No system preference window

When I open system preferences I do not get a window showing the contents.

Thank you, you nailed it! I've been with the Mac since '92, and I must say I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't
remember that fix myself!

Similar Messages

  • Blank white System Preferences window

    Hello all,
    I purchased a secondhand G5 for the purpose of having a second internet station at home (I do most of my work on a late 2008 MBP but we've got multiple people here who like to use the Internet at the same time). When I set up this computer, it was hooked up to an old flat screen monitor (bought when they first came out) the HD was wiped clean, Leopard was installed, the internet was set up and working and everything seemed good to go. However, I wanted to get into the system to change the monitor resolution setting since the type/icons were a little big for my taste.
    When I pulled up System Preferences, I got a completely blank white window. This happens every time System Prefs is launched. I can click on this window where normally icons would be, and things seem to happen (the window changes size) but it remains completely white. Moreover, all of the pulldown menus from the top menu bar also are blank white. I can move my mouse down in the File menu where Quit would normally be, and I can click on it and System Preferences quits. If I quit out of System Prefs, the Finder and other software windows act normally. When I log into System Prefs again, same blank white window, same problem.
    This blank white window thing also happens with Preview, but I have not noticed it with any other programs on the system (yet).
    Here's what I've done to troubleshoot:
    Discarded appropriate systempreferences.plist file in the User>Library>Preferences window, also appropriate file in User>Library>Caches. Emptied trash and rebooted. Same problem.
    Reinstalled Leopard, 10.5. Tested, same problem. Upgraded with combo pack to 10.5.8, tested, same problem.
    Swapped out video card for a known working video card, tested, same problem.
    Swapped monitor for known working new monitor, tested, same problem.
    Am I missing some other .plist or similar file that should be discarded? Has anyone experienced anything like this and been able to solve it? Would this be due to software issues, or some kind of hardware issue? Because I can't see System Preferences, I can't create a new user account and discard the old one to try and resolve any software issues, my only choice is to do a clean install (which I have done to no avail).
    Help? I'd appreciate any guidance. Thanks in advance.
    Raji

    Well, at least we are seeing some light here. I forgot about Safe Mode! When I started up into that, I can see the System Preferences windows just fine... it's no longer white, and I can select what I need and make changes.
    However, I have done permissions repair from every possible angle (both from HD and DVD), I have reset the PRAM, and I still get a blank Sys Prefs window on normal startup.
    The only thing suggested here I have not tried is replacing the PRAM battery (since at the moment, I don't have one). That will be the next angle of attack but I'll have to wait to get one in.
    Other than the battery, could this be some kind of peripheral or software conflict?
    This is bugging me! I mean really.... it's just an Internet station, but one does want things to work properly nonetheless!
    Thanks for the help so far.... ! It has been useful.

  • How do I fix that at startup, restart Mavericks 10.9.2 always opens the system preference window?

    How do I fix that at startup, restart Mavericks 10.9.2 always opens the system preference window?
    It is not listed in Login items. I tried all the usual fixes plus Diskwarrior rebuild.
                                                                                                                                    W.W.

    I suggest deleting the Canon Network Scanner from Login Items to determine if that is the cause. Not knowing exactly what it does, I suspect it is intended to monitor the printer's supply levels all the time. It's not necessary to do that. You can always determine the printer's ink supply level every time you print something, when its Print dialog appears. You can also check its supply levels by opening System Preferences on your own, and selecting Printers & Scanners.
    Bear in mind Login Items is simply a convenience that loads the programs you specify every time you log in. That feature is less important as it had been in the past since Mavericks will re-open everything that was open when you last logged out, if you select this checkbox:
    If you want to add the Adobe programs to Login Items again, search for them using Spotlight. The Adobe programs themselves should not be causing this behavior.

  • How did I get duplicate (as in 2) System Preferences windows?

    Greetings ACS Fellows,
    As a loyal and faithful Mac user who has used Macs for many a year, how can it be possible that I have right now - upon the iMac desktop of yours truly - running Snow Leopard 10.6.8 albeit in 64-bit mode; two, count em', two System Preferences windows? I've stumbled upon many strange things in my time, but this one has me absolutely befuddled
    Thanks in Advance,
    mm~

    I was able to do this on my 10.5 system, but not on my Mavericks system, so there are changes somewhere along the way.
    Launch System Preferences (that is 1 copy).
    From an Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal session enter the command:
    /Applications/System\ Preferences.app/Contents/MacOS/System\ Preferences
    and you will have a 2nd copy.
    What a 3rd?  Just issue the Terminal command again.
    How you managed to do it, I do not know, but the System Preferences app will allow multiple instances of the app to run concurrently.
    Again, by the time Mavericks was released, something was changed, and only 1 copy can be run.  The above trick will not work on Mavericks.

  • Systems preference window

    Why is the systems preference window blank - as well as all the pull downs?

    Hello Susan,
    First, Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, test if things work OK in Safe Mode.
    Then move these files to the Desktop for now...
    /Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist
    /Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
    /Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
    /Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.recentitems.plist
    Reboot & test.
    PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.

  • How can I fix my system preferences so the system preferences window don't freeze up every time I open it?

    Hi,
    I was wondering if anyone knew how to fix a System Prefrences problem? Every time I try to open system prefrences I get that little color wheel over the System Prefrences window, and I am not able to change any system prefrence options or click on any options in the window. It just freezes up. I have iOS Lion 10.7.4 version on a 2012 Macbook Pro i7. Right now my screen saver is just a blank blue color, and I am unable to set any other photo from my photo library to the hpome screen picture even without going throiugh system prefrnces. I have tried Disk Utility>Verify Disk Permissions, and that did not work. I have also tried Disk Utility>Permissions Repair, and that did not work either. Can anyone tell me another option to try because I am unable to open Time Machine to repair to an earlier date because that window freezes up also. Does anyone know any other options? This Macbook Has been doing this sort of thing since I took it out of the box brand new 4 months ago, but it fixted itself before the Macbook help coverage was expired so I never bothered to call Apple about it. Now it just freezes up and never works, I can't change my system time out I cant change any system prefrences on my Macbook Pro. It really ***** bad. Also another symptom my macbook has right before this problem accours is my screen saver on my computer will automatically be swithched to that Galaxy screen saver all the sudden when I turn my computer on then when I go to change the screen save back to a picture I had on my computer the system prefrences just freeze up. Please let me know if you know what I can do. Thanks.
    Also I am Unable to open Dock Preferences and i get the frozen screen color wheel Just like on System Preferences.
    J
    Message was edited by: skybluguy76

    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the page that opens.
    Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Try the action again. Post any messages that appear in the Console window – the text, please, not a screenshot.
    Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Edit it out by search-and-replace in a text editor before posting.

  • My Systems Preferences window is now a menu??????

    I am accustomed to clicking the Systems Preferences icon on the dock and getting a window with things lined up in rows. Just recently when I click it, it will say "System Preferences, Edit, View, Window, Help" at the top of the screen, and the only way I can view the list is to click "View". Then I get a drop-down menu that lists everything. But when I select one, nothing happens. What did I (or somebody else who uses this computer) do to cause this, and how can I get it back the way it was? Thanks.

    The menus you list have always been there, so that's nothing new. The issue sounds more like the window is missing - i.e. it's drawn off-screen (or maybe very close to the edge so you're not noticing it, maybe?).
    The easiest resolution is probably to trash the System Preferences preference file (the one for System Preferences itself, not all your system's preferences).
    Just trash ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist then relaunch System Preferences.

  • My system preference window doesn't show

    system preference doesn't show anymore...

    Mind following these instructions?
    Quit System Preferences (right-click on dock icon, then Quit). Launch the Console app (under Applications -> Utilities), and see if you get error messages once you try launching System Prefs again.
    Copy and paste those into a post here. Just the relevant ones, not hundreds others.
    Error messages in the Console app, of course.

  • Many of my System Preferences will no longer work after installing Mountain Lion. Software update, startup disk, iCloud, etc. no longer will launch. I keep getting a drop down window saying I must restart system preferences in order to use. No go!

    Many of my System Preferences will no longer work after installing Mountain Lion. Software Update, Startup Disk, iCloud, Time Machine, Notifications, etc. no longer will launch even though they do show their icons in the system preferences window. I keep getting a drop down window saying I must restart system preferences in order to use with a "Cancel" or "OK" choice. After I click on "OK" the window just keeps reappearing with the same choices and the pane I wish to use still remains inoperative. Third party preference panes DO work.
    Reinstalling OSX Mountain Lion did not help. Neither did throwing away preferences.plist.

    Hi Jeff,
    Tried to reply with my iPhone but not easy! Anyway, back on the laptop now. Yes the crash was bad but Tek support at Prism Sound was really good. In the end I rebuilt the whole system on a new disk which took a couple of days with all the plugins, softsynths etc.... but there seemed to be no alternative in my case, and this was agreed with Prism sound as being the only alternative left to me. I still don't really know what caused the crash but ML and Orpheus are both working fine now. Let's face it, you'll have to update at sometime..maybe best to pick some time between projects On balance, I suspect that my problems were unique to my system and that your installation will go ok.
    Hope it goes well,
    Rick

  • There is no "find my iPhone" option in the system preferences iCloud window on my iMac.

    It is turned on (as are location services) on my iPhone? and there is a "find my mac" option in the iCloud system preferences window but no "find my iPhone"? All is up to date! All is turned on! Thanks.

    There is no Find my... app for Mac. The "Find my Mac" service allows your Mac to be found, but is not actually an app. To view the location of your devices, you have to go to http://icloud.com. This is the computer equivalent of Find my iPhone.

  • System Preferences Sound Input is stuck at Soundflower (64ch). I can't change it!

    So, I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro running OS X Yosemite (latest version). (250GB HDD, 4GB RAM, 2.4 GHz)
    I wanted to record some commentary for my video and to use the mic I went into System Preferences > Sound > Sound Input.
    With my mic connected, I tried all of the 4 options (picture below), but then after closing and opening System Preferences again, the sound input is stuck on "Soundflower 64ch).
    When I try to change it (e.g. Built-In), it "crashes", but not really: It selects the option I clicked for a second or two, then the list disappears and says "No Input Devices" briefly, then the list reappears with "Soundflower 64ch" selected.
    Please help, I've tried some solutions I found online, like restarting the laptop, repairing disk permissions, even a code for Terminal.
    Thanks to anybody in advance.
    UPDATE: ****, I think my Mac is possessed or something. It shows the ring of death when my mouse is on the System Preferences window, and when I try to take a screenshot of the list itself, it lags and doesn't let me take it until "No input devices found" appears.

    Either remove "Soundflower" or refer to its developer for support.
    Any third-party software that doesn't install by drag-and-drop into the Applications folder, and uninstall by drag-and-drop to the Trash, is a system modification.
    Whenever you remove system modifications, they must be removed completely, and the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the developers, or to follow their instructions. If the software has been incompletely removed, you may have to re-download or even reinstall it in order to finish the job.
    I never install system modifications myself, and except as stated in this comment, I don't know how to uninstall them. You'll have to do your own research to find that information.
    Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickMyMac” (a hypothetical example.) First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickmymac.com. (That may not be the actual name of the site; if necessary, search the Web for the product name.) If you don’t find anything on the website or in your search, contact the developer. While you're waiting for a response, download BrickMyMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickMyMac.” If not, open “BrickMyMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button. The uninstaller might also be accessed by clicking the Customize button, if there is one.
    Back up all data before making any changes.
    You will generally have to restart the computer in order to complete an uninstallation. Until you do that, there may be no effect, or unpredictable effects.
    If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase and install OS X. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.
    Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse. The same goes for "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

  • Can you use applescript to access the volume setting "input level" in system preferences?

    I want to make a script that adjusts the output volume of my mac based on the volume that the mic hears. I am not very good with applescript, but I do know how to control the volume. I was wondering if there was a command that retrieved the input level from the mic as it is show in the sound preferences in the system preferences window. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks

    Does the following script do what you are asking for?
    get volume settings
    set theInput to input volume of result
    set volume output volume theInput

  • System Preferences stuck after Yosemite upgrade- advice on reverting to Maverick from Time Machine backup?

    I just upgraded to Yosemite from Maverick overnight on my mid 2012 MacBook air via app store.  On first boot up this morning, I did NOT choose to encrypt my hard drive or use iCloud during set-up. I was proceeding thru the set-up steps, then got an unresponsive iCloud system preferences window, with a small drop down window to set up an apple id, asking for birthday, security questions, etc.  I have an apple id, and drop down is too small to reveal security questions or allow me to respond.  Quit didn't work, and I started trolling this support site to find out what to do.  I finally managed to force quit it just now. I am NOT a power user, I use my computer for email, photo organization, internet surfing, and some docs and spreadsheets. (I retired and switched to MAC to avoid all the microsoft BS, and haven't looked back. :-)
    After reading all the posts here of people having trouble with yosemite on my critical uses, (email, etc) and the complicated answers to fix things, I am really out of my league. My goal now is to get to where I was last night before the upgrade, and wait until Apple fixes the many issues people are discovering before trying Yosemite again.  I did do a complete Time Machine backup prior to the upgrade.  My questions:
    1.  What issues, if any, are people having after reverting back to Mavericks after a Time Machine recovery?
    2.  Are there any special instructions to do this restore that are not in the standard restore instructions? Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac - Apple Support
    I am a bit concerned to move forward, so any advice or re-assurance will enable me to take the next step.  I am gonna hang out and see what I hear before I take the plunge to time machine restore!

    Yes, Mavericks has smashed people's old backups.. start a new backup in a different location.. or archive off the old backup from the TC onto a USB drive.. wipe the drive and start again. You can then access the backups on the USB any time you want.. plug it into the computer and use TM to look at the files.
    Spend a bit of time reading how TM works.
    And what you can do with it.
    http://pondini.org/TM/Home.html
    Even if you just skim through FAQ.. check out how to mount TM backups from another mac..(effectively your old Mountain Lion install is another mac).
    http://pondini.org/TM/17.html
    Keeping your old backup intact makes good sense.. !!

  • Spotlight (still) not working in System Preferences

    Hi there,
    As soon as I enter a single letter in the search box of the System Preferences window, the entire System Preferences window dims, and no Preference Pane icon is highlighted.
    I've tried:
    1) Running Disk Utility and reparing disk -- no repairs required
    2) Running Disk Utility and repairing permissions -- no repairs required
    3) Booting into Single User Mode (Command-S at boot), and running AppleJack 1.4.3 and removing all caches and checking all plist files for corruption
    4) Deleting the Spotlight index: sudo mdutil -E / and re-indexing
    5) manually deleting just ~/Library/com.apple.preferencepanes.cache and
    ~/Library/com.apple.preferencepanes.searchindexcache
    Except for the search field in the System Prefernences window not working, Spotlight seems fine.
    Any other suggestions appreciated.
    ...b

    Thank you Daniel,
    I omitted posting that the Search box in my Systems Preferences Window used to work, so that I do know what to look for: as I type letters the preference panes whose description contains the (partial) word I am typing should be highlighted by an undimmed circle.
    Unfortunately, in my case, the behavior I have is that regardless of what I type in the Search box in my Systems Prefernces Window, no icons are ever highlighted. Indeed, I can type the complete name of a preference pane, for example 'bluetooth', and while my entire Systems Preferences Window is dimmed, neither my Bluetooth preference pane icon nor any other preference pane icon is highlighted through the use of an undimmed circle about it.
    This failure of the Search box in the Systems Preferences Window has been experienced by other people. For example in this forum, viz:
    Reindexed my HD but no Spotlight preference in Preferences
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=876847
    Unfortunately the solution posted in the above thread was to manually delete the ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.preferencepanes.cache and ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.preferencepanes.searchindexcache files. And as I posted I've tried not only manually deleting the above two files in terminal.app, but also deleting all of my cache files through the use AppleJack 1.4.3. Neither steps have returned the Search box in my Systems Preferences Window to working order.
    Alas, I'm still looking for suggestions...

  • Why is the padlock missing from System Preferences, App Store?

    I noticed that System Preferences, App Store no longer shows a padlock at the lower left hand corner, yet other System Preference windows show the padlock. Why is that? Is there a way to restore the padlock? I have already tried "repairing" my install and the padlock did not come back. Thank you.

    This will answer everyone of y'all, why some have it and why some don't.
    System Preferences---> Security & Privacy---> (unlock the PadLock)---> Advance---> checkmark the "Require an administrator password to access system-wide preferences."
    Before I checked that, I had the same set up as FoxFifth. Where App Store, Time Machine and others did not have the PadLock. However, after checking it. The App Store and Time Machine did have a PadLock.
    KOT

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