Deleted contents of Private folder

Hi, I accidentally deleted the contents of my Private folder and now, off course, my MacBook pro won't start.
I did not empty the trash, the Private folder is still in its place, but empty :/
Can you please post some instructions to help me get out of this mess?

Is the message like this:
If so, that's a kernel panic.
They are usually caused by hardware problems, but can be software, especially kernel extensions.
Start by running this: Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test. Run the Extended tests(that may take an hour or so, depending on how much RAM you have). Write down any error code(s) it shows.
If that doesn't show a problem, see this Apple article: If “You need to restart your computer” appears

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Copy folders with the same name deletes contents of original folder

When backing up some iTunes songs manually I selected the folders I wanted to copy and copied them, then I pasted them into my backup folder.
I got the warning windows about folders having the same name, I could only cancel or replace. So I clicked replace. Then when I checked inside one of the destination folders the original contents of the folder has been erased and only the new files are left.
Has the way Snow Leopard deals with copying folders changed? As I am sure this did not happen before I upgraded.
I tried it on the command line with 'cp -aR' and everything worked as expected, but it does not warn that the folder already exists.
How do I get 'cp -aR' functionality out of finder?

After alot more searching it seems mac OS X has always done this, but I never noticed it before.
I can copy my backups over the network with:
cp -aR Music/source_folder /Volumes/server_name/Music/
ditto can be used as well.

How to delete contents of sent folder

I want to delete the contents of all sent folders on all my Apple devices. Tere are thousands so I cannot mark each item for deletion to delete them. How can I accomplish this without deleting the account and re-creating it? I don't see a DELETE ALL like exists in the trash, etc.
Thanks!
Jim in Chicago

There just isn't a way until you get the contents into the trash and can use delete all.
This keeps coming up and a solution has not been provided...give feedback:
http://www.apple.com/feedback

Replacing folder deletes content in targeted folder?

Is this just how the mac works? I had a folder on the desktop named "mypics" and had a folder on my memory stick named "mypics". I moved the folder "mypics" from the memory stick to the desktop to replace the one on the desktop. Then I looked the folder and all the files that was on there originally is gone. If this how it's suppose to work? I though it just adds not delete.

Yes, that is how the Mac has worked for the last 26 years.
It should have told you that it would replace the folder with the other one.

Shortcut for deleting contents of folder?

Anyone know of a shortcut to delete contents of a folder without deleting the folder itself? I would like to select multiple folders and trash the contents, but keep the folders and names intact.

Well, I am not very experienced in this area, but if I were in your place I would see whether I could use Automator (or Applescript, for that matter) to perform this task. It sure seems like Automator should be able to do this without too much trouble. Of course, depending upon your experience, it may take longer to figure out how to make the workflow in Automator (or write the Applescript) than to do the whole thing manually. It is possible, I guess, that someone has already constructed such a thing and you could find it with an internet search.
charlie

Mac OS 10.5 / I deleted the " Private" folder ... and emptied the trash. So the folder and its contents no longer exists on my computer at all !!! I do have the OS dvd that i purchased years ago... But my computer will not start from it on its own. My

Mac OS 10.5 /
I deleted the " Private" folder ... and emptied the trash. So the folder and its contents no longer exists on my computer at all !!!
I do have the OS 10.5 dvd that i purchased years ago...
But my computer will not start from it on its own.
My question is what is the open source or terminal language code used to tell my mac to look in the DVD rom drive for startup info? I know that im not the only person in this world who has deleted the "PRIVATE" folder and emptied the trash so it no longer exists on their machine...
That said theres gotta be a common fix for a Power PC G4 that has the OS X dvd in the rom drive but wont look to it to reinstall the vital contents of the PRIVATE folder.
Once again there is not a copy of this file or its contents in the recycle bin...
Also rebooting the machine , pressing and holding the letter C does not prompt the machine to look to the dvd rom drive.
I was reinstalling pro tools and figured I would make some room by cleaning my computers HD...
Lol It was a bad choice to delete this file ...
Thanks guys

Okay sorry it took forever to respond... But for a while there I gave up on this computer!!!!
Money's been tight lately , so taking it in to a professional was not yet an option... though I did consider it eventhough.
Anyway long story short im glad I didnt spend any money because I already had all the tools necessary to fix this issue but was going about it in the wrong way. Okay so here is my scenario and the breakdown... Though this may not fix the issue for everyone :( which *****... But I know we all will have different circumstances.
Anyway here we go...
Okay so first things first.... Years ago I purchased the OS 10.5.1 disk ... So that has always been in my possession!!!!
I realize that some may not have a disk to reflash your OS to your hard drive... but if you do your in luck.
2ndly ... I had an external harddrive with all of my itunes downloaded music so it was more than okay with me to delete my primary HD because all the important stuff could either be copied over or repathed to be located.
-------If you dont want to read through the whole story the fix is summed up in the bottom section-------
Okay so now the SOLUTION!!!!
By trial and error , and pure boredom I opened up my computer to clean the inside...
AND
"Disconnected the primary HD"
and just because ....... REBOOTED my computer. Just to see what it would do.
Upon restart and though it looked like it would repeat its usual cycle...
About 1 minute in to that process my computer froze for about 2 seconds and flashed to the OS installation screen.
Mind you I havent seen this screen yet... Probably hasnt been since I installed the OS years ago.
After a bit of trial and error...
I decided to tell my computer to startup from the OS 10.5 disk located in my dvd rom drive and restarted once again...
this setting is under
Utilities / startup disk
After a little more trial and error ... I realized that I could reconnect the primary HD , restart the machine and return to the OS installation menu.
So upon this discovery
I went to the Disk Utility located under Utilities
Highlighted my primary HD located in the left hand column
Once highlighted ...
In the heading section on the right I selected the option
Erase
in which I erased My current OS on my primary HD ...
I used the first option in the list under security... Because it seemed like the least invasive and would take the least amount of time to see if this process would actually work.
I FORGOT to add something...
Another reason why I deleted my primary HD!!!!!
I forgot to say that it WOULD NOT!!!!! Show up in the STARTUP list as an option...Even After multiple reboots....
But like clockwork... Once I deleted its name IT SHOWED UP as an option!!!!
So back to the next step...
I returned to the STARTUP option under utilities ... And was then able to see MY primary HD now as a startup option...
But ofcourse it had no name because it we previously erased it.
So when Clicking my newly erased HD ... I was almost immediately prompted to REINSTALL the OS ...
Which said it would take about 57 minutes ... But I believe was alot less...
My issue was resolved ... My computer then stated the install was SUCCESSFUL!!!!!!! :))))))))))) lol ;)
It was like I was setting up for the first time ;) asking for my registration info...
The dilemma of deleting the private folder and emptying the trash is finally over resolved. Done ... and no extra money spent!!!!!!!!!
Its really crazy that the information for such a simple thing is not readily available. Especially being such a simple fix.
I know im not the only person who's had this issue , because i've seen numerous posts with similar wording.
I also know I wont be the last person to have this issue... So I hope this synopsis makes sense.
-------One more time the fix------
*Insert your OS dvd into your dvd rom drive.
*Unplug your primary HD or corrupted startup disk
*Reboot your machine...
Upon restart your primary HD will not be recognized...
* you will then be prompted to select your language.
Once selected
*Click Utilities/startup... Highlight the the selection that refers to the OS dvd located in the dvd rom drive.
* Click restart...
!!!!!!!!!!Be sure to reconnect your Primary HD Before your computer restarts and you hear the chime!!!!!!!!
If you do not replug your HD before the chime it will not be recognized.
In that case restart again.
Upon restart once again
*Choose your language...
*Click Utilities / disk utility
In the left column select and
*Highlight your HD ...
Then towards the top portion / center of the page
*Click the heading Erase
Then on the page toward the bottom
*Click security options
This will then provide erase options.
I USED THE FIRST OPTION
"Dont erase data"...
*click OK
* click erase...
Once erased which should take a few seconds
*Cancel the disk utility...
* Click Utilities / startup
And your newly erased HD should now appear in the list.
* Select your drive from the list by highlighting
It should no longer have a name.
*Once selected, you will then be prompted to restart and install the OS to your newly erased HD...
Thats it!!!!
Once everything reinstalls re-add your personal info or registration info and you are up and running.
Goodluck ;)

I deleted my private folder how do I restore it without losing everything?

I restored my system through time capsule and everything was fine. I was browsing my hard drive labeled "Macintosh HD" a short time ago and noticed a folder called "private".
This is a folder I have never seen before, and foolishly I just deleted it. It is still sitting in my recycle bin, but when I click "put back" or try and copy and paste it back into its original spot it prompts for my administrator password. For some reason it is not accepting my administrator password, I don't know why it isn't, but it isn't.
I have since read that it is very bad to delete the "private" folder however I really can't afford right now to reinstall another time capsule backup and lose more downtime.
How can I replace my private folder? I have a Snow Leopard install disk on hand, and the computer is still running. If I restart my computer without fixing anything it's going to probably not start up because I trashed this important folder. Is there a way I can re-copy this folder from my Snow Leopard install disk or from my time capsule backup?
And for some reason now Terminal is not working, it must be, because the private folder has been deleted..
NEED HELP!

yes, it's very bad to touch this folder and the reason your admin password is not working is because this folder contains some important files governing how an admin password can be used. you can put it back by booting from the SL install DVD and doing it from there using terminal.
insert the install DVd, reboot and hold "c" at the chime. this will boot you into SL installer. once there start terminal from Utilities menu and enter the following command
cp -rf /Volumes/"drive name"/Users/username/.Trash/private /Volumes/"drive name"
put the name of your main hard drive in two places in that command. KEEP the quotes. also put the short name of your user instead of username in the command. It's VERY important to enter the command correctly. mind the spaces in the command.
to verify that the command worked run
ls -la /Volumes/"drive name"/private
after it's done. it should list the contents of the copied folder.

Private Folder - What can I delete?

So my Private folder contains about 56 GB of my hardrive. Most of it is in Private/var/log/asl (53 GB).
What is this used for?
Can I delete it without problems? At least the asl part?

The "private" folder is part of the Unix side of OS X. Deleting anything would not be wise. The "asl" folder contains a record of everything that has been installed on your computer. It is what Software Update relies on to determine what upgrades are required, if any. However, 53 GBs in the folder seems a bit odd. Perhaps you could peak inside the folder to see what particular file(s) is using so much disk space. Although deleting the contents of the "asl" folder won't cause great harm, it will cause Software Update and other applications to "forget" what's been installed or updated.

Auto delete everything but specified folder contents from txt file

Hey Guys,
I am brand new to using Powershell (like 48 hours into using it for work) and I've run into a bit of an issue. I've only taken a programming concept classes so some of the stuff makes sense to me but a lot of it is new. Basically I've made a
script that automatically deletes any files over X amount of days. My next step is to have an exceptions text that will have a list of folders that should not have its contents deleted. This is what I have so far.
$Date= Get-Date
$Days = "7"
$Folder = "C:\publicftp\users"
$LastWrite = $Now.AddDays(-$Days)
#----- getting DO NOT DELETE listing from TXT ----#
$Exceptions = Get-Content "c:\exclude.txt"
$Files = Get-Childitem $Folder -Recurse -Exclude "c:\exclude.txt" | Where {$_.LastWriteTime -le "$LastWrite"}
foreach ($File in $Files)
if ($File -ne $NULL)
Remove-Item $File.FullName -Exclude $Exceptions | out-null
I've seen a lot of threads that show how to auto delete contents or how to exclude specific file types but I haven't seen an answer to my particular problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi Rabbot,
The script below may be also helpful for you, and uses the -whatif parameter in Remove-Item cmdlet, which doesn’t actually remove anything but simply tells you what would happen if you did call Remove-Item.
$Exceptions = @()
Get-Content "c:\exclude.txt" | foreach{
$Exceptions += $_} #store the exception file to array
$Folder = "C:\publicftp\users"
$LastWrite = (get-date).adddays(-7) #over 7 days.
$Files = Get-Childitem $Folder -Recurse | Where {$_.LastWriteTime -le $LastWrite} #filter files which over 7 days.
Foreach ($file in $files){
if ($Exceptions -notcontains $file.fullname){ #if the file is not listed in the exception array.
Remove-Item $File.FullName -whatif} #use -whatif to test
I hope this helps.

I have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk?

i have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk through disk utilities without erasing data (but will it delete my programs such as photoshop, office, creative suite?

Connect the computer to another Mac and put it in FireWire Target Disk mode, or use the Disk Utility to clone the drive or image specific folders with the USB drive as the target. After you've copied off everything you want, you'll likely need to erase the drive and reinstall the applications.
(69695)

Macbook with deleted "private folder"

I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but it's the closest topic to my problem.
So my sister decided to install Adium, and while using Adium, she installed Growl. Growl started doing weird things, and she panicked, and for some reason deleted the "private" folder. Now, her macbook is stuck at the gray apple logo with the spinning gear. It'll hang up there for a while, then restart and do the same thing again.
She has an XP partition, so she's on that until we fix it. However, she left the Macbook's system restore disks at another place, and it'll take about a week for it to get here.
Is there anything she can do to fix this problem without boot disks so she can get on?

Hanlin Du wrote:
Is there anything she can do to fix this problem without boot disks so she can get on?
No. Unless you have a SuperDuper or CCC bootable clone.
Even your TM backup is useless without the original disks. This is why we make a backup copy of the system DVDs.

Help Please - Accidentally Deleted Private Folder

Please could someone help.
I have accidentally deleted the Private folder in the root of the HD
Now OSX will not boot.
The folder is sitting in my Trash folder and I would like from the Boot CD Terminal to copy back from the trash to the Macintosh HD/ location
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Mim

Not quite: If MimUK's account shortname is (for example): mimuk
then it would be within that account's Trash, namely, you'll have to (yes) boot from another volume (not sure this will work booted from CD, but it might), *mount the drive in read+write mode*
ie (possibly requiring sudo, depending on circumstances):
sudo mount -uw /Volumes/nameOfTheDriveInQuestion
sudo mv /Users/mimuk/.Trash/private /Volumes/nameOfTheDriveInQuestion/
Moral of this story: don't make hidden folders visible for reasons just such as this
And in any case, don't delete something unless you know full well what it's for.

Oh No! Deleted private folder.

Oh no! I deleted the private folder. Now my disk is locked.
I cannot reinstall Mountain Lion because I don't have enough disk space. How can I clear disk space to reinstall Mountain Lion, and will this fix my problem?

Well, I'd suggest a full backup, either with Time Machine or a bootable clone (both on an external drive). You are using your Mac with how little empty space? If you install ML, you still need an absolute minimum of 10 - 15 GB free space after that install.
So, if it's no longer locked and you are using it, I would first get rid of some files I do not need or just move some space hogging files (videos, music, pics) to an external drive. After you've made sure they're there and are working, throw them in the trash a few at a time on your internal and empty the trash often. Do this until you have 15 GB free space plus 5 GB for the Mountain lion install (total of 20 GB free and available).
After that, backup your entire system as suggested above.
Only after you've done all of the above, go ahead and download/install Mountain lion. Upgrades do not fix problems - they actually usually become exaggerated from the upgrade, so make sure your OS is in good condition before proceeding.

Deleted the 'private' folder and cleared

So...
Like many others, I've accidentially deleted the 'private' folder while I was trying to figure out what'y taking up the spaces in my 15'' Retina. To add the problem, I've even managed to completely removed the deleted 'private' folder from the trash and poof, no more! So, I was wondering if there are any solutions to this, I've read other posts regarding issues such as mine, however, everyone else seems fortunate enough to haven't completely removed it from their computer. I'm thinking of bringing my MBPr to the local Apple Store and do something about it,
Any recommendations?
Cheers,

So...
Like many others, I've accidentially deleted the 'private' folder while I was trying to figure out what'y taking up the spaces in my 15'' Retina. To add the problem, I've even managed to completely removed the deleted 'private' folder from the trash and poof, no more! So, I was wondering if there are any solutions to this, I've read other posts regarding issues such as mine, however, everyone else seems fortunate enough to haven't completely removed it from their computer. I'm thinking of bringing my MBPr to the local Apple Store and do something about it,
Any recommendations?
Cheers,

How to publish the private folder content to public folder?

Dear Experts,
I am a biginer in SAP DMS. We are using EDMS as the front end for the DMS.
When I log on to EDMS for the first time, it creates a private folder. I have created so many folders and created some documents as well.
Now my question is, how can I make some of those documents to be available at Public folder to view by all the users?
When I use the export folder option on a particular folder (by right click options for that folder), I am not able to do it. System is prompting to choose the location, but not exporting to the public folder.
Can some one please help me out in solving this problem??
Thanks and Regards,
Praveen

HI Christoph,
Thanks for your reply.
I have tried the copy paste option too. But I could not get any folder pasted into my public folder.
I have also tried with the paste as link option, which is working fine. But why is the copy paste option not working?
When I choose export folder option, it prompts to select a location and gives a success message, saying that the folder is exported successfully.
Can you please clarify the above?
Thanks and Regards,
Praveen B

Deleted contents of Private folder

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