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+--- Thread: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? (/showthread.php?tid=89460)
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User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - mrlynn - 12-13-2009
My cousin in another state has an iMac running OS 10.4.10. He cannot access his System Preferences. When he clicks on the Dock icon, it bounces, but nothing appears. Nothing happens when he selects SP from the Apple menu, either. And he cannot access individual Preferences from the top right menu options.
He think this may be coincident with looking at a picture on a website and clicking a button that said something like "Make this your desktop picture." Somehow it did install the picture on his desktop, without his going through the Desktop/Screen Saver Preferences (I didn't know any website could do this on a Mac). His normal desktop icons still show up all right, and the computer works all right.
I had him repair Permissions, and was about to suggest he boot from the Tiger CD—but then I wasn't sure what to suggest next. Could this picture be hiding the Preferences screen? Other applications apparently work normally.
Any suggestions? Sounds a little like a malware infection, but I've not heard of any on Macs.
/Mr Lynn
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - Doc - 12-13-2009
Start by trashing the pref's.
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - modelamac - 12-13-2009
Then have him do a Safe boot. Have him read Mac Help on that.
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - mrlynn - 12-13-2009
modelamac wrote:
Then have him do a Safe boot. Have him read Mac Help on that.
I understand about trashing the preferences, but what does he do once he's accomplished a Safe Boot?
/Mr Lynn
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - Doc - 12-13-2009
mrlynn wrote:
[quote=modelamac]
Then have him do a Safe boot. Have him read Mac Help on that.
I understand about trashing the preferences, but what does he do once he's accomplished a Safe Boot?
He restarts the computer. The OS does all the work it's supposed to do during startup when you safe-boot.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564?viewlocale=en_US
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455
'Not sure that it'll be much help, but a safe boot wouldn't hurt.
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - mrlynn - 12-13-2009
Any idea where that picture he somehow installed as a Desktop background got put? And how it got put there?
/Mr Lynn
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - Doc - 12-13-2009
He probably right-clicked on the image in his web browser and selected the "set as desktop picture" (the name varies by browser) option.
The pic from Safari is saved as "Safari Desktop Picture" in the ~/Library/Safari folder.
He can change the Desktop picture to something more suitable in the Desktop & Screen Saver pane in the System Pref's.
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - mrlynn - 12-14-2009
Doc wrote:
Start by trashing the pref's.
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
Hmm. . . He can't find this file. Nor can I (in Snow Leopard), not in the general Mac Library, nor in the User Library.
What's up with that?
/Mr Lynn
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - Doc - 12-14-2009
It's there in Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.
In the Preferences folder found in the Library folder in the user's Home folder.
Re: User Can't Access System Preferences—Why? - mrlynn - 12-14-2009
Doc wrote:
It's there in Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard.
In the Preferences folder found in the Library folder in the user's Home folder.
OK, I found mine. Here's the path:
[user name]/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
Funny thing is, Spotlight couldn't find it.
I'm assuming there's a ByHost folder in Tiger, without looking.
/Mr Lynn