Reinstalling Deleted System Files?

Hi, I accidentally deleted some of the system files... it's a long story. lol.
If I do an Archive and Install, will it reinstall all of the original system files? My fonts were also deleted. An Archive and Install will fix that as well, correct?
Thank you so much for your help!

Hello! An archive and istall should do what you want unless you added other fonts than what is normally installed. It does just what it says...it installs a new system leaving your apps and docs intact. Sometimes the preserve user settings etc. doesn't always work as expected. Tom

Similar Messages

Deleted system files, MBA doesn't operate anymore.

Hello everyone,
I'm new to mac and i just installed some programs yesterday. Because I have a 64GB MBA I thought I should delete some stuff and I guess I accidentally deleted some system files. Now my MBA doens't operate proper and I can't open anything. Finder crashes all the time and I can't go trough my stuff. I need my schoolstuff back..
Is there anyone out there who can help me with this issue?
Halit.

I is not my purpose to preach but every user that has valuable data should have a backup. Based on your response I sense that you do not but I suspect you are coming to understand the value of backing up your data.
What you may have deleted in error is an unknown. It may very well have included some/all of your data. Theoretically and OSX installation will not delete any user data.
The choices that you have are as follows:
1. Try the reinstall as described earlier.
2. See if you can start the MBA in target disk mode and copy data off of the MBA SSD and then perform the reinstall.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10725
3. Get data recovery software and try to get the data on another storage device.
4. Employ a data recover firm to retrieve the data, but that will be very expensive with no guarantees of ANY success.
Ciao.

Help howto reinstall missing system file..

I've been having problems with iTunes not updating/installing, and another program installing. I checked the console log and it says it cannot find a file, I checked for that file and it is missing.
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/MobileDevice.framework
How can I reinstall that file? I have a iMac 27in and the factory 10.6.2 reinstall disk. (in case that helps)
Unlike Windows discs, there isn't a folder with all the system files in it.
I really don't want to have to reformat or reinstall Mac OS.

There are many folders with system files but they are invisible so inexperience users don't accidentally delete something. You can go to any folder by selecting Go to folder from the Finder's Go menu. Enter the path to the file, /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/.
To replace missing components:
How Restore Deleted or Missing OS X Components
A few of the basic OS X installed applications can be restored from the Optional Installs installer located in the Optional installs folder on your Installer DVD. However, if what you need is not there then follow the instructions below.
How to Use Pacifist to Restore Deleted or Missing OS X Components
Insert the OS X Installer DVD into the optical drive. Use a simple utility like TinkerTool to toggle invisibility so you can see invisible items. Alternatively, open the Terminal application in your Utilities folder and at the prompt enter the following:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles Yes
Press RETURN.
To turn off the display of invisible files repeat the above command substituting No for Yes.
The install packages are located in the /System/Installation/ folder on the DVD.
Download the shareware utility Pacifist from VersionTracker or MacUpdate. Use it to extract a fresh copy of the missing item(s) from the file archives on your OS X installation DVD. The file archives are in the /System/Installations/ folder (use Go to Folder option in the Go menu of the Finder.)
Here are Four Basic ways to use Pacifist (courtesy of George Orville.)
A. Drag a .pkg icon onto the Pacifist window .....proceed to step 7.
B. Click on “Open Package ....” and navigate to package desired and click “Open” in the open/save window.....proceed to step 7.
C. Insert Mac OS X installer CD and when it mounts, navigate to .... Menu->Go->Go to Folder.
In the path field enter or paste ....
/Volumes/disc name/System/Installation/Packages (where disc name is the name of the CD/DVD that you inserted.
• Click on the "Go" button .....
• Drag a .pkg to Pacifist..... proceed to step 7.
The package you'll need will have to be discovered by trial and error, but for most applications you should start with the Essentials.pkg and/or Additional Essentials.pkg.
D. Insert your Mac OS X install disk 1 .... and open Pacifist.
1. In Pacifist, select "Open Mac OS X Install Packages" ... dialog may appear asking for disk 2, then disk 3 and finally disk 1 again.... {if DVD is not used)...If “Stop Loading” is selected...the procedure will stop!!!
2a. When loading is complete, a new window appears, click the triangle to display contents of each package...Select item and proceed to step 7.
2b. or click the “Find” icon in the Pacifist window and type the name of the software you need.
3. In the list that comes back, click the top most entry for the item that you want. ..... that is the one for the English language.
4. On the top of the Pacifist window, click “verify” .... you will probably be prompted for your password.
5. Enter checks for.... “verify permissions” and “verify file contents.” and click “verify” ....enter password when prompted.... you will get back output which may look like this:
20 files were scanned.
20 of 20 files were present on the hard disk.
0 of 20 files had file permissions that did not match those specified in the package.
0 of 20 files had checksums that did not match those specified in the package.
6. Click “close”. Go to step 7.
Extract or Install........
7. In the Toolbar (upper left), you now have the option to extract or install. Click a file in the lower list and those two icons will be enabled.
8. If “Extract to...” is selected.... navigate to the location where the file will be placed, select “choose”, select “extract” in new dialog that appears,authenicate , if prompted, click “OK”.
9. In the next dialog, click “Extract”.
10. If “Install” is selected... dialog will appear with the location/path of the installed software. Click “Install”
11. Type in your password, click “OK”
• Pacifist will begin to extract files.
12. In steps 8/10ß.... you also have the choice to “cancel”
Notes.....
• Pacifist may find that a file it is installing already exists on the hard disk. Pacifist will present you with an alert panel....
Stop
Leave original alone
Update ..... Default selection
Replace .... Replace option should only be used on full install packages

I inadvertently deleted system files and my computer won't start up

I was cleaning up the hard disk and deleted what I thought were some redundant systems/library files. After restarting the computer, I realized I must have deleted required files because the computer will not restart. The disc is full and these files are sitting in the trash bin. When trying to use the Leopard install disk to reinstall/recover, the macbook doesn't have enough disk.
Not sure what to do now. Any suggestions?

My Mac has got 2 System Folders on it
That's impossible. Two folders cannot have the same name. Hence, you do not have 2 System Folders. You may have a folder with a different name but similar, but computers will not be confused.
Anyway, this isn't the reason your computer will not boot.
Try holding down the option key then power on. This brings up the startup manager. Click on your hd. Click on right arrow key. See if you can get this to work.
Shutdown your machine. Hold down the shift key. Poweron. Wait awhile Wait awhile while you harddrive
is being checked.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455
I suspect disk corruptions.
verify & repair your startup drive
To verify & repair you file system on the startup drive, you will need to run disk utility from you installation DVD.
This article will tell you how to get to disk utility. Once in a disk utility, you can go and attempt to recover the disk.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417
To repair your startup drive, you will need to run disk utility from your startup DVD.
Mac OS X 10.4: About the utilities available on the Mac OS X 10.4 Install DVD
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2055
How to run disk utility from your startup DVD.
Insert your startup DVD into your reader. Power down your machine. Hold down to the c key. Power on your machine. This will bootup your startup DVD.
This will bring you to a panel asking you for your language. Pick your language.
You you come to the Install Mac OS panel. Do not install.
Click on Utilities menu item. This will give you a pulldown list of utilities.
Click on the disk utility.
You are now in disk utility. Pick your disk. Click on repair it should be on the lower right of the panel.
Once the repair completes successfully, you should update your permissions.

Test for System File and Delete System File

I have about 300 different tests that I run using TestStand, each with a somewhat unique report output filename:
Example: 0-RMC 80 Timer_Interface_MaxValue_Report.html
The filename includes the
    Number of Errors
    Product Name
   Build Revision
     and a unique test name.
I would like to add a step to an existing initialization routine to test for an existing report file name and if it exists, bypass the test sequence.
The question is, how do I run a system command within TestStand to test for a file, for example:
If (SystemCommand(dir Locals.ReportPath\0-RMC 80 Timer_Interface_MaxValue*.html) then
    Don't run this test...
Similarly, I also need to know how to delete a file from within TestStand.
    SystemCommand(Del 9999*.*)
Mike

You can use the FindFile method in the TS API:
FindFile Method
Syntax
Engine.FindFile ( fileToFind, absolutePath, userCancelled, promptOption = FindFile_PromptHonorUserPreference, srchListOption = FindFile_AddDirToSrchList_Ask, isCommand = False, [currentSequenceFile])
The function itself returns a boolean which indicates if the file exists or not.
Then just use a Call Executable step to run command line string to delete the file.
Hope this helps!
jigg
CTA, CLA
teststandhelp.com
~Will work for kudos and/or BBQ~

I deleted system files and my iphoto doesnt work now

,. restored from disc and nothing no back up because macbooks brand new

What do you expect anyone to do with that amount of information? Reinstall the files you erased.

System file tampered with - Mac won't boot up. HELP!

Hi i have somehow managed to delete part of my system file and now when i try to start the computer it is fixed on the start up screen but the login box does not appear just a blue screen.
Is there anything i can do to overcome this problem? For example some way to reset my mac?
Any replies would be greatly appreciated

If you've deleted system files then you will need to reinstall OS X. If you are using Snow Leopard then the reinstall will not erase the drive. If you are using Leopard then you will need to do an Archive and Install to avoid erasing the drive:
How to Perform an Archive and Install
An Archive and Install will NOT erase your hard drive, but you must have sufficient free space for a second OS X installation which could be from 3-9 GBs depending upon the version of OS X and selected installation options. The free space requirement is over and above normal free space requirements which should be at least 6-10 GBs. Read all the linked references carefully before proceeding.
1. Be sure to use Disk Utility first to repair the disk before performing the Archive and Install.
Repairing the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
2. Do not proceed with an Archive and Install if DU reports errors it cannot fix. In that case use Disk Warrior and/or TechTool Pro to repair the hard drive. If neither can repair the drive, then you will have to erase the drive and reinstall from scratch.
3. Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When you reach the screen to select a destination drive click once on the destination drive then click on the Option button. Select the Archive and Install option. You have an option to preserve users and network preferences. Only select this option if you are sure you have no corrupted files in your user accounts. Otherwise leave this option unchecked. Click on the OK button and continue with the OS X Installation.
4. Upon completion of the Archive and Install you will have a Previous System Folder in the root directory. You should retain the PSF until you are sure you do not need to manually transfer any items from the PSF to your newly installed system.
5. After moving any items you want to keep from the PSF you should delete it. You can back it up if you prefer, but you must delete it from the hard drive.
6. You can now download a Combo Updater directly from Apple's download site to update your new system to the desired version as well as install any security or other updates. You can also do this using Software Update.

Corrupt System File

Hello Mac-o-Philes!
Just repaired Permissions prior to doing a System Upgrade. Got the following error message:
Repairing permissions for “Macintosh HD”
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DesktopServicesPriv.framework/Versions/A/Reso urces/Locum" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions repair complete
Any ideas? Thanks!

Mac MD wrote:
V.K.,
Thanks. I made a copy of the file, compressed it, and saved it to another location outside of the System Folder. Then I deleted the original. System seems to be running fine.
I will re=install it.
Please do reinstall it. and do not ever delete system files like this one! this is the wrong way to deal with permissions error messages.

Was advised to delete system configuration file from hard drive and now computer will not start - any help would be appreciated.

Downloaded Yosemite and since then cannot connect to internet or bluetooth mouse - was advised to delete system configuration file from the hard drive and since then cannot start up computer. Any help would be appreciated - cheers.

Boot the MBP with the OPTION+COMMAND+R keys down. The result should be a display showing a revolving globe. By following the instructions, you will be able to reinstall the original OSX. Then you may reinstall Yosemite.
A solid Internet connection will be required.
Ciao.

Satellite M45-S265 - How do I delete WiFi File from the system?

This M45-S265 Machine has Intel Pro/Wireless BG Network Connection.
The installed Driver is Intel dated 12\19\2007 Version 9.0.4.39
So I want to "completely" uninstall this driver from the system.
Going thru the device manager and simply asking it to uninstall doesn't completely uninstall.
Because as soon as it refreshes it will reinstall the same file from a cache some where in the system.
So how do I go about completely uninstalling such a driver from the machine?
Can anyone answer this for me? Many thanks.

Hi
In device manager you can check were the WLan driver file was installed and how its called.
Choose WLan card -> Properties -> Driver tab -> Driver Details
There you will see the path and how the driver files are called.
Then go to this folder and delete it.
Bye

HT1923 When attempting a reinstall of iTunes, I cant delete the file C\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Internet Services\Shellstream.resources due to same error message as described above for iPod file; however i can't find it anywhere in the Task Manage

When attempting a reinstall of iTunes, I cant delete the file C\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Internet Services\Shellstream.resources due to same error message as described above for iPod file; however i can't find it anywhere in the Task Manager

That one's consistent with disk/file damage. The first thing I'd try with that is running a disk check (chkdsk) over your C drive.
XP instructions in the following document: How to perform disk error checking in Windows XP
Vista instructions in the following document: Check your hard disk for errors
Windows 7 instructions in the following document: How to use CHKDSK (Check Disk)
Select both Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, or use chkdsk /r (depending on which way you decide to go about doing this). You'll almost certainly have to schedule the chkdsk to run on startup. The scan should take quite a while ... if it quits after a few minutes or seconds, something's interfering with the scan.
Does the chkdsk find/repair any damage? If so, can you get an install to go through properly afterwards?

How do I reinstall os x moutain lion after deleting necessary files?

When trying to get my Canoscan 9550F to work with OS X 10.8.x, I was able to add it to the system settings under printer, but still it didn't work. I decided to make sure the Canon driver and Apple driver weren't fighting, so I deleted some files. Now, even though I can see the scanner in the "about this Mac," I cannot add it anymore to the printer area. I should have dragged those files to the trash, where I could have restored or put back the files, instead of to the desktop.
My question, How do I reinstall OS 10.8.x when I installed it from the App Store to upgrade? I don't see it as files on my Mac to reinstall.
Thanks

Reboot to the Recovery partition and reinstall from there. Reboot, at the sound of the chime press cmd-r and hold it until the Recovery disk starts up.

I accidentally deleted hidden system files! Please help!

Hi guys.
Well after purchasing a mint MBP today running Mountain Lion, I wanted to "tidy up" the desktop and Finder. I saw many hidden files and thought it was very peculiar as my iMac hasn't got anything of the kind. I thought it could have been some files from a USB that were left there from previous usage. Anyway, I've ended up deleting key system files which now causes the MacBook to fail boot and keep restarting.
I've attempted the highly recommended "Command R" function which gave me a choice of Time Machine Restore (system comes up with no backups), re-installation of Lion (which won't work because the system is running Mountain Lion) and a Disk Utility repair (which does its job but makes no difference on start up). I feel really upset and annoyed. The system had great installations of key apps I needed. I'd be sad to loose them but would be happy to just get the system rebooted and running from scratch.
The system is a late 15" 2011 MACBOOK PRO with an i7 Quad 2.44 (or 2.66) processor, 4GB memory and a 750GB hard drive.
What can I do? Is it just a case of take it to Apple so they can reboot it for you? And if that's the case will I be charged?
Many thanks for the advice.
Apologies if this is something you have heard before, it's a horrible feeling and I just want it fixed.
Thanks.
Hal.

To install Lion that belongs to you will require you to repartition the drive first. You cannot do a simple reinstall of Lion over a Mountain Lion system. You will need to follow this guide instead:
Install Lion/Mountain Lion on a New HDD/SDD
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
Partition and Format the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your external hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
This is the procedure you must go through because your hard drive does not have a Lion version of the Recovery HD.

Will reinstalling OS X Mavericks delete my files if there are no backup?

My iMac will not start up. It just powers on, then apple logo shows up with a loading bar underneath it and then powers down. I tried performing a disk repair, but it says that it could not be repaired, and to backup the data. Apple has told me to reinstall the software, but I am worried that it will delete my files if I do. Thank you!

Read this:
OS X Mavericks: Reinstall OS X
Incidentally, EVERYONE should have a backup of their system in case something happens.
Barry

System crash after deleting ".DS_Store" files?

My Finder view options were a bit messed up, so I decided to follow some online advice and delete all ".DS_Store" files on my MBP. I followed instructions on osxdaily.com. Specifically, I typed the following command into Terminal:
sudo find / -name ".DS_Store" -depth -exec rm {} \;
After the command finished running I tried to restart the computer but it would just show the grey screen with the Apple logo and the progress indicator and not start up properly. I was able to run Disk Utility and verified the HDD. No errors were displayed. I chose "repair disk" anyway, but the computer still would not start up. Entering safe boot mode didn't work either. In the end, I chose to reinstall OSX 10.8 from the Internet. I didn't want to reinstall a backup from Time Machine because there were some files I hadn't backed up yet.
Fortunately my MBP seems to be working properly again, but what's weird is that I had to reinstall every single application. The application files were still present in the application folder but their icons were greyed out and they wouldn't launch.
Does anybody have any idea why this happened? Is it that dangerous to delete ".DS_Store" files? Should I use a different command? I would still like to get rid of those files so I can redefine a default view for all folders.
And is it normal that if I reinstall OSX I need to reinstall all applications as well?

Letting something arbitrarily delete every .DS_Store file on your computer invites bad things to happen.
Running rm is dangerous as is--letting it run rough-shod all over your computer is infinitely dangerous.
I don't know why there is a .DS_Store file inside an app package, but removing it "damages" the App just as if some malicious code might write malware into the package. So, it is no mystery why they do not work anymore.
Deleting specific .DS_Store files in folders is not normally a problem.
If you have a problem in one folder that doesn't hold its settings, deleting the .DS_Store file is ok.
Here's how I would do it, though:
Open the folder and Cmd-F.
If you don't already, use the Other... option in the Criteria popup to add the System Files and Visibility options to the criteria menu (check the box to include in men).
Set the Search criteria to System Files are included and Visibility is invisible.
Type ".DS_Store" in the search field. You should see the .DS_Store file for that folder at the top of the list, and then all the others in the subfolders.
You can delete it from there.

Reinstalling Deleted System Files?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for