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.

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How can I reset all defaults app associated to file type?

I recently used the "Info" command to associate all ".eps" files to open with Photoshop. This caused my Illustrator EPS files to also open with Photoshop. How can I revert to the original finder settings so I can have the defaults apps like before?

Please do the following. 
#Click '''Help '''| '''Restart with Add-ons disabled'''. 
#In the menu which appears, checkmark the option called "'''Reset all user preferences to Firefox defaults'''" 
#Click the button called "'''Make Changes and Restart'''". 
After Firefox restarts, please visit the [http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/ Plugins Check] page and update where necessary. Outdated plugins expose your system to security vulnerabilities.

System reset to default

this problem has occured twice now.
after my powerbook froze i forced it to shutdown, and then after a restart everything was reset to default. all my destop files were missing, programs were missing from the dock and folders of music and program files were missing. doing searches for the lost file names turns up no results.
what do i do in this situation?
Powerbook g4 15-inch Mac OS X (10.4.3)

What you describe is sometimes the result of having changed the name of the Home folder at any point after initially setting up a machine. If this is what you did, see this Kbase document for instructions on how to restore your account:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107854
Good luck.
Tuttle
1330/8039

Have tried to open my itunes and the message given states that itunes can not be opened due to missing files. Please reinstall itunes. Repeated attempts to reinstall give the same result...any ideas?

Have tried to open my existing itunes but it states that it can not be opened due to missing files...please reinstall itunes. Repeated attempts to reinstall are to no avail....any ideas?

I assume you are talking about iTunes on your computer, if so, you will have to remove all Apple programs associated with iTunes:
iTunes, QuickTime, Apple Software Update, Apple Mobile Device Support, Bonjour and Apple Application Support (iTunes 9 or later)
Make sure everything that is by Apple is removed including Safari. You can sort by "Publisher", when you uninstall programs. Make sure you have at least one other web browser (like Firefox or Internet Explorer) before removing Safari. That way you can go back to the Apple web site and redownload iTunes later.
Reboot the computer then reinstall iTunes. Everything should work normally.

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!

Hi, for some reason screenshots have stopped showing on the appstore, ive tried resetting my cache, restarted computer and itunes, but there still missing

hi, for some reason screenshots have stopped showing on the appstore, ive tried resetting my cache, restarted computer and itunes, but there still missing
im using itunes for windows, windows vista 64bit

hi, heres the info u requested
Microsoft Windows Vista x64 x64 Ultimate Edition Service Pack 2 (Build 6002)
Acer Aspire 6920
iTunes 10.3.1.55
QuickTime 7.6.9
FairPlay 1.11.17
Apple Application Support 1.5.2
iPod Updater Library 10.0d2
CD Driver 2.2.0.1
CD Driver DLL 2.1.1.1
Apple Mobile Device 3.4.1.2
Apple Mobile Device Driver 1.57.0.0
Bonjour 2.0.5.0 (214.3)
Gracenote SDK 1.8.2.457
Gracenote MusicID 1.8.2.89
Gracenote Submit 1.8.2.123
Gracenote DSP 1.8.2.34
iTunes Serial Number 00D6ACD0035A7110
Current user is not an administrator.
The current local date and time is 2011-06-26 19:10:29.
iTunes is not running in safe mode.
WebKit-accelerated compositing is enabled.
HDCP is not supported.
Core Media is supported.
Video Display Information
ATI Technologies Inc., ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
**** External Plug-ins Information ****
No external plug-ins installed.
The drive G: WD Virtual CD 1110 Rev 2003 is a USB 1 device.
iPodService 10.3.1.55 (x64) is currently running.
iTunesHelper 10.3.1.55 is currently running.
Apple Mobile Device service 3.3.0.0 is currently running.
**** Network Connectivity Tests ****
Network Adapter Information
Adapter Name:    {956AE0ED-F775-4157-8184-95CB8B89B99D}
Description:    Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 PCI-E Ethernet Controller
IP Address:    0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask:    0.0.0.0
Default Gateway:    0.0.0.0
DHCP Enabled:    Yes
DHCP Server:
Lease Obtained:    Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970
Lease Expires:    Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970
DNS Servers:
Adapter Name:    {805B9D00-0148-4062-8C0F-9DF326230B82}
Description:    Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
IP Address:    192.168.0.4
Subnet Mask:    255.255.255.0
Default Gateway:    192.168.0.1
DHCP Enabled:    Yes
DHCP Server:    192.168.0.1
Lease Obtained:    Sun Jun 26 14:02:36 2011
Lease Expires:    Mon Jun 27 14:02:36 2011
DNS Servers:    192.168.0.1
Active Connection:    LAN Connection
Connected:    Yes
Online:        Yes
Using Modem:    No
Using LAN:    Yes
Using Proxy:    No
SSL 3.0 Support:    Enabled
TLS 1.0 Support:    Enabled
Firewall Information
Windows Firewall is on.
iTunes is NOT enabled in Windows Firewall.
Connection attempt to Apple website was successful.
Connection attempt to browsing iTunes Store was successful.
Connection attempt to purchasing from iTunes Store was successful.
Connection attempt to iPhone activation server was successful.
Connection attempt to firmware update server was successful.
Connection attempt to Gracenote server was successful.
Last successful iTunes Store access was 2011-06-26 18:57:29.

I had Creative Suite 6 Design and Web Premium Win ESD on my computer, I had to have my computer reset to like a new computer, how do I reinstall CS6 back on my computer?

I had Creative Suite 6 Design and Web Premium Win ESD on my computer, I had to have my computer reset to like a new computer, how do I reinstall CS6 back on my computer?
Thanks,
Mel

you need your serial number and the installation files.
Downloadable installation files available:
Suites and Programs: CC 2014 | CC | CS6 | CS5.5 | CS5 | CS4, CS4 Web Standard | CS3
Acrobat: XI, X | 9,8 | 9 standard
Premiere Elements: 13 | 12 | 11, 10 | 9, 8, 7 win | 8 mac | 7 mac
Photoshop Elements: 13 |12 | 11, 10 | 9,8,7 win | 8 mac | 7 mac
Lightroom: 5.7.1| 5 | 4 | 3
Captivate: 8 | 7 | 6 | 5.5, 5
Contribute: CS5 | CS4, CS3
Download and installation help for Adobe links
Download and installation help for Prodesigntools links are listed on most linked pages. They are critical; especially steps 1, 2 and 3. If you click a link that does not have those steps listed, open a second window using the Lightroom 3 link to see those 'Important Instructions'.

How do I reset my Windows 10 computer to factory defaults?

QuestionHow do I reset my Windows 10 computer to factory defaults?
AnswerNote: This article describes resetting a Windows 10 computer to factory defaults. You can read separate articles on performing something similar in Windows 8 or Windows 7.
A system reset will remove your installed applications and rebuild the Windows 10 system files.
You can choose whether you want to keep your files or remove everything.
If you choose to keep your files, your applications will be removed, system settings will be reset, and Windows files will be rebuilt. Your data and documents will remain intact on your computer.
If you choose to remove everything, your data and documents will also be removed.
To learn what other recovery options are available to you in Windows 10, read the following article:
What recovery options are available in Windows 10?
To perform a reset, follow these steps:
Open the Start Menu and select Settings.
Select Update & security and then Recovery.
Under Reset this PC, select Get started.
Choose either Keep my files or Remove everything. If you choose to remove everything, you might be given the choice of resetting all drives and partitions or resetting only the one on which Windows is installed. Choose the option you prefer. Not everyone will see this selection.
You might also see additional options depending on whether Windows 10 came pre-installed on your computer or if you upgraded to Windows 10. Choose the options you prefer and follow the prompts to complete the reset.
You can also watch this video explaining how to do this:

Hi there,
A full factory reset may not be required. Try downloading and running the print and scan doctor located here:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c03275041&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en
It can fix a lot on its own and if not give a better idea of what is going on.
Best of Luck!
You can say thanks by clicking the Kudos Star in my post. If my post resolves your problem, please mark it as Accepted Solution so others can benefit too.

Try to reset to factory settings/missing file"windows\system32\winload.efi

I have Toshiba Serial #XXXXXXXXX, model P75-A7200
Bought it brandnew at best buy almost a year ago. I did not make any recovery disc's or flash drive.
It is getting slow and someother minor issues while on internet, so I want to do a Full Reset to facory settings. I have tried the Refresh option and the Reset option. Both come back with error message ;oxc0000001, missing file: Windows\system32\winload.efi
So how do I fix this since I didnt make a recovery or start up discs? I can reboot the computer just fine, I just cant do a computer reset.
I am running Windows 8.1, came installed with windows 8, I upgrade to 8.1 shortly after I bought it.
[Moderator edit to remove serial number.]

Satellite P75-A7200
I didnt make a recovery or start up discs?
Obtain them from Toshiba. Scroll down to Get Recovery Media here. See the instructions in the section Restoring from recovery media, which begins on p. 60 of the User's Guide.
Satellite/Satellite Pro P70/P50/P40-A Series User’s Guide
Be sure to follow these instructions when you upgrade to Windows 8.1.
How to Update from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1
-Jerry

OS X Tiger Computer Reset with File Loss

Hello. I am posting this on behalf of a friend:
The computer (a last generation 12" PowerBook) has been working fine for some time with no problems to speak of. Mail was open and files emails were visible. However, when clicking on them they returned an error message similar to "Not connected to server" even though they were stored locally. Quitting mail and restarting it did nothing. Eventually the computer was restarted.
After restart, no icons existed on desktop, dock was completely reset to factory icons as well. When opening finder, the Desktop, Applications, Documents, etc folders no longer had their normal icons, but instead just normal folder icons. All system and applications preferences have been reset, including trackpad preferences, Mail settings, address book data, and Safari preferences and bookmarks. More disturbingly, all data in Movies, Pictures, and Music are gone. Data in Documents folder remains. None of the data previously on the desktop is to be found, whether it's going through the home folder to the desktop folder, etc.
Spotlight searches turn up none of the missing files. Nor does a search through terminal.
Subsequent restarts do nothing to fix the problem. Computer had been functioning perfectly up until the above events, and the computer had not been making any clicking noises, unusual sounds, etc.
Can anyone suggest anything to help, any way to roll back, reset the file system structure, etc. Clearly, the user is incredibly distressed and nothing we've found explains either why this happened or how to correct it. Thank you, in advance, for any help.

Sorry gang... Took it to a GeniusBar, they re-installed Tiger, and it worked...
Turned out what had happened was the user renamed her home folder, and so when she restarted it couldn't find it...
Why the OS would let you (even as an admin) rename the home folder without even prompting you to ask if you're trying to change your user name is beyond me.
I'll leave this here in case it happens to anyone else. Cheers.

How do I reset to default state when there is no icon to click?

Firefox is slow and crashes a lot. So I went to the Help menu that told me to reset to default state, but there is no icon in the upper right corner of the screen and all it keeps doing is telling me to reset and I can't reset it

Hi Odattbrett,
Sorry for the confusion! Does your device have a physical menu button below the screen? If it does, Firefox will automatically hide the 'three dots' menu icon that would normally be at the top of the screen - because pressing the menu button on your device should bring up the menu instead. This helpful article has more information:
[[Firefox menu icon is missing on Android - how to access the menu]]
Also, doubly sorry to hear that Firefox is running slowly! :(
A good way to try to fox this would be by uninstalling Firefox and then installing it again. Doing this would give you a completely fresh start (all your history, bookmarks, passwords and extensions would be removed). To uninstall and reinstall Firefox:
# Open your device's Settings screen (you might be able to find this by swiping down from the top of the screen, or look for the settings icon on your device's main menu)
# Press ''Apps'' and then swipe from right to left until you reach the ''All'' section
# Firefox should be near the top of the list. Press it and on the next screen press ''Uninstall''
# Go back to your device's main menu. Open ''Google Play'', search for and install Firefox.
I hope this helps. Reply to let us know if the problem is fixed!
Jayelbe

My computer isn't letting me reset my default keychain.

Hi.
Ever since i updated to mavericks i've been having these odd problems with my kechain.
I looked up how to reset my default keychain, and now my compiuter isn't letting me do that!
Whenever I click "reset default keychain" I get an error message saying "UNIX[Invalid argument]"
Please Help!

Back up all data.
This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership and access-control lists to the default. If you've set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it.
I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, they may not work as described.
Step 1
If you have more than one user account, and the one in question is not an administrator account, then temporarily promote it to administrator status in the Users & Groups preference pane. To do that, unlock the preference pane using the credentials of an administrator, check the box markedAllow user to administer this computer, then reboot. You can demote the problem account back to standard status when this step has been completed.
Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:
{ sudo chflags -R nouchg,nouappnd ~ $TMPDIR.. ; sudo chown -R $UID:staff ~ $_ ; sudo chmod -R u+rwX ~ $_ ; chmod -R -N ~ $_ ; } 2>&-
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.
You'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The command may take a few minutes to run, or perhaps longer if you have literally millions of files in your home folder. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”) to appear, then quit Terminal.
Step 2 (optional)
Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1 or if it doesn't solve the problem.
Boot into Recovery. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open.
In the Terminal window, type this:
res
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.
Select the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if it's not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if it's not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select
 ▹ Restart
from the menu bar.

Why is the bottom of my macbook separating from the computer? It looks like a screw is missing??

Why is the rubber part on the bottom of my computer separating from the computer? It looks like a screw is missing? Is this typical? I bought it last March.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
Apple has a replacement program.
This should answer your questions:
http://www.apple.com/support/macbook-bottomcase/

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.)

Can't retrieve project from early Photoshop Elements 5.0 as program is searching for Missing Files. These were transferred from that computer and then lost HELP

When I bought my new laptop I transferred "My Pictures" onto a memory stick then onto the new laptop which are now lost. I have a very important family holiday/wedding still on my old computer in Photoshop Elements 5.0. The photos are there but when I open them I get a window where PE is "searching for missing file". Is there any way I can save these photos please?

Please post Photoshop Elements related queries over at
http://forums.adobe.com/community/photoshop_elements

Computer reset to default-like state, missing files.

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