10.5.8 Finder resets to default, desktop files gone!

The Finder on my 2008 Mac pro is really acting up at the moment an I have no idea what's going on.
My desktop has been wiped clean. Nothing there, except the drive icons. I don't keep much on the desktop but there should be a few folders and files that I always keep there for convenience. Also, Finder has reset to default settings - lost my custom Places from the sidebar and opens in icon view, which I never use.
I looked at the actual folder in Finder as well and the files are definitely not there.
What I have been doing:
I ran iDefrag on my files disk (INT HD 1TB) a few days ago (first time). I forgot to turn off Time Machine so they have probably been running at the same time.
Today Time Machine decided to backup everything from scratch, which I attribute to iDefrag switching everything around on my Files disk. Also filled the backup disk so I only have two backups at the moment, both from today.
Other than that, I have mostly been using Adobe Bridge, Photoshop and InDesign CS4 for editing quite big files. Also Firefox for normal web browsing.
Hard drives are reported to be ok. Profile is still the same name. The files are not in the Trash. Everything else is where it should be. System disk is 1/3 full. Files HD (which hasn't been affected AFAICS) 1 TB 1/2 full.
Does anyone know what could be happening to my machine?

I had the same problem and finally discovered that somehow my Desktop folder had become a Package. I could not do anything on the desktop but the apps and the dock etc. were working fine. I went to Go/Home Folder/Desktop/Show Package Contents and everything was there. But nothing appeared on the desktop. I could not open a new folder and anything I tried to drag to the desktop resulted in a permissions error. I tried all of the above fixes and more. The solution? Trash the desktop folder from your Home folder, empty the trash, reboot and start all over again. If you're lucky like I was you will have a Time Machine backup and you can restore a previous Desktop easily. Worked for me!

Similar Messages

User Reset? Desktop files gone.

I came home to find my desktop blank, and all my files and folders gone and my settings appear to back to intial installation. The power had not gone out.
Is there a way to restore files from the desktop? I've done several searches but found only a few documents and my iTunes library?
Any ideas what could have happened? My dock was reset and everything, but my online settings, email, and hard drive seem intact. After reading some of the posts, it seems my user had been reset on June 1. Any way to get this through disk utility or the archive settings on my home folder?
Sign me baffled....

1. How do I dump the logs? Do I just go to Console and delete them?
Just go to the Logs folders and delete them. Now I would not do that with cache files.
2. Do I need to be using the startup disk when I do that
Not if your Mac can run Target Disk Mode:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58583
3. Will I ever be able to get my old User back, do you think
If you use Prosoft Data Rescue you may be able to, but you have to be sure not to use your computer until you have a chance to use Prosoft Data Rescue with an External Firewire hard drive at least as large as the drive the user was on. Or if you use one of the disk cataloging tools on my FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/diskfull.html
To locate that user. If they aren't found, only Data Rescue or a data recovery specialist would be able to retrieve the user. This is why it is so important to backup your data as my FAQ* explains:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
4. After I dump the logs, how do I reset the network
To reset a dialup network with AOL, all you need to do is quit from AOL's software menu. In some cases modems can get hung, in which case, restarting the machine from the Apple menu is necessary.
AOL is up to version 10.3.7:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/10481
* Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Desktop file gone!

Loaded Maverick and then I rebooted and nothing is on my desktop, all the files with the exception of Macintosh HD are gone and I can't even drag anything onto the desktop! Yikes! What is going on?????

I resolved this by using Time Machine and getting all the Desktop items back. I am sure it had more to do with me doing something weird with Macfort rather than Maverick. I couldn't drag anything onto the Desktop becausethe Desktop folder was completely gone from my home file, really strange.

Desktop is Gone, Mail and Safari were reset and a host of other problems

So, I opened my iMac G5 today and the first thing I noticed was that some of my widgets were gone, particularly all the ones that didn't come with the OS X installation (meaning the other ones I downloaded from different sites). And then I noticed that I couldn't access any of my mail when I looked at them in Mail. I was given an error message that read something like this: "you cannot view this message. it has not be downloaded from the server. you must go online". So anyway, I decided to shut down and turn my computer on again. And I was shocked to see that my desktop was gone, and my wallpaper had reverted back to the default wallpaper (but I was atleast able to find all the files that used to be on my desktop). And now, Mail has been reset (meaning, when I launch it, it asks me to set up a new account). iChat has been reset the same way as well. And for some very odd reason, my Safari browser has lost it's tabbed browsing ability, and I've lost all my bookmarks. I checked the version, and it says 2.0.4. Did I somehow revert back to on older version of Safari. So far, those are the only problems I've discovered. I'm terribly hesitant to turn my computer off again in fear that I might lose some more files for good.
Anyway, I have an idea of what the culprit might be. I downloaded this program from VEOH.com and decided to uninstall it last night. It came with an "uninstall how to" that asked me to type some stuff in Terminal (I knew I should have just kept that **** program!). This is what it asked me to type:
prompt> sudo /Applications/Veoh.app/Contents/Resources/uninstallveoh.sh
And then Terminal asked for my admin password, and I hit the Return key. Would anyone know, if this is what could be causing me all these problems? I also recently installed Yahoo 3.0 Beta 1. It conflicts with Mail. I can't open Yahoo 3.0 when Mail is running.
Also, I found the bookmarks.plist file for Safari. I'm wondering if I can somehow do something with this file so that I can get my old bookmarks back. Would really appreciate any help!
Ugh! I feel like a such a Windows user right now.

Hi, Barry.
Thanks for the reply! I've found all of my files (the ones that used to be on my old desktop), and I've been able to restore my bookmarks and all my old mail. Also, I just had to recheck "enable tabbed browsing" in Safari Preferences. I think I just figured out what I did wrong: I renamed my "home" folder. I was gonna change it back to it's original name, but I forgot to. Stupid me. So after restarting, I think it just moved all of my files into a new folder which I can still access by going to Macintosh HD >>> Users. All the files are there, including the widgets that I thought were missing. So now, I essentially have 4 folders under users, but I only have 3 user accounts. You think I can restore everything back to normal by just copying all of the old files back into my home folder again? But at any rate, I think I can live with having all my files just living in another folder. I lost my old "music", "pictures" and "movies" icons though (the ones at the left sidebar of the Finder window). Those are the only things I can't seem to find. So I just downloaded new icons.
What's a good brand of external firewire drives? I'm thinking of getting a Maxtor OneTouch III. Would you recommend that?

How do i get to the firefox window so i can reset the default settings?

it is very slow online and when i went on today there was a message to reset to default settings. when i clicked that, it told me to go to the firefox window so i could reset. i don't know how to get to the firefox window. firefox immediately goes to my browser which is comcast. when i click on firefox above, it stays in comcast.

See:
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/firefox-health-report-says-your-browser-is-slow
Try to update to Firefox 29 via Help > About or download and save the full Firefox installer to the desktop and start the installation with a double-click on the desktop icon.
You can find the full version of the current Firefox 29.0 release in all languages and for all Operating Systems here:
*http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html
It is possible that your security software (firewall, anti-virus) blocks or restricts Firefox or the plugin-container process without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.
Remove all rules for Firefox and the plugin-container from the permissions list in the firewall and let your firewall ask again for permission to get full, unrestricted, access to internet for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.
See:
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Server+not+found
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Firewalls
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/fix-problems-connecting-websites-after-updating
See:
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/reset-firefox-easily-fix-most-problems
When you reset Firefox then a new profile is created and some personal data (bookmarks, history, cookies, passwords, form data) is automatically imported and the current profile folder will be moved to the desktop to an "Old Firefox Data" folder.
Installed extensions and other customizations (toolbars, prefs) that you have made are lost and need to be redone.
It is possible to recover more data from the old profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Recovering+important+data+from+an+old+profile

Bookmarks lost with new version. Reset to default. Located old bookmarks but will not open-needs program.

I automatically updated to the newest Firefox version. My bookmarks were lost. I had two profiles. I tried to return to the Old? profile. I then reset the profile to default. I searched for my old bookmarks and found the bookmarks, but when I clicked on a previous date, the program asked which program would I use to open? I tried MsWord but it wouldn't open. I forgot how I found the old bookmarks.
Please tell me 1. How to find the old Bookmarks
2. How to download them.
3. Can I download the bookmarks from a saved data file from my mirror backups.
4. Can I save the bookmarks in a data file in case this occurs again?
5. Did Resetting to default erase the bookmarks?
Thank you ,Robin

To address some of your other questions:
Firefox's Reset feature is designed to retain your bookmarks. However, if your disk is very full or your bookmark backups were empty or unreadable, the Reset may leave you with no bookmarks.
After a Reset, your previously active profile folder is moved to your desktop and placed in a folder named Old Firefox Data. Please check in there for a folder named bookmarkbackups.
If you also had an inactive profile folder, to check in there, you can paste this in the Start menu search box and press Enter:
%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
Hopefully your missing bookmarks are in one of those two places.
Please do not delete any old profile data until you are sure you've recovered everything you need.

I don't have my navigation bar at all. I tried to start in safe mode but I never get the dialog box the y say you should get to reset to defaults. Help?

i don't have my navigation bar at all. I tried to start in safe mode but I never get the dialog box the y say you should get to reset to defaults. Help? I have even uninstalled and reloaded firefox
== This happened ==
Every time Firefox opened
== My wife hit a button and doesn' know what happened

See if this helps. View > Toolbars, if no check beside Navigation Bar, click on Navigation Bar to check it.
'''Can't see the Menu Bar''' (File, Edit, View, History, Bookmarks, Tools, Help)?
Turning the Menu Bar on and off is a new feature in version 3.6.
''(~~red:Linux & OSX see~~: [[Menu bar is missing]] )''
''Windows'' Method 1. '''''Hold down''''' the key and press the following letters in this exact order: V T M then release the key
''Windows'' Method 2. Tap once on the F10 key, while the Menu bar is visible, choose "View > Toolbars", click "Menu Bar" so that a check mark is placed next to Menu Bar
''Windows'' Method 3. Tap once and release the key. The Menu Bar will be displayed; then choose ~~red:V~~iew > ~~red:T~~oolbars and click on ~~red:M~~enu Bar so that a check mark is placed next to Menu Bar
The Menu Bar should now be displayed permanently, unless you turn it off again using View > Toolbars. Check mark = displayed, NO check mark = not displayed.
See:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Menu+bar+is+missing
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Toolbar_customization#Restoring_missing_menu_or_other_toolbars
'''Navigation Toolbar, Bookmarks Toolbar and other Toolbars''' under View > Toolbars. Clicking on one of them will place a check mark (display) or remove the check mark (not displayed).
'''To display the Status Bar''', View, then click Status bar to place a check mark (display) or remove the check mark (not displayed).
'''Full Screen mode'''
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Netbooks#Full_screen
Also see:
''' [[Back and forward or other toolbar buttons are missing]]'''
'''[[Navigation Toolbar items]]'''
'''[http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/How+to+customize+the+toolbar How to customize the toolbar]'''
'''''Other Issues''''': ~~red:You have installed plug-ins with known security issues. You should update them immediately.~~
'''Update Java''': your ver. 1.6.0.18; current ver. 1.6.0.20 (important security update 04-15-2010)
(Firefox 3.6 and above requires Java 1.6.0.10 or higher; see: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Java-related+issues#Java_does_not_work_in_Firefox_3_6 )
''(Windows users: Do the manual update; very easy.)''
~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
See: '''[http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Java+plugin+with+Firefox#Updates Updating Java]'''
Do the update with Firefox closed.
'''NOTE:''' Java version 1.6.0.21 has been released. It is mainly an update for developers of Java applications and most users do not need to be concerned about downloading version 1.6.0.21. '''''At this time''''', the update option in existing installations of Java 1.6.0.20 are not updating to version 1.6.0.21; '''''at this time''''', it must be manually downloaded and installed. According to the Java release notes:
''"'''Bug Fixes'''''
''Java SE 6 Update 21 does not contain any additional fixes for security vulnerabilities to its previous release, Java SE 6 Update 20. Users who have Java SE 6 Update 20 have the latest security fixes and do not need to upgrade to this release to be current on security fixes."'' Source: http://java.sun.com/javase/6/webnotes/6u21.html
'''Install/Update Adobe Flash Player for Firefox (aka Shockwave Flash)''': your ver. 10.0 r45; current ver. 10.1 r53 ('''important security update 2010-06-10'''; see: http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-14.html)
~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
See: '''[http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing+the+Flash+plugin#Updating_Flash Updating Flash]'''
-'''use Firefox to download''' and '''SAVE to your hard drive''' (save to Desktop for easy access)
-exit Firefox (File > Exit)
-''In Windows,'' check to see that Firefox is completely closed (''Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Task Manager, click Processes tab, if "firefox.exe" is on the list, right-click "firefox.exe" and choose End process, close the Task Manager window'')
-''In Windows,'' double-click on the Adobe Flash installer you just downloaded to install/update Adobe Flash
-when the Flash installation is complete, start Firefox, and test the Flash installation here: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_15507&sliceId=1
*'''NOTE: On Vista and Windows 7''' you may need to run the plugin installer as Administrator by starting the installer via the right-click context menu if you do not get an UAC prompt to ask for permission to continue (i.e nothing seems to happen). See this: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
*'''NOTE for IE:''' Firefox and most other browsers use a Plugin. IE uses an ActiveX version of Flash. To install/update the IE ActiveX Adobe Flash Player, same instructions as above, except use IE to download the ActiveX Flash installer. See: [[ActiveX]]
*Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Flash ~~red:'''''AND'''''~~ [[How do I edit options to add Adobe to the list of allowed sites]]
'''You '''~~red:'''MAY'''~~''' need to Update Adobe Reader for Firefox (aka Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox)''': your ver. N/A; current ver. 9.3.3 (important security update release 06-29-2010; see: http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-15.html)
~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
See: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Adobe+Reader+plugin+with+Firefox#Installing_and_updating_Adobe_Reader
''You may be able to update from the Adobe Reader installed on your system'' instead of going to the Adobe site and downloading. Open the Adobe Reader installed on your system (''in Windows, Start > Program Files, find and click Adobe Reader to open''), click Help, click Check for Updates. Allow the download/update to occur. If you use this method, no need to proceed with the instructions below, '''but''' do look at the two bulleted items at the bottom "'''NOTE for IE:'''" and "Also see:". Restart Firefox and check your new version here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
''If you go to the Adobe site to download the current Adobe Reader:''
-'''use Firefox to download''' and '''SAVE to your hard drive''' (save to Desktop for easy access)
~~red:-See the images at the bottom left of this post to see the steps to take on the Adobe site~~
-exit Firefox (File > Exit)
-In Windows: check to see that Firefox is completely closed (''Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Task Manager, click Processes tab, if "firefox.exe" is on the list, right-click "firefox.exe" and choose End process, close the Task Manager window'')
-In Windows: double-click on the Adobe Reader installer you just downloaded to install/update Adobe Reader
*'''NOTE: On Vista and Windows 7''' you may need to run the plugin installer as Administrator by starting the installer via the right-click context menu if you do not get an UAC prompt to ask for permission to continue (i.e nothing seems to happen). See this: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
*'''NOTE for IE:''' Firefox and most other browsers use a Plugin. IE uses an ActiveX version. To install/update the IE ActiveX version, same instructions as above, except use IE to download the ActiveX installer. See: [[ActiveX]]
*Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Adobe_Reader ~~red:'''''AND'''''~~ [[How do I edit options to add Adobe to the list of allowed sites]]

Computer reset to default-like state, missing files.

I was working late on an assignment, and once i was complete, i saved, and shut my computer down, just like every other time that i used my iMac. The next day, my computer started up normally, i logged into my account, and i found myself puzzling over why my dock was reset, the two stacks "Documents" and "Downloads" were silver question marks, my hard drive icon was missing (fixed that in finder preferences) and everything on my desktop was gone. Unlike the HD icon that i could make reappear, these files were GONE. I searched my entire HD and couldn't find a trace of them. I also noticed that all of my applications had been reset. When i opened iTunes, it went through setup assistant, but thankfully my music was still there, along with my photos in my iPhoto library. All of my applications still had all of the data, but they were acting like i hadn't used them before.
After doing some research, I have found that the cause may be the name of my home folder being accidentally reset. Unfortunately, this isn't true, because my home folder has exactly the same name, and haven't even touched my home folder.
If you can find any way to help my computer return to the way I had it at, and help me find those missing files, It will be deeply appreciated.

So running +Repair Disk+ did not report any errors, or did it report errors that were then repaired successfully?
If it did report errors that were repaired, the files may still be missing after the repair. The actual data may still be on the drive, it's just that the file system has lost track of those files. You may be able to use a data recovery program to recovery that data. However, if new data has been written over the disk space used by the lost data, that portion will not be recoverable. One such program is
http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php?PHPSESSID=216be88cbbb8a850c5f 0b9decfb1dac4
The multi-functional TechTool Pro (Micromat) also has a data recovery tool.
If it did report errors, and they were NOT repaired successfully by Disk Utility, you may be able to use a third-party utility such as TechTool Pro or DiskWarrior (Alsoft) to do the repair. They may be able to reconstruct your disk directory data so that some or all of your lost data is recovered.
If NO ERRORS were reported by Disk Utility, the cause of this problem may be user-related. Is it possible you mistakenly moved the files/folders to a new location? For example, if you accidentally dragged the Library folder (the one in your user home folder) to a different location, since the user and application preference files are in there, your apps may run using the default settings the next time you run them. The Dock would also get reset. Use Spotlight to search for one of your missing documents, by file name. If you actually find the path to one such document, you may find them all along the same path. If they were accidentally sent to the Trash, but you have not emptied the Trash, they may be in the Trash.

The back button no longer works. I have disabled all add-ons, rebooted & reset the defaults for the browser and nothing has changed. This happens on all webpages.How do I get the back button to light up again?

the back button no longer works. I have disabled all add-ons,rebooted & reset the defaults for the browser and nothing has changed. This happens on all webpages.How do I get the back button to light up again?

Start Firefox in [[Safe Mode]] to check if one of the extensions or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox (Tools) > Add-ons > Appearance/Themes).
*Don't make any changes on the Safe mode start window.
*https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Safe+Mode
If it does work in Safe-mode then disable all extensions and then try to find which is causing it by enabling one at a time until the problem reappears.
*Use "Disable all add-ons" on the [[Safe mode]] start window to disable all extensions.
* Close and restart Firefox after each change via "File > Exit" (Mac: "Firefox > Quit"; Linux: "File > Quit")
Another possible cause is a problem with the file places.sqlite that stores the bookmarks and the history.
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarks_history_and_toolbar_buttons_not_working_-_Firefox
*https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_places-database-file

Finder Resets After Accessing a Specific File

The basic problem is that I have a file in a folder on my desktop. When I scroll down to this file the finder resets completely. The finder windows close, all of my desktop icons reset (disappear and reappear.)
The background story is that this is a file that I retrieved off of my western digital external hard drive via data recovery after it had been formatted by time machine (involuntarily I might add). I ran a data recovery tool and it came up with about 300 files, which I am trying to sort through. Whenever I come up to this file everything resets, so I have no chance to delete or remove it. How can I get rid of it?
If there is a command for the terminal, the file name is F16531117.pct, it is located in a folder named GOOD FILES on my desktop. What would be the exact command line to run to delete this file?

Thank you, that solved the problem. Any ideas why that file would cause that to happen? And one last thing. I ran the recovery and saved all the files in that folder. That folder is somehow 160gb large, how can I tell which files are doing this? Or how can I sort through quickly to find the largest files? All the files on the drive I recovered from were never more than 20 gigs total.

How can I reset the DEFAULT zoom view in Firefox at 125%, like IE, so I don't have to reset it every time ?

How can I reset the DEFAULT zoom view in Firefox at 125%, like IE, so I don't have to reset it every time ?
I have seen this question asked previously and it seems there is no answer.
I know that one can change each individual web page (that reset defaults back to 100%) and, alternatively and apparently one can load an add-on to fix the default size at Full Zoom.
... But any hints on how to achieve a DEFAULT 125% zoom would be much appreciated.

Press CTRL + 0
Have you tried Firefox's zoom feature? Font size and zoom - increase the size of web pages
You can "zoom" all sites using this add-on: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2592/ NoSquint]. After setting your global zoom level, you can still fine-tune the zoom on individual sites.
After installing NoSquint, click the % on the Add-on Bar to call up site preferences, then click the Global Settings button, then the Zooming tab.
If you don't have the Add-on Bar displayed, you can right-click the new tab button ("+") or a blank area of the tab bar to the right of it and choose Add-on Bar from the shortcut menu.
You can experiment with sizes larger than 125%, but I wouldn't go much higher than 150% unless you have a large high-resolution monitor.
If there are particular sites that still present a problem, feel free to post their URLs.
You can find more information about the zoom features Firefox offers in these articles:
[[Text zoom]] - For zooming text only
[[Page zoom]] - For zooming the whole page (including images etc.)

Why is my default desktop now just blue instead of the default sky/space scape?

As per the question above really....
Ive only been a mac user now since the begining of april this year when i took delivery of my macbook pro
Anyway... at some point the default desktop (the aroura looking photo) decided to stop displaying at start up, it now just displays a blue screen instead.
I dont think its affecting performance in anyway but i am worried this might be something to do with malware or the like...
Any info would be greatly appreciated
Regards
Mark

well i had never problem with that but you can try this:
Check if the background image is there -
from the Finder hit Command+Shift+G to open the ‘Go to Folder’ screen. Type /System/Library/CoreServices/ and click ‘Go’
Next, find the image file called ‘DefaultDesktop.jpg’
if not, you found the problem, and instead of this image you can put there whatever image you want.. but the name have to be: DefaultDesktop.jpg...
Regards

Some of my newly saved contacts get deleted automatically... And specialised ringtones for my contacts are reset to default.. It happens quite often..

Its been not even a month since i bought my new iPhone 5...
Some of my newly saved contacts are automatically deleted..
Contact photos that are saved automatically get deleted...
Specialised ringtones for some of my contacts are reset to default sometimes without any warning...
It happens quite often
I find it irksome...
Can anyone help me out

Its been not even a month since i bought my new iPhone 5...
Some of my newly saved contacts are automatically deleted..
Contact photos that are saved automatically get deleted...
Specialised ringtones for some of my contacts are reset to default sometimes without any warning...
It happens quite often
I find it irksome...
Can anyone help me out

Finder resets every minute

Last week I upgraded my ibook from 10.4.8 to 10.4.9 via software update. i think i also updated quicktime and iTunes at the same time. After doing this I began experiencing a problem i've never seen before in which the finder 'resets' every minute or so, regardless of what program i am running. the desktop items disappear for a few moments and when they reappear, i'm "in" the finder and have to click on the window of the progam i'm in to continue using the program (e.g. if i'm typing in Word or Mail, i have to click on that doc in order to continue typing, something i've done 3 times since beginning this message). I downloaded 10.4.9 combo and installed that. no change. i thru away the system and finder preferences in my library. no change, and the finder prefs renews itself at every 'reset'. there is no 'finder reset' option from the finder dock icon like there once was--the only option is "hide". Any suggestions?

I suspect the magic word is "StuffIt"--for some reason its various add on goodies frequently have unfortunate effects on the Finder.
Restart and hold down the Shift key as soon as you hear the startup chime. This will boot you into Safe Mode, which will repair the disk, clean a couple of caches, and disable ALL third party startup items (and a few of Apple's too). The start will take longer than normal as it does all this. The Finder should now work normally, and you can start looking for Stuffit add ons: check here:
"/Users/yourname/Library/Contextual Menu Items"
"/Library/Contextual Menu Items"
If you find something from StuffIt in either location, drag it to your Desktop. Also launch System Preferences, go to Accounts and click the Login Items tab. If there is something in there from StuffIt click on it to select, then click the minus button at the bottom. Now restart normally and see if the Finder is working correctly.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

Reset to Default Printer

We recently upgraded from Crystal 9 to Crystal XI and are having a printer issue. In C9, there was a printer setup option that had a "Reset to Default" button available if you did not want a specific printer assigned to a report. In Crystal XI, even though Help says there is such a thing in the Page Setup but I am unable to find it. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated as I currently have to open the report in C9 to click "Reset to Default" and then re-open in Crystal XI to continue working on the report. Lisa

Here's a great link with a fix that worked for me.
[http://saalwaechter-notes.blogspot.com/2008/01/firefox-and-default-printer.html Firefox and the default printer]

10.5.8 Finder resets to default, desktop files gone!

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