HELP! Can't see the System Preferences

I tried to launch the System Preference application and all I get is a white window, you can't see the actual icons. This also happens in the Preview as well as the Console application. I tried a clean reinstall of my OS but still doesn't work. I also tried repairing permissions.
I don't know what else to try.

Hi Erwin, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install 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. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a 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.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
Did DU report any errors? Where they fixed?

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hello community, im new to macbook; i purchase this macbook at a yard sale everything seems to be working ok but i am unable to access the system preference in order to change the desktop or remove old accounts. the owner did not have the os disc. does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this problem.
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If you don't have your install disks you can get the gray install disks by calling Apple StoreCustomer Service at 1-800-676-2775 They can send them to you for about $16 per disk plus S & H. Just give them your serial number and they'll know which ones you need. Which would be $32 for the two disks. With the original disks you also get the iLife that was current when your MacBook was bought included on the #2 disk.
You can order a Snow Leopard 10.6 install disk for $29 as long as you have at least 1gb of RAM and 5gb of free space on your hard drive. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY

HELP Can you see the missing parenthesis ?!

Dear People,
I am doing a simple program that creates a ContactBook and allows keyboard entry of lastName, telephoneNumber and emailAddress.
I have a few error messages that say parenthesis missing but I don't
see any missing ! :
"Note.java": Error #: 200 : '{' expected at line 15
"Note.java": Error #: 200 : '}' expected at line 59
"TryContactBook.java": Error #: 200 : ')' expected at line 30
"TryContactBook.java": Error #: 200 : ')' expected at line 42
below is the coding
thank you in advance
Stan
import java.util.*;
public class TryContactBook
 private Note note;
 public static void main(String[] args)
 ContactBook myContactBook = new ContactBook();
 FormattedInput input = new FormattedInput();
 Note note = new Note();
 System.out.println("Enter the number of new notes you wish to record ");
 int numberOfNotes = input.readInt();
 System.out.println("Ready to record " + numberOfNotes + "note(s) ");
 for (int i = 0; i < numberOfNotes; i++)
 try
 System.out.print("Enter a last name: ");
 note.setLastNaame(input.readString());
 System.out.println("last name input is: " + notes.getLastName());
 catch (InvalidUserInputException e)
 System.out.println("InvalidUserInputException thrown when inputting last name. \n" +
 e.getMessage());
 try
 System.out.println("Enter a telephone number ");
 note.setTelephoneNumber(input.readString();
 System.out.println("telephone number input is: " + notes.getTelephoneNumber());
 catch (InvalidUserInputException e)
 System.out.println("InvalidUserInputException thrown when inputting last name. \n" +
 e.getMessage());
 try
 System.out.println("Enter an e-mail address ");
 note.setTelephoneNumber(input.readString();
 System.out.println("e-mail address input is: " + notes.getEmailAddress());
 catch (InvalidUserInputException e)
 System.out.println("InvalidUserInputException thrown when inputting last name. \n" +
 e.getMessage());
=====================================================================
import java.util.*;
* A class to maintain an arbitrarily long list of contacts.
* Notes are numbered for external reference by a human user.
* In this version, note numbers start at 0.
* @author Stan Dominski
public class ContactBook
 // Storage for an arbitrary number of notes.
 private ArrayList notes;
 * Perform any initialization that is required for the
 * notebook.
 public ContactBook()
 notes = new ArrayList();
 * Store a new note into the notebook.
 * @param note The note to be stored.
 public void storeNote(String note)
 notes.add(note);
 * @return The number of notes currently in the notebook.
 public int numberOfNotes()
 return notes.size();
 * Show a note.
 * @param noteNumber The number of the note to be shown.
 public void showNote(int noteNumber)
 if(noteNumber < 0 || noteNumber > numberOfNotes())
 // This is not a valid note number, so do nothing.
 else
 // This is a valid note number, so we can print it.
 System.out.println(notes.get(noteNumber));
 * Remove a note from the notebook if it exists.
 * @param noteNumber The number of the note to be removed.
 public void removeNote(int noteNumber)
 if(noteNumber < 0 || noteNumber > numberOfNotes())
 System.out.println("noteNumber is not valid.");
 else
 notes.remove(noteNumber);
 * List all the notes in the notebook
 public void listNotes()
 Iterator i = notes.iterator();
 Iterator myIterator = notes.iterator();
 while(i.hasNext() && myIterator.hasNext())
 System.out.print(notes.indexOf(i.next() ) + ":" );
 System.out.println("" + myIterator.next());
=======================================================================
import java.util.*;
public class Note
 private ArrayList contactInfo;
 private String lastName;
 private String telephoneNumber;
 private String emailAddress;
 public class Note()
 contactInfo = new ArrayList();
 this.lastName = lastName;
 this.telephoneNumber = telephoneNumber;
 this.emailAddress = emailAddress;
 public void setLastName(String lastName)
 this.lastName = lastName;
 public String getLastName()
 return lastName;
 public void setTelephoneNumber(String telephoneNumber)
 this.telephoneNumnber = telephoneNumber;
 public String getTelephoneNumber()
 return telephoneNumber;
 public void setEmailAddress(String emailAddress)
 this.emailAddress = emailAddress;
 public String getEmailAddress()
 return emailAddress;
======================================================================
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.IOException;
public class FormattedInput
 public String readString() throws InvalidUserInputException
 if(readToken() == tokenizer.TT_WORD || ttype == '\"' || ttype == '\'')
 return tokenizer.sval;
 else
 throw new InvalidUserInputException(" readString() failed. ..... Input data is not a string");
 // Method to read an int value
public int readInt() throws InvalidUserInputException
 if (readToken() != tokenizer.TT_NUMBER)
 throw new InvalidUserInputException(" readInt() failed. " + " input data not numeric");
 else
 return (int)tokenizer.nval; // value is numeric so return as int
 //helper method to read the next token
 private int readToken()
 try
 ttype = tokenizer.nextToken();
 return ttype;
 catch(IOException e)
 e.printStackTrace(System.err);
 System.exit(1);
 return 0;
 //object to tokenize input from the standard input stream
 private StreamTokenizer tokenizer = new StreamTokenizer(
 new BufferedReader(
 new InputStreamReader(System.in)));
 private int ttype; //stores the token type code
======================================================================
import java.io.StreamTokenizer;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
public class InvalidUserInputException extends Exception
 public InvalidUserInputException() { }
 public InvalidUserInputException(String message)
 super(message);

I have out comments on the errors I found. There might be more.
I couldn't get the indentation to work so it will look a bit funny.
//David
"Note.java": Error #: 200 : '{' expected at line 15
"Note.java": Error #: 200 : '}' expected at line 59
"TryContactBook.java": Error #: 200 : ')' expected at
line 30
"TryContactBook.java": Error #: 200 : ')' expected at
line 42
import java.util.*;
public class TryContactBook
private Note note;
public static void main(String[] args)
ContactBook myContactBook = new ContactBook();
FormattedInput input = new FormattedInput();
Note note = new Note();
System.out.println("Enter the number of new notes you wish to record ");
int numberOfNotes = input.readInt();
System.out.println("Ready to record " + numberOfNotes + "note(s) ");
for (int i = 0; i < numberOfNotes; i++)
try
System.out.print("Enter a last name: ");
note.setLastNaame(input.readString());
System.out.println("last name input is: " +
is: " + notes.getLastName());
catch (InvalidUserInputException e)
System.out.println("InvalidUserInputException
xception thrown when inputting last name. \n" +
e.getMessage());
try
System.out.println("Enter a telephone
telephone number ");
note.setTelephoneNumber(input.readString()); // 1 error
System.out.println("telephone number input
er input is: " + notes.getTelephoneNumber());
catch (InvalidUserInputException e)
System.out.println("InvalidUserInputException
xception thrown when inputting last name. \n" +
e.getMessage());
try
System.out.println("Enter an e-mail address
l address ");
note.setTelephoneNumber(input.readString()); // 2 error
System.out.println("e-mail address input
ss input is: " + notes.getEmailAddress());
catch (InvalidUserInputException e)
System.out.println("InvalidUserInputException
xception thrown when inputting last name. \n" +
e.getMessage());
=======================================================
=============
import java.util.*;
* A class to maintain an arbitrarily long list of
contacts.
* Notes are numbered for external reference by a human
user.
* In this version, note numbers start at 0.
* @author Stan Dominski
public class ContactBook
// Storage for an arbitrary number of notes.
private ArrayList notes;
* Perform any initialization that is required for
for the
* notebook.
public ContactBook()
notes = new ArrayList();
* Store a new note into the notebook.
* @param note The note to be stored.
public void storeNote(String note)
notes.add(note);
* @return The number of notes currently in the
the notebook.
public int numberOfNotes()
return notes.size();
* Show a note.
* @param noteNumber The number of the note to be
o be shown.
public void showNote(int noteNumber)
if(noteNumber < 0 || noteNumber >
umber > numberOfNotes())
// This is not a valid note number, so do
mber, so do nothing.
else
// This is a valid note number, so we can
, so we can print it.
System.out.println(notes.get(noteNumber));
* Remove a note from the notebook if it exists.
* @param noteNumber The number of the note to be
o be removed.
public void removeNote(int noteNumber)
if(noteNumber < 0 || noteNumber >
mber > numberOfNotes())
System.out.println("noteNumber is not
is not valid.");
else
notes.remove(noteNumber);
* List all the notes in the notebook
public void listNotes()
Iterator i = notes.iterator();
Iterator myIterator = notes.iterator();
while(i.hasNext() && myIterator.hasNext())
System.out.print(notes.indexOf(i.next() )
f(i.next() ) + ":" );
System.out.println("" +
println("" + myIterator.next());
=======================================================
===============
import java.util.*;
public class Note
private ArrayList contactInfo;
private String lastName;
private String telephoneNumber;
private String emailAddress;
public class Note()
contactInfo = new ArrayList();
this.lastName = lastName;
this.telephoneNumber = telephoneNumber;
this.emailAddress = emailAddress;
public void setLastName(String lastName)
this.lastName = lastName;
public String getLastName()
return lastName;
public void setTelephoneNumber(String
neNumber(String telephoneNumber)
this.telephoneNumnber =
telephoneNumnber = telephoneNumber;
public String getTelephoneNumber()
return telephoneNumber;
public void setEmailAddress(String
lAddress(String emailAddress)
this.emailAddress = emailAddress;
public String getEmailAddress()
return emailAddress;
}} // 3 error
=======================================================
==============
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.IOException;
public class FormattedInput
public String readString() throws
rows InvalidUserInputException
if(readToken() == tokenizer.TT_WORD || ttype ==
ype == '\"' || ttype == '\'')
return tokenizer.sval;
else
throw new InvalidUserInputException("
eption(" readString() failed. ..... Input data is not
a string");
// Method to read an int value
public int readInt() throws
InvalidUserInputException
if (readToken() != tokenizer.TT_NUMBER)
throw new InvalidUserInputException(" readInt()
nt() failed. " + " input data not numeric");
else
return (int)tokenizer.nval; // value is numeric
eric so return as int
//helper method to read the next token
private int readToken()
try
ttype = tokenizer.nextToken();
return ttype;
catch(IOException e)
e.printStackTrace(System.err);
System.exit(1);
return 0;
//object to tokenize input from the standard
andard input stream
private StreamTokenizer tokenizer = new
= new StreamTokenizer(
new
new
new
new BufferedReader(
new
new
new
new
new
new
new
new InputStreamReader(System.in)));
private int ttype; //stores
stores the token type code
=======================================================
==============
import java.io.StreamTokenizer;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
public class InvalidUserInputException extends
Exception
public InvalidUserInputException() { }
public InvalidUserInputException(String
tring message)
super(message);

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4.          On the top of the Pacifist window, click “verify” .... you will probably be prompted for your password.
5.          Enter checks for.... “verify permissions” and “verify file contents.” and click “verify” ....enter password when prompted.... you will get back output which may look like this:
          20 files were scanned. 20 of 20 files were present on the hard disk. 0 of 20 files had file permissions that did not match those specified in the package. 0 of 20 files had checksums that did not match those specified in the package.
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7.          In the Toolbar (upper left), you now have the option to extract or install. Click a file in the lower list and those two icons will be enabled.
8.          If “Extract to...” is selected.... navigate to the location where the file will be placed, select “choose”, select “extract” in new dialog that appears,authenicate , if prompted, click “OK”.
9.          In the next dialog, click “Extract”.
10.          If “Install” is selected... dialog will appear with the location/path of the installed software. Click “Install”
11.          Type in your password, click “OK”
Pacifist will begin to extract files.
12.          In steps 8/10ß.... you also have the choice to “cancel”
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Stop
Leave original alone
Update .....
Default selection
Replace .... (Replace option should only be used on full install packages)

HELP! Can't see the System Preferences

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