My Finder / User preferences never saved after Restart. Help!

Question

After a "successful" back-up from Time Machine (thanks, Time Machine), my files seem to all be here, but my Finder and basic Application preferences have never been the same since.
My MacBook Pro 17" hard drive crashed. I had an authorized Apple repair replace it with a new drive. I restored my set-up via Time Machine as instructed and was happy to see I was (mostly) back in good shape.
What HASN'T been the same since - when I RESTART:
- Whenever I shut down/restart, my desktop will always revert back to the last "mode" pre-crash. For example, one same folder is always open, as it happened to be the folder opened during the crash. Now, no matter what I seem to have opened on my desktop before I shut down, that other "old" folder always greets me after a restart.
- Many applications I notice do not "remember" the last settings changed/used, always reverting to the "pre-crash" setting. Notable examples:
- iChat settings (buddy icon, status, etc.) must ALWAYS be manually adjusted when I open iChat now.
- iTunes and iPhoto are a big drag to open, because I must always "find" my libraries. They have long been moved to an external drive, but these iApps always ask me to locate them or create new ones. Even if I attempt to change my preferences.
- Dock: the settings/icons revert back to the "pre-crash" version, and since I have updated many Apps, several icons show the Question Mark symbol, as some old Apps are long gone.
I tried Disk Utility, repairing permissions. It recognized many inconsistencies and problems,
but the repairs never seem to "stick."
Again, this happens each time I restart/reboot.
So if I only put my MacBook to sleep mode, it does fine when it wakes up,
and remembers desktop settings, iChat settings, etc.
Therefore, I only rarely shut down now, to avoid my Groundhog's Day syndrome.
This is annoying. Help Me. Someone. Please.

Answer 1

Bernie Hawaii wrote:
After a "successful" back-up from Time Machine (thanks, Time Machine), my files seem to all be here, but my Finder and basic Application preferences have never been the same since.
Apparently the previous preferences were copied over by TM.
First it would probably be a good idea to start up from the install disk and run Disk Utilities’ Repair Disk. If you don’t know how to do that, reply back for specific directions.
- Whenever I shut down/restart, my desktop will always revert back to the last "mode" pre-crash. For example, one same folder is always open, as it happened to be the folder opened during the crash. Now, no matter what I seem to have opened on my desktop before I shut down, that other "old" folder always greets me after a restart.
Because it appears to be preference files that cause the problem, you can begin removing them from the Preferences folder. These .plist files can be moved to the Desktop and the system will recreate new ones in the Preferences folder. If removing the .plist file doesn’t help, the one on the desktop can be moved back into the Preferences folder to replace the newly created one.
Locate the Preference folder by this path:
Macintosh HD/Users/yourusername/Library/Preferences
(where “yourusername” is the short name of your computer, like hawaii - the folder looks like a house/home)
Often users confuse the above path with Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences. That is not the one needed. The correct one is the Preference folder in the Users home folder.
The same folder appearing after restarting is related to the Finder, so move the file named com.apple.finder.plist to the Desktop and restart. If that helps preventing the same folder appearing, you will need to reset all your Finder preferences. If not, you can return the old .plist file from the Desktop back to the Preferences folder and will need to look for another solution.
- Many applications I notice do not "remember" the last settings changed/used, always reverting to the "pre-crash" setting. Notable examples:
- iChat settings (buddy icon, status, etc.) must ALWAYS be manually adjusted when I open iChat now.
- iTunes and iPhoto are a big drag to open, because I must always "find" my libraries. They have long been moved to an external drive, but these iApps always ask me to locate them or create new ones. Even if I attempt to change my preferences.
- Dock: the settings/icons revert back to the "pre-crash" version, and since I have updated many Apps, several icons show the Question Mark symbol, as some old Apps are long gone.
Each of the above has its own .plist file(s) in the above named Preferences folder.
It’s probably best to quit the applications before removing the preferences. Try moving the main .plist files, i.e., com.apple.iChat.plist to the desktop and restart iChat. If it doesn’t help, remove the other .plist files related to iChat. They will be replaced by the system. Some newly created .plist files don’t function until after a restart (like the Finder one described above). I don’t think iChat, iTunes, etc., require a restart, but it couldn’t hurt. If this helped with iChat, do the same procedure for iTunes, Dock, and any others giving you problems.
If these do not help, you may need to consider an Archive & Install.
I tried Disk Utility, repairing permissions. It recognized many inconsistencies and problems,
but the repairs never seem to "stick."
As long as the permissions inconsistencies include “Permissions differ,” SUID or ACL warnings, you can probably safely ignore them. But there is a .plist file for DiskUtility as well, which you may want to replace by moving it to the Desktop and restarting. If at the end of Repair Permissions it says “Permission Repair Complete,” it’s probably okay.
Again, this happens each time I restart/reboot.
So if I only put my MacBook to sleep mode, it does fine when it wakes up,
and remembers desktop settings, iChat settings, etc.
Therefore, I only rarely shut down now, to avoid my Groundhog's Day syndrome.
This is annoying. Help Me. Someone. Please.
Here’s hoping for an UNGroundhog’s Day.