In Sys Prefs Desktop, folders won't stay in sidebar

In the Desktop & Screen Saver pane of System Preferences, any folder I've added to the list at left by clicking the 'plus' button [+] fails to appear when I close Sys Prefs and open it again, unless that folder's name is selected when I close Sys Prefs. Additional added folders will not remain.
This problem is affecting one user account only. The others are fine.
I can add other folders, but they don't persist after I close System Preferences. By clicking the 'minus' button [-], I can remove the folder I've added and it remains properly removed. Since I can add only one folder, I can't really alter the list in any useful way and so the plus and minus buttons become almost pointless; there may as well be just a simple Open dialog for choosing the one non-Apple folder of images I'd like to use (except that, as I said, the pane does behave as expected in other user accounts).
The screenshot above shows the Desktop pane's folder list right after I've added two folders, 'fluff images, misc.' and 'night earth'. Since 'night earth' is selected, that folder will remain in the list after I close Sys Prefs, but the other folder will not:
So for now I have no way within the Desktop pane of Sys Prefs to maintain a list of several favorite folders of desktop images. Not terribly important, but that I can't fix it bothers me.
Things I've tried:
repair permissions (several times)
delete:
com.apple.desktop.plist
com.apple.sidebarlists.plist
com.apple.systempreferences.plist
reset PRAM

This annoyance is more common and perplexing than I thought:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/2592572#2592572
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19854308#19854308
https://discussions.apple.com/message/21746716#21746716%2321746716

Similar Messages

Desktop picture won't stay

Hi- I recently had to re install my OS from my timemachine backup (from an external HD.) I had everything set up as factory new before using the backup and didn't create any new accounts. Things seem ok now but my Desktop photo (one of my own photos) won't stay- it keeps reverting back to one I had set before all the trouble. Any ideas? It's just annoying.

Delete the
com.apple.systempreferences.plist
and the
com.apple.desktop.plist
as instructed in this User Tip and reboot the computer from the Apple menu.
Deleting the System Preference or other .plist file

Local folders won't stay closed

I have a curious problem that first emerged in 5.5. I had hoped 6 would resolve it but it hasn't. I have four folders that dance together! If I close folder A then I am taken to folder B which is now open. If I close folder B then folder A or C open. I have re-set up my site, ensuring that the desktop folders were all closed but it has made no difference. My testing and remote servers are not affected.
It's not life threatening but extremely irritating!

I think I have solved it! In preferences I changed "Enable Related Files: Discover Dynamically-Related files" to "Automatically" - I had had it set to "Manually" or maybe it came that way by default.

Local Folders Won't Stay Collapsed

For one website I'm managing out of many, the local folders
will not
stay collapsed, i.e., the little box you click on to open and
close the
folder directories. It's a minor annoyance but I can't seem
to fix it.
I've looked at the actual folders on the hard drive to see if
there's
anything odd in there and there does not appear to be. I've
also
re-polled the directories for the site and that hasn't
repaired this either.
When I open one of the main folders, all its sub folders
open, too. When
I go, one by one, closing them, I get so far down the list
and they all
pop open again. This only happens with this one folder and
only with
this one website.
Does anyone have an idea?
Thanks,
J
DWMX 6.1

You are on windows?
There are two ways to fix this.
One way- make a new site definition for each of the sites
doing this.
Don't use "duplicate" because that will carry over the
Expanded Directory
information.
Other way- edit the windows Registry.
background:
http://groups.google.com/group/macromedia.dreamweaver/search?hl=en&group=mac
romedia.dreamweaver&q=alan+registry+expanded
There's a registry setting in the site def info for what
folders to show
expanded when a site is opened.
alternate probable fix- make a new site definition from
scratch.
probably way to prevent this from recurring- close the
folders when changing
sites or shutting dw down.
repost of old info- modify the folder location/registry key
name as needed
for the version you are using
Summary of the solution:
It's a registry thing. so do the usual backups !!!
1. Open regedit.
2. Navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Macromedia\Dreamweaver 6\Sites\
*****the above key path will be different depending on the
version of dw you
are using (I've reposted this about every other month since
dw 6 came
out)
3. Select the site number that you're having problems with
(just look in
each one e.g. "-Site3" until you see the site name being
mentioned).
4. Careful here...
Locate the values that begin with "Local Expanded Dir" and
end with a number
(there should be quite a few of 'em) and delete them.
5. Then open the value "Local Expanded Dirs" and using a
'Decimal' base,
change the value to 0 (zero).
6. Quit regedit, and that should solve it...
Alan
Adobe Community Expert, dreamweaver
http://www.adobe.com/communities/experts/

Desktop folders won't open

None of my desktop folders will open. My Macintosh HD icon will also not open when it is on the desktop. The folders will open if I navigate to the Finder/File/Open menu. Similarly all the dock icons will open. The desktop location seems to be the problem. Any ideas?

I've never had that problem before. My first response would be to log out, and log back in. If that doesn't work, then you could try rebooting.
This may not do the trick, but it's worth a shot:
Go to your Home folder, then Library, then Caches. Select all of the files within that folder and press command + delete. Log out, and log back in. Empty the trash.

Hard Drive icon missing - Desktop folders won't open - Need Help!

I need help! I have a 400 MHz PowerPC G4 with 768 MB SDRAM, no DVD drive - was running OS X 10.3.9 quite happily. We became owners of a new iPod Nano - so we had to upgrade to 10.4.
(I'm writing this on my 800 MHz PowerPC G4 with 768 MB SDRAM, (also no DVD drive) that I upgraded from OS X 10.3.9 to 10.4.11 without incident.)
Installed 10.4 using a FireWire Hard Drive - installed software updates to 10.4.11 - ran Disk Utility - ran MacJanitor - ran DoktorKleaner - everything was working well.
Rebooted and the Hard Drive Icon had disappeared from desktop. Folders on desktop have all lumped together in the top right hand corner of the screen, and refuse to open.
Only programs in the dock still work - clicking on the Finder icon only gives the option to hide. New Finder Window does not work. Programs can be found in Spotlight, but if they're not in the dock they won't open. Trash won't open or empty.
I attempted to reinstall Mac OS X using FireWire, but now the Hard Drive is full and is telling me it will erase and reinstall. I need to save files off this computer now (Sadly no backup exists) before my wife readies divorce papers.
I tried using FireWire Target Disk Mode to copy files - with the 400MHz as Target I just get a spinning Beach Ball any time I click on the Icon. After far too long it opened up an empty window.
With the 800MHz as the target, the 400MHz does not show it on the desktop, so I have no way of copying files to it.
Anyone have some advice that doesn't involve a time machine?

Whenever something starts going wrong with the computer I suggest you first boot from the installer disk, select language if applicable, choose utilities, run Disk Utility and verify (and repair if necessary) the drive. Then repair the permissions on your computer. You can also repair permissions from DU on your main drive while booted, but to properly verify and repair your drive you have to run it from a drive other than the boot drive.
[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, 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."
A few questions:
Was this a retail installer disc that you used to do the upgrade?
How much free space do you have on the computer?
Did you use the [PPC Combo updater|http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx10411comboupdateppc.html] to get to 10.4.11?
Did you do all these updates in one single session or restart and check your computer had accepted them okay between each update? It is critical to repair permissions before and after each update otherwise the installers won't install fully and you end up with a mix of versions.
You can set the Finder Preferences, general, to display a hard drive icon, but it sounds like your problems are going beyond that?
You can also try trashing your Users -> home folder -> Library -> Preferences -> com.apple.finder.plist file and see if that clears up the issue. That sets the Finder preferences and if it gets corrupted it will cause Finder problems.

Folders won't stay open - HELP!

I just upgraded to Snow Leopard on a Mac Pro. Now when I open a folder and try to click on something inside that folder, the entire folder closes and the desktop goes blank (all folders disappear) for a few seconds then they reappear. It keeps happening sporadically, whether I double click, use cmd O or open from the dock.
I have another internal hard drive that I only use for back up or extra storage, plus an external drive for iTunes. It has never caused any problems before this upgrade.

Hi baltwo! Thanks for the reply. I tried doing this, but am still having the problem. PLUS the folders on the desktop are moving all over the desktop after this happens. I don't have much on my desktop, so I find it hard to believe that these are causing a problem.
I didn't have this problem ever until after I installed Snow Leopard. And it happened on both my old hard drive and my brand new drive (that I bought when I thought my old hard drive was dying).

Desktop folders won't open after installing Yosemite

Hi,
I just installed Yosemite on my 2009 macbook pro and I'm having issues with the Finder. None of the folders or files on my desktop open at all. Even force quitting the finder doesnt seem to help. The only way i can get it to work is if I log out and log back in. But the problem comes back everytime i restart. Does anyone know how I can fix this problem permanently?
thanks

Java for OS X 2014-001 10.7 or later

Desktop folders won't open on a double click

Hi,
New to MacBook and just can't figure out why my hard drive, alias etc won't open on a double click from the desktop.
Thanks

hi, rlb103 ,
welcome to the forum.
it might be that your finder got hung up. then indeed, restart the finder as described by kmac1036 .
However, the finder should never quit or hang. so, if it is indeed the finder, than this is not correct, and might need more attention.
There might be another thing: that the "double-clicking-speed" is wrongly adjusted. Got to "System Preferences" (under the apple menu), click "Trackpad", and adjust the "double-clicking-speed". Does it help?
if it doesn't help, please post back! with more info.
Thomas

Desktop wallpaper won't stay changed

I have had this issue since day one with this macbook pro.
I change the desktop background following the directions and no matter what I do after I shut down and use it again it just goes to a blank blue screen.
When i look at the desktop settings there is my picture like it should be but the macbook is not acting right.
This is really frustrating me. Its seems like a simple thing but the macbook pro wont do it.
What in the world can i do?

I had the same issue for the past couple weeks and I tried a few suggestions I was able to find on the Internet but no luck. I decided to go into iPhoto and find the images I wanted to use for the desktop wallpaper and while doing so, I messed around with the menu feature which allows you to set images as your desktop.
After I got tired of tinkering around in iPhoto, I exited all programs, then re-started. The image I switched to before the re-start was still present. I re-booted next. The image stayed. Since then, I've switched wallpapers a few times and they all stay like they're supposed to after a re-boot.
I don't know what I did to 'fix' the problem but I was able to muck around in iPhoto for about 5 minutes before I got bored and re-started. Maybe this is something you could try?
I wish I knew what the problem was. I didn't delete any files but I did have to re-build the Events image folder in iPhoto yesterday when I tried to fix the problem. I had inadvertently removed all iPhoto images not knowing that iPhoto has some sort of interaction with desktop image settings. I'm sure an Apple developer would be able to figure out what's happening but it's not obvious to me.

Sys Prefs-Desktop&Screensave no longer shows iPhoto Library or albums!

Ever sice I got my G5 back from the Apple store, I am unable to pick iPhoto albums as screensavers or pick a photo from analbum. They do not show in Desktop & Screensaver preference. I'm running 10.4.10. I have deleted and redone my iPhoto library, pitched prefs, and plist files, and XML files. I've deleted all iPhoto libraries, and started over, and rebuilt everything. WHERE ELSE can I look?

FIXED!! It turned out to be a single corrupt photo in iPhoto. The photo worked OK without problems in iPhoto, but just adding it into the iPhoto Library 'broke' the link with the system preferences/Desktop&Screensaver pref. I used a method similar to the old "Finding a bad extention" by choosing small groups of files until it broke, deleting the old, damaged iPhoto Library.

Sys Pref Desktop/Screensaver Icon missing

The Desktop/Screen Saver Icon is missing in my System Preferences Icon on the dock. In the screen saver folder everything is still there. I've tried the Tech Tool download without success. I tried entering the Time Machine and replacing the System Preferences Icon but that didn't bring back the missing icon. Any ideas?
Thanks

Perform a custom install from the Mac OS X 10.5 disk and install only that component if possible; if not, use Pacifist to install it. In either case, run the combo updater for your Mac OS X version afterward.
(45091)

Folders Won't Stay On The Sidebar In Finder Windows

Before I went out of town 2 weeks ago, I had about 20 folders I dragged over to the finder window sidebar and they always stuck.
I get home and they are gone. So I drag them all back over and go out of town this week and shut down the mac. On boot up, I see all the folders that I dragged over to the finder window sidebar are gone yet again? What the heck is going on? Why is it doing that? The only ones there are the basic ones that automatically show up. Can anyone help? Mountain Lion 10.8.5
Thanks in advance....

Try to stick to one question unless they are very closely related.
Question #1 back/forward/reload don't work
* http://kb.mozillazine.org/Corrupt_localstore.rdf
*Yahoo Toolbar -- https://support.mozilla.com/questions/845691
*McAfee Site Advisor -- https://support.mozilla.com/questions/805964
Question #2 Bookmarks sidebar
* Bookmarks not saved - MozillaZine Knowledge Base<br>http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarks_not_saved
* Standard diagnostic - Firefox - MozillaZine Knowledge Base<br>http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox
* Lost bookmarks - MozillaZine Knowledge Base<br>http://kb.mozillazine.org/Lost_bookmarks

Desktop Background won't stay!

When I create a desktop background from a photo in iPhoto, it doesn't remain as the background after I restart the computer (or shut down and boot up again)...the background goes back to the default galaxy shot. Anyone know why this is? Thank you for your help!

That is a corrupt preference file.
Download the free TinkerTool to tun on Invisible Items, now look in your Users/Library/Preferences folder for a
com.apple.systempreferences.plist
file and delete it, reboot the machine and reset your system preferences.
turn off invisible items in TinkerTool

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!
...John

Hello 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.

In Sys Prefs Desktop, folders won't stay in sidebar

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for