[zeller]

Howdy,

I'd be grateful if anyone has any help for this problem, which has been haunting my machine for months now. Even after a fresh install of 10.3 the problem recurred. (Probably because I maintained the same home directory.)

Basically, it is just like in the old MacOS 7 days when my desktop database needed to be rebuilt. I have broken ugly chimeric icons, generic icons, icons that don't match the document's extension, and odd double-icons.

This happens in all views (list, small icons, bug icons, etc.), but sometimes the particular manifestations will vary between views for a particular file.

Note also that double-clicking works fine, the problems is purely cosmetic.

Here are two examples:

1)
That's an alias to a microsoft word document. Yes, the document type is correct, but I have opted to hide extensions.

2)
Get info on a file that has a wrong icon. Wrong, but different. On the desktop the icon shows up with the icon from the application "iPodRip".

Anyone know what the problem is? Anyone else experience this? I'm totally baffled.

many many TIA's,

Ben

[gorickey]

Give the following script a shot...

RebuildDesktopX 1.0

[jgift]

Type in the Terminal:

sudo rm -Rf /Library/Caches/com.apple.LaunchServices.LocalCache.csstore

Log out/log in. It should be fixed.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by jgift:
Type in the Terminal:

sudo rm -Rf /Library/Caches/com.apple.LaunchServices.LocalCache.csstore

Log out/log in. It should be fixed.

Don't enter the -Rf in that command. Since the file you are deleting is an ordinary file, and not a folder, the only thing the -Rf does for you is that it allows you to accidentally erase your entire hard drive, your Library folder, or your Caches folder with a typo.

If I had to use the Terminal to do this, I'd just:

cd /Library/Caches
sudo rm com.apple.LaunchServices.LocalCache.csstore

However, even that's not necessary. Just navigate to the /Library/Caches folder, put whatever file starts with 'com.apple.LaunchServices' into the Trash, and enter your admin password when prompted. If you're using Panther, there's no reason to use the Terminal. I think people around here have become a little too Terminal-happy lately.

Doing this with the Finder is more likely to work anyway, since the file in my Caches folder actually has a slightly different name than 'com.apple.LaunchServices.LocalCache.csstore'. By doing it by hand, you'll be sure to get the file.

[jgift]

On the "-R", it's a generic thing in case for me of directories. I have it in a clean up batch file so no errors.... In the case of the actual file, you're right, the thing's name has mutated. Best put in a *. Thanks for the tip, I hadn't noticed.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by jgift:
On the "-R", it's a generic thing in case for me of directories. I have it in a clean up batch file so no errors.... In the case of the actual file, you're right, the thing's name has mutated. Best put in a *. Thanks for the tip, I hadn't noticed.

No, it's best just to use the Finder, as I described. Using the terminal and entering rm -rf with slashes in the path just sets you up to accidentally erase your hard drive with one small typo.