"private" folder is now visible on HD

I recently restored my entire system from a Time Machine Backup. It all worked great, I got my system and files back exactly as expected, (you gotta love TM).
One small problem:
The "private" folder on the main level of my HD, which is supposed to be invisible, is now visible.
Has anyone else seen this happen after a TM restore? And what should I do about it?
Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

Open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder and at the prompt enter:
sudo chflags hidden /private
Press RETURN. You will be asked for your password which will not be echoed.
This should return it to its hidden status.

Similar Messages

What is the Macintosh HD/private/ folder?

Hi all, lots of strange stings are happening on my Mac lately, but this may not be related.
However this folder:
I have never seen before. Can anyone elaborate on what it is, and if it's nothing to worry about - or is

There are a number of important folders used by the system that are normally hidden, and the /private folder is one of them. In your case, that folder has now become visible. This does not in itself affect its function.
There are two ways that a normally-hidden item can become visible-
1) A global change in Finder's behavior ("show all files"), such that all hidden items are now visible.
2) A specific change only to the item in question, such that it it loses its "hidden" flag and is now visible even when Finder is behaving normally.
Your screenshot of the top level of Macintosh HD shows a "normal-appearing" /private folder, and doesn't show a number of other essential items that are always there but normally hidden. I therefore think in this case we are dealing with the second issue above. This "sometimes happens" for unclear reasons.
By example, one of my own bootable disks normally looks like this in Finder's list view:
One can make all hidden items visible to Finder , as per the first case above, by using a Terminal command or by using a 3rd-party utility program. If I do this, I see:
There are many previously hidden items now visible, and they all have a dim, ghosted look, including /private.
If I reverse that global change in Finder, and instead remove the specific "hidden" flag only on the /private folder as per the second case, I instead see this:
Of the normally invisible items, only the /private folder is now visible, and it is not "ghosted" - it appears normal, as did yours. So your situation evidently corresponds to this second case, where the Finder is functioning normally but the /private folder has lost its hidden flag. As mentioned, the reason is usually unclear.
You should be able to restore the invisibility of the /private folder with this Terminal command:
sudo chflags hidden /private
However as long as you remember not to go poking around inside the /private folder, it's also OK just to leave it alone.

Macbook with deleted "private folder"

I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but it's the closest topic to my problem.
So my sister decided to install Adium, and while using Adium, she installed Growl. Growl started doing weird things, and she panicked, and for some reason deleted the "private" folder. Now, her macbook is stuck at the gray apple logo with the spinning gear. It'll hang up there for a while, then restart and do the same thing again.
She has an XP partition, so she's on that until we fix it. However, she left the Macbook's system restore disks at another place, and it'll take about a week for it to get here.
Is there anything she can do to fix this problem without boot disks so she can get on?

Hanlin Du wrote:
Is there anything she can do to fix this problem without boot disks so she can get on?
No. Unless you have a SuperDuper or CCC bootable clone.
Even your TM backup is useless without the original disks. This is why we make a backup copy of the system DVDs.

Deleted contents of Private folder

Hi, I accidentally deleted the contents of my Private folder and now, off course, my MacBook pro won't start.
I did not empty the trash, the Private folder is still in its place, but empty :/
Can you please post some instructions to help me get out of this mess?

Is the message like this:
If so, that's a kernel panic.
They are usually caused by hardware problems, but can be software, especially kernel extensions.
Start by running this: Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test. Run the Extended tests(that may take an hour or so, depending on how much RAM you have). Write down any error code(s) it shows.
If that doesn't show a problem, see this Apple article: If “You need to restart your computer” appears

Oh No! Deleted private folder.

Oh no! I deleted the private folder. Now my disk is locked.
I cannot reinstall Mountain Lion because I don't have enough disk space. How can I clear disk space to reinstall Mountain Lion, and will this fix my problem?

Well, I'd suggest a full backup, either with Time Machine or a bootable clone (both on an external drive). You are using your Mac with how little empty space? If you install ML, you still need an absolute minimum of 10 - 15 GB free space after that install.
So, if it's no longer locked and you are using it, I would first get rid of some files I do not need or just move some space hogging files (videos, music, pics) to an external drive. After you've made sure they're there and are working, throw them in the trash a few at a time on your internal and empty the trash often. Do this until you have 15 GB free space plus 5 GB for the Mountain lion install (total of 20 GB free and available).
After that, backup your entire system as suggested above.
Only after you've done all of the above, go ahead and download/install Mountain lion. Upgrades do not fix problems - they actually usually become exaggerated from the upgrade, so make sure your OS is in good condition before proceeding.

Strange folder "tmp" in "private" folder. virus?

an alias folder just recently showed up on my harddrive in the main window/directory (the one that has "applications, library, system and users" It's called "tmp" and is an alias folder. inside there's a folder called 501 and some files like cscache_lock501, objcsharing_ppc4294967294, se.pid. I delete the ailas but a new alias appear immediately. the original folder is in another folder called "private" that I don't have access too and is grayed out. Is this a virus?

Hi domihode!
I'm curious as to how the alias tmp folder became visible, and also if there may be other normally invisible files/folders, in other areas, that are now visible.
Do you remember what you were doing or did, before the tmp file appeared?
You may find some useful info in this Topic private/tmp alias folder keeps appearing - help please.
ali b

"private" folder has appeared after restore to internal HDD

Dear Forum,
I was using a FW400 drive as a boot drive (the original internal HDD was too small and slow), but that got filled up pretty quickly so I took a deep breath and changed out the HDD from my MacBook Pro. I followed the Restore procedure for Time Machine and after a few hours I got my Mac back. The only thing is I now have a private folder visible when I double click the internal HDD icon (excuse me if that is not too clear, where the Applications, Desktop, Library, System, Users folders reside there is now a folder called private (Get Info Size 4.08GB.) I swear this has just appeared. Is this folder usually in this place and I have simply not noticed? I must admit it has got me second guessing myself.
Another strange occurrence, but in the same place a is blank icon entitled Envelope Index. I have made a copy and opened it and found this and only this line: SQLite format 3@. What on earth is it and do I need it?
Cheers.

Larry Cohen1 wrote:
Thanks very much for the kind words.
We have several Macs here, all running the latest Leopard, well cared for with the latest software. We backup our machines eery day with TM and once a week or so with SuperDuper, an excellent cloning program. So we back them up twice, using different technologies. (just being extra careful!)
Excellent strategy. Many of us do the same (I use CarbonCopyCloner).
For maintenance, we zero our drives once or twice a year, and restore either using Time Machine, or SuperDuper.
Is that really necessary? Have you considered using OnyX or a similar app to clean some things up, or manually doing some clean-up instead?
But WHY does the Public folder come up now? It didn't used to 6 months ago when we restored the same way. TM was perfect then.
Seems to be rather rare. I don't recall more than a couple or three posts here in the last year or so. Sorry, but I have no idea why it happens.
Also, when we restore using TM (and we back up everything on the HD) - when we open MAIL it wants us to restore all emails or reimport them, or something. I didn't bother - just cloned back from SuperDuper, where there are no 'issues'.
I've only seen a brief message (I forget now just what), clicked OK, and it was fine. I think it's related to Time Machine automatically omitting ~/Library/Mail/Envelope Index and ~/Library/Mail/AvailableFeeds, thus needing to rebuild them after a restore. TM does automatically omit several things that aren't needed or can be easily rebuilt, such as system work files, most logs and caches, Spotlight indexes, trash, etc.
So what's the story with MAIL wanting you to reimport emails? I don't recall TM doing that before either?
Next time it happens, get the exact wording, so we can tell if it's really a problem or just something being rebuilt.
Thanks so much for your knowledgeable input. I'm just curious why things aren't working so well. Is it Snowie? Maybe with regular leopard it worked better? I forget.
Depends who you talk to! Some folks had problems on Leo that were fixed on SL; others found new problems with SL. My guess is, overall it's a toss-up.

"private" folder on root directory of hard drive???

Ever since I resored my system using TimeMachine I've noticed now I have a "private" folder on my hard drive that wasn't there before? Is it safe to delete it, because whatever it is, I don't want it where it is. - I want it like before when whatever "private" is was not there.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Scott

Hi There
Under no circumstance should you delete the private folder, it contains vital operating system files. It is usually hidden by the system but for some reason it has become visible in the course of the Time Machine restore. You can use a utility like MacPilot to hide this folder again.
J.C

Help Please - Accidentally Deleted Private Folder

Please could someone help.
I have accidentally deleted the Private folder in the root of the HD
Now OSX will not boot.
The folder is sitting in my Trash folder and I would like from the Boot CD Terminal to copy back from the trash to the Macintosh HD/ location
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Mim

Not quite: If MimUK's account shortname is (for example): mimuk
then it would be within that account's Trash, namely, you'll have to (yes) boot from another volume (not sure this will work booted from CD, but it might), *mount the drive in read+write mode*
ie (possibly requiring sudo, depending on circumstances):
sudo mount -uw /Volumes/nameOfTheDriveInQuestion
sudo mv /Users/mimuk/.Trash/private /Volumes/nameOfTheDriveInQuestion/
Moral of this story: don't make hidden folders visible for reasons just such as this
And in any case, don't delete something unless you know full well what it's for.

Mac OS 10.5 / I deleted the " Private" folder ... and emptied the trash. So the folder and its contents no longer exists on my computer at all !!! I do have the OS dvd that i purchased years ago... But my computer will not start from it on its own. My

Mac OS 10.5 /
I deleted the " Private" folder ... and emptied the trash. So the folder and its contents no longer exists on my computer at all !!!
I do have the OS 10.5 dvd that i purchased years ago...
But my computer will not start from it on its own.
My question is what is the open source or terminal language code used to tell my mac to look in the DVD rom drive for startup info? I know that im not the only person in this world who has deleted the "PRIVATE" folder and emptied the trash so it no longer exists on their machine...
That said theres gotta be a common fix for a Power PC G4 that has the OS X dvd in the rom drive but wont look to it to reinstall the vital contents of the PRIVATE folder.
Once again there is not a copy of this file or its contents in the recycle bin...
Also rebooting the machine , pressing and holding the letter C does not prompt the machine to look to the dvd rom drive.
I was reinstalling pro tools and figured I would make some room by cleaning my computers HD...
Lol It was a bad choice to delete this file ...
Thanks guys

Okay sorry it took forever to respond... But for a while there I gave up on this computer!!!!
Money's been tight lately , so taking it in to a professional was not yet an option... though I did consider it eventhough.
Anyway long story short im glad I didnt spend any money because I already had all the tools necessary to fix this issue but was going about it in the wrong way. Okay so here is my scenario and the breakdown... Though this may not fix the issue for everyone :( which *****... But I know we all will have different circumstances.
Anyway here we go...
Okay so first things first.... Years ago I purchased the OS 10.5.1 disk ... So that has always been in my possession!!!!
I realize that some may not have a disk to reflash your OS to your hard drive... but if you do your in luck.
2ndly ... I had an external harddrive with all of my itunes downloaded music so it was more than okay with me to delete my primary HD because all the important stuff could either be copied over or repathed to be located.
-------If you dont want to read through the whole story the fix is summed up in the bottom section-------
Okay so now the SOLUTION!!!!
By trial and error , and pure boredom I opened up my computer to clean the inside...
AND
"Disconnected the primary HD"
and just because ....... REBOOTED my computer. Just to see what it would do.
Upon restart and though it looked like it would repeat its usual cycle...
About 1 minute in to that process my computer froze for about 2 seconds and flashed to the OS installation screen.
Mind you I havent seen this screen yet... Probably hasnt been since I installed the OS years ago.
After a bit of trial and error...
I decided to tell my computer to startup from the OS 10.5 disk located in my dvd rom drive and restarted once again...
this setting is under
Utilities / startup disk
After a little more trial and error ... I realized that I could reconnect the primary HD , restart the machine and return to the OS installation menu.
So upon this discovery
I went to the Disk Utility located under Utilities
Highlighted my primary HD located in the left hand column
Once highlighted ...
In the heading section on the right I selected the option
Erase
in which I erased My current OS on my primary HD ...
I used the first option in the list under security... Because it seemed like the least invasive and would take the least amount of time to see if this process would actually work.
I FORGOT to add something...
Another reason why I deleted my primary HD!!!!!
I forgot to say that it WOULD NOT!!!!! Show up in the STARTUP list as an option...Even After multiple reboots....
But like clockwork... Once I deleted its name IT SHOWED UP as an option!!!!
So back to the next step...
I returned to the STARTUP option under utilities ... And was then able to see MY primary HD now as a startup option...
But ofcourse it had no name because it we previously erased it.
So when Clicking my newly erased HD ... I was almost immediately prompted to REINSTALL the OS ...
Which said it would take about 57 minutes ... But I believe was alot less...
My issue was resolved ... My computer then stated the install was SUCCESSFUL!!!!!!! :))))))))))) lol ;)
It was like I was setting up for the first time ;) asking for my registration info...
The dilemma of deleting the private folder and emptying the trash is finally over resolved. Done ... and no extra money spent!!!!!!!!!
Its really crazy that the information for such a simple thing is not readily available. Especially being such a simple fix.
I know im not the only person who's had this issue , because i've seen numerous posts with similar wording.
I also know I wont be the last person to have this issue... So I hope this synopsis makes sense.
-------One more time the fix------
*Insert your OS dvd into your dvd rom drive.
*Unplug your primary HD or corrupted startup disk
*Reboot your machine...
Upon restart your primary HD will not be recognized...
* you will then be prompted to select your language.
Once selected
*Click Utilities/startup... Highlight the the selection that refers to the OS dvd located in the dvd rom drive.
* Click restart...
!!!!!!!!!!Be sure to reconnect your Primary HD Before your computer restarts and you hear the chime!!!!!!!!
If you do not replug your HD before the chime it will not be recognized.
In that case restart again.
Upon restart once again
*Choose your language...
*Click Utilities / disk utility
In the left column select and
*Highlight your HD ...
Then towards the top portion / center of the page
*Click the heading Erase
Then on the page toward the bottom
*Click security options
This will then provide erase options.
I USED THE FIRST OPTION
"Dont erase data"...
*click OK
* click erase...
Once erased which should take a few seconds
*Cancel the disk utility...
* Click Utilities / startup
And your newly erased HD should now appear in the list.
* Select your drive from the list by highlighting
It should no longer have a name.
*Once selected, you will then be prompted to restart and install the OS to your newly erased HD...
Thats it!!!!
Once everything reinstalls re-add your personal info or registration info and you are up and running.
Goodluck ;)

I deleted my private folder how do I restore it without losing everything?

I restored my system through time capsule and everything was fine. I was browsing my hard drive labeled "Macintosh HD" a short time ago and noticed a folder called "private".
This is a folder I have never seen before, and foolishly I just deleted it. It is still sitting in my recycle bin, but when I click "put back" or try and copy and paste it back into its original spot it prompts for my administrator password. For some reason it is not accepting my administrator password, I don't know why it isn't, but it isn't.
I have since read that it is very bad to delete the "private" folder however I really can't afford right now to reinstall another time capsule backup and lose more downtime.
How can I replace my private folder? I have a Snow Leopard install disk on hand, and the computer is still running. If I restart my computer without fixing anything it's going to probably not start up because I trashed this important folder. Is there a way I can re-copy this folder from my Snow Leopard install disk or from my time capsule backup?
And for some reason now Terminal is not working, it must be, because the private folder has been deleted..
NEED HELP!

yes, it's very bad to touch this folder and the reason your admin password is not working is because this folder contains some important files governing how an admin password can be used. you can put it back by booting from the SL install DVD and doing it from there using terminal.
insert the install DVd, reboot and hold "c" at the chime. this will boot you into SL installer. once there start terminal from Utilities menu and enter the following command
cp -rf /Volumes/"drive name"/Users/username/.Trash/private /Volumes/"drive name"
put the name of your main hard drive in two places in that command. KEEP the quotes. also put the short name of your user instead of username in the command. It's VERY important to enter the command correctly. mind the spaces in the command.
to verify that the command worked run
ls -la /Volumes/"drive name"/private
after it's done. it should list the contents of the copied folder.

Private Folder Help (Again...)

Yes, I did it and now I am trying to recover my private folder from the trash. I have read several posts on here and other sites about how to move it from terminal and I can't seem to make it work. VK's help seems good and logical, but I am not sure why it is not working for me. I have verified that the private folder is in the trash via terminal and tried to move it with this command:
cp -rf /volumes/"mac hd"/users/arron/.trash/private /volumes/"mac hd"
"mac hd" is the name of my drive and arron is my user folder. This should work but all I keep getting is:
cp: /volumes/mac hd/private/var/vm/swapfile2: no such file or directory
Why is that? I can look into volumes/"mac hd"/users/arron/trash, so why can't I seem to move it?
Thanks for your help all!

cp: /volumes/mac hd/private/var/vm/swapfile2: no such file or directory
This doesn't make sense to me. I suggest you use *disk utility* to verify the file system. Perhaps the disk has become corrupted.
Why don't you do this from the finder? You can see hidden file in the finder.
Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
*Show hidden files & folders in finder*
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE ;killall Finder
Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
*Normal display. Hide hidden files & folders in finder*
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE ;killall Finder
Here is how to simply typing of names.
Do you know about tabing? Type in a few letters of a name then press the tab key. The computer will type out the rest of the name if it is unique.
Press the up arrow(s) key to see the previous command(s).
history
to see many previous commands.
cp -rf /volumes/"mac hd"/users/arron/.trash/private /volumes/"mac hd"
It's upcase -R
Why the f? Make sure you are not overlaying an existing directory.
/volumes/"mac hd"/newName
I like the ditto command for copying files.
*Here is an overview of the commands.*
Lets assume that the problem account has a short user name of mac.
#Copy directory "/Applications/Applescript files" to
# directory "/Volumes/Spotless/Applescript files".
# "Spotless" is my flash drive.
ditto -X -rsrc /Applications/Applescript\ files /Volumes/Spotless/Applescript\ files
#cd is change directory
cd /Volumes/COPYIT/answers/
# pwd is print working directory
pwd
#the ls command is for list
# l is long
# F is type of file where / is directory
sh-2.05b# # Please note ls is the list command. l is a lower case L
sh-2.05b# ls -lF
Here is what these commands mean:
cd is change directory
pwd is a print working directory
ls is list
sudo is Super user do
cp is copy
copy a file example:
sh-2.05b#
sh-2.05b# cd /Volumes/Macintosh-HD/Users/mac/desktop
sh-2.05b# pwd
/Volumes/Macintosh-HD/Users/mac/desktop
sh-2.05b# cp -i answers.txt /Volumes/SpotMore
Will copy the file answers.txt in the directory SpotMore.
Some files have a space in the name. You need to escape. see example:
mac $ ls -l ~/"see it"
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 3171 Oct 26 23:38 /Users/mac/see it
mac $
mac $ cd /Users/mac/Desktop/ttt\ html\ copy/
Do you know about tabing? Type in a few letters of a name then press the tab key. The computer will type out the rest of the name if it is unique.
The up arrow key will retrive the previous command. You the left arror and right arror keys to move around. Use the delete key to delete a character to the left.
<eol>
*More examples and moving around*
sh-2.05b# pwd
sh-2.05b# ls /Volumes
.Trashes Classic Macintosh-HD
._.Trashes Mac OS X Install DVD SpotMore
sh-2.05b#
sh-2.05b# df -h
Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on
/dev/disk4s3 2.6G 2.5G 89M 97% /
devfs 121K 121K 0B 100% /dev
fdesc 1.0K 1.0K 0B 100% /dev
<volfs> 512K 512K 0B 100% /.vol
/dev/disk5 467K 9.0K 435K 2% /Volumes
/dev/disk6 95K 64K 27K 70% /private/var/tmp
/dev/disk7 95K 14K 77K 15% /private/var/run
/dev/disk3s1 3.7G 1.3G 2.5G 34% /Volumes/SpotMore
/dev/disk0s10 1.1G 1.1G 3.4M 100% /Volumes/Classic
/dev/disk0s12 70G 45G 25G 65% /Volumes/Macintosh-HD
sh-2.05b#
sh-2.05b# cd /Volumes/SpotMore/
sh-2.05b# pwd
/Volumes/SpotMore
sh-2.05b# # Please note ls is the list command. l is a lower case L
sh-2.05b# ls -l
total 880
-rw-r--r-- 1 unknown unknown 6148 Sep 10 2010 .DS_Store
drw------- 4 unknown unknown 136 Aug 25 2010 .Spotlight-V100
drwxrwxrwt 3 unknown unknown 102 Sep 3 2010 .TemporaryItems
d-wx-wx-wt 3 unknown unknown 102 Sep 10 2010 .Trashes
drwx------ 3 unknown unknown 102 Sep 3 2010 Desktop
-rw-r--r-- 1 unknown unknown 18944 Aug 27 2010 Desktop DB
-rw-r--r-- 1 unknown unknown 2 Jul 29 2010 Desktop DF
-rwxrwxrwx 1 unknown unknown 26281 Oct 27 2009 Warranty Information.PDF
drwxr-xr-x 13 unknown unknown 442 Aug 4 2010 backup
drwxr-xr-x 13 unknown unknown 442 Aug 4 2010 backupPrior
drwxr-xr-x 7 unknown unknown 238 Aug 27 2010 cons
drwxr-xr-x 65 unknown unknown 2210 Sep 4 2010 iMac-back
... clipped ...
sh-2.05b#
sh-2.05b# cd /Volumes/Macintosh-HD/Users/mac/desktop
sh-2.05b# pwd
/Volumes/Macintosh-HD/Users/mac/desktop
sh-2.05b# # Please note ls is the list command. l is a lower case L
sh-2.05b# ls
Z2300 iMac
.DS_Store move
.FBCIndex new Belward
.FBCLockFolder primary-comments-new copy.doc
Consolidate-rc primary-comments-new.doc
Downloads psc 1200
... clipped ...
sh-2.05b# ditto -X -rsrc iMac /Volumes/SpotMore/iMac-back
sh-2.05b#
sh-2.05b# # Please note ls is the list command. l is a lower case L
sh-2.05b# ls -h /Volumes/SpotMore/iMac-back/
total 2800
-rw-r--r-- 1 unknown unknown 24K Sep 12 2010 .DS_Store
-rw-r--r-- 1 unknown unknown 2K Apr 18 2010 Differentiate Between Models .html
... clipped ...
sh-2.05b# pwd
/Volumes/Macintosh-HD/Users/mac/desktop
sh-2.05b# ls
Z2300 iMac
.DS_Store move
.FBCIndex new Belward
.FBCLockFolder primary-comments-new copy.doc
... clipped ...
sh-2.05b#

Private folder (200GB)

Hi,
I was reading about the 'private folder' from other topics, but I still do not know what to do with mine.
Inside it there is a folder called "folders" with 189.5 gb, and a folder called "vm" with 10.6gb.
folders/60/w3cpz6754zb866y3thzz2f2h0000gn/T has 187.9 gb, once there are hundreds hidden folders named .vbfolder_XXXX with .mgz files with up to 402.6mb each. I accessed the hidden folders using Daysi Disk. Some of its names remind me of some files used in the processing of medical imaging I have been doing in the las months, but I would like to be sure that these files are not part of the system / OS X before deleting them (I have every data I need backed up thrice). Any help?
Regards,
Pedro

Please read this whole message carefully, especially the warnings, before doing anything.
1. I can only guess which of the modifications you've made to your system is causing the problem. The changes suggested here should be considered provisional; they may not help, or they may remove functionality that you find useful. If a third-party system modification that you want to keep is at fault, refer to its developer for support.
2. WARNING: Back up all data now if you haven’t already done so. Before proceeding, you must be sure you can restore your system to its present state, even if it becomes unbootable. If you’re not sure you can do that, STOP — DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING. If you’re dissatisfied with the results of the procedure suggested below, restore from your backup. I will not be responsible for the consequences, and I will not be able to help, if you ignore this warning.
3. You should either remove or update the following system modification(s), if an update is available from the developer:
N/A
and definitely remove at least the following:
† Kaspersky
† MacKeeper
† VirusBarrier
4. Whatever you remove must be removed completely, and (unless otherwise specified in this message) the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the third-party 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 can't be more specific, because I don't install such things myself. Please do your own research.
You will generally have to reboot after uninstalling a system modification. Until you do that, the uninstallation may have no effect, or unpredictable effects.
Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickYourMac.” First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickyourmac.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 BrickYourMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickYourMac.” If not, open “BrickYourMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button.
Again, please don't ask me to do this research for you. You can do it better than I can, because I haven't installed the product and I may not even know what it is.
If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase your boot volume and perform a clean reinstallation of 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.
WARNING: 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" that purport to remove software.
5. I recommend that you never reinstall the modifications marked with a dagger (†) above, if any. If your problem is resolved after uninstalling all the above modifications and rebooting, but you still want to use some of those not marked with a dagger, you can experiment with putting them back, one at a time, testing carefully after each step. Keep in mind that system modifications may be incompatible with each other or with future OS X updates, so it may not be clear which one is at fault.
6. If you still have problems after making the suggested changes and rebooting, post again. Remember: if you don’t like the results of this procedure, you can undo it by restoring from the last backup you made before you started.
Remove Kaspersky Security by following the instructions on this page. If you have a different version of the product, the procedure may be different.
Remove Intego "VirusBarrier" by following the instructions on this page. If you have a different version of the product, the procedure may be different.
Remove "MacKeeper" as follows.
"MacKeeper" has only one useful feature: it deletes itself.
Note: These instructions apply to the version of the product that I downloaded and tested in early 2012. I can't be sure that they apply to other versions.
IMPORTANT: "MacKeeper" has what the developer calls an “encryption” feature. In my tests, I didn't try to verify what this feature really does. If you used it to “encrypt” any of your files, “decrypt” them before you uninstall, or (preferably) restore the files from backups made before they were “encrypted.” As the developer is not trustworthy, you should assume that the "decrypted" files are corrupt unless proven otherwise.
In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Applications
from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-A. The "MacKeeper" application is in the folder that opens. Quit it if it's running, then drag it to the Trash. You'll be prompted for your login password. Click the Uninstall MacKeeper button in the dialog that appears. All the functional components of the software will be deleted. Reboot.
Failure to remove MacKeeper will result from neglecting any one of these points:
Quit MacKeeper before dragging it to the Trash.
Don't empty the Trash after dragging the application to it. Let MacKeeper delete itself.
Don't try to drag the MacKeeper icon in the Dock to the Trash.
Here are some general suggestions. If you want your computer to be usable, 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, this stuff is useless, or worse than useless.
The more actively promoted the product, the more likely it is to be garbage. The most extreme example is the “MacKeeper” scam.
The only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for — such as creating, communicating, and playing — and does not modify the way other software works. Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it.

How to publish the private folder content to public folder?

Dear Experts,
I am a biginer in SAP DMS. We are using EDMS as the front end for the DMS.
When I log on to EDMS for the first time, it creates a private folder. I have created so many folders and created some documents as well.
Now my question is, how can I make some of those documents to be available at Public folder to view by all the users?
When I use the export folder option on a particular folder (by right click options for that folder), I am not able to do it. System is prompting to choose the location, but not exporting to the public folder.
Can some one please help me out in solving this problem??
Thanks and Regards,
Praveen

HI Christoph,
Thanks for your reply.
I have tried the copy paste option too. But I could not get any folder pasted into my public folder.
I have also tried with the paste as link option, which is working fine. But why is the copy paste option not working?
When I choose export folder option, it prompts to select a location and gives a success message, saying that the folder is exported successfully.
Can you please clarify the above?
Thanks and Regards,
Praveen B

/Volumes is now visible. How do I make it invisible????

Simple question...
/Volumes is now visible. I don't understand why. But anyway...
How do I make it invisible????
Thanks

This has happened many times before and a poster, Kappy, gave a great answer. I like saving particularly good/important posts for references later on.
This one was given by Kappy and I take no credit for the good advice. If he posts here and it has solved your problem please give him the "answered" post.
Here it is:
Open your Terminal app (Utilities folder) and at the prompt enter the following lines pressing return at the end of each line. Comments will be indented:
prompt> cd /
prompt> sudo pico .hidden
You will be asked to enter your admin password. It will not be echoed.
The editor will open the .hidden file for editing. Enter the filename or foldername of each item you want hidden - one entry per line. When you are finished press CONTROL-X. You will be asked if you want to save the file. Enter "y" (Yes) and press return. You will be asked for the filename to save or use .hidden. Simply press return to save the file and exit the editor. You will be returned to the prompt.
prompt> cat .hidden
Will list the contents of the file to the Terminal window. This will verify that what you did worked correctly.
You can now quit the Terminal. On your next restart the offending files and folders will now be hidden as they should be.
The .hidden file contains no pathnames, just the file or folder. For example, mine reads as follows:
SDKDesktop:/ skapplin$ cat .hidden
etc
tmp
var
SDKDesktop:/ skapplin$

"private" folder is now visible on HD

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