Unable to relaunch finder

Since i updated quicktime last night, i am unable to relaunch finder. every time i restart the computer finder freezes and i cannot force a quit. i try to relaunch it but doesn't work. i always just get the color wheel spinning. i inserted the mac software disk to see if i can repair it and nothing shows up. my icon for the MAC HD doesn't show up on the desktop at all. any help? i've restarted the computer many times. i cannot get into finder at all.

thanks
before i did just that i remembered something similar happened and i shut the mac off took out everything in the usb ports and restarted
everything works fine

Similar Messages

Frozen CPU, unable to relaunch Finder...

Hi,
I have several problems but I guess they're all due to the same thing, except that I cannot find what it is!!!
The CPU works fine...until I try to open an Application, or a drive (I have 3 SCSI), then it freezes the application window (or drive window) and I cannot close it anymore, nor I can force quit (I can see "Application not responding" or Finder Not Responding but if I click on Force Quit or relaunch Finder, nothing happens). I have of course run the Cocktail Application to no effect, then the Disk Utility, repair Permissions, to no effect either.
It's virus free (well if there is one Virus Barrier didn't detect it).
I dunno what it is but it freezes on simple applications like Text Edit, that sort of things. There is not a particular application. It does it on anything. Sometimes I don't have any trouble for hours, sometimes it just happens after 5 minutes!
And of course, I can't restart or shut down the CPU. I have to "hold the button..." since the finder won't work.
I also tried the "Restart Finder" in File Buddy to no effect.
I really have no idea what to do? Any help much appreciated!

Well it's a little bit like Chinese to me. However, I do not see anything strange!?
It just says it wrote reports to the log on some applications I opened when it crashes (like File Buddy, Soundtrack, Safari...).
Here it is:
Fri Dec 22 19:08:53 2006 crashdump[278]: Started writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/File Buddy.crash.log
Fri Dec 22 19:08:54 2006 crashdump[278]: Finished writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/File Buddy.crash.log
Fri Dec 22 19:16:58 2006 crashdump[159]: crashdump invoked as panicdump
Sat Dec 23 19:52:27 2006 crashdump[153]: crashdump invoked as panicdump
Sun Dec 24 02:26:39 2006 crashdump[192]: crashdump invoked as panicdump
Sun Dec 24 02:29:16 2006 crashdump[187]: crashdump invoked as panicdump
Sun Dec 24 03:41:55 2006 crashdump[167]: crashdump invoked as panicdump
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashreporterd[121]: pidfortask 3007 failed: (os/kern) failure
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashreporterd[121]: taskset_exceptionports failed: (os/kern) invalid argument
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashdump[369]: crashdump started
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashdump[369]: Crashdump invoked with pid 0
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashreporterd[121]: mach_msg() reply failed: (ipc/send) invalid destination port
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashdump[369]: Started writing crash report to: /Library/Logs/CrashReporter/???.crash.log
Sun Dec 24 18:12:00 2006 crashdump[369]: Finished writing crash report to: /Library/Logs/CrashReporter/???.crash.log
Sun Dec 24 18:16:40 2006 crashdump[302]: crashdump started
Sun Dec 24 18:16:42 2006 crashdump[302]: Started writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/java_swt.crash.log
Sun Dec 24 18:16:46 2006 crashdump[302]: Finished writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/java_swt.crash.log
Sun Dec 24 18:16:50 2006 crashdump[302]: Failed to re-launch /Applications/Azureus.app/Contents/MacOS/java_swt - CGSError: 1025!
Tue Dec 26 13:49:36 2006 crashdump[354]: crashdump started
Tue Dec 26 13:49:38 2006 crashdump[354]: Started writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/File Buddy.crash.log
Tue Dec 26 13:49:39 2006 crashdump[354]: Finished writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/File Buddy.crash.log
Tue Dec 26 13:56:05 2006 crashdump[389]: crashdump started
Tue Dec 26 13:56:06 2006 crashdump[389]: Started writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/File Buddy.crash.log
Tue Dec 26 13:56:08 2006 crashdump[389]: Finished writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/File Buddy.crash.log
Wed Dec 27 17:35:19 2006 crashdump[430]: crashdump started
Wed Dec 27 17:35:22 2006 crashdump[430]: Started writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/Soundtrack.crash.log
Wed Dec 27 17:35:25 2006 crashdump[430]: Finished writing crash report to: /Users/fifi1/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/Soundtrack.crash.log

Finder freezes and unable to relaunch

I dont know exact problem but finder stops working and its unable to relaunch and when rebooting it stops in middle of shutting down so hav to press the power button for 6-7 seconds to force shutdown, im really worried about it. Pls help
P.S. i also have an external 1TB hard drive attached to my macbook pro is it causing the trouble??
Thanx.

thanks
before i did just that i remembered something similar happened and i shut the mac off took out everything in the usb ports and restarted
everything works fine

Relaunching Finder after usb key crashes Tiger???

1. Often times on my work and home computers I will double-click on my mounted usb jump drive and finder will crash. The spinning beach ball will never stop spinning. Is this a common problem? Just curious because it happens on 2 of my computers. Any idea why it might be doing this?
2. What is the point of relaunching Finder? Every time I do so, only part of my desktop displays and I am not able to do anything so I have to cut the power to the computer. Is there any point to relaunching Finder?

Hi, kat.
By the numbers:
1. There could be one or more of the following problems with the USB flash drive:1.1. It's disk directory could be corrupted. Check it with Disk Utility > Repair Disk.
1.2. The invisible .DS_Store file at the root level of the USB drive could be corrupted. These files contain data used by Finder to display the folder window, such as View Options, icon positions, and window position.1. Download and install the shareware application Cocktail. Be sure to use the latest, Tiger-specific version.
2. Launch Cocktail.
3. Click Files in the Cocktail toolbar.
4. Click the DS Store tab.
5. Decide if you want to delete the .DS_Store file:(a) Only at the root level of a specific volume or folder.
(b) At both the root level of a single volume or folder and all subfolders therein.If (a), do not select the "Search subfolders" checkbox in the DS Store tab. If (b), select the "Search subfolders" checkbox in the DS Store tab.
Selecting "Search subfolders" in the DS Store tab will remove the .DS_Store files within subfolders of the volume or folder you select in the next step, resetting the View Options of the selected volume or folder — and all subfolders therein — to default View Options.
In your case, selecting "Search subfolders" would be a good move.
6. Click Chose.
7. In the resulting window navigate-to and select the affected volume, or folder. For example, you might want to select your Home folder.
8. Click Choose.
9. Click Delete in the resulting confirmation dialog.
Cocktail will delete the .DS_Store file in the volume or folder you selected in step 6, and all subfolders therein if you selected "Search subfolders" in step 5.1.3. A file at the root level of the drive could be corrupted or have a corrupted preview icon. See my "Finding corrupted files" FAQ.Note that most USB flash drives come formatted for Windows by default. If you are only using the USB flash drive with Macs, consider reformatting it to "Mac OS Extended" format.
2. Relaunching Finder is useful both to correct certain Finder anomalies, e.g. the Network icon displays as a folder instead of a sphere, and after deleting Finder's preferences in certain cases — see my "Finder Issues? How to delete its preferences" FAQ for details.
However, you wrote: "...I have to cut the power to the computer..."which can lead to other problems. Therefore, I recommend you run at least steps 1-3 of the Procedure outlined in my "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ to also correct any problems that may have been introduced by your "cut the power" actions.
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 display Find Tab

I'm getting really annoyed with this problem. I have a
robohelp project that gives me the "Unable to Display Find tab.
(177)" error whenever I go to the search tab.
What I am using Primary Output/Layout: WinHelp 2000
Compiler: HCW.exe (located in the HTMLHelp folder)
The really annoying thing is we publish this on our data
server and we have three other servers which access the data. Two
out of three servers do not give me the above message.

Hi acxe
It may be worth trying the fix for winhelp detailed on
Microsoft's site
Error Message:
Unable to Display Find Tab (177)
In additions, I'd also make a backup of hte Update.cnt file.
Kind Regards
Craig

Unable to use finder or open disks in lion

i am unable to open finder, it says its open, and the finder windows are visiblew when 4 finger scrolling between open applications, but i cant open it. any ideas?!
Thanks!

i can use the arrow keys to move the highlighted option in any finder window whilst holkding 4 fingers down if this is any help, but if i oupen a new window in finder, again i can't see it unless i have four fingers held. very strange!

USB transfer hangs, Finder freezes - cannot relaunch Finder

Is there a way to FORCE a relaunch of the Finder when it hangs during a USB transfer (to a mobile phone) ?
I use Relaunch Finder, Actitivity Monitor, etc, to no avail. The Finder will not re-launch.
Everything else works (such as this Safari use of Apple Forums).
Restarting the Mac is a drag.

Eric,
I really thank you for your quick response. Before I try that, I need to explain something I just did- My time machine backup external hard drive is actually a guardian maximus 2 slot raid 1 setup to mirror so I have 2 disks. Before I do anything to reset time machine, I took that Guardian Maximus and tried to connect direct to my computer to read it. It would not recognize it. then I took out BOTH hard drives and tried to read them individually. Disk Utility said BOTH needed repair. The odd thing is that the Guardian lights did not turn red on either one- both lights green. Which is what its supposed to do. Any suggestions based on this information?
I really do appreciate all you in the forum provide.
Skip

Unable to open Find Instrument Driver

I am unable to open Find Instrument Drivers under Tool-> Instrumentation.

Hi Elf,
could you give us a little more information about your error? What happens when you try to open that?
Regards,
Basil
Applications Engineering
National Instruments

Unable to open finder

Hi all,
yesterday I was converting a big pdf with calibre. When operation was complete and I closed program, my finder (snow leopard last version) freezed. If a click on it, nothing happen... and if I right click I can see two "strings" with the pdf I was converting. I can only open it with right click and "open new finder windows". I've tried repair disk and permissions and to delete, from preference folder, apple.finder and apple.desktop too, but nothing happen. Can anyone help me please?
Thank you all!

Did you restart?
If not trash those files again and then immediately restart or kill (Activity Monitor) and relaunch Finder.
EDIT: If that doesn't work for you, try starting up Safe Mode (It will take more time to startup in Safe Mode because it runs a directory check.)
If your apps functions correctly that way, go to System Preferences >> Accounts >> Login Items, and remove them. Boot normally and test. If not go to/Users/yourname/Library/Contextual Menu Items and move whatever is there to the desktop. Then do the same with /Library/Contextual Menu Items. Lastly, try moving/Users/yourname/Library/Fonts to your desktop and restarting.
Log out/in or restart, if that sorts it start putting items back one at a time until you find the culprit.
If the issue is systemwide then, you may be able to repair this with the The 10.6.3 Combo Update This is a fuller install, as opposed to an incremental "delta" update so it should overwrite any files that are damaged or missing. It does not matter if you have applied it before.
Remember to Verify Disk before update and repair permissions after update from /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.
-mj
Message was edited by: macjack

Tiger relaunches Finder whenever Finder icon is clicked in the Dock

My wife's MacBook, a 13" late '06 running Tiger, began having a problem with Finder this evening. Whenever the Finder icon in the Dock is clicked, all Finder windows close, the desktop flashes black, and Finder relaunches.
If a folder alias is clicked from the Desktop, it opens without a problem-- it's only the Finder Dock icon. All other programs open normally.

When using the Finder's own Preference setting dialog box, what does it
show the "New Finder window opens" as being set to open? If it was
set at some point, and "Other" was used to choose something beyond
the default expectations, the Finder icon in Dock could launch or re-
launch something else with results unexpectedly quite different.
The usual default is something like "Home" (a user folder) or maybe the
"Computer" which may contain a window with the Hard Disk drive and
a Network orb; or the "Macintosh HD" (so - IF - the HDD icon is made to
be invisible to the Desktop, the Finder can be used to access it instead.)
So, for some reason or through some accident, glitch, or evidence of
some corruption elsewhere in the system, you have Finder in Dock
re-launching the Dock...(?)
If there is a different purpose chosen in the Finder's menu bar where
the preferences can be changed in a "General" control box, you can
see if you can re-assign the defaults as mentioned above, again.
If other user accounts don't act up, (and they should not, since it
is not a universal change if these are set different in one account)
when they are booted into, and the Finder icon in the Dock is clicked
and you can't get that to revert to the default option(s) that should be
in the Finder Preference selection; then the issue may be in Dock
preference files themselves. Those would be (probably) in the user
Library file and among .plist named items.
Since I am not sure of the location of those specific items without an
extensive folder-opening search in my OSX system to find which of
the few relevant locations this applicable .plist is actually to be found,
the two probable items to find and move to desktop, then restart, may
be the Dock preference .plist and the Finder preference .plist items.
A restart should bring those two items back as default-set replacement
.plists, so, if you were unable to simply re-set the Finder preference
panel to choose Home, Macintosh HD, or maybe Computer in there,
you may have to find these two .plist files, and move them from the
correct location, where the system should replace them on restart.
Routine and usual system maintenance and light repairs to disk and
disk permissions can be done by running Disk Utility from the booted
Installer disc's menu bar options; short of running the actual Install
mode, where the menu bar has a drop down menu (such as Finder
but says Installer) when the computer is running from the OSX install
disc's version of startup software, where this access is possible. To
do that, you put the disc#1 of the current OS X version installer in to
the optical drive and hold the C key down on startup. The first window
that will appear should be the choose language window, the second
one should be where you have a menu bar in Installer to find & launch
Disk Utility from. After running D.U.'s first aid on the Macintosh HD to
'repair disk', you can run the' repair disk utilities' and maybe click on
the name of the brand of hard disk drive (same location where name
Macintosh HD, different item) and then run Verify on the hard drive.
When done, quit Disk Utility, and choose Startup Manager item from
the Installer's drop down menu bar option list; and choose the Mac's
hard drive system and restart the computer. A lighter way to repair the
disk permissions you probably should've been using regularly, is in
the Utilities folder in the computer's system on hard disk drive. Simply
choose GO in the Finder's menu bar, select Utilities Folder, and then
when that folder opens on the desktop, find & double-click Disk Utility.
(In my system, I highlighted Disk Utility's name by clicking it once
so I could change it; in mine, the only change made was to add one
space in front of the name Disk Utility, and now it is the first item in
the Utilities folder, so it is easier to find & launch regularly. This re-
orders the alphabetical order of named items in that folder and puts
the one with a single space in front of the natural order. If you want
to bring another item up to appear out of order, you can add one or
more spaces, to re-order items in a folder to be first ahead of A,B,C.)
You probably didn't need to know any or all of this; but resetting the
Finder preference to see if you can get the Dock's Finder icon to
launch the original few defaults instead of itself; or remove the plists
for Dock and Finder, and restart to see if the proper settings occur.
Not sure, but if you remove the Dock .plist, if that would remove the
chosen symbiotic links (drag-to-dock app icons you moved there)
or if those would be in another location. Removing the Finder .plist
from the appropriate file in the system should be safe enough and
restart. And find out if someone had changed that Finder preference.
Performing routine and preventative maintenance can be easy; but it
may not correct some odd changed preference in an obscure location.
And won't fix some corruption caused by data being overwritten due to
a hard disk drive being too full for the system to function normally.
The problem will be resolved when you fix it...!
Good luck & happy computing!
{ started writing early + wrote too much = finished late. }

Quick look, videos and relaunching Finder

After updating to Snow Leopard, I noticed one item right away: My scroll wheel no longer shuttled through the videos in quick look like it did before. Is there a fix, or reason for this?
Also, and more recently, I find myself having to relaunch the Finder if I use the arrow keys to change video files with the Quick Look window open.
And Finally, believe it or not, Quick Look shows .avi files better and faster than .mov and .mp4 (or other QT files). What's up with that.
Any ideas? Thanks.
iMac, 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.5Gig Ram. And everyhing is up to date.

Khurt,
Do all your other keyboard shortcuts work? I only ask because there are some settings you can change that effect all keyboard shortcuts. But heck just in case what I would do is open up System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> goto the Keyboard (tab) first and select Modifier Keys, and click Restore Defaults then goto the Keyboard Shortcuts (tab) Hit Restore Defaults here as well.
Now Try again if that doesn't work I won't you to remove the com.apple.QuickLookDaemon.plist you will find it in Macintosh HD -> Users -> YOUR USER -> Library -> Preferences, If you would prefer you can just move it to your desktop but believe me it is ok to delete it, it will be regenerated on restart, then after you have removed it I want you to not doing anything else but restart your computer.
Test to see if works, and come back with your results.
Hope that helps,
Weston

Intel iMac randomly relaunching Finder. RAM problem?

Several months ago I bought a new 3.06 GHz Intel iMac with 2GB of RAM. I also bought CS4 so I maxed out my RAM at 4GB with a 2x2GB RAM kit from Other World Computing.
I've noticed in the lately that everything will suddenly hang, the Dock won't appear when I cursor to the bottom, and then my desktop pic will change. I have my prefs set to choose a random one each day but this isn't happening at the right time, it's random. Not only that but if I open Dashboard after that it has to reload all of my widgets again. Plus any docked Finder or app windows pop back out to the desktop. It's like the Finder is being relaunched or something.
I'm wondering if this could be an issue with bad RAM or not having enough. With email, browser, FTP, time logger, and a few smaller apps going I can never really have more than a couple of the CS4 apps open without things getting sluggish. I try to avoid having more than 2 open at any one time. I've even dropped Photoshop's RAM usage settings from 70% to 60% to see if it makes any difference.
The problem is still happening and it seems to be happening more frequently. Things just relaunched and I went into Mail to minimize an email window. As soon as I clicked the yellow button things hanged again but not in the same way. No windows would minimize, the Dock wouldn't appear and I couldn't switch Spaces. When I went to restart, as soon as my cursor rolled over the Dock item in the Apple menu it stalled there for a short time before I was able to go down to restart. Then the restart sequence stalled and I had to force a shut down.
This is really frustrating as I was expecting a great new machine and software to replace my aging PowerMac G4 and older apps. Is there a way to test for bad RAM or does this sound like a known issue with CS4 or iMacs in general? I don't have the original 2x1GB RAM sticks any more, I sold them after installing my new RAM.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've been trying a few things here and there when I've had time, giving time in between to see if the problem reoccurs. So far I've done the following:
1. Repaired Permissions. No effect.
2. Used Onyx to clean the System, User and Font cache options listed by default. It also told me that S.M.A.R.T., startup volume, Permissions and Prefs are all ok. No effect.
3. I removed the RAM, inspected the boards and the slots. Can't see any sort of damage to either. I replaced the boards but swapped slots. Both boards are firmly seated. Also no effect.
I'm going to try running 1 board at a time, swapping slots if the problem continues. If it does I'll try creating a 2nd admin account and go from there.
I've also noticed at times when the hang happens it seems to be when I click on an item in my Dock (usually a folder of items). There have also been times that after it happens I'll switch to another space and the windows for different apps will have disappeared. The apps are still open but if I try choosing the missing window under View or Window they still won't appear. Same goes with trying to use Show All under the Finder menu.

Spotlight attacking and relaunching finder!

Any time I try to run spotlight Using '+Option, cmd, space+' or by typing into the top right corner of the finder window there will be a pause for 5 or so seconds with the spinning beach ball then finder will relaunch. ie. All desktop icons and menu bar disappear and re-appear.
The spotlight menu in the top right of the screen works fine this only happens when it is in its own window.
I have tried re-indexing spotlight, deleting spotlight .plist but none had any affect.
Any help.
BTW - I am using one of the late 2008 macbooks with leopard 10.5.6

Any time I try to run spotlight Using '+Option, cmd, space+' or by typing into the top right corner of the finder window there will be a pause for 5 or so seconds with the spinning beach ball then finder will relaunch. ie. All desktop icons and menu bar disappear and re-appear.
The spotlight menu in the top right of the screen works fine this only happens when it is in its own window.
I have tried re-indexing spotlight, deleting spotlight .plist but none had any affect.
Any help.
BTW - I am using one of the late 2008 macbooks with leopard 10.5.6

"Open With" on any graphic file crashes, relaunches Finder

Hello,
When I right click on any graphic file format (.jpg, .png, .gif, etc.) and choose "Open With" from the pop-up menu, the menu doesn't populate, and the Finder relaunches. Consistent, reproducible behavior.
Open With works for every other type of file I've tried.
I've repaired permissions, used Onxy to rebuild the LaunchServices database; neither worked.
Would appreciate any helpful suggestions!
Thanks,
Doug

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. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up guest users” (without the quotes) in the search box. 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.
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. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Shut down your computer, wait 30 seconds, and then hold down the shift key while pressing the power button.
When you see the gray Apple logo, release the shift key.
If you are prompted to log in, type your password, and then hold down the shift key again as you click Log in.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs. 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.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode.
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.

I mac hanging and can't relaunch finder

Hi, I'm an I mac user 10.4.11, I already have 4 Gb of RAM, i'm having a problem with I mac, it seems to hang alot, and when it hangs there is usually a problem with the finder, I can relaunch, but when I do everything on the screen disappears all the icons, HD icons, even the menus on the top left hand corner, and right hand corner, and when this happens I can't shut it down, which forces me to turn it off by pressing the power button in the back of my i mac(now this is the main problem for me, I mean if could shut it down then I won't be complainning too much).
I've already done everything, tried updating it already, but i'm still having this problem.
tried doing the hardware tests but there was no problem, I've already repaired the Hard drive using the disc utilty. But the problem keeps coming back again.
Any advice anybody?
much appreciated..

First of all, it would be safest to make a backup of your drive, just in case something goes wrong. At the very least, make a backup of your current user folder. You can alway reinstall the OS and apps from original discs, but you cannot replace your personal data if it's lost with no backup.
The most complete way would be to get an external drive (if you don't have one already) that is at least as large as the used space on your internal drive. Use a cloning utility (Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper) to duplicate your internal drive to the external drive. After the process completes, set the external drive as the startup disk, in System Preferences Startup pane, and try to start up from it. Make sure it works like the original and all your data is accessible. Now, you have a bootable backup and you are safe messing with your internal drive. Even if you mess up something, you can start up from the external drive and clone the external drive back onto the internal drive, and you are back to square one.
Back to your actual question... If you want to move to a new account and abandon the current account, Apple supplies a utility called Migration Assistant. While logged in to the NEW user account, you can run that utility (in Applications/Utilities) and select the +Migration Method+ to transfer your information +From a Time Machine backup or other disk+. If you select your current internal drive, you should be able to then select your current (old) account as the account to transfer. You will be presented with various options for what to transfer.
But if I was doing it, I would do it manually, so that I know what's happening and have more control. I would first move my current user account data folders to a common area. You can use the
<startup drive>/Users/Shared/
folder, because it is accessible while logged in to your old and new accounts. Move the folders and files you want to transfer there first while logged in to your OLD account. Then log in to your new account and move them from the Shared folder to the equivalent locations in your NEW account. You can try to do this all at once, or take it slow and do one category of your user files (such as Music, Pictures, Documents, etc.) at a time.
You should not need to reinstall apps because they are installed in a location that is common to all users. However, each user has a Library folder with preference files, so you may need to reset the preferences on apps and maybe also reenter product registration information again.
You can delete your old account from System Preferences Accounts pane, after you makes sure you have everything you want in your new account. There is nothing really special about the first user account. Make sure your new account is an admin account, because you don't want to be left with no admin accounts. However, you can just keep the old account around for a few months to play it safe. If you moved (not copied) the files over to your new account, the old account should not be taking up too much space.

Unable to relaunch finder

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for