ARGH!!!! OS X update does me in.

Being a Mac user A pop up message told me i had updates to install. I thought i had better hit this it might make my virtual machine run better (it suffered in performance when i updated last time, maybe just a coincidence i dunno), but no it in actual fact broke MPLAB_X a net beans ide i use to program PIC MCU's.

I have so far tried every link suggesting anything that might help but no, I Wiped my hard drive re-installed a fresh copy of OSX Snow leopard then restored my virtual machine and installed a fresh copy of virtual box and MPLAB X. tested out how solid works runs, At this point i was happy i could rotate a model and not sit there and wait while it thinks about rotating it and showing me the result it was running smooth. so i then tried to program a PIC MCU for one of my many projects i have on the go, Only to discover that MPLAB could no longer contact my pickit3 so i went and grabbed my ICD3 and the same thing, when you try to access the programmer the IDE says that the previously selected programmer is no longer available, and to select one from the list. only problem is that the list is empty.

I loaded up the VM to test my hardware and it all checked out, so i thought maybe the new version of MPLAB X 1.10 was at fault so i downgraded this to v1.0 all to no avail, i loaded up v1.1 in windows VM and i could access both the programmers, i found a little utility that switches the drivers/firmware in the ICD3 to MPLAB X but that didn't help either, starting to get really pissed at this..

As i said above i have tried a fresh install of OSX and tested the functionality of the programmers at each step of the update process but they have never worked natively on OSX since they stopped working, but the thing i don't understand is how MPLAB X under OSX can't see the programmers but MPLAB X under a windows VM machine on the same OSX machine can use them.. this is very annoying..

recap :-
mac laptop 32bit OSX Snow Leopard
windows VM using MPLAB 8.73a and MPLAB X can access both the ICD3 and the Pickit3
OSX MPLAB X Cannot access either the ICD3 or the Pickit3.
i have accessed both programmers and updated the firmware to the latest but still no dice..


ARGH!!!!!!!! any suggestions?