IMac Desktop Icon Overload!

My sister has an iMac 2.4 Ghz Core Duo with OSX Lion and 4GB RAM. She wanted to restore files from trash back to her computer and accidentally dragged way too many files onto her desktop. The computer is frozen even after a hard reboot. The desktop loads, but she cannot open or drag anything. She can't access the drop down menu to force quit. Any advice would be appreciated. Btw, she has most files backed up on Time Machine (documents, photos, music)

I would think that the way to do it would be to boot up in single user mode. This gets a bit technical, since you'll be doing the move of the files from the Desktop folder to somewhere else in command line mode.
Unfortunately, I don't know the detail of how to go about this. I hope another member of the community can help. Some Googling may be useful.

Similar Messages

Imac desktop icon question

ok 1st off let me say good job to apple i finally got my wife's 27in i7 and was worried about the lower left glass cracked issue. so the box gets here and all i can hear is something rolling around in the box .. im like awwww shhhhhh .... but found out it was only the bag of beads that they put in box had torn open .... but all is well installed extra ram ...
but
either ive gotten a brain freeze but the icon for the HD is not on the desktop - can anyone tell me how to get it back on there?
ive never seen a mac that had no HD icons on the desktop .. is this something new they are doing now .. but any help would be appreciated
ps.
i wonder if by ordering the office mac may have helped avoid the glass issue since they would of had to open box to install.

Hi Ron
Open Finder or click anywhere on the Desktop, now then go up on the menu bar and open *Finder > Finder Preferences* and check to be sure all the boxes for *Show these items on the desktop:* are checked. Then before you leave the *Finder Preferences* jump over to the Sidebar tab and make sure that the desired boxes are checked there as well.
Dennis

Can anyone please help? Every time I start up my imac OSX 10.6 desktop my Aperture 3 programme opens up without being requested. Is it possible to stop this from happening and only open by using the desktop icon? Thank you for any assistance.

Can anyone please help? Every time I start up my imac OSX 10.6 desktop my Aperture 3 programme opens up without being requested. Is it possible to stop this happening and only allow Aperture to open by using the desktop icon? Thank you for any assistance anyone may be able to give.
Best regards, John.

because there is absolutely no mention in my System Preferences of either Users & Groups nor Start Up Items.
John,
William's solution was much easier - just for completeness sake: The preferences panes to edit your startup items moved between the Mac OS X updates: I forgot that the "Users&Groups" preference pane used to be called "Users" in Mac OS X 10.6; it is the panel that you use to create new User accounts; and earlier systems had a separate preferences panel "Login" to enable and to disable the applications that are launched at login. Both are now combined in "Users&Groups". Sorry for sending you on a wild goose chase with the wrong Preferences panel.
Regards
Léonie

Why can't i change imac lion desktop icons

following the proper directions with get info etc. icons from websites will not change on imac desktop with downloaded icons with either png or jpg extensions

If you are selecting the new icon file and then pressing Command-C (Copy), that will not work to place the icon on the Clipboard (which is where it must be in order to do a Paste).
Do a Get Info on the new icon file. In its Get Info window, select the icon in the upper left, then press Command-C. Then go to the old file, do a Get Info, select itsicon in the upper left, and press Command-V (Paste).
If the Get Info window displays a generic icon for the new file in the upper left, look down to the preview area in the Get Info window - it should display the icon you want to snag. Double-click that preview image, and it should open in Preview. Then click the image in Preview once, press Command-A (Select All), then press Command-C (Copy). Close the Preview window, do a Get Info on the target file, select its icon in the upper left and press Command-V (Paste).

Please Help! Lost all Desktop Icons, Finder won't open & Cant shut off iMac

Hi Mac Users,
I need some serious help please and thank you --- my iMac with Mac OS X 10.5.6 has lost all its desktop icons, I can't open my finder (i've tried relaunching and rebooting my computer, which won't even do a hard shut off). I can open apps on my dock and that is about it.
I did read in another discussion to delete the preference file, but I can't get access to the library?!? And I also read to try doing a disk repair from the install disk and when I insert the disk into my iMac I don't get a pop-up window asking what i'd like to do and since the finder does not open I have to way to even start the disk up to attempt to do a disk repair????
Any suggestions/recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Sincerly,
desperate iMac kt1611

When you tried to do a disk repair from the instal disk, did you actually boot from the instal disk? You should.
Have you read the manual that came with your iMac and followed the appropriate steps?

I'm suddenly seeing 2-point black boxes around any desktop icon I highlight, and around various elements in any window I'm working in. I have a G5 PPC iMac running 10.4.11. Neither restarting the machine nor running Mac Warrior has helped.

I'm suddenly seeing 2-point black boxes around any desktop icon I highlight, and around various elements in any window I'm working in. I have a G5 PPC iMac running 10.4.11. Neither restarting the machine nor running Mac Warrior has helped.

Thanks! I often inadvertently turn on the voiceover when I use the wrong keys to send an element to the back in Quark. Funny, I turned off the voiceover on my own, but never noticed that the black boxes had gone away until I saw your post.

I deleted my desktop icon - now I can't save things to the desktop!

After a complete meltdown of my computer (and thank GOD I backed everything up!!) ... I'm transferring everything back to my iMac from an external drive ... BUT, I deleted the little "desktop" icon from my finder folder - or more like, I dragged a desktop folder from the external hard drive and "replaced" the desktop icon.
Now I can't save anything to the desktop. When I drag something to the desktop it says "The item cannot be moved because the 'desktop' cannot be modified."
Is there a way to get this back???

No ...
Under "Ownership & Permission" is says "You can - Read & Write", so that's not the issue.
What I did was:
When you open the finder window, there are several icons that appear in the window - usually the Desktop icon, the Home icon, the Applications icon, the Documents icon, the Movies icon, the Music icon and the Pictures icon.
What I did was, I dragged a "Desktop FOLDER" over from an external hard drive and it asked me if I wanted to replace the Desktop. I said "Yes" and now I no longer have the DESKTOP ICON on the left side of the finder window and I can no longer drag and drop things to the desktop.
The desktop icon no longer exists, so I can't access my desktop VIA the finder window.
Does this make sense?

I've lost the finder and desktop icons

Purchased new iMac 10 days ago but did not immediately transfer data from old computer. When I did, I transferred from a Backup on Time Machine using Migration Assistant . I did not merge the two users I had the New Jon (new computer) and the Old Jon (old computer transferred to the new one). I transferred applications and documents but did not transfer the computer and network settings. My reason for two users was that I knew there were programs on the old iMac (10.9.5, early 2008) that did not work on 10 and I was hoping to cherry pick.
However, the new iMac (10.10.2) wasn't seeing any of the desktop files in either user from the old Mac. I decided to delete Old Jon keeping New Jon and starting over again. When I did that, none of the Old Jon applications were deleted and are usable for both users AND the Finder is missing. Clicking on Finder it says that the Finder can't be opened. The finder had been working on both users on the new computer up to the point at which I deleted Old Jon.
Interesting to note that at one time (I don't remember if I was upgrading from 9 to 10 or it was a 10 upgrade) but the Finder on the old Mac also disappeared. I was on forums and seemed to be a problem that many people had. For me, the only thing that seemed to work was opening Activity Monitor and force quitting Window Server and after that the finder and desktop icon showed up. So I'm thinking it must be a program or file I have on the old computer. So, I thought I'd try downloading 10.10 figuring if I reinstalled I would get where back to an "out of the box" computer.
Even though it said I was downloading 10.10 the new install said it was still 10.10.2. All of the applications from the old Mac were still there and there was still no finder. I created a couple of new identities in the New Jon computer. Both of them have access to the finder but the Main identity does not. I have noticed that if you log under under one of the new identities and then go to the Main identity the Finder is there - but not if you log into the Main Identity first.
Can anyone give me hint as what I might do to where I might look or steer me to another forum? Hope this isn't too confusing. Thank you so much

Re-install the OS.
Do a backup. Boot to the Recovery Volume (command - R on a restart or hold down the option/alt key during a restart and select Recovery Volume). Run Disk Utility Verify/Repair and Repair Permissions until you get no errors. Then re-install the OS.
OS X Recovery
OS X Recovery (2)
Clean install.
Do a backup. Boot to the Recovery Volume (command - R on a restart or hold down the option/alt key during a restart and select Recovery Volume). Run Disk Utility Verify/Repair and Repair Permissions until you get no errors. Reformat the drive using Disk Utility/Erase Mac OS Extended (Journaled), then click the Option button and select GUID. Then re-install the OS.
OS X Recovery
OS X Recovery (2)
When you reboot, use Setup Assistant to restore your data.

How to reinstall Mac os x 10.5.6 to my imac desktop 24 inch all in one i put in disk and held c down and it came to a message saying os x cannot be installed on this computer HELP?

Ok here lately when i came into my office and go to cut on my imac desktop 24inch all in one it would come up to a white screen with a grey folder with a question mark blinking in the center of the screen well i just want to reload the machine but when i put my Mac os x install dvd that came with it into it you gets past the folder blinking to the screen where it has the Mac os x installer bar at the top but in the middle of the screen in says Mac os x cannot be installed on this computer and has two buttons one that says ok and the other that says restart how can i get this to stop giving me this error and get to where i can just reinstall the os PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I understand, while you may have knowledge with PCs you don't have the diagnostic tools available to you to professionaly diagnose a Mac. Apple does not make those tools available for the general public, they are only available to Apple and AASPs. To install the OS on the machine you need to locate the original 10.5.x install disc that shipped with the machine and insert it into the SuperDrive. Below are Apples instructions for setting up the machine:
Turn on the computer.
Insert the Mac OS X Install DVD into the optical drive, or insert the MacBook Air Software Reinstall Drive into the USB port.
Restart the computer.
Press and hold the "C" key while the computer starts up. The computer will start up using the Install media. Alternatively, press and hold the Option key at startup to select the volume containing the installer.
If your are using a wireless mouse, a mouse icon should appear asking you to turn the mouse on so that the computer can discover it.
Select a language, then press the right arrow key.
Click the Utilities menu, the choose Disk Utility.
Select a volume to erase (usually called Macintosh HD).
Click the Erase tab.
Click Erase... Important: This step will completely erase your hard drive. If you have installed Microsoft Windows using Boot Camp, or have multiple partitions, this procedure will erase the partition you select.
A dialog box appears asking if you want to erase the partition: click Erase.
After the partition is erased, choose Quit Disk Utility from the Disk Utility menu.
Part Two: Installing the operating system
When the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Installer screen appears, click Continue.
When the license agreement appears, click Agree.
Select the disk you erased. It should now be highlighted with a green arrow.
Click Install. A status bar appears on the bottom of the screen while Mac OS X installs.
An Additional Information screen appears, advising you that you operating system has been installed. Click Continue.
An Install Succeeded screen appears. Click Restart.
Part Three: Completing the Mac OS X Setup Assistant
When the restart has completed, a welcome video plays, then country/region selection screen appears.
Select your country or region and click Continue.
Select a keyboard layout and click Continue.
A migration screen appears. If you wish to migrate your data from another Macintosh, see Migration tips and tricks. If you do not wish to migrate, or want to migrate later, select "Do not transfer my information now" and click Continue.
A Wireless Service screen appears if you have wireless services available within range of your computer. Select "On" and click Continue.
If the network is password protected, you be asked for a password when you select it. Type the password and click Continue.
An Apple ID screen appears. This is used to purchase content from the iTunes store. When complete, click Continue.
If you do not have an Apple ID, click Continue to move to the next screen.
A Registration Information screen appears. You are not required to fill this out, but it is helpful if you do. When complete, click Continue and your product registration will be sent immediately.
If Mac OS X servers are available on your network, you'll be asked if you'd like to log on to them. If not, click Continue.
A Create Your Account screen appears. This will be used to create a User Account with Login ID and Password for you computer. You should remember this password. You'll be asked for it when you install new software or perform other administrative tasks on your computer. When complete, click Continue and your account will be created immediately.
A screen to select your user picture appears. Take a snapshot with the built-in camera or select a picture from your Library. When complete, click Continue.
A MobileMe screen appears. Select an option and click Continue.
A Thank You screen appears. Click Go to complete the Mac OS X Setup Assistant.
Eject the Mac OS X Install DVD by dragging its icon to the Trash.
Good luck.

Desktop icons wont open when clicked on

Hi to all Happy New Year just installed Leopard on both of my computers- on Macbook -desktop icons open when clicked on but not on my Imac computer- tried restarting numerous time any suggestions. Any thoughts. Kevin

I have a friend that has the same problem. Seems related to plugging in an external monitor. When she unplugs, her Desktop icons are unresponsive and can't be clicked on. In the Terminal I issue:
killall Finder
and that temporarily fixes the problem. Wondering if there is a permanent fix. Perhaps I'll delete the Finder .plist.

Delete desktop icons

I have two icons on my DESKTOP (not the icon bar on the bottom). They are "Macintosh HD" and "My Book". I want to remove them from the desktop as both of these icons can be accessed through Finder. However, if I try to Trash them, the computer does not allow it. How can I remove these icons from my iMac desktop???

chun914,
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Going forward rather than doing a "me too" it's better to create a new thread. When you say you download and install MSN, what exactly is MSN? You should see file extension like .app when it's in the downloads folder. What is that extension, that might give me a clue as to what it is.
Also go through the Mac 101 and Switch 101 URL's that were noted above and get yourself a book on Snow Leopard so you can begin learning. A book I like is Robin Williams book, no not THAT Robin Williams!
Regards,
Roger

Website is AWFUL. Why can't I access support? Why can't I do FaceTime on a iMac desktop? Wish I never would have bought a Mac.

This is horriboe! In order to ask a question - I had to re-enter my login info 5 times.... I get security, but come on! And to top it off, you can't even speak with a Apple tech/Rep. It is so hard to find answers to questions about my iMac desktop that I wish I never would have bought it. We would like to use FaceTime on it, but cannot figure out how to install it/why it won't work on here.
<Edited By Host>

This is unfortunate indeed. We community members would like to help.
This is horriboe! In order to ask a question - I had to re-enter my login info 5 times....
Don't know why that was. This forum system has lots of bugs. It stalled out for ten minutes today for me. No one has been able to convince apple to fix instead of the ocasional patches.
And to top it off, you can't even speak with a Apple tech/Rep.
This is free for new machines. Paid for old machines.
AppleCare Support Phone Number: 1-800-275-2273
open 6am to 6pm Pacific Time
It is so hard to find answers to questions about my iMac desktop that I wish I never would have bought it.
Before we go much furthere, we need to know your os and exact machine.
We would like to use FaceTime on it, but cannot figure out how to install it/why it won't work on here.
Here is how to find out what version of Mac OS you are running:
Click on the blue apple in the upper left hand of the screen.
click on this icon
Click on the first line, "About This Mac"
Most of these are numbers & that's what we want.
What version & Processor do you have?

How to change desktop icons?

Hi guys,
Just wondering if someone can help me out here? Am trying to change the desktop 'icons' in my 20" imac? (I want to change the icon of the HDD and some folders) Can someone help me out? Cheers

If you already have a picture that you want to use as an icon, open it in a picture viewing app (Preview, for instance), and copy it. Now click on the icon of the folder or disk that you want to change and press Command-I (or choose "Get Info" from the Finder's File menu). Click on the icon in the top left-hand corner: you can now paste the picture onto it.
More info here: http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/customize/6/
Have fun,
Michael

Lost the Desktop icon

I've done something really stupid: I thought I could backup my Desktop by dragging the icon from the sidebar of the finder window into Toast. On the way it vanished like a little cloud popping and ended up in the Trash. I could not drag it back. I could not not open any desktop folders as the were "in the Trash" I could noy drag them back to the Desktop. I managed to drag the folders from Trash to a new Desktop folder and burned this with Toast so I have the content of my Desktop folders and can open them but not drag any folder from the backup disk to the Desktop "because "Desktop" cannot be modified" To probably make matters worse i have now emptied the Trash. There is a folder called Desktop in the Finder sidebar but "The alias "Desktop" could not be opened because the original item cannot be found."
I know I have done a Bad Thing. Can the damage be reversed please?
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.3.9) 512 MB

It is solved! Thank you to all who responded. The answer lies in the robustness of OSX I think. I was preparing to reinstall OSX and having backed up and shut down, on restarting there was the Desktop Icon back in place working properly. I have rebuilt it the way I like it with all my rescued "stuff" and I will endeavour to be more sensible next time. I think I was very lucky......Makes me wonder if this thing really is bullet proof! In answer to Ali Brown's question - no, I didn't trash the Home folder, but whatever I did put the whole contents of the desktop and the Desktop icon itself into the trash. I was able to retrieve all my desktop folders, but not the Desktop Icon. The only icon on the desktop that remained was MacHD.
Interestingly this weird operation has resolved a long-time annoyance: two corrupted, locked, with impossible dates, files on the Desktop had been undeletable for neary two years. They have now GONE! I now know how to dump undeletable files if it happens again...

How do I stop Lion from moving desktop icons when I startup?

When I starup my iMac with Lion 10.7.1, the desktop icons that I have on my desktop organized in a particular order, all move to the far right of the desktop and do not stay in the same order. How can I stop this from happening? When I shut down, I uncheck the box open all windows when restarting, and I have unchecked the open application windows in the general section of system preferences.
Thanks for the help!

Several issues involved - please click through the threads to the right under More Like This.

IMac Desktop Icon Overload!

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