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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Desktop files are missing (or gone)

misticgoth - Dec 12, 2007 - 5:27 pm

I run a MacBook Pro, Tiger, Intel. I'm not sure what specs you need... I am very new at this, so I might not know all the terms and I'm very sorry.
I was using my laptop as I usually do, just basic internet use, and suddenly my desktop files and icons flash and disappear. After a few seconds the hard drive icon reappeared. I relaunched finder but that still didn't restore my other files, just the hard-drive. I've tried deleting com.apple.desktop.plist like another page in a forum with a similar problem said to do an my desktop seemed to have shrunk. Probably to its default size.
I just hope I haven't lost all that work...

misticgoth - Dec 12, 2007 - 8:29 pm

I forgot to add that I've searched for the files in spotlight, and in recent items, but I got nothing. I opened Adobe Photoshop, and went to recent files and even that had nothing in it. It's like the files never existed or have been wiped out of the computer entirely.

zo219 - Dec 12, 2007 - 10:29 pm

It's unusual for files to actually disappear. Unfortunately, Spotlight in Tiger is not going to search every little thing. Download the free EasyFind in order to do that .

I know less about that sudden flash, and would want to know about your maintenance and permission routines ... though it sounds iike you almost had one of those spontaneous shutdowns. Do you have Applecare? How old is your machine?

Most people are not aware that the Desktop is not a good storage place. It's okay for working, but I run documents out of alias folders that are actually on the disk. If there is going to be file loss anywhere, it will be from the desktop.

Apple Hardware Diagnostic and Repair should be on your original Install disk - it it accessed by holding down the Option key at startup. Defintely need to run that -but look for your files first, I'll be they're there somewhere. Set EasyFind to look for visible and invisible ...

(Trashing the dektop plist isn't harmful - just doesn't help much.)

misticgoth - Dec 14, 2007 - 4:27 pm

I ran EasyFind, check 'search visible & invisible' and whatnot, and it still couldn't find any of the missing files. I've already reset the permissions using a program in the Utility folder, but that didn't work. I don't do much with the maintenance only because I'm not really sure how to do anything without screwing it up one way or another, and that may have led to this problem. I do have Applecare. My computer is a little less than a year old.
Boot Camp is installed in my system, so when I hold the Option key at startup I am led to the choice of partitions.