Missing System preferences

I seem to have lost my system preferences. I do not believe that the software is still on my system. I am trying to figure out how to download the application again. Can anyone help me?

Welcome to the Forums Cate!
You can't downlosad them, but you can get them off your Install Disk with Pacifist...
http://www.charlessoft.com/
Run it, insert your Install DVD, search & extract the components you need!
But have you looked in the Trash? Searched for them?
Done any Disk maintenance lately?

Similar Messages

  • Restore missing system preference pain HELP

    so I have exhausted all avenues, tried EVERY trip and trip I could find online and here in Apple Support PLUS Apple Support Communities to try and restore this missing pain (I cannot access system preferences NO MATTER how much I try, and the last 5 days of searching has lead me to figure out, I am missing this system preference pain)
    So how do I restore this very important part to my system. I am running the latest software on my iMac, which is a referbished system and I do not have any disc's and as I mentioend above, I have tried EVERYTHING, what does one do when this has gone missing? I'm about to throw the whole thing OUT THE WINDOW (no pun intended, I really do love windows too LMAO)
    HELP

    I only know enough to be dangerous,  but this is from apple ( http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1528)  try this. 
    ALSO : open that make sure that tracker and any non mac program and  find the preferences and sure that any non Mac program is set up to ask you before deleting any files .
    How to disable the root user
    OS X Lion
    From the Apple menu choose System Preferences....
    From the View menu choose Users & Groups.
    Click on the lock and authenticate with an administrator account.
    Click Login Options....
    Click the "Edit..." or "Join..." button at the bottom right
    Click the "Open Directory Utility..." button.
    Click the lock in the Directory Utility window.
    Enter an administrator account name and password, then click OK.
    Choose Disable Root User from the Edit menu.

  • Missing System Preference Icon

    One of my System Preferences icons seems to be missing... I have been trying to disable DVD player from automatically launching when I insert a DVD, and the "CDs &DVDs" icon is missing in the System Preferences.
    Any ideas?
    Thanks,
    Nick
    MacBook 1.83GHz Intel   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

    Hi Nick
    Hmmmm.
    When you say it is missing... In Sys Pref. in the second row called hardware there are normally 6 icons with the CD-DVD one being the first on the far left position. Is that space now empty?
    If is not empty and you click on the space where it should be, what happens?
    I'm running out of ideas. So... one more time with one extra deletion.
    With Sys Pref closed
    trash
    ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
    ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.preferencepanes.cache
    as well as
    ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systempreferences
    then log out and then back in
    then click on Sys Pref. to see if CD-DVD is back where it should be.
    regards roam.

  • Do I need to re-install if I'm just missing System Preferences?

    Lately some parts of my system have been "disappearing." I "lost" the Activity Managet over a year ago but never really knew what I was missing. But now somehow I've lost System Preferences (It shows up with a big question mark when I click on it in the dock) and I really have need of it.
    My question is: Do I need to reinstall the whole OS from the install DVD, or can I just selectively install those one or two things that have gone missing?
    Imac   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  

    hgelman,
    Have you looked for System Preferences in your Application Folder? Just because the Dock icon has a question mark does not necessarily mean that it has disappeared from your system.
    You can selectively reinstall files and folders with Pacifist, but depending upon the application you may have to reinstall the Mac OS X Combined Update 10.3.9 and the Security Update 2006-003 (10.3.9 Client) to get back to the most current version.
    ;~)

  • I have a iMac Leopard & missing system preferences

    When I click on the apple icon system preferences shows but when I click on system preferences, nothing happens. Same thing when I click on dock.
    Also, the icon for system prefereces disappeared on my dock.

    Open Console in Utilities & see if there are any clues or repeating messages when this happens.

  • I have lost the system preferences application. How do i restore it?

    Hi,
    I have lost the system preferences application. How do I restore it?

    If you have had Time Machine running on your computer, you may be able to get it back from a backup.
    However, since System Preferences contains more than just the application (it also contains modules that are kept in [$HOME]/Library/PreferencePanes on your startup disk), then you may need to restore them too if they do not exist on your system either.
    Granted, having a missing System Preferences could be disasterous... at the least, you can't set your preferences, but at the most, system services (whether Apple or 3rd party) could be broken.  Because of this, the above advice is not guaranteed.
    The only sure-fire way of getting your System Preferences back is to re-install your system.
    Important note: TheDave413's note about the Dock is also a very useful tip, since the Dock keeps an alias of the System Preferences app rather than a copy of it.  If that is all that's missing, you can easily re-create it yourself without any of the above drastic action!
    —tonza

  • Missing System Apps After Downgrade

    Hello All -
    I recently downgraded from Yosemite BETA back to Mavericks for multiple reasons. During my invite to test Yosemite I followed all instructions, more specifically the backing up of my computer prior to upgrading. I used Time Machine to back up.
    Now that I am downgrading, I restored from Time Machine. I have 99% of my stuff back, but I am missing System Preferences from the OS. It simply appears as question mark as seen in the attached image. I see I am also missing Terminal, and possible others. What is the fix?
    More Info: When I click on Apple > System Preferences, nothing happens. There is only one account on my computer and I am the Administrator.

    Step one is to DL and reinstall the 10.9.4 COMBO update. If that doesn't fix things, DL the full 10.9.4 installer, save a copy, and reinstall it. If neither work, contact Apple since they recommended that you rely on TM for restoration, rather than a bootable backup/clone of your previously good 10.9.4 installation.
    iMac refurb (27-inch Mid 2011), OS X Mavericks (10.9.4), SL & ML, G4 450 MP w/Leopard, 9.2.2

  • Missing resolution lines system preferences-- display

    Hi,
    I've recently got a mac mini which I've got hooked up to a Samsung syncmaster 205BW (which has a native resolution of 1680x1050)
    Initially when I set it up I had no problems getting that resolution set in Mac OS X, however I've put it on a KVM with my other machine and now I'm having trouble setting the resolution correctly.
    When I go into system preferences --> Display, the resolution I'm looking for (1680x1050 60Hz) is not on the list.
    I'd appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction for how to add this resolution to the list.
    Thanks
    Rory

    I have some questions for you. When the mini is hooked directly to the Samsung, is the monitor detected as "Syncmaster" or by some other specific name within Displays preferences? If yes, then when you insert the KVM between the Samsung and the mini, do you notice that the monitor is no longer identified that way and instead carries some generic ID like "VGA Display" or some other generic name? If the above is the case, that means the KVM is interrupting the plug-and-play data channel connection which is embedded in the video cable. You will need to resort to 3rd party software (DisplayConfigX or SwitchRes X) to manually configure the missing timings you desire. Either that or return the KVM for a better one that works right and is plug-and-play compatible.

  • Icon missing from System Preference on MacBook Pro. Please Help

    The icon for my mail, contacts and calendars is no longer under my System Preferences. Can someone help me get it back? Thanks.

    If you're running the OS version in your profile, you never had that icon. Assuming the profile is wrong, do as follows.
    Select
    View ▹ Customize...
    from the System Preferences menu bar. If the missing icon appears, check the box next to it, or click Show All. Then click Done.

  • File Sharing Missing from Sharing in System Preferences

    I had file sharing working, and today I can no longer connect from a windows PC. When I go to System Preferences, Sharing, File Sharing is missing in the list. The only options are the following:
    DVD or CD SHaring
    Screen Sharing
    Remote Login
    Remote Management
    Remote Apple Events
    Bluetooth Sharing
    Not 100% sure when it stopped working, but I think the last change was upgrading to VMware Fusion v2.0.5 fron 2.0.*, and I upgraded to 4GB of RAM. Also I noticed my hostname had changed with a 2 at the end (HOSTNAME 2). Not sure when that happened, but thought it could be relevant. Any ideas?

    It is strange - it almost seems like your machine has two copies of your OS, one with the normal hostname, and one with the hostname with a 2. I can't imagine something like that happening, unless the VMWare somehow imported your Mac OS - or that a backup copy of the Mac OS was installed on a separate partition on your Mac, and somehow you're logging into that 2nd copy without realizing it. (Twilight Zone music here!)
    Does your Mac otherwise boot up normally? Have you tried using the disk utility to do a disk check (and see if some ghost partition shows up)? Or, have you already done the dreaded re-install?

  • ICloud missing from my system preferences

    I recently changed my email for my apple ID log in and since doing that I keep getting an error that pops up to fix my apple ID and password for my icloud. When I click to update it takes me to system prefferences and gives me a NULL error. I have OSX 10.8.4 and always had the access before this issue.

    Hi eric,
    Well, that's just weird. Any chance that something changed in your User profile? Have you logged off of the computer and back on? Just some ideas. I fear that if your iCloud option is missing altogether from your System Preferences, that may indicate a corrupted OSX and require a re-install of Mountain Lion, so just trying to think of anything to avoid that.
    If it is an OSX issue, that is outside my purview. We have some really good systems experts here in the Community, and they usually pick up on these types of issues, so post back once you have checked the User business if things are still whacky. Hopefully they will be monitoring.
    Sorry I couldn't help!
    Cheers,
    GB

  • System Preference: Print & Fax missing

    Hello.
    When I go to System Preferences > Internet & Network...
    My Print & Fax icon is missing. I can't select and default my installed printers.
    How do I retrieve this icon?
    Thanks

    It's an easy fix. Just delete the preferences file and open System Preferences to create a new one:
    1. Quit System Preferences.
    2. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
    3. Choose Go > Go To Folder.
    4. Type: ~/Library/Caches
    5. Click Go.
    6. Locate this file: "com.apple.preferencepanes.cache"
    7. Drag it to the Trash.
    8. Open System Preferences.

  • I cloud missing from System preferences.

    Hi,
    I am running 10.8.4, I cloud is missing from system preferences.I tried some stuff suggested on website nothing worked out so far. Any suggestion?
    Ari

    Is iCloud the only thing missing from System Preferences?
    If, while in System Preferences, you click View -> Customize does it show up then?

  • CDs & DVDs system preferences button missing

    It seems that the button of the 'CDs & DVDs' system preferences button is missing. Where did it go or, how can I reinstall it ?
    Thanks
    Martin

    no idea - still. But what the heck.

  • Trying to re ord with a live mic but having trouble getting a good record or playback volume. As far as i know all my settings in system preference are correct. What am i missing?

    Trying to record with an external mic, but having trouble getting a good record or playback volume. As far as i know all my settings in system preference are correct. What am i missing?

    MartyJames777 wrote:
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    http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#micline
    (Let the page FULLY load. The link to your answer is at the top of your screen)

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