Forgotten Finder Window Positions

I have a new G5 Quad, and certain finder windows will not retain their positions/settings. Some of them behave fine, but others revert to basic icon view/default size and position if they are not opened for a while, or after a restart. It is very annoying. I have updated the system, deleted the .DSstore files in those folders, repaired the disk/permissions, cleared the caches, etc. It's driving me crazy. Can anyone help?

Figured it out.

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How Do I Reset The Finder Windows Positions?

Hi,
I would like to "reset my finder windows positions". Anyone knows how I can do that?
Thanks.
Ed

So I cannot edit the .DS_Store file?
You can try, as I do not know how good you are at working with binary files. When I try to edit a .DS_Store on my system I see:
^@^@^@^ABud1^@^@p^@^@^@^H^@^@^@p^@^@^@^P^L^@^@h^K^@^@
lots and lots of ^@ with occasional other characters mixed in.
So what will it happen if I delete the .DS_Store file? Will my iMac's all Finder Windows be reseted?
The Finder will forget information about that Folder. Where it is positioned on the screen, how the files in the folder are arranged, etc...
If you are concerned, create an experimental folder, put some junk files in the folder (stuff you can delete later). Arrange things in the experimental folder, play with the size of the experimental folder.
Now delete the .DS_Store for that file. See what happens in a safe experimental way. If you like the results, apply the same to folders you want to reset.
"for each Folder", what do you mean?
If you want to reset more than 1 folder, you would repeat the .DS_Store for each folder that you are interested in resetting.

How do I auto-arrange more than one Finder window?

I know a SIMILAR question has been asked in another thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=264062&tstart=0
and that particular question was answered, but seeing as though my question is slightly different, I thought it would best to post my own question in its own thread. And especially seeing as the other thread is labelled as being "answered", I thought those clever people who can provide the answer might not go into that thread with its "answered" icon.
The situation I have is similar in that I have a preference for where I want my Finder windows positioned, but I always have TWO Finder windows open, to work back and forth between the two, and so I was looking for a script that will re-position BOTH Finder windows to two different locations (different from each other, that is).
So where someone posted the solution as being:
tell application "Finder"
set bounds of every Finder window to {1, 44, 1230, 896}
end tell
that would only set the windows to ONE position, and not the two that I require. Could I ask how I would modify this to solve my problem.
The solution that I want would go something like this, when written in normal English, rather than AppleScript:
tell application "Finder"
set bounds of first Finder window to {1, 363, 1202, 899}
set bounds of second Finder window to {1, 44, 1202, 580}
end tell
How would I change the above text in workable AppleScript? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Have you tried it? I think you'll find your script works exactly as you've written it.
AppleScript is very English-like, to the extent you can use ordinal references ('first', 'second', 'third', etc.) to list items.
If this gets too much for you you can also use 'window 1', 'window 2', etc. to use the direct reference.

A weird question on opening a new finder window

this is not a big deal, but it really bugs me. when you have a finder window open and do apple-N to get a new one, it puts the new one right on top of the one already open. this is totally stupid. 99% of the time when i open a new window it's because i want to drag a file from one location to another, in which case i have to first move the new window. is there some way you can have it put new windows someplace else other than right on top of the current one?
and please, please, please dear apple, give us tabs in finder windows like in safari. i keep expecting it to happen in each new system upgrade, and it keeps never happening.

...when you have a finder window open and do apple-N to get a new one, it puts the new one right on top of the one already open... is there some way you can have it put new windows someplace else other than right on top of the current one?
In addition to the excellent suggestions regarding the Sidebar offered earlier, you might consider creating an AppleScript and adding it to your Finder window's toolbar. Once added to the toolbar, the script would serve as a button, which, when clicked on, would open a fully viewable new Finder window positioned above and slightly to the left of the existing Finder window. The existing Finder window would be repositioned if necessary and set to a size matching the dimensions of the new window.
The example scripts below were created with the assumption that your Home folder's Finder window opens when you press ⌘N. These scripts can be modified so that another window is opened instead by replacing the word "home" where it appears in the script with "desktop" or "documents" or "applications" etc. To open the "Computer" window use the command *make new Finder window* exclusively. Paths to non system-level folders, or user-created folders, can be specified by using an *open "Macintosh HD:path:to:folder"* command.
Copy and then paste either block of code below into your AppleScript Script Editor (Applications > AppleScript > Script Editor). From the Script Editor's File menu choose Save As > File Format: application, and leave the Options unchecked.
To add the button to your Finder window's toolbar, simply open any Finder window and drag the saved AppleScript icon to a convenient location on the toolbar. Let go of your mouse when you see the round green "+" indicator.
+This script might work best with a monitor set to a minimum 1024 x 768 screen resolution:+
*tell application "Finder"*
activate
*make new Finder window to (path to home folder)*
*set the bounds of window 1 to {70, 59, 955, 399}*
*set the bounds of window 2 to {100, 403, 985, 743}*
*activate window 2*
*end tell*
+This version would be more suitable for a monitor set to 800 x 600 screen resolution:+
*tell application "Finder"*
activate
*make new Finder window to (path to home folder)*
*set the bounds of window 1 to {85, 47, 715, 317}*
*set the bounds of window 2 to {115, 320, 745, 595}*
*activate window 2*
*end tell*
Good luck.

Finder window resets position to the left when dragging in a file.

I currently have the items in my folders displayed as 'columns'. When I open a new folder, the folders contents are displayed in the next column to the right. So after going a few folders in, the scroll bar on the bottom of the finder window is somewhat large. This is normal.
However the problem is, _*whenever I drag a document from my desktop into the most recently opened folder, finder resets the scrollbar to the position on the left side,*_ forcing me to drag the window over again every time. This it a rather large annoyance, since the way I work I pull and replace lots of files from the same series of folders.
Can anyone help me solving this problem?
Thanks

I currently have the items in my folders displayed as 'columns'. When I open a new folder, the folders contents are displayed in the next column to the right. So after going a few folders in, the scroll bar on the bottom of the finder window is somewhat large. This is normal.
However the problem is, _*whenever I drag a document from my desktop into the most recently opened folder, finder resets the scrollbar to the position on the left side,*_ forcing me to drag the window over again every time. This it a rather large annoyance, since the way I work I pull and replace lots of files from the same series of folders.
Can anyone help me solving this problem?
Thanks

Size and position of Finder Window at reboot

I realize this issue has been covered, but I haven't been able to find and answer to my specific problem. Recently I have noticed that when I reboot my MacBook(10.6.8) the Finder Window opens in its default size and position. I set the size and position as required and it maintains that setting until I shut down. The next time I boot up the same thing happens, finder window is back to the default setting. All other settings(view etc) are OK, it's just the size/position that doesn't hold at shutdown. This is becoming a real nuisance and I would like to find a fix if possible. I have trashed the finder.plist and that doesn't work. Also tried some of the listed possible cures, to no avail. Does anyone have a fix for this problem?
Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

I have been searching the internet for more information and it appears that others have been faced with this problem.
I have found a couple of possible answers but I am not sure how to do them.
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=64059
http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-119915.html
The first link seems more relavent but I am not sure how to do what it is talking about.
Can anyone help?
I have recently moved from a PC to MAC and this problem is really getting in the way of my work.

Re: Pre-positioned finder windows get moved automatically!    Mac OS » Ma

Re: Pre-positioned finder windows get moved automatically! (Mac OS » Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard » Finder and Dock, Sep 19, 2009 11:23 PM)
   I could not find my original post to add this to.
   I have discovered that CONTROL-Command-O will open a pre-positioned window in place while closing its parent. (I think it was Option-Command-O previously.) If you are working in folders within folders, you will need to move the topmost window slightly to the side to allow the first level to open in pre-positioned place.
   Has anyone discovered the procedure to go back up to the top level -- with key strokes or without -- while keeping the original position of the higher up window?
   Is there a way to open an enclosed folder in place without having to close the parent?

Is there a way to open an enclosed folder in place without having to close the parent?
Not sure you can get there from here
Double-clicking will open an enclosed Folder in place, in step fashion....all you need to do to move back is to either click 'Back' in the menu bar of that window.
Double-click on the parent folder in the icon row along the bottom of that window to move back to it or any higher level folder to the left.
If you hold the command key and click once on the icon in the top center of that window's upper margin, you will see a vertical list of any parent folders in order (top most at the bottom)...click on one to move to it.
As you can see, 'back' here is thus defined at least three ways: back, left & down. While it can be distracting to some people who may prefer what at least appears to be a more structured environment, the goal is to provide choices so that the OS appears to provide flexibility rather than being hardwired/inflexible. Don't let the number of choices confuse you - find a style that suits your flow and be happy.
If you want to peer into some of the thinking behind Apple software, you would do well to invest time (and I don't mean just a quick glance) in reading the 'Apple Human Interface Guidelines' at this link...

Finder windows size and position etc. on clients' machines

How to configure server's finder windows size and position etc. are on clients' machines so that they persist? Thank you!
PS: If this has already been discussed, please refer to the thread. Sorry for double post in that case.

Try connecting to the Share as the Server Admin, make your window the size and position you want and logout again.
This information is stored in the .DS file.
Message was edited by: Patrick Savelberg (Private)

Finder Window Remembering Last Position?

Sometimes when i am working and in say Photoshop or Dreamweaver and i go to find an image from a folder i move through them until i find it.
A few moments later i might need to find something else in that folder.
Is there any way to make finder remember the last folder i was in, via maybe an app?
As sometimes the folder i need to get to is buried in multiple ones.
The only quickest way i can find is to put the folder i am working in into the places areas of the finder window.
I know from the drop down it lists recent places, but only remembers certain instances and not this one...

Default Folder X - VersionTracker or MacUpdate.

Finder Window Search Locations Forgotten

When performing a search in a Finder window, the user is forced to choose "where" to search (entire system or current folder). Tiger would "remember" your selection (preferred). Leopard forces the user to make the selection over and over.
I prefer to always have the current folder be my search location. I can find no way to have this be the default in Leopard. Is this doable?

Bump

Auto-scrolling of list view in Finder windows sometimes doesn't work

I've noticed a minor bug in 10.4 that doesn't seem to show up in 10.3.9, and I thought I'd comment on it here because it's mildly annoying, and I'm not sure that anyone at Apple is aware of the issue.
My Pictures folder is pretty large -- I have over 6,000 items in it, some of which are themselves folders. I've got this folder set to list view. My typical usage pattern is to open a Finder window for my Pictures folder, start typing the first few characters of a file name, and then search from there. In 10.4.3 and later (up to and including 10.4.6 as of this writing), if the file in question is outside the viewport of the Finder window, the thumb on the scrollbar will jump to the correct location, but the actual viewport won't scroll to match; therefore, the file that gets highlighted isn't visible.
The work-around is to manually scroll the contents of the window so that I'm "closer" to the file I'm looking for; alternately, I can type characters to get the ball rolling, and then hit the up or down arrow key a couple times (once won't do the trick) which will force the viewport to jump to the correct scroll location. Using this second method, I then have to move the selection back to the file, which is annoying since it's forcing me to use extra keystrokes.
Interestingly enough, if I am careful and click on the scrollbar thumb without moving it too much (after typing the first few characters of the filename I'm looking for), the viewport will usually "snap to" the appropriate position. This suggests that the logic to auto-scroll the contents of a Finder window got subtly broken between Panther and Tiger. It just seems weird to me that the scrollbar thumb would jump without the viewport following suit automatically.
This wasn't a problem in 10.3.9. I realize that we're being encouraged to use Spotlight and other search features, but since my pictures directory is already an alphabetic list view of files, why should I be forced to do a Spotlight search when I know what it is I'm after?
Dual 2.0 GHz G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I've been having the same problem (though I haven't looked at the console yet to verify the same exact error).
There doesn't seem to be a situation that I can identify to cause the problem (i.e. waking from sleep mode), so it's difficult to reproduce consistently. The error seems to happen randomly. Last night I was getting the error every time I sent a single message. So I'd create and send a message, and then the next message I'd try to create or reply to, I couldn't. I'd have to quit Mail and start it again to gain functionality.
When I do have the problem where the compose window isn't created when replying, I also can not start a new message, note, or forward a message. Basically, no new windows can pop up besides the windows that are already there in Mail. When I quit mail, every window I tried to create by replying, making a new message, or forwarding, appears in the draft folder, just before the program closes. Then, the next time I open Mail all the windows appear that I tried to create, with no text in them. Very strange. Looks like this poster has a similar problem.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1197152&tstart=1020
I'm curious if this is a bug, or something our machines just can't handle? I see that we all have very similarly spec'd PowerBooks.

Window Position & Prefs "Gone"

Every time I start up or restart, any window position, size, view etc info is gone, and I get a view very different than what I had set. I have tried to delete the Finder plist, but it did not help. I did notice something extremely weird as well.
I noticed that the Finder plist is actually deleting itself about every 30 - 60 seconds when I open the ~user Library prefs, and cannot find anything that might be causing this. Repairing permissions, running utilities such as DiskWarrior etc have not helped. This condition actually exists identically on two Macs I am using. The only thing in common is that I ran an updater for Missing Sync for BlackBerry from Mark/Space Software, and took note of the condition being created on the second Mac immediately after doing this update.
I don't really want to do a full reinstall of the System, as I suspect I will still end up with this "condition" after reinstalling my working applications.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

A bit of troubleshooting .....
On a full restart, any windows left open will retain their position, view, etc - but closed windows "forget" when reopened.
During the safe boots, files were sent to the Trash, which are as follows:
In a folder called 501.245359984
and a folder called 501.245361007
annex_aux
annex.db
filetoken.db
FondResourceCache (only in the first folder above)
fonts.db
Local.fcache
qdfams.db
System.fcache
User.fcache
My startup items under my account are
iTunesHelper
Microsoft AU Daemon
iKey
MicrosoftMouseHelper
MicrosoftKeyboardHelper
Dashboard KickStart
EEventManager
iCalAlarmScheduler
textsoapHelper
Epson Scanner Monitor
All of these items were already in place - for a long time - before this problem started.
I cannot find /private in order to locate /private/var/run/StartupItems
Nothing unusual (at least that I can see) in either of the other two locations.

Am I the only one around here who's got the the spinning wheel in Finder window when trying to upload or selecting file?

Let's say when i try to upload something onto a website using safari, when then Finder window opened up, I have like 70% chance encounter the "spinning wheel" in the left coner, the search progress takes about 10 seconds to complete. This is very annoying. I have late 2013 15 inch, and i have done twice "Clean install" of Mavericks, still the same problem. How can i solve this... Really gonna cry...

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 Fusion Drive or 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.

Lion finder window not displaying file info

I have a MacPro which I've updated to Lion. I have four hard drives installed. When I open a finder window from three of the drives, I get the expected (from Snow Leopard) behavior: in icon view, images display pixel dimensions, movies or audio files display run time. This is assuming I have Show Item Info clicked in the View Options. But if I open a finder window on my start-up drive the file info is not displayed. If I open the View Info panel and click/unclick the Show Item Info ckeck box, I can see space expand or contract beneath the file, but no info is displayed. Is this a bug or a "feature"?

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, or by a peripheral device.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. 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, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. 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 (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

How do I get Finder windows to hold their settings?

Reading in other discussions, I see some folks are having problems with desktop icons moving around. My desktop icons are fine and stay put, but my Finder windows continually rearrange themselves to whatever random design Lion wants to give them.
They will not retain size, toolbar on / off, arrange by / sort by, icon size or grid spacing etc. For a while I thought I had the problem sorted by leaving the main User window open when I shut down at night, but this 'solution' didn't hold either.
I have worked my way through the View options, tried resetting defaults etc etc, but either there's nothing I can do about it (bug?) or I am missing something simple.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. TIA

I have this problem too, and it's maddening. My latest effort fo fix it has been to make .DS_Store read only using the Terminal. This will work for directories that you never alter; I did it to my home directory. If you do it to directories that change, the results will be undefined, because the Finder will be unable to write changes to the .DS_Store file reflecting the position of the new files.
To do this, open Terminal in /Applications/Utilities, and then type:
cd "/Path/to/directory/to/fix"
Replace the path with the folder you need to fix. If you're not sure what it is, you can just type "cd " (without the quotes, but note the space after the letters 'cd') and then drag the folder you want to fix onto the Terminal window. Then press return.
Now, type:
chmod 444 .DS_Store
Make sure you include the period at the beginning of the .DS_Store name. Press return. This will effectively lock the .DS_Store file and prevent the Finder from screwing it up. Your icon positions and window settings will be fixed in place until you make the .DS_Store file writable again. To do that, repeat Step 1 above, and change Step 2 as follows:
chmod 644 .DS_Store
That will return the .DS_Store file to its original state and undo the changes you made.
I have tested this only on my home directory, which never changes. Doing this to directories to which files are added and removed will result in undefined behavior. It will not damage your computer or your files, but Finder windows for that directory will not behave in a predictable fashion.

Forgotten Finder Window Positions

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