Corrupted icons in my Sys Pref window
How do I fix it? The icons are jumbled up and no text below them even.
Delete the file user/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist.
Sometimes preference files (.plist) become corrupt. The OS recreates preference files as needed, so trashing them is safe.
Hope this helps...
Similar Messages
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I have lost most all of my correct Icons in my sys prefs. window.
Is there a pref file that I can just trash and get them back or is it more serious ?
did permissions so far.
thanks
OSX 10.4.11, G4 MDD.Go to the main level of your computer (not your user area but above that). Check System > Library > PreferencePanes Are the missing items to which those icons relate still there? If not then for some reason they are disappearing from your computer which is definitely reason for concern. Even their not appearing in your System Preferences window is an issue for concern but may be linked to other things.
Boot from the installer disk, select language if applicable, choose utilities, run Disk Utility and verify (and repair if necessary) the drive. You can verify a drive from DU on your main drive while booted but I have found this can result in incorrect reporting of errors. To repair your drive you have to run it from a drive other than the boot drive anyway.
Next, boot from your drive in [Safe Mode|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107393] and repair permissions. You can repair permissions while booted from the installer disc but this uses the permissions configuration on the installer disc which may be out of date if you have run any updates on your computer. Booting your computer to Safe Mode restricts the number of things running on your computer while permissions are being run and done a bit of spring cleaning at the same time.
[Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214]
[Using Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672]
[Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751]
From BDaqua (couldn't have said it better):
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer (Edit: Do not use this disc if it is not the same general version as what you have currently on your computer, e.g. use a Tiger disc for a Tiger drive, not a Panther disc), then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.
Then Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes." -
How Do You Get the Apple Trackpad Icon to Show Up in Sys Prefs?
Just upgraded to 10.6.4, did all software updates, and bought the Trackpad. Trackpad works, but there is no icon for it in the Sys Prefs to make adjustments. Suggestions?
Thanks
TomThanks!
Yeah I saw it last night on the Apple website, and ran to the Apple store today to get one, All Things Apple Fanboy that I am
It really looks cool, and is very responsive as you would expect, but after decades with a mouse, will take some getting used to. I've been using it all evening and starting to feel a bit more comfortable with it. Quite a change though. I do love not having the space it saves in not having to move the mouse around....thanks again..
Tom -
No QT icon in Sys Pref for QT Pro registration codes
New Macbook Pro, no QT icon in Sys Pref for entry of registration codes. Need to flip mirrored Photo Booth vids and was told QT Pro was only way to do it. Regardless, need to get icon in sys pref for reg codes. Thks
There is none in Mac OS X 10.6 and newer. You're supposed to use this download, open the older player, and apply the key there.
(62184) -
System Prefs window, Icon gone wrong?
My printer icon is just a big box in my system pref window
like this:
If anyone can help to fix it, that would be great.
Thnaks people
PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.5)V8_Kompressor,
According to MarkDouma®: Quit System Preferences if it's running and trash the following file:
/Users/~/Library/Caches/com.apple.preferencepanes.cache
Then launch System Preferences and hopefully the icons should appear properly.;~) -
Hotkeys to bring up sys prefs?
My Pismo screen flaked out & I'd like to mirror the screen to an external monitor. When I boot up the Powerbook & plug in the external monitor, I see only blank bg...no way to access the menubar (except blindly hunting around...which is futile).
Is there a way (hotkey, keyboard menu navigation, etc) to bring up the System Prefs for display & turn on mirroring? Or get the menu bar over to the other monitor?
Thanks,
-GThanks jpl,
As I tried your first idea, I came up with a variation - used cmd-N to make a new Finder window, which had more area to blindly grab & drag over to the viewable part of the screen than the HD icon.
At that point, it was easy to open the Sys Pref application & turn on mirroring.
Thanks for the inspiration! -
In large PDF files the cursor moves at warp speed with a mind of it's own, I've tried slowing it down in Sys Pref with no luck. On small files cursor action is normal. This happens in Safari, Preview and other programs that use PDF files. Sorry to say this does not seem to be a new problem with 7.# I've had it with prvevious versions of operating system Right now I'm using a Apple wireless mouse and key board. Using the USB keyboard and mouse the same problem does not go away.
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you boot, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2. -
Firewire HDD -recognised in sys pref but can't access
emac 700mhz 10.4.11
sys pref recognises the external firewire HDD caddy and shows that it recognises the HDD but no desk top icon pops up.
how do i get access to this ext firewire drive?
are there other issues that I should look for?
thanksCheck the settings in the Finder's preferences, and whether the Disk Utility is able to see or repair the drive. If it still won't show up and doesn't need repair, click here and follow the instructions.
(56521) -
Corrupted icons in Finder and Mail
My icons for files and folders often get corrupted as shown here:
http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/dm/corrupted_icons.pdf
The problem is cured (temporarily) by a reboot, but not by relaunching the Finder. Strangely, the problem "spreads" like an infection: at first, only the icons in one folder viewed in the Finder are corrupted, then quickly more and more get corrupted. The bad icons even infiltrate some applications, like Mail - see the bottom two icons in the rightmost screen shot of the link. When a single file has a bad icon, I can "delete" that icon in the info window for that file, and it reverts to normal. This does not seem to work when the corrupted icon is that of a folder.
I have a suspicion that the problem tends to spread from "old" files (never folders) that pre-date OSX. But that's not much more than speculation, since many of my files are of that type. Also, the problem has spread to other macs that I "migrated" to from the one originally affected.
Any help at all - such as suggestions of how to cleanse my Mac so that this does not reoccur - would be greatly appreciated...
SandyThe problem is still not understood, but it seems I've been able to get rid of it. Many years ago (quite possibly still under OS9) I had given some folders special icons to make them stand out visually. I then put those folders in the toolbar of the Finder window (even now under Leopard, where dragging folders to the toolbar no longer seems to be officially encouraged but still works). In search of "anything unusual" to do with icons I now removed those pictures from the folders in their info field (so now they look normal again, like any other folders), and haven't had any more corrupted icons since. This has now been stable for about a fortnight, while before this measure I had newly corrupted icons about twice a week at least.
Caveat: I didn't remove those custom-made icons from all my folders: I simply forgot two of them (which, however, were changed later I think). So even if restoring generic icons to some folders solved the problem, the problem will most certainly be difficult to reproduce. -
User accounts have disappeared from the Sys prefs and log-in screen!
When upgrading to 10.4 from 10.3, I used Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable copy of my hard disk to an external (La Cie) drive. After performing an erase and install, the Migration Assistant would not recognize the installation on the external drive. After numerous attempts, I finally re-entered all my settings and transferred most of my files by hand into the new OS. Everything seemed to be fine until I attempted to update the user settings on one of the standard accounts. When I went to the Limitations window for this account in System Preferences the computer froze completely, necessitating a forced shutdown. When I rebooted, the account I was modifying had disappeared from the log-in screen. When I attempted to restore it in Sys Prefs, the Accounts window was blank, and clicking on the resulting items in a Spotlight search gets a preferences error message. I repaired the disk and the permissions with Disk Utility to no avail, and DiskWarrior says the directory is too damaged to rebuild. I re-installed Tiger using archive and install, also with no success. I can log in as Root and access all data, including all user accounts, but still no user accounts in the log-in window or sys prepfs. Does anyone have any thoughts on this before I (aauuugghhh) erase and install again? Any idea why the Migration Asst. can't see the clone? Did I move something into the new OS I shouldn't have?
Mac OS X (10.4.3) 700mHz G4 iMac (Flat panel)When upgrading to 10.4 from 10.3, I used Carbon Copy Cloner to create a bootable copy of my hard disk to an external (La Cie) drive.
Did you boot into the clone to ensure that it was working just like the original? If so, can you still do that? If so, I'd boot into the clone, use Disk Utility to erase and reformat the internal HD. Then, clone the clone to the original and install Tiger on top of it using the upgrade earlier version option. Then, you won't have to change or migrate anything. IMHO, it's the best way to do it. -
Sys Pref panel "Mail Contacts Calendar" freezes
Sys Pref panel "Mail Contacts Calendar" completely freezes just by trying to open it. And I've discovered that If I remove my gmail account (from the mail.app) It works again. I've made 2 clean installs of Mountain lion and the problem stays.
If it helps I have set up icloud, twitter, facebook, gmail and my gmail adress is the same that I use for icloud as apple id.
Has anybody any idea.
Thanks.This was happening to me too. I deleted the MobileMeAccount.plist file in my user's Library/Preferences folder and the Preferences window now loads and responds to input properly.
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ICloud not showing up on 10.7.5 laptop. It is enabled in sys prefs.
my 10.7.5 laptop has icloud enabled in sys prefs/icloud but i cannot save a text doc to icloud. nor does icloud show up in Devices on Finder window. Help.
Here are the requirements for saving documents to iCloud from this Apple docuemtn: iCloud: System requirements.
So 10.7.5 can save/sync to iCloud.
Documents in the Cloud
iOS 5
iWork for iOS (Pages 1.5, Numbers 1.5, Keynote 1.5)
OS X v10.7.5
iWork ’09 (Pages 4.2, Numbers 2.2, Keynote 5.2)
Make sure you have Documents and Data selected in the System/Preference pane. Also under Options make sure TextEdit is seleted. If it's checked toggle it off and then back on and try again.
OT -
Sys Prefs won't launch after update to 10.6.6
Hi,
V odd problem. Unable to launch sys prefs, some applications (like coda & other text editors). They attempt to load, bounce in the dock, then sit there with the glowing jelly below them. They're showing as unresponsive in force quit. I suspect it may be something to do with 'secrets' which I have installed. Or some other extension.
Can anyone advise how I go about isolating/removing a troublesome extension?
Other extensions are little snitch & growl. I have also run disk utility from the start up disk and done a repair permissions and repair disk... no difference.
Cheers
R
Message was edited by: rickblackdogPardon me while I talk to myself
Finally persuaded googles updater software to stop torturing me by deleting the launcher files. This solved the system pref issue, it will now restart properly.
One last problem remains, which may or may not be related. DMG's are incredibly slow to load, small ones (3mb) takes about 4 mins to show. Tried downloading chrome again (because I'm a glutton for punishment) and it's been 6 mins so far and still hasn't mounted.
Anyone know if this is related?
13/03/2011 10:55:18 com.apple.quicklook[212] Sun Mar 13 10:55:18 Blackmac.local quicklookd[212] <Error>: Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment
13/03/2011 10:55:18 com.apple.quicklook[212] Sun Mar 13 10:55:18 Blackmac.local quicklookd[212] <Error>: Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment
13/03/2011 10:55:18 com.apple.quicklook[212] Sun Mar 13 10:55:18 Blackmac.local quicklookd[212] <Error>: Corrupt JPEG data: premature end of data segment -
Lost Screensaver Options - Sys Prefs 10.8.5
I still run Mountain Lion 10.8.5 on my Mac Pro
Unexplained loss of Screensaver choices today.
The Sys Pref --> Desktop & Screen Saver window used to look like this:
Note the SOURCE drop-down menu
For some reason, it now appears as :
There is no SOURCE menu.
The Screen Saver Options simply direct how the Apple Screen Savers appear on the screen.
Can't figure out how to access my iPhoto Library to use the photos for screensaver use.
If I click on the Desktop Tab, the iPhoto libraries are available as options for the Desktop - but not the screensaver.
Any suggestions appreciated!
Thanks!
...JohnHello there, John.
The following Knowledge Base article provides the information you're looking for:
Mac Basics: Using Screen Saver when your screen is idle
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2485
Particularly:
To create a slideshow screen saver, do one of the following:
In the Screen Saver preferences window, select one of the slideshow choices, such as Floating, Reflections, Origami, or Shifting Tiles.
Change the source for your slideshow.
OS X comes with pre-installed collections such as National Geographic, Aerial, Cosmos, and Nature Patterns.
If you have iPhoto installed, you can choose a recent iPhoto Event or your photo library.
You can also choose a folder of images on your computer to use for your slideshow.
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro. -
Migration Assit , PC to MAC - The migration was successful, but I don't know where the files are. It says they're under a different user, 'owner' . I tried to access via sys pref/system/users&groups, but it asks for a password for owner which I don't have. What must I do to access my files?
My experience is with MS PC's I'm new with the MAC Book Pro.Then, see if this works:
Mac OS X 10.6 Help- If you forget your administrator password
If you are running Lion or Mountain Lion you may need to do the following to access the same utility:
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
When the menubar appears select Terminal from the Utilities menu. Enter resetpassword at the prompt and press RETURN. Follow instructions in the dialog window that will appear.
Or see Reset a Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Password and OS X Lion- Apple ID can be used to reset your user account password.
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