### Author:  [@TataRak13](https://community.localwp.com/u/TataRak13)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/1 "2020-09-08T18:24:34Z")
Hi,
I have installed Local 5.7.4+4876 and I can not create any site.
Any time Local is stacked on "Starting up Site Services.
That is my log file: [local-lightning.log](https://community.localwp.com/uploads/short-url/WwYWasg0s57NmkKihxeRBepkn3.log) (170.6 KB)
Please help
---
### Author:  [@ben.turner](https://community.localwp.com/u/ben.turner)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/2 "2020-09-09T16:36:27Z")
Hey @TataRak13, welcome to the Local Community Forums!
I took a look at the Local log and noticed that there is this error:
```auto
Error: Unable to read hosts file at /etc/hosts\n at Function.p.shouldUpdateHosts (%%appPath%%/main/dns/hostsFileService.js:1:1131)\n at Function. (%%appPath%%/main/dns/hostsFileService.js:1:755)\n at Function.flush (%%appPath%%/node_modules/debounce-promise/dist/index.js:54:74)\n at listOnTimeout (internal/timers.js:531:17)\n at processTimers (internal/timers.js:475:7)
```
Usually when Local can’t read the hosts file, that means that there is something blocking it like an antivirus software or a security setting. Can you try disabling anything like that and attempt to create a new site?
---
### Author:  [@TataRak13](https://community.localwp.com/u/TataRak13)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 6:43am UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/3 "2020-09-10T06:43:44Z")
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your interest.
I’ve already checked the variant with the disabling of an antivirus software (I use Bitdefender). Without a positive result.
I don’t know what security settings I should check. Can you give me a hint?
In the meantime, I tried to install many previous versions of Local.
The semi-positive result (sites created) was achieved in version 5.2.? (I don’t remember the number exactly now). But the success was only partial because the sites could not be launched. The “Fix it” button did not work.
Any suggestions?
---
### Author:  [@ben.turner](https://community.localwp.com/u/ben.turner)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/4 "2020-09-10T21:26:45Z")
I know that Catalina has a number of additional security settings in place – I wonder if they have locked down the Hosts file?
Can you open a terminal and run this command and let us know what the output is?
```auto
stat -x /etc/hosts
```
For reference, here’s what I see running that command:
```auto
benjamin:~/
$ stat -x /etc/hosts
File: "/etc/hosts"
Size: 7025 FileType: Regular File
Mode: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ wheel)
Device: 1,8 Inode: 26070291 Links: 1
Access: Thu Sep 10 07:00:36 2020
Modify: Thu Sep 10 07:00:36 2020
Change: Thu Sep 10 07:00:36 2020
```
---
### Author:  [@TataRak13](https://community.localwp.com/u/TataRak13)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/5 "2020-09-11T12:27:20Z")
> [@ben.turner](#):
>
> `stat -x /etc/hosts`
After running this command:
```auto
stat: /etc/hosts: stat: No such file or directory
iMac-MT:~ robert$
```
The outcome is the same whether or not antivirus protection was enabled.
What does it mean?
---
### Author:  [@ben.turner](https://community.localwp.com/u/ben.turner)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/6 "2020-09-11T18:19:29Z")
That is definitely odd and something that I’ve never come across!
After doing some googling, I wonder if you need to re-create that file?
One thing to verify – do you have that `/etc` folder? You can check by running this command in the terminal:
```auto
ls -alh /etc
```
Can you post the results of that command here?
For reference, here are a few of the links that I found that talk about the Hosts file on Catalina being in an odd state or corrupted:
- [https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250891363](https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250891363)
- [https://superuser.com/a/1191214](https://superuser.com/a/1191214)
Have a look at them, but if you need a little more guidance on re-creating that file, I’m more than happy to help after seeing what’s already in the `/etc` folder.
---
### Author:  [@TataRak13](https://community.localwp.com/u/TataRak13)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/7 "2020-09-11T18:27:17Z")
> [@ben.turner](#):
>
> `ls -alh /etc`
For now this is the result of the command:
```auto
lrwxr-xr-x@ 1 root admin 11B 4 gru 2019 /etc -> private/etc
iMac-MT:~ robert$
```
I will of course read those articles but you are speaking with an amateur not developer and any kind of help is very appreciated 🙂
---
### Author:  [@ben.turner](https://community.localwp.com/u/ben.turner)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/8 "2020-09-11T18:41:08Z")
Nice, can you do one more command for me so I understand the underlying structure a bit more?
```auto
ls -alh /private/etc
```
---
### Author:  [@TataRak13](https://community.localwp.com/u/TataRak13)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/9 "2020-09-11T18:43:15Z")
> [@ben.turner](#):
>
> `ls -alh /private/etc`
Here you are:
```auto
total 1984
drwxr-xr-x 124 root wheel 3,9K 10 wrz 22:41 .
drwxr-xr-x 6 root wheel 192B 17 gru 2019 ..
...
-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 0B 18 paź 2019 hosts.equiv
-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 213B 17 sie 2018 hosts~orig
...
iMac-MT:~ robert$
```
---
### Author:  [@ben.turner](https://community.localwp.com/u/ben.turner)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/10 "2020-09-11T18:58:40Z")
Ok. Looking at that output, I wonder if it’s as easy as copying that `hosts~orig` file to what it’s supposed to be. Can you give this command a try (it will prompt you for your login password. What you type won’t show on screen, so be sure to be accurate!)
```auto
sudo cp '/etc/hosts~orig' '/etc/hosts' && ls -alh /etc/hosts*
```
Please paste the output from that command here.
Also, after running that command, can you try creating a new site in Local and see if that gets things working for you?
---
### Author:  [@TataRak13](https://community.localwp.com/u/TataRak13)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/11 "2020-09-11T19:12:07Z")
> [@ben.turner](#):
>
> `sudo cp '/etc/hosts~orig' '/etc/hosts' && ls -alh /etc/hosts*`
Output:
```auto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 213B 11 wrz 21:06 /etc/hosts
-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 0B 18 paź 2019 /etc/hosts.equiv
-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 213B 17 sie 2018 /etc/hosts~orig
iMac-MT:~ robert$
```
… and the winer is … Ben Turner 😃
Now, I can create a site. Everything seems to work perfectly.
Thank you very much!
---
### Author:  [@ben.turner](https://community.localwp.com/u/ben.turner)
#### Post date: [September 11, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/12 "2020-09-11T19:21:07Z")
Awesome @TataRak13, I’m glad we got to the bottom of it! Have an awesome day!
:larry_heart:
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.localwp.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2020, 7:21am UTC](https://community.localwp.com/t/macos-catalina-10-15-2-starting-up-site-services-problem/21955/13 "2020-09-13T07:21:10Z")
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