System preference lock opens

when i power up i notice that the lock in system preference opens in the network section, and when i check in the certification window theres a invalid certificate with permission to login. i think that file opens the lock i'm not sure if to delete the file or not. can someone help me?

I, too, am having such issues.
Running Leopard, MBP 2.33.
Since updating to Leopard, I cannot seem to lock my padlock... EVER!
e.g., I "get info" for some folder, and unlock the small padlock at the bottom right to modify the preferences. After entering admin password and unlocking the lock, I cannot "re-lock" the padlock.
Moreover, my System Preferences folder is ALWAYS UNLOCKED! I cannot change it.
In fact, if I switch to a "standard" user account, they are still unlocked!
Funny enought, I happen to be listening to music at the same time, and it continued to play while in the standard account.
Seriously wacky stuff going on with permissions.
Any help? Anyone?

Similar Messages

System preferences lock opens when should be locked

I noticed that the lock on system preferences that I locked after I make changes is unlocked the next time I log in. This happens on all pages except for users.
I happen to use the same password to unlock it as I use to log in. I am the administrator.
This is a change that happened after one of the updates.
Has anyone else noticed this?
How do we inform Apple so that it gets fixed?

I didn't see this question was already asked. I did look before I posted it.
It has already been answered by Linc Davis, who gave the correct answer.

Under APPLE MENU system preferences only opens sporadically, mostly not

Under APPLE MENU system preferences only opens sporadically, mostly not. I booted up with installation disk and ran a check but everything was alright. However, when I tried to click on items using the disk as a startup disk it frequently wouldn't function.

George,
Thanks for asking that question.
I offered this solution based upon similar successful advice which was given to another poster who solved this problem:Long story short I ended up reinstalling Mac OS X using Archive and Install. When I first used the computer following reinstalling Mac OS X, I was able to access the System Preferences by selecting them under the Apple in the menu bar. However, I have now updated my software using Software Update, and now I can't access System Preferences when I click on them under the Apple in the menu. The computer just acts like I never selected System Preferences.
Where have System Preferences gone??? provides another example of Previous Systems folder interfering with System Preferences.
Applications don't work after reinstalling Mac OS X explains a different problem with a Previous Systems folder: Example 1: You downgrade by performing an Archive and Install installation, but do not update to a later version of Mac OS X. The Previous Systems folder contains later versions of applications that may contribute to this issue.If you have proper backups, I recommend trashing the Previous Systems folder as soon as you can determine that the new system is functioning properly. The Previous Systems folders will either take up too much space or contribute to unexplained system problems.
;~)

In System Prefereneces, when I am in Desktop and Screen Saver, I am unable to remove folders. I can click the "-" and the folder appears to be gone, but when I close and then reopen System Preferences, and open Desktop and Screen Saver, the folder reappea

In System Prefereneces, when I am in Desktop and Screen Saver, I am unable to remove folders. I can click the "-" and the folder appears to be gone, but when I close and then reopen System Preferences, and open Desktop and Screen Saver, the folder reappears in the list. I have tried deleting preferences "plist" but I am totally unable to remove the folders.

I've seen one other report like yours, and I think the issue is caused by a bug, but I don't know what triggers it.
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin. Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

My system preferences wont open anymore, whats up

my system preferences wont open anymore, whats up

Hi xronjonesx,
To make sure that we are on the same page, you cannot open System Preferences. Have you tried opening it from the Apple Drop down menu? If you are still unsuccessful, then the next step would be to reinstall OS X Snow Leopard as that app is part of the operating system and the reinstallation with all the software updates afterwards will resolve the issue.
Mac OS X 10.6: Reinstalling Mac OS X
https://support.apple.com/kb/PH6606
Take it easy,
-Norm G.

HT1338 system preference not open so how guide to sample?

My mac book pro in system preference not open so how guide to sample?

Hello,
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.

System Preferences pane opens off-screen

What can I do to have the system preferences panel open in the center of the screen instead of off the screen?
Whether I open it by Apple->System Preferences or open any other module within System Preferences (such as Network Preferences) it opens in the lower left-hand corner with 80% of the window off the screen. Then I have to drag it back to the center to use it.
I used to have dual-monitors, but now only use the laptop screen.

The position you have the System Prefs on your screen when you close it should be stored in the plist file.
/Users/yourname/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
Thus, if you trash the plist it really ought to be created with the default position, but even that shouldn't actually be necessary: when you move System Prefs window to where you want and close it the new position should be recorded in the plist and used next time you open it.
The only thing I can think of is perhaps something is funky in the way your account is considering the dispaly. Launch the Displays preferences and try clicking the "Gather Windows" button and the "Detect Displays" button, check that Rotate is Standard, and also check the Arrangement tab to make sure it shows one display with the menu bar.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

System Preference lock always reverts to Unlocked

For some reason, when I shut down/restart, the Time Machine System Preference lock always reverts back to the unlocked position.
I periodically go and check it and it's always the same thing.

I, too, am having such issues.
Running Leopard, MBP 2.33.
Since updating to Leopard, I cannot seem to lock my padlock... EVER!
e.g., I "get info" for some folder, and unlock the small padlock at the bottom right to modify the preferences. After entering admin password and unlocking the lock, I cannot "re-lock" the padlock.
Moreover, my System Preferences folder is ALWAYS UNLOCKED! I cannot change it.
In fact, if I switch to a "standard" user account, they are still unlocked!
Funny enought, I happen to be listening to music at the same time, and it continued to play while in the standard account.
Seriously wacky stuff going on with permissions.
Any help? Anyone?

System preferences locks won't unlock

Most of my system preferences that have locks are unlocked, but those that are locked will not respond when I click on them. No password request appears.

HI,
You are using the admin account to do this, correct?
Repair disk permissions. Quit any open applications/programs. Launch Disk Utility. Select MacintoshHD in the panel on the left, select the FirstAid tab. Click: Repair Disk Permissions. When it's finished from the Menu Bar, Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac.
Carolyn
Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

System Preferences Lock

I +do not+ have the "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" preference checked, and +do not+ want to have to unlock System Preference panes each time I use them. Yet, on three of my computers, after each restart, the panes are locked (whether I left them locked or unlocked)!
I know that a few System Preferences panes are always locked after a restart of the OS or of System Preferences, I'm not talking about those. But I believe the other panes with locks are supposed to retain their locked/unlocked status through quitting and opening System Preferences, and through OS restarts, at least for administrator users. (I also know that the lock status is global, that unlocking one unlocks them all.)
I am an administrator, and always login to these computers as such. All my computers are running Snow Leopard (10.6.5). I have four computers, three exhibit this behavior, one does not (the one that does not works as expected, leaving panes unlocked after a restart, according to the Security: General preference setting).
I have upgraded two of the problem computers from Leopard, the third problem computer was purchased with Snow Leopard, but I migrated its files from a previous Leopard installation. On the latter, I clean-installed a fresh OS on a second drive, and the problem +does not+ exist for that OS installation. I also created a temporary user account, on the problem OS, and the problem persisted for that temporary account (so we know it's not a user-level issue, right?).
The one computer that works as expected was purchased with Snow Leopard, but its files were also migrated from a previous Leopard installation. So no clue there.
And lastly, the three "problem" computers seem to retain the lock/unlock status through restarts of the System Preferences app, just not OS restarts. By that I mean: I'll startup the computer, and all the panes are locked. I'll unlock them and quit System Preferences. On re-opening System Preferences, the panes are still unlocked (except the panes that are always locked, like Security). The unlocked panes remain unlocked through any number of System Preferences quits and launches. But after the computer is shut down or restarted, all the panes revert to locked. If I turn on "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane", then all panes are re-locked after restarts of both the OS and System Preferences, as expected. So in other words, the "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" setting works as expected +in between+ OS restarts, just not right after an OS restart.
I suspect there is some sort of remanent that was migrated from the previous OS installation that is causing this misbehavior, but repairing permissions has not solved the problem. Nor has replacing System Preferences preference files (the ones I can find, anyway). This security setting must be buried deep, as I expect it would be, and I cannot find the stubborn file where it is stored that seems to defy and ignore the "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" setting, at least after a restart.
So, my questions:
Does anyone know exactly what the intended behavior of these locks actually is? Through restarts of the OS? Through restarts of System Preferences? For administrators? For non-administrators? Is there any Apple documentation that explains this clearly, and in detail?
If the intended behavior is for the unlocked locks to stay unlocked through an OS restart for administrators (which is how I believe it's supposed to work), how can I restore this behavior on the machines that don't adhere to that?
And why the mystery: that the behavior works as expected once the lock is first unlocked, throughout that session, but not if the computer has been restarted?!? Is this a cache issue? (If so, it's survived numerous Cocktail cache cleanings.)
Help!

OK:
1) I checked "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane".
2) I restarted the computer.
All System Preferences panes were locked, as expected.
"Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" was still checked.
3) I unchecked "Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane".
4) I restarted the computer.
All System Preferences panes were still locked.
"Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" was still unchecked.
5) I unlocked the Energy Saver preference pane.
6) I restarted the computer.
All System Preferences panes were re-locked.
"Require a password to unlock each System Preferences pane" was still unchecked.
Each time I logged in as an administrator.
I've repeated this exercise many times, on different computers with the same results. (Except for one of my computers, which stays unlocked, as it's set to do.)
FYI: It's the Energy Saver pane that I need to keep unlocked. And that's for a stupid work-around I have to do to reset its "Wake for network access" pref constantly. Here's why:
I'm using a somewhat complicated workaround to defeat Snow Leopard's new Wake On Demand feature, which I don't want. I need to be able to wake my computers with a magic packet, which doesn't work with "Wake for network access" off. I don't want my computers to wake every few hours to register with my Time Capsule's proxy server (which is part of the Wake On Demand "feature"). I just want to use the magic packet as I was able to do with Leopard. So I have to turn on "Wake for network access" just before the computer sleeps, but right after it would have registered with Time Capsule's sleep proxy server. I use some SleepWatcher scripts to accomplish this feat. The computer then wakes for the packet, but Time Capsule doesn't broadcast the computer as available. But my SleepWatcher scripts don't work if the **** Energy Saver preference pane is locked, because my SleepWatcher scripts can't manipulate the "Wake for network access" setting when it is.
So if you know a better solution for this "Wake On Demand" problem than what I'm doing, I wouldn't care so much about the locked Sys Pref's. Like:
1) How to defeat the entire sleep proxy server in Time Capsule, or
2) How to keep the computer from registering itself with Time Capsule's sleep proxy server without jumping though the hoops I am now, or
3) How to programmatically manipulate the "Wake for network access" Energy Saver pref while its lock is enabled, or
4) How to write a terminal command that circumvents manual administrator authentication.
By #4 that I mean: the SleepWatcher scripts fail when the Energy Saver pref pane is locked because the system asks me to authenticate (a dialog pops up when the scripts execute). The scripts work fine when the Sys Prefs locks are unlocked. If I could write a script that includes the authentication (like some sort of SUDO trick that doesn't require manual input of a password), then that, too, would solve my issues. Although, that would mean writing my admin password into the script, I guess, which is not the greatest, security-wise. That's why I'm attempting to fix this Sys Prefs lock issue first. (Plus it's annoying to have to constantly unlock a lock I am constantly unlocking!!)
All this because Apple decided to change the Wake On LAN feature I've enjoyed using for a decade, without giving us some way to have Wake On LAN on with Wake On Demand off!! Errrrr...

HT2490 My System preferences always opens in a small window now.

Every time I open up system preferences it always opens in a little window. All lf the text and the icons are all scrunched together. I'm actually an IT person and have been doing this for years but for some reason I can find nothing on the internet addressing this issue. I've looked at the view settings, window view settings nothing seems to address the issue.
The green button is missing to even expand it to full size. It is very annoying and I can't seem to find a resolution.

I can't find anything, not I can't find nothing. Boy, I hate typos. Can anyone tell me how to get the preferences to open up in a full size window as they used to?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

How to get my accounts pane in System Preferences to open.

The accounts pane of System Preferences won't open it simply loads and then System Preferences quits. I have repaired disk permissions many times but it hasn't helped. I don't have the reinstall disks to fix the computer. What can I do?

Hi Miss Moo,
Could it be anything related to this, it can happen spontaneously also?
Return to default desktop, apparent "loss" of home directory...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107854
ChangeShortName 10.4 only...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/16620
If not...
Reset OS X Password Without an OS X CD...
http://theappleblog.com/2008/06/22/reset-os-x-password-without-an-os-x-cd/
Once you've done that the computer reboots and it's like the first time you used the machine. Your old accounts are all safe. From there you just change all other account passwords in the account preferences!
applesetupdone...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6059333&#6059333
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/howdo_i_reset_my_mac_os_x_admin_rootpassword.html

Mail, Skype, Safari and some system preferences not opening

I wonder if anyone else has had this problem....my mac starts up but seems to skip loading things at the loading screen when it boots - When it gets to the desktop, Skype, mail (mac default program), and Safari do not open when clicked - I tried to go to user accounts in system preferences and that fails to open also - AIM, Fireofx and Transmit (FTP program) all work fine and are able to connect to the interent - It has done this before (months ago) and I ended up having to do a system restore to go back to factory settings - Yesterday it started this again and after 1/2 hour mail just popped open and all was well - It has been on for 4 hours so far and none of those programs are working - Has anyone else had issues like this ? any suggestions? I am using a Power Mac G5 cpu 1.8ghz and 1.25 gb of ram and 10.3.9 for system version - Any help is greatly appreciated
thanks

Have you done the basics? Repaired permissions, cleared caches, run cron jobs, booted from DVD and run disk repair etc.?
It seems that when you did a restore, which I presume is an archive and install, it cleared up then over time whatever you do is corrupting things or the drive is on its last legs. Add a new drive (cheap) , clone the boot drive to it with Super Duper (free) and boot from that for a while.

System Preferences Not Opening

When I click on system preferences, nothing comes up. I tried clicking the show all preferences option under view, but nothing changed. How do I get it to come up?

I'm having issues as well. I went to open system preferences in the dock, but it had a translucent question mark overlayed on it. When I clicked on it nothing happened. I went to the apple menu to click on system preferences and nothing happened. I then went to the dock again and dragged it out onto the desktop. Bad idea. Poof, its gone now. I went to the HD and then applications, and it wasn't there and it wasn't renamed. A search with Finder proved fruitless as well. Now I am stuck with all of my settings and can't change a darn thing. Any ideas?

System preferences wont open

so im still kinda new to my macbook and the other day i noticed that my system preferences was gone and i can not find it, and i do not know what i did or what happened. is there anywhere i can download it from or anything like that?

If its icon isn't on the Dock, then open Mac HD/Applications/ and drag the System Preferences.app icon onto the Dock. Assuming that you're new to Macs, but familiar with PC boxes, see these:
Switching from Windows to Mac OS X,
Basic Tutorials on using a Mac,
Mac 101: Mac Essentials,
Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts,
Anatomy of a Mac,
MacTips, and
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition.
Additionally, *Texas Mac Man* recommends:
Quick Assist,
Welcome to the Switch To A Mac Guides,
Take Control E-books, and
A guide for switching to a Mac.

System preference lock opens

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