprehensible archive
The reason for that could be that some of the downloaded files are corrupted.
So to solve that, you have to remove these files and try again.
Simple solution
- Quit your App Store
- Run Finder and go to (CMD+Shift+G):
/private/var/folders.
- Trash all the folders from that folder (e.g.
vp, zz).
- Run App Store and re-try.
In case something bad happens, restore these removed files from your Trash.
Advanced solution
From Terminal check if you've temporary files here:
ls -la /private/var/folders/*/*/*/com.apple.appstore
And then try to remove them (you may backup them first just in case):
rm -frv /private/var/folders/*/*/*/com.apple.appstore
Warning: Make sure you won't do any typos (like adding space between the folders), as you could remove the wrong files!
And re-try to run installer again.
Related:
Best Answer
You probably purchased your MacBook Pro used, in which case the “free” downloads were redeemed to the original owner’s Apple ID. This would explain why you still had to pay for those apps.
Fortunately, starting April 18, 2017, Apple has made iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers and Keynote free for everybody. This should take care of what was a very common source of confusion among customers.
Here are the direct App Store links:
(Note: You sometimes need to provide a credit card or gift card balance to set up an Apple ID for Store use, even for “free” downloads.)
If you recently purchased those apps, you may be able to receive a refund by contacting Apple Support.