Preferences resetting every startup?

Okay, so every time I turn on my computer, several of my preferences for my mouse's various buttons have been reset. Not all of them, just some of them. I've got a feeling this may not be resolved until 10.7.3, but I'd thought I'd post it here first. Any suggestions?

Just finished repairing disk permissions as you mentioned. Shut down computer and started it back up again. Same issue. Any other suggestions?

Similar Messages

Preferences Reset On Startup

Personal File Sharing turns off on startup. Other sharing settings are kept, such as Printer Sharing and Remote Apple Events, but File Sharing turns off every time. Also the sound settings change back to Line In with the volume down every time the computer starts up. I haven't tested all of the System Preferences, but I imagine there's other problems. I've tried trashing all of the user prefs and caches to no effect. Have started in safe mode, run Disk Utility and Diskwarrior. I'm reluctant to reinstall the OS or switch users because I'm in the middle of a project.
Any ideas?

I removed the entire preferences folder from the user and restarted to no effect. I moved the folder to my Documents, but didn't trash them. Would that have made a difference?
I don't remember what Disk Utility said, will try it again tomorrow, and I haven't tried booting from the disc. I'll give them a test tomorrow and let you know.
Thanks,
Arthur

Preferences resetting at startup! So frustrating!

I've recently been having problems with my Ibook, every time I shut down my computer and turn it back on it will reset all of the settings. Dashboard widgets reset, background, dock, power settings, the whole shabang. It's currently ver. 10.4.8 I believe. Not only that but iTunes won't open my library any longer, says it's damaged? And creates a new library every time I start it up. I then am forced to drag and drop my music into iTunes if I want to access it.
Any insight as to why it's doing this is greatly appreciated.

I made another dummy user and it set the preferences back to what I'm going to call "factory" for both of them after a reboot. However I was running filevault and I wonder if it would have anything to do with it. I took down filevault and tried it again and I haven't noticed anything change back yet.
And my iTunes problem seems to be fixed by it as well. Does this seem normal or just a fluke in what's hopefully not an ongoing OS X bug.

Preferences reset at startup in all newer versions including 7.0.1

In every updated version I get, I have to fight this issue. In the past deleting the pref file was the fix. Then in the last versions, it was deleting the localstore file. Now that does not fix the trouble.
I set my toolbars to bookmarks checked, Norton unchecked, Tabs on top unchecked, and maximize the window. Every time I restart windows XP and restart Firefox, the window opens small and all the toolbars revert to default.
What is the latest work around for this issue?

Thanks for the reply. You helped me the last time I had this trouble with an earlier version and those suggestions you gave worked.
However with 7.0.2 this links suggestions are not working.
1.''overwriting the localstore.rdf file in the Firefox profile folder with your backup copy. ''
2.''Firefox Safe Mode>Select the option "Reset toolbars and controls" and click "Make Changes and Restart". ''
3.''Exit Firefox completely, open the Firefox profile folder and delete the file localstore.rdf.''
After trying all of the above, when I restart, and restarting Firefox, a window pops up that appears to have saved my settings. Then seconds later it closes on its own. Then starting Firefox brings up a window with all the default settings back again.

Finder resets every minute

Last week I upgraded my ibook from 10.4.8 to 10.4.9 via software update. i think i also updated quicktime and iTunes at the same time. After doing this I began experiencing a problem i've never seen before in which the finder 'resets' every minute or so, regardless of what program i am running. the desktop items disappear for a few moments and when they reappear, i'm "in" the finder and have to click on the window of the progam i'm in to continue using the program (e.g. if i'm typing in Word or Mail, i have to click on that doc in order to continue typing, something i've done 3 times since beginning this message). I downloaded 10.4.9 combo and installed that. no change. i thru away the system and finder preferences in my library. no change, and the finder prefs renews itself at every 'reset'. there is no 'finder reset' option from the finder dock icon like there once was--the only option is "hide". Any suggestions?

I suspect the magic word is "StuffIt"--for some reason its various add on goodies frequently have unfortunate effects on the Finder.
Restart and hold down the Shift key as soon as you hear the startup chime. This will boot you into Safe Mode, which will repair the disk, clean a couple of caches, and disable ALL third party startup items (and a few of Apple's too). The start will take longer than normal as it does all this. The Finder should now work normally, and you can start looking for Stuffit add ons: check here:
"/Users/yourname/Library/Contextual Menu Items"
"/Library/Contextual Menu Items"
If you find something from StuffIt in either location, drag it to your Desktop. Also launch System Preferences, go to Accounts and click the Login Items tab. If there is something in there from StuffIt click on it to select, then click the minus button at the bottom. Now restart normally and see if the Finder is working correctly.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

Display preferences reset

For some reason my display preferences reset at every bootup recently. I have to launch display preferences and as soon as it opens my calibration setting kick in. I have zapped p-ram, repaired promotions, even deleted my calibration files and made new ones.
Any ideas besides get a new Mac? I am waiting for the new Intel Towers to come out but then this one goes to my son when I get my i6.

Hi, vandar.
Well, I wish you had mentioned the Huey earlier. Let me see if I understand the problem now more fully.
You've written: "For some reason my display preferences reset at every bootup recently. I have to launch display preferences and as soon as it opens my calibration setting kick in."and"I am using a Huey for monitor calibration."By Huey I presume you mean the Pantone display calibration device.
1. So, are you saying that the calibrations you've made with your Huey do not load at startup, but simply opening System Preferences > Displays they then load automatically?
2. You're also running dual 17-inch monitors, correct? Did you calibrate both monitors?
3. Is the Huey a new addition, or have you been using it for awhile and this problem just arose? If the latter, what changes, if any, did you make to your Mac before this problem arose?
4. If you had to install software on your Mac to use the Huey, do you have the latest software download from Pantone?
5. This makes me wonder if the Pantone software, if any, should also be launching a Startup or Login item to load the calibrations as part of startup or login. Have you checked the Huey's documentation?
6. You wrote: "Can't fit everything in the "Other Details" section.
G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) G4 733MHz, 1GB ram, ATI VGA & NVIDIA GeFOrce2 MX w/ 2-17", 1TB Hard Drive space, USB2 card"This should fit on the two lines and you can still select Mac OS X 10.4.6 in the OS field:
PM G4 G4 733MHz, 1GB RAM, ATI VGA & GeForce2 MX, 2x17" displays, 1 TB HDD, USB2 card, Huey
If the displays are LCDs, substitute "LCDs" for "displays" in the above.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

Keyboard system preferences resetting after restart

Greetings,
I began with 2 similar problems. My menu bar and keyboard system preferences would reset after each startup. I fixed the former with https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6028346?tstart=0
Still, every time I restart or logout my keyboard system preferences reset to the default. These defaults interfere with the software I run- Logic & Pro Tools, so while not the worst thing to have to remember to reset them each time, it is a drag.
Any help will be appreciated
Thanks

The procedure below will reset the permissions of a user's home folder in OS X 10.7.4 or later, including 10.8 or later. If you're running an earlier version of 10.7, update to the latest version first. This procedure should not be used under OS X versions older than 10.7.4.
Back up all data before you begin.
Step 1
Click the Finder icon in the Dock. A Finder window will open.
Step 2
Press the following key combinations, in the order given:
Command-3
Shift-command-H
Command-I (the letter "I" as in "Info.")
The Info window of your home folder will open.
Step 3
Click the lock icon in the lower right corner and authenticate with the name and login password of an administrator on the system. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
Step 4
In the Sharing & Permissions section of the window, verify that you have "Read & Write" privileges. If not, use the "+" and "-" buttons in the lower left corner to make the necessary changes.
Step 5
By default, the groups "staff" and "everyone" have "Read Only" privileges. With those settings, the files at the top level of your home folder will be readable by other local users. You can change the privileges to "No Access" if you wish, but then your Public and Drop Box folders will be inaccessible to others. Most likely, you don't need to change these settings.
Step 6
If there are entries in the Sharing & Permissions list for users or groups other than "me," "staff," and "everyone," delete them.
Step 7
Click the gear icon at the bottom of the Info window and select Apply to enclosed items... from the drop-down menu. Confirm. The operation may take several minutes to complete. When it does, close the Info window.

SMC & PRAM Resetting: Should We Reset Every So Often for Maintenance?

Hi. Some experts like Leo Laporte make a fresh reinstall of their OS every 6 months or every year I think, even if there's no problem with the OS. Should it apply to resetting the PRAM and SMC? Should these two be reset every so often (how frequently) even if there's no problem as a preventative measure?
Thank you in advance. Have a great holy weelk and advanced happy easter.
God bless.

How to maintain a Mac
1. Make two or more backups of all your files, keeping at least one off site at all times in case of disaster. One backup is not enough to be safe. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.
Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of trouble with system updates.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac" and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.
As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for, and doesn't change the way other software works.
Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception to the above rule. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.
4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.
5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
6. Don't fill up your disk/SSD. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.
While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.
7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform. A well-made computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs attention, use a PC.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

Why does system preferences crash every time i try to change the wallpaper?

Why does system preferences crash every time i try to change the wallpaper? Any way to fix or reset the app?

We're sorry to hear that Firefox is crashing. In order to assist you better, please follow the steps below to provide us crash ID's to help us learn more about your crash.
#Enter about:crashes in the address bar (that's where you enter your website URL) and press Enter. You should now see a list of submitted crash reports.
#Copy the 5 most recent crash ID's that you see in the crash report window and paste them into your response here.
Thank you for your cooperation!
More information and further troubleshooting steps can be found in the [[Firefox crashes]] article.

Photoshop CS6 preferences resetting on start up

Why do I have to keep going to preferences to reset every time I open CS6. Plus a made a action and saved it and now it is not there? is this a way to get use to use CC?

That means that your preferences are not being saved.
Do you get a warning when you quit about preferences not saving, or maybe a crash on quit (caused by bugs in some plugins)?
Have you checked your preferences folder to make sure you have the right permissions?

Safari Preferences resets my homepage to "Top Sites"

Safari Preferences resets my homepage to "Top Sites" every time I turn on my computer. I would like to set my Homepage to my Yahoo mail page just once and have it stay at that setting. I have an OX S 10.9.5. I reset my preferences every time I turn on my computer but my choices aren't saved when I shut down my computer.

You installed "SearchMe" or some other malicious Safari extension.
From the Safari menu bar, select
Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Extensions
Remove all extensions with the word "Spigot" in the description. If in doubt, remove all extensions. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.

Com.apple.audio.coreaudiod error on every startup

Hello,
I was does some system cleaning and maintenance and noticed that every time I start the computer, I get an error in Console:
com.apple.audio.coreaudiod 106: _RegisterApplication(), FAILED TO establish the default connection to the WindowServer, _CGSDefaultConnection() in NULL
And then it does it again right away:
com.apple.audio.coreaudio{106] _RegisterApplication(), FAILED TO establish the default conncetion to the WindowServer, _CGSDefaultConncetion()is NULL
I was wondering what this means and how to keep this from happening. Since it involves core audio, this could be a potentially annoying problem if it has other effects (that I might see later), because I do music production.
I am using 10.6.8 on an early 2011 Macbook Pro and primarily use Logic 9.
Also does anyone know if I can prevent PACE and Digidesign/Avid stuff from running on every startup and just when I actually use ProTools or other PACE-protected programs?
Any ideas? Thanks!

Sorry I shall explain.
iMac been running very sluggish since Snow Leopard installed. Programs take ages to load. Freezes in OS and spinning beach ball all the time as well.
Did a search about a warning that get popping up which unfortunately I can not remember (sorry) but something to do with sound cdsa ? That's not right but searched and kept getting the same advice :
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist+error&ie=utf-8 &oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
Ditch the com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist
Did this and the iMac ran at super light speed. Applications opened really quickly no beach ball at all - but no system sounds, emptying trash etc.
Dropped com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist back in LaunchDaemons Repaired Disk Permissions and got my system sounds back but got the beach ball back too and slow performance and crashes freezes etc.
Any advice would be great

Want robust solution for alternating row color, resetting every group

I would like a solution for displaying an alternating row color for my detail rows that resets every group, so that row 1 is always gray.
Our Crystal designer provided this code to me:
@rowcnt formula, suppressed, placed in Detail row:
Shared numbervar rowcnt;
rowcnt := rowcnt + 1;
@resetrowcnt, suppressed, placed in Group row:
Shared numbervar rowcnt;
rowcnt := 0;
Formatting formula, placed in Color in Detail > Section Expert:
Shared numbervar rowcnt;
if Remainder(rowcnt, 2) <> 0 then
color(241,241,241)
else
crWhite
This was working fine for me.
However, it is suddenly not working in one of my reports.
The report does happen to have two groups (rowcount.png).
When the report is run, all rows are colored (rowcount02.png).
This report was previously working fine! I'm not sure what changed.
In any case... surely there must be standard code to do this very standard formatting.
I would be very grateful if someone could post some robust code to accomplish the following:
REPORT DATA IN DETAIL ROW, ALTERNATE ROW BANDING:
- Data in Detail row displays alternating row colors
- Odd rows are always shaded, even rows not
- Banding resets every group / does not continue pattern from previous group
REPORT DATA IN GROUP ROW, ALTERNATE ROW BANDING:
Some of our reports place row data in a group row (just the way it happened).
If you could also modify your code in this case.
Thank you!

Hi Abhilash/Sastry, since I'm going to switch to Sastry's formulas, could you please confirm correctness of the following. I can't actually run this report, I can only provide it to our London office, bit of a lag for testing.
@resetrowcnt:
Whileprintingrecords;
Numbervar cnt:=0;
@rowcnt:
Whileprintingrecords;
if {HedgeDetails.StrategyID} <> previous({HedgeDetails.StrategyID}) and
{HedgeDetails.DealID} <> previous({HedgeDetails.DealID}) then
Numbervar cnt:=cnt+1;
Details section (Suppress):
not(OnFirstRecord) and
{HedgeDetails.StrategyID}=previous({HedgeDetails.StrategyID}) and
{HedgeDetails.DealID}=previous({HedgeDetails.DealID})
Please note: Suppress checkbox is selected AND the above formula is entered.
Details section (Color):
Whileprintingrecords;
Numbervar cnt;
if cnt mod 2 <> 0 Then color(241,241,241) else crwhite

HT1364 I have moved my library to an external hard drive and changed the location of the iTunes media folder in Preferences, but every time I close and re-open iTunes, I have to do it all over again. How can I make the iTunes media folder change permanen

I have moved my library to an external hard drive and changed the location of the iTunes media folder in Preferences, but every time I close and re-open iTunes, I have to do it all over again. How can I make the iTunes media folder change permanent? I have an older machine with Windows XP.

I don't believe mounting the hard drive should be necessary, unless you have several external drives and want your computer to recognise them as folders, rather than drives. I've never had to mount a hard drive, ever. If you don't know how to do it, then it shouldn't be necessary now.
Try this:
Prepare iTunes so that it can see the external drive.
Make a note of which drive-letter the external drive has been allocated. (Look in Windows Exploer)
Look at the file location for a song. Make sure it plays (and therefore that iTunes has found it). Highlight it and select File/Get Info/Summary>Where: and make a note of the drive letter for that song.
Close and shut down the computer.
The next time you turn the computer on again, connect the external drive
Before you start iTunes - check the external drive in Windows Explorer. Is it ready, does it have the same drive-letter that it had last time? Can you go into the drive and see the files on it?
Once you can, start iTunes. (If the drive lettter has changed, you need to work out why before going any further.)
If iTunes fails to find your external drive, you need to check where iTunes is looking for your Library.
Select the same song you checked before (presumably iTunes can no longer find it). Follow the procedure for locating it. You should be able to see where iTunes thinks the file is. It's the drive that counts. Which drive letter is iTunes looking at? Is it the same one that it was previously (which should also be the same one that the drive has now).
What happens, which step do you have problems with?
Message was edited by: the fiend

All Network Volumes set as Login Items open in Finder on EVERY startup

...after updating to 10.5.8
I have a Mac running on an otherwise all PC network. Before updating to 10.5.8 I had 5 network volumes set to "connect" on startup automatically (System Prefs / Accounts / Login Items). This worked perfectly and connected to these volumes silently without me having to ever worry about it. I didn't even have to check the "Hide" boxes.
After updating to 10.5.8 however, it became completely annoying. Now it still connects to these volumes, but opens up every single one in Finder upon every startup. That's 5 windows I have to close every time I startup my computer. It may not sound like the worst thing in the world, but mind you I have to log out and back in every day for work. Even checking the "Hide" checkboxes don't do anything.
Anybody experiencing the same problem? Anybody know a workaround or fix? My company has a rather large and complex network so staying connected to certain folders that I use is a must. Thanks.
Screenshots:
Login Items - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/Magick0ne/Other/Login_Items.jpg
Every Startup - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/Magick0ne/Other/Finder_Windows.jpg
Message was edited by: Pifman

Pifman wrote:
Thanks to both of you. I guess the search I ran wasn't good enough as I didn't find the discussion that you posted.
One of the possible workarounds posted there was to use a third-party program that I found difficult to understand and use. Instead I took V.K.'s advice and made an AppleScript and then made that script launch at login. Works like a charm.
Only difference is that my AppleScript isn't located in the Utilities folder (10.5.8), instead I got to it by going to Applications / AppleScript / Script Editor.
sorry, my mistake on the location.
Then I made a script and saved it as an application. I then put that application in my Login Items (System Prefs / Accounts / Login Items).
If you're having trouble finding the mount volume (or server) address, here's how you can find it: If you are currently connected to the volume(s) that you want to use, left-click it and hit Cmd+I (or right-click, Get Info). Use the address next to "Server:" - That's it!
Hopefully Apple will fix this bug soon so people don't have to make AppleScripts just to make the OS work correctly.
I wouldn't bet on it for leopard. leopard development has stopped now after snow leopard has been released. historically, Apple only releases security patches for old OS versions once a new one comes out. Interestingly, this bug is present in snow leopard too! or maybe they don't consider it a bug and this is how it should work. one can make a case for this, I guess.

Preferences resetting every startup?

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