Apps not functioning

Question

Hello,
The other day my computer got hung up while doing software updates--now some of my applications don't work. The icons show up as blank text icons.
The problem is unique to my main account. I can make a new user account and the apps are fine. I tried replacing the preference files for the apps (for example Photoshop) and I tried repairing the disk permissions, but that did not change anything. What else should I do? Is there some Apple system file that could be corrupted for my account?
Thanks
Bob
Powermac G5   Mac OS X (10.4.2)  

Answer 1

There are a couple things you should try.
1) Run the maintenance scripts in the Terminal with the following commands:
sudo periodic daily
sudo periodic weekly
sudo periodic monthly
Note: after doing the daily, it will ask for your password. Type it in and hit return, but you won't see anything as you type. Also, the weekly script will take much longer to run than the other two.
2) Run these commands in the terminal to clear the Launch services:
cd ~/Library/Preferences/
rm LS*
rm .LS*
After doing these two things, log out, and back in (using the Apple menu, not Fast user switching).
If this doesn't help, try starting up from your OS X install disk, and selecting Disk Utility from the Installer menu (after selecting your language). Select your Disk, and click the Repair Disk button.
Good Luck.