Unable to Lock System Preferences in Lion.

I've just noticed that I can not lock preferences. I've tried locking time machine, energy saver and also Print & Scan. I click on the icon, it flickers but doesn't lock. Any thoughts on why and how to fix? (iMac 24", Lion 10.7.3)
Thanks,
Kevin

Ok, found a discussion to fix in the security prefences.

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Unable to open System Preferences

I am unable to open Systems Preferences on my MacBook Pro. I click on Systems Preference in the Apple Menus and it flashes but does not open. Thanks.

By Apple Menus, I mean the Apple symbol on the top left. Then I select "system preference" and click on this. It does not open.
I see thanks for explaining.
Where do I find the Applications - System Preferences? I thought this was it. Thank you for your response.
Open a Finder Window and you should see a folder called Applications or using your Dock click on Applications (probably on the far right of the Dock).
BTW did you try restarting your computer? That helps in many situations like this.

Changing desktop pictures locks system preferences

Re MacBook Pro laptop (OS 10.7.5)
Problem: Changing desktop pictures locks System Preferences
If I try to open System Preferences, I get windows for the Change Desktop/Background and the whirling beach ball begins until I go to Activities Monitor to Force Quit System Preferences, which informs me that my "System Preferences is no longer responding."
I have no trouble booting my Mac,
checked my Disk Utility informing me that there are no errors,
checked Permissions without errors,
went to Users>"my name">Preferences>found the plist for com.apple.systempreferences, moved it to my desktop, tried the Apple System Preferences option with same result. Returned plist . Hmm, just noticed that I have com.apple.systempreferences with one directly after Library ( i.e., not in any folder), and the other in the Library>Preferences folder. Could that be the foul up? Perhaps one of these plists is misplaced.
Any suggestions?

First follow the instructions in this support article.
If an iPhoto or Aperture library is the source of your desktop pictures, it may need to be rebuilt, or you may need to update the application to the latest version.
Otherwise, continue as below.
Back up all data.
In the Finder, hold down the option key and select
          Go ▹ Library
from the menu bar. From the Library folder, delete the following item, if it exists:
          Caches/com.apple.systempreferences
and move the following items to the Desktop, if they exist:
          Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db
          Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
Launch System Preferences and test. If you still have the issue, put the items you moved to the Desktop back where they came from and post again. Otherwise, delete the items.

Syncing locked system preferences

I have 3 computers that sync everything (including perferences) via MobileMe. That works fine except that I'd like the energy saver and security settings to be different. If I make those two system preferences different for each computer, and LOCK them, will they keep their independent preferences upon syncing?
I could experiment but computers are at different sites right now.
thanks
roger

the answer is yes i figured it out myself, locking system preferences prevents them from being synced.
rr

Cant LOCK system preferences

Cant LOCK system preferences: File Sharing, Network, startup disk, date&time, time machine, energy saver, print&fax
I can LOCK : security, accounts login, parental control
no rhyme or reason. any help would be appreciated.

If you are using an Admin account for your daily-Use account, that is a problem.
The Admin can unlock and bypass nearly everything, so these things will not stay locked for your Admin account.
To protect these items from others, you need to create a new Admin account that you will use ONLY for Administration (such as installing software) and use it to demote your daily-use account to a non-Admin account. then things that are locked will stay locked, and others who wander by your computer will not be able to unlock them.
PS. Others in your household should each have their own "User" (not Admin) account. Then you can add additional restrictions with Parental Controls.

System preferences in lion server not responding

My System Preferences iin Lion Server are not responding.
when I try to open any application in the system preferences panel, it never opens
How can I fix this?

Boot with your bootable backup/clone and restore it. If you don't have one, boot with your install disc and restore your Time Machine backup from some point in the past before the problem cropped up. Don't have one of those either? Then, boot with the install disc and reinstall Snow Leopard. That should restore all functionality without mucking with anything else. Then, run Software Update to get to something other than the 10.6 that your profile is showing, namely 10.6.4, the latest version, repair permissions, and restart.

Remote lock system preferences

Sometimes our techs forget to click the lock icon on a clients system preferences after they are finished making changes. Is there a terminal command that I can send to all the client machines to "lock" the system preferences so the end user cant get in and make any changes.
thanks

I don't have the syntax for you, but if you go to the Unix forum (hidden in OSX Tech) you may get a faster response.

Cannot "LOCK" System Preferences any longer???

OK, this just started, I can no long lock any of the system perf's. When I press the lock the window flashes (say's 'De-authenticating' ) very fast and returns to the unlocked state. Logging in as 'Root' or 'Admin' makes no difference. Everything seems to work fine I just cannot lock anything.... any suggestions???

..."Logging in as 'Root' or 'Admin' makes no difference."...
If you happened to have run "repair permissions" on your 10.5 drive while booted into 10.4 (or while using eg. "DiskWarrior"), that would have resulted in changes to permissions that are incompatible with 10.5. One of the consequences is that some user processes may end up running as "root", which might account for there being no difference between logging in as "root" and "admin". The "root" account is meant to be authorized to make most changes through "System Preferences" without being required to authenticate, so it may not be possible to close the "Lock" when "System Preferences" is running as "root".
If the above describes your situation, unfortunately, the tools currently provided with 10.5 will not fix this problem automatically -- specifically, "repair permissions" in 10.5 doesn't repair the permissions that are causing the problem. If you are an experienced user, you can fix the permissions manually (using the output from a "verify permissions" run conducted while booted in 10.5 as a guide to determine what changes are required).
For most users, an "archive and install" may be the easiest solution. It should be acceptable to preserve user and network settings.
This issue could potentially pose a serious security issue. I think Apple needs to fix this quickly, and at the very least, post a support article describing the specific symptoms and warning of the dangers.

Unable to open System Preferences - Keyboard and Mouse

Hi, My MacBook Pro don't open System Preferences -> Keyboard and Mouse Panel.
I tested reinstall the system, it's working, but after update to 10.5.2 the problem returned.
The following messages are displayed on the console when i click on "Keyboard and Mouse" icon.
/Applications/System\ Preferences.app/Contents/MacOS/System\ Preferences
2008-02-21 14:11:38.442 System Preferences[272:10b] * -[NSCFArray objectAtIndex:]: index (2147483647( or possibly larger)) beyond bounds (3)
---

I'm having basically the same problem, though with a different console message:
5/2/08 15.04.49 System Preferences[55360] * -[NSURL initFileURLWithPath:]: nil string parameter
Anyone else see this?

Why won't my system preferences in Lion open up?

When I click on my system preferences icon on the dock, it jumps up once but then goes back to where it was. There is no response and I cannot get it to open. Has anyone else experienced this?

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load 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 on some models, 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 steps 1 and 2.

System preferences locks up

Changing desktop pictures locks system preferences.

Re: Changing desktop pictures locks system preferences. Info: MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3) This is very similar to my issue:
When I select System Preferences from the Apple System Preferences menu, both laptop and extended monitor screens immediately jump to the Change background/screen windows and locks me there with the spinning beach ball, while the text on the Change screens reads, "Loading ....". Then I have to move to Activity Monitor and Force Quit System Preferences which indicates in parens "System Preferences no longer responding."
I have tried LInc's solution re finding both plist files: Caches/com.apple.systempreferences which I cannot find;
I have found and moved the following item to the Desktop:
Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
Retesting by launching System Preferences again produced the same results. I then replace the Desktop's plist file where it came from.
BTW: The standard Utility Disk checks indicate no errors.
I'm stuck. Any more ideas?
Thanks.

Unable to Open System Prefrences

Hey Guys ,
Im unable to open system preferences on my mac.The problem started 2 days ago.
-I've tried selecting system preferences by clicking the apple logo on the top left corner of my mac.
-I've also tried opening system preferences by selecting Bluetooth preferences & Network Preferences
when i attempt any of the above methods..Nothing opens at all.Nothing opens on the dock nor does any window open
I tried Switching off my mac and Switching it on holding "command","option","r" & "p" but that didnt help.
-system preferences doesn't showup when i try searching for it in Spotlight.
Im using an Early 2008 MBP and am running Mac OS 10.6.6 ( snow leopard) 250 GB HD and 2 GB RAM
Any ideas and any help at all in the matter would be much appreciated
Thanks in Advance,
Thimayya

Look in your Applications folder. Is it there?

Mail keeps asking for password and icloud setting do not load in system preferences

Hi,
I have a mac mini server with mavericks, i have 2 iMacs as clients running mavericks too, when i use iMac (A) mail app and icloud work fine, them i take iMac (B) and mail app start asking for password , it just won't take the password, icloud do not load and cannot use anything else on system prferences because it locks system preferences, i need to force quit system prefrences , so I return to iMac (A) and i get same behaivor as iMac (B), i would appreciate your help for finding a solution for this.
All network users get the same behaivor, local users do not get this behaivor.
Thanks
Hector

Hector;
I have the same problem. The solution is to log into your client, open Keychain, run Keychain First Aid under file menu. If it fails to find your keychain, note the path, mount the disk that it is looking for, and rerun.
In short, you need to have the disk that your keychain is sitting on mounted. While your user account is mounted, Maveriks cannot match the reference path. Looking like a bug.
Example:
my folder sits on a second disk on server. It is properly setup in the mavericks server.
On the server, it is locally referred to as: /Volumes/my_disk/Users/my_user. I can log in to mail on the server when I log in with my user name.
In the workgroup manager, the same location is referred to as:
afp://my_server.local/Users/my_user (or smb)
/Network/Servers/my_server.local/Volumes/my_disk/Users/my_user
So this is the network path. So the client should be looking for that. But instead, it looks for the local disk, which is not mounted as such. In other words, it looks for:
/Volumes/my_disk/Users/my_user/Library/Keychains
instead of
/Network/Servers/my_server.local/Volumes/my_disk/Users/my_user/Library/Keychains
To eliminate this problem, you mount the volume on the client, so it can find. I will keep the editorial to myself, but this is not quality software.
Ali

How do I set up the magic trackpad when I can't access System Preferences

Bought a new iMac and Magic Mouse. After initial installation, decided to swap mouse for the Magic Trackpad.
Trackpad is turned on but I am unable to access System Preferences since my iMac was paired with the Magic Mouse. I don't have another USB mouse to complete the pairing. Any suggestions? Thank You.

Nancy,
If you have the bluetooth icon in the menubar, you can reach that and open bluetooth preferences by
pressing FN CNTL F8. This will move focus to the right side of the menubar, then arrow across and down to get to the options you need. Press the spacebar for "enter".
Regards,
Captfred

System Preferences crash in 10.4.7

Hello. I recently upgraded to OS X 10.4.7 and since then I have been unable to use System Preferences. I tried creating another user with admin permissions, but that did not resolve the problem. I can open the System Preferences program, but when I click on any settings it crashes. I have 36 Gig of free space left, so I don't think it's a memory issue. Also, I haven't installed any new software lately, and I didn't experience this problem until after I installed the upgrade to OS X. I've seen in other postings people referring to deleting certain preferences files, but I didn't try that because it didn't seem to help anyone. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.
Dual 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Hi, marcelle33. Welcome to the Discussions.
1. Try removing System Preferences preferences and caches:1. Quit System Preferences if it is open.
2. Open your Home > Library > Caches folder, then trash the following two files therein:
- com.apple.preferencepanes.cache
- com.apple.preferencepanes.searchindexcache
3. Trash the file
com.apple.systempreferences.plist
in your Home > Library > Preferences folder.
4. Trash the file
com.apple.systempreferences.xxx.plist
in your Home > Library > Preferences > ByHost folder, where xxx is an alphanumeric string.
5. Empty Trash.
6. Launch System Preferences and see if the problem is resolved.2. If you have installed any third-party preference panes (usually found in Macintosh HD > Library > PreferencePanes folder), either:• Check for updates to either the preference panes or associated applications.
• Remove the third-party preference panes and consider uninstalling the associated applications, if any.3. If the above does not sort out the issue, immediately after the problem occurs, check the ends of these Console logs for clues.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

Unable to Lock System Preferences in Lion.

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