An error occurred while starting the X11 server: "Failed to activate core devices."

That's the error I get when I try to run The Witcher now that I have upgraded to El Capitan.

Anyone know of any fixes for this?

yes I think you have to disable SIP.

http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/208478/how-do-i-disable-system-integrity-protection-sip-aka-rootless-on-max-os-x-el

This worked for Witcher, but weirdly enough it didn't allow my Oblivion port to run... wonder why not?

Wineskin has been updated to fix compatibility problems with El Capitan and works fine now. You can update Wineskin and refresh the wrapper to fix any existing games broken by the El Capitan upgrade.

I would not recommend disabling SIP over a game. There's no need to defeat important security features to fix software that needs updating instead to work with it. Just my two coppers there.

Google for the Wineskin site and you will find simple instructions that explain how to update your Wineskin games including this one.

The witcher 1 is not a wineskin port. Not all port works with updated wineskin wrapper. Rootless is not a good security feature is just a n00b control feature (like ios limit), there is not need of sip... We don't use it until El Capitan so why start use it now?

Osx already is a good and solid unix system. So I suggest to just disable it if you don't need it or an application work only with sip disable.

The first Witcher game does use Wineskin.

Anything running with Wineskin previous to El Capitan will work again once Wineskin has been updated per instructions on the site I mentioned.

You do not understand SIP and it's importance as a security feature obviously. The system protection it provides is indeed an important improvement to the operating system and something you should educate yourself about in detail before you advise others to turn it off or do that yourself. I am not going to give a lecture here on SIP. The information is available from Apple and elsewhere on the web.

No. Just try to download the witcher 1. It don't use wineskin anymore. It use a tecnology called eON.
Also there are some port that need a specified wine and a specified wineskin version.
I know what sip is... It is a rootless feature, if you install strange software and you give your root password rootless can help you... If you know what you are doing it is just an ios-like limit to unix osx system. It limit the power of the root user to access some folder... I need that power on my computer, if I want an ipad I just use ipad

Wow. My apologies about the first Witcher game. I could not believe they would do the port a second time with Virtual Programming doing it again but I see you are correct and they did do that. I'm sorry I did not check before asserting you were wrong when it was I who was wrong.

As for SIP I am not backing off on that though. Have a read through this for details that explain why I do not recommend any end user turn it off. There are times doing so might be useful as in developing complex software so on the development machine but for the vast majority of users there is no need or reason to compromise this greatly improved security.

See the two pages worth of info here:

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/09/os-x-10-11-el-capitan-the-ars-technica-review/8/#h1

Highlights of that article include putting limits on root access which makes good sense most of the time. It is hardly just limited to that though. SIP involves a lot more including very importantly memory access protection and protection for all the default Apple apps that are included with OS X. Turning all of this off and opening the door to hackers in a wide variety of ways does not make sense just to play a game that can be fixed. No game needs to be writing to the folders protected by SIP and should not have been writing to them to begin with. I am not convinced the Witcher attempts to do this. I am not seeing the error the OP posted when I try to run the copy I just downloaded and installed into El Capitan here with SIP turned on. The game fires right up, the opening cinematic plays and I did a little of the introductory fighting in the game before exiting out. Also before i began I went into settings and altered them without any errors or issues. So I fail to see at least so far how SIP could be having any impact on this game whatsoever. In another eON game just fixed by VP that I ran yesterday (Dirt Showdown) which was having problems saving its data, their fix works fine and so does the game. This leads me to believe that however their eON tech happens to work is not in conflict generally speaking with SIP or I'd see trouble in both of these titles.

When it comes to SIP the only apps I'd really expect to see run into problems would be stuff that messes with the Finder app or the Dock or something like that, some utility software that was writing to now protected locations allowed only for operating system files. The whole idea of this is simple: to protect the installed OS, apps and memory such that they cannot be altered (by bad people) in any way to compromise the system. I see that as a great improvement for the good. Losing root access to those places is no loss of power. You still have all the tools you've ever had to do amazing things on a Mac that most end users don't know exist never mind use.

In the unlikely event you ever want to do something important that this prevents you from doing, you can easily enough reboot and turn it off, do whatever it is, reboot and turn it back on. I can't imagine the benefit of leaving it off unless I was working on a complex software project for OS X. Even then, that project better work flawlessly with SIP on when it is done because that is the state the vast majority of installed El Capitan systems are going to be in.

I am wondering now what version of the Witcher you have installed and are trying to use, the older one that uses Wineskin which would be broken now or the newer one GOG has since replaced it with that was ported by Virtual Programming and I just saw running perfectly here in El Capitan. I just downloaded it, installed it, fired up and no issues at all as noted in the post directly above.

If you've had this version installed for quite a while, you might want to download the most recent one and install that to see if it fixes your problem.

If that is true and your saves go missing because the new version is looking elsewhere for them, finding them should not be hard. Be sure not to delete the original before testing just in case but I cannot imagine it saves inside the app. They probably would be in a folder in documents or else buried in a folder in your Library/Application Support folder. With Wineskin if that is the one you have I would figure finding them in Documents would be more likely.

yes now the witcher 1 osx is really a great port.


Well I'm still on yosemite because of sip (I'm a developer and there are really too many software that have some sort of compatibility problem because of sip).
the real problem is not that a game need sip disable, the real problem is that many application are not upgraded anymore by the developer and use folder that now cannot be accessed with sip enable.
Also the real problem is that Apple decide to implement SIP without a special permission for white list application... you can turn it on or completly off. I don't want anyone to tell me what to install on my computer, I buy a mac not an ipad (where you can only install app store apps)... SIP can be bypassed only by apple sign applications, not even an approved developer can bypass SIP... this is just not fair for me.
Also there is already a security protection for applications, you can say to just install mac app store applications.
that's why I suggest to just turn it off, osx is still a unix system, that means that is not really easy to take control of a computer (if you don't give the root password to any application that ask it).
I prefer freedom to use my system, too much protection and security are not always a good thing.

Well, do what you like with your own computer but I still have to disagree with your recommendation to disable this comprehensive security feature that benefits the vast majority of users with more secure systems. The folders protected by SIP should never be used by anything but the operating system. There is no need or reason to be installing anything into them. There are already standard locations to install apps, preferences and various other data. There is already a home folder for all the user's data. There is just no need to access those areas as a rule for most users ever.

So I cannot agree with that and I felt I should explain why and now I have. If you want to leave those security holes open on your system that is up to you but it is not recommended that users do this for good reason as outlined in detail in the article I linked.

In any event, this game does not have a problem with SIP. It works just fine with it here.

there is a compatibility problem with some software, that's the main reason to use that folder, also there are some software that can costumize the system and need access to some system folder....
there is not security holes, the fact that the system stop you from doing something that you know is not a bad thing (like use an application that need to use system folder but you know that is not a malaware) is a limit to liberty to use the system, not a security feature (there is no way to use a white list so this is a limitation).
A security hole is a thing that can be used without my help, if a software can have root power without my root password there is a security hole.... SIP only stop you because there is not root user anymore.... this is just lazy from Apple, not a security feature.

Anyway, I think I will not buy my next computer from apple, my freedom is more important that the fact that I like osx... I will just use windows+ubuntu (a system for games and some application + a unix system).

I know there are issues with some software but they are relatively rare and I already acknowledge this pertains to such things as utilities that alter system elements like the Finder, Dock, etc.

There are security issues with allowing access to system folders, not protecting memory to the greatest extent possible and not protecting the Apple apps that ship with the system. Sorry but that is not debatable just because you want to run some utility that is writing to a place it no longer is allowed to because allowing access to those places even as root is a security risk. It has already been demonstrated that it is possible to gain root access remotely by malware and thus SIP stops that problem cold.

There is nothing lazy about Apple implementing improved security.

There is still root access but it is restricted and controlled more now and that is a good thing that safeguards the system from attacks.

Don't get me wrong. I don't care if you turn it off. It's not my computer, it's yours. You are making a security tradeoff though when you do that. I don't know how you could read the article I linked (if you did) and not clearly understand this.

It does sound like Linux may be a better choice for you if you want to be sticking stuff in the operating system folders, etc. although you could still do that on a Mac just by turning off SIP. However, in Linux you also have the same security risks without this protection that a Mac has without it. The only plus is that the installed base is even smaller so a relatively unattractive target to hackers other than those going after servers.

Interestingly enough I found out the hard way recently that you can trash a Windows installation by overriding ownership of a system file and renaming it. You'd have to see this to believe it. I changed one relatively unimportant DLL to make an old game work and the system actually became unstable, the mouse started acting up and it would not allow me to change it back even though I had full access control and ownership of the file. I had gotten a warning dialog with a dire message telling me not to do this before i did it but I did it anyway. I had to reinstall Windows to fix it. This was with Windows 7 this happened recently.

I mention that because I wouldn't want you to think you are in for any sort of freedom in the Windows world to do whatever you want either. In Linux though you sure can. If you have the talent and the time you can modify anything to your liking. Maybe you'd like that much better. Companies like Apple and Microsoft are not about this kind of end user freedom to tinker but for the most part that is for the best. You have to remember that the majority of users are not like you necessarily and if it was left possible for them to screw up their systems it is guaranteed that some will not to mention the malicious attacks potential when system areas are vulnerable to unauthorized access or user errors in granting it.

That's another issue. Users will grant access to something they think is okay but sometimes they are fooled or they are wrong and it is not okay at all. SIP saves them from themselves. This for the majority is a good thing again.

Apple can sign an application, they analize the code of many of the mac app store application, if they want they just could disable SIP for some good applications.
2. Since osx is a computer OS limitations like this cannot be accepted. Apple was lazy because they don't think another more scalable solution, instead of just force a power user to "jailbreak" a mac.
3. Apple wasx also lazy because you cannot decide a white list of applications (maybe from terminal so that a normal user will never do that).
4. the risk you're talking about are really rare even for a noob user... and, if I have to reset my system from a time machine backup,, is not that bad at all.
5. no system is without security holes, the problem is when an hacker can use a security hole before it will be fixed.... since Yosemite is still supported and it will be updated for the next few years (5-10 I don't know but it will be supported for a lots of time), Apple have to fix any security holes in the system... with or without SIP there are security holes but with it there is less freedom.
6. OS X, when I choise it, was the best system for me, Unix-like (so a good bash terminal), no limitation, all the software that I need (Unity3d and Blender in the first place) and a stable DE (also some gaming and wine like linux). Now with El capitan is no more the best system for me, Unity3d will out with a linux version, El capitan has SIP limitation. Windows + Linux is not the best solution (two OS instead of one is not confortable), but is the only solution, a good Unix-like system and a system that I need for some software (not so good but since linux don't have all the software I need I have to use windows).

I don't want to jailbreak my mac, I bought a mac because I want only one Unix-like system without need to reboot....
El Capitan is now more iOS then OSX and I'm sure that Apple will not stop here (if you want to enforce security you can do much worst).

I read many article (also the one you posted), I know what SIP is, and I know that the trade off in security is not a real trade off... because SIP is not a security feature, is a security limitation (like the iOS security limitation... "you can only install app from the store"). If I give you an iphone without a sim and without a working wifi your iphone will not have any security problem... but this is not a security feature is just a broken and limited iphone.
A security feature does not limit the user, it warn you, it stop you from doing it automatically, but if you really want to broke the system you must have the liberty to do it. Also a security feature is not on or off, is on with strong or weak or white list limitation, or off.

I will have my mac for the next 2-3 years, if Apple wants to turn SIP from a security limitation to a security feature apple can do it, and I will change my mind. if not I will just change system (and for me it's really easy, I have many virtual machine so I still know how to use windows and linux... also I know how to change my mac application to cross-platform solution (there are integrated time machine also in linux and windows, thunderbird can replace mail... maybe the only application I cannot find is an alternative to Pixelmator... I don't like Gimp and Photoshop cost too much for my use).
SIP is a new "feature" apple can still improve it, if they go in the right direction SIP can be a great feature for user without be a great limitation. I don't understand why say that SIP is a perfect solution when is not...

Windows in that case that you explain was a good example of good security system. You want to override a dll, it warn you but you still want to do that so you do that, it's just right your computer if you want to break it you have the right to do it. Also the mac without sip ask you for a password to change some system folder (not just a warning, ask you for your root password, so if you don't know what you're doing and you put your password and change the system you deserve what come next)...

Finally, I know that in one or two year there will be many software that will just disable SIP automatically (just asking for the noob user permission like always), user that want to broke their system can do that also with iphone (jailbreak) that's why security limitations are unless.
The only real solution is to teach noob user how to use a system, limits are just placebo... that are annoying only for power user.

if I have to turn off many security feature (there is not just SIP but also the one that stopp you from installing applications outside the mac app store, and I'm almost sure they will add other stupid limitations), reboot is not so annoying anymore in comparation.

Well, I'm sorry but I can't agree with any of the above. SIP is something the majority of Mac users will never even notice in their everyday computing, including gaming. It improves the security of OS X and that is a good thing.

Everything you said above doesn't really add up to me when you can simply turn SIP off and have it your way. It isn't like you cannot do that and have exactly what you had before in terms of root access. So why you would need to change to a dual boot of two other operating systems when you can just turn off a feature you do not like is beyond me.

As for installing software, as you know I am sure, one is not limited to the Mac App Store at all. You can configure that in settings and also approve either App Store and Apple Developer signed software and you can still install software that is unsigned. The only thing different with SIP as far as installing software goes it that the rules are now enforced about where you can install it which for the vast majority of apps is not a problem at all. This only affects certain system altering utilities and in some cases old legacy hardware drivers that very few users would be affected by.

The sky isn't falling. You can still do whatever you please. Reboot and turn it off if you must for whatever your own reasons are. Problem solved.

On the other hand, recommending defeating system security for one computer game is not something I could go along with which was why I posted here in the first place. As it turns out though the point is moot where this game is not affected at all by SIP so it doesn't matter anyway. I really doubt any game is affected by SIP since they wouldn't have any reason to be writing to system folders. They would be an app bundle in /Applications and probably a preferences folder, etc. in /library. Games and the vast majority of apps are quite unlikely to be affected by SIP.