[Photocro]

My Sys Prefs will not open either on the dock or under the Apple logo in the Finder. Just happened today and I am wondering what I need to do and how to do it as I am new to Mac. the only items I have introduced, which was yesterday, was a game demo called the castleX.app. Other than that it has been photoshop and email and firefox browser. I just noticed that there is some kind of symbol over the dock sys Pref icon that appears in a slightly darker gray and I can't quite tell what it is. It appears when I click on the dock icon for sys prefs. A mystery to me.

[seanc]

Is it by any change a question mark?
If you search for  'Preference' using Spotlight, does System Preferences.app show up? It sounds like it has been renamed, moved or deleted.

[Photocro]

It might be. I noticed it went above the icon into the screen space of the monitor. Too fast for these old eyes to track it. What can I do to track this back? I need to learn a lot more about the OS and don't mind doing the work. Can you walk me through the solution to find what happened?

The more I look a it, yes, it may be a question mark.

-bash: /System/Library/PreferencePanes/Spotlight.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/Spotlight: cannot execute binary file. This is what I came up with. Don't know if this helps, but, it may.

Can't find Spotlight.app either. This may be my fault as I just came over from PC and made a mistake in uninstalling some stuff from the dock, I think. I may have done nothing. Been looking around since you answered my post. A different language from the PC registry that I now have to relearn. Thank you for being concerned. I really appreciate the help.

[jmiddel]

Check to see that 'System Preferences' is in the Utility folder which is in the Applications folder. If there, drag it to Dock. Don't know whether that would fix the Apple Menu problem.

[JKT]

It sounds more likely that you have accidentally deleted your Sys Prefs application (did you move it out of its default folder before doing a system update by any chance? If so, this is not such a good idea for Apple's own apps as it has a habit of breaking them when they are updated*). There are two options if you have deleted it - if you are running Leopard (OS X 10.5) and have been using Time Machine, you can restore the application from a backup. If you are running an older version of OS X or have not being using Time Machine in Leopard, search for Pacifist at MacUpdate: Apple Macintosh Software & Game Downloads (its developed by CharlesS who posts at these forums, btw) which will allow you to install the Sys Prefs software alone from the OS X installation discs that came with your Mac.

There is actually a third option, which is to do an archive and install of the system, but that would probably cracking a nut with the proverbial hammer.

* I'm not sure if this is still the case in Leopard but it certainly was in 10.4.x and earlier. Anyone able to clarify?

[Photocro]

10.5.1. Leopard. No, I must have screwed up,somehow. I have the discs to replace this, I guess. Honestly, I did a couple of adventure game downloads yesterday and then got rid of them through the trash. I gave no weight to the items though I think I saw something in the trash that may have been a part of this. Tell me I am not that stupid, please. How could a game take my system away? Oh well, I never expected anything to be fool proof. Dang!

[Hal Itosis]

Originally Posted by jmiddel 

Check to see that 'System Preferences' is in the Utility folder which is in the Applications folder. If there, drag it to Dock. Don't know whether that would fix the Apple Menu problem.

Actually, System Preferences.app belongs in /Applications.
[let's not confuse the new user. ]

[Hal Itosis]

Originally Posted by Photocro 

10.5.1. Leopard. No, I must have screwed up,somehow. I have the discs to replace this, I guess. Honestly, I did a couple of adventure game downloads yesterday and then got rid of them through the trash. I gave no weight to the items though I think I saw something in the trash that may have been a part of this. Tell me I am not that stupid, please. How could a game take my system away? Oh well, I never expected anything to be fool proof. Dang!

Actually, to delete System Preferences (in Leopard) would also require typing
an admin password. If these "adventure games" asked for your password, we
can more likely blame one of them... *if* indeed System Preferences is actually
missing from the /Applications folder. Sort that folder alphabetically. What do
you see between Stickies and TextEdit?  [The cache file for the Dock could be
acting up. I also recall the Apple menu failing to open System Prefs... but not
the reason folks found for that one.]

BTW, I advise using sites such as VersionTracker and MacUpdate to hunt for
programs to "try out". While we Mac users are fairly safe, there's really a lot
riding on trust. At the sites mentioned, we can read user reviews... and also
depend on the folks running the place to remove known junk. [Such as the
recent case with "MacSweeper".]

Originally Posted by Photocro 

-bash: /System/Library/PreferencePanes/Spotlight.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/Spotlight: cannot execute binary file.

Somehow you landed in Terminal (which is strange).

[I kinda suspect cache corruption, like maybe Dock and/or LaunchServices... not sure tho.]

[JKT]

As far as I am aware, deleting System Preferences (or any other Apple app) doesn't require a password if you are running as the default admin account. It is just a .app bundle after all. It might not be deletable because it is in use, but that isn't the same as needing a username and password. Personally, however, I'm not really willing to test this out ;-)

[Photocro]

I will search apps as was indicated. I thought about it while out shooting some landscapes today and am rather sure that I did see sys prefs in the trash. I did not put it there and that is why I had to go back and over and over in my head if I really saw that. If I did then I thought it was something minor and trashed it. I am the admin on this machine so..... it may not have required a password.

Assuming it is gone how do I put it back?

OK, I checked the apps folder and it goes from stickies to surround sound, no sys prefs.


should I have to reinstall Leopard this would be a good time as I am just getting ready to transfer all my photos. I have not done so as yet.

[Hal Itosis]

Originally Posted by JKT 

As far as I am aware, deleting System Preferences (or any other Apple app) doesn't require a password if you are running as the default admin account. It is just a .app bundle after all. It might not be deletable because it is in use, but that isn't the same as needing a username and password. Personally, however, I'm not really willing to test this out ;-)

Hello... it doesn't even move to trash without authentication.
Certainly you could have tested *that* much before posting?

[Hal Itosis]

Originally Posted by Photocro 

should I have to reinstall Leopard this would be a good time as I am just getting ready to transfer all my photos. I have not done so as yet.

JKT told you about Pacifist yesterday.
Have you tried it?

[Photocro]

As i stated, it was probably my fault. I think, I THINK, I saw, in the trash, recovered files that might, MIGHT, have included sys prefs. How it got in the folder I do not know. I did not put it there with password or other wise though I may have accidentally deleted it. What ever happened, how do I get it back onto my computer?

Just trying to figure out how to get it back. Please, my issue is that whatever happened it is not here and I am looking for factual advice on reinstalling it. Period. Forget the rest of this I just want to get it back.

Am I ignorant of Mac, yes. Did I make a mistake, possibly. Am I asking for help, yes. Thanks.

[Chuckit]

Pacifist.

[Photocro]

Got Pacifist, what do I do with it as to my problem. I have yet to learn the ins and outs of the Mac.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by Hal Itosis 

Hello... it doesn't even move to trash without authentication.
Certainly you could have tested *that* much before posting?

Actually, I run as a non-admin so I would have been absolutely guaranteed that result... not exactly representative though.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by Photocro 

Got Pacifist, what do I do with it as to my problem. I have yet to learn the ins and outs of the Mac.

Insert the system restore or OS X Leopard DVD/CD that came with your mac and then launch Pacifist. I think it is all fairly self-explanatory from then on in, but it has been a very long time since I used it last - you need to find and look in the .pkg software package file (note, it might be a .mpkg) that the system is installed from, find the System Preferences software and get Pacifist to extract and install just that part of the package for you.

[Photocro]

JKT, I am going to buy you a beer or a cup of tea or whatever. Thank you for the illumination. It is quite difficult to sort through the mind sets on forums and you have come out four square. Now I know what to look for. Ok, I will get on this. Self-Explanatory is good. If I come upon some language that I do not understand I will post back to figure it out. Don't worry, I won't come to live at your house.

[JKT]

Actually, your best bet is to read the instructions - you'll notice the Open Apple Install Discs option in the first screenshot... that's the one you need to press:

Pacifist - Documentation

[Photocro]

No, no mac sweeper. How would I know that I had landed in terminal? Or, what do I look for or do about cache corruption. Your response can get me up to speed. I can get around the PC registry as long as I know that I don't know much. How do I get around the Mac? I think it may be a large help to tell us novices what NOT to do. Even though I made a stupid mistake as to "recovered files" in the Trash. I think this is what occurred that made a problem with sys prefs. Why would recovered files be my sys prefs? My fault all the way. I didn't know the difference between Mac trash and PC trash.

[Photocro]

I installed the discs as asked for, disc 1, of Leopard install. I did not see any reference to system preferences per se. Is it called something else in Unix or did I just miss something? Thanks.

[0157988944]

You are making this so much harder than it actually is. Did you read the Pacifist instructions like JKT said?

You didn't need to install Leopard again. But if you did, you should have System Preferences back anyway.

[Photocro]

No, I just did not see a reference, in Pax, to sys prefs. I am not trying to make this difficult. I am trying, as someone new to this OS , to pare down any mistakes as I try to address mistakes that I have made. If you lack patience with me then please refrain. I know this seems elementary but you need to understand that is not at all familiar to any that are trying to figure this out. What is this forum for? if not to teach with patience?

I have two OS discs, not one. I went with what Pax stated to do. There was no reference to system preferences. System Profiler was there; not what I wanted as this still exists as to the registry.

[0157988944]

I'm not impatient with you. I'm telling you that it seems to me like you are making this 10x harder than it needs to be. I'm pretty sure that if you used Pacifist right, you should see System Preferences.app somewhere in there.

If you want to just get the whole thing over with, do an Archive and Install ut your Leopard disc in, click "Install Leopard" then when you get to the screen that has you choose a hard drive to install on, click "Options" and check "Archive and Install." When it is all done, your applications should be back where they need to be, and all your documents will still be there. There will be a "Previous Systems" folder too, which can be deleted.

[Photocro]

Thank you. I am just getting started and am glad for your help. I realize that is simple to most here. To me it is not. To me it is trying to find my way on an unknown path. Actually, I think it is this way for many who find your forum informative,yet, ultrakinsian.

[JKT]

I've made a screencast of what you need to do. It starts from the window that appears in Pacifist after you have already opened the Apple install disc and ends at the point where it asks for your admin username and password (I didn't go further as I didn't want to install the software).

Note, the easiest way to locate the necessary software is to perform the search as I do, for system preferences (what you can't see me do in the film is press enter once I have typed that in, which is what you need to do to start the search)*. You want to use the Install button rather than Extract as this will put all the necessary files in their default location, (whereas Extract will allow you to put them wherever you like).

Watch it here (~4.5MB)

N.B. What is displayed in the Pacifist window might not be exactly the same in your case - mine is for a "CPU drop-in" install of Leopard and not the full version as my system shipped with 10.4 installed, but after Leopard had been announced.

* Also, excuse my inept typing... I still can't quite get used to the new Apple keyboard that came with my iMac.

[0157988944]

The thing is, he says Spotlight was deleted too, which leads me to think that he should just archive and install so all his apps are back where they need to be.

[Photocro]

OK, it's done. All was quite simple and I was making too big a deal out of this. I guess that this is my way of quadruple checking my jitters concerning diving in and screwing up a very expensive machine. Also, I am so used to the vagaries of windows registries that I had no conception how user friendly the Mac would be. In the process I found that Spotlight was there all the time. Thanks for taking the time to be of so much support. I had to get my feet wet and I worried about installing the RAM just as much. That went well also. I very much appreciate your helping me find my way around this computer. This is just a new ballgame for me and I now feel more comfortable in great part to you folks.

[0157988944]

It really helps to try to forget Windows... You'll find that Mac ways of doing things are actually more simple and intuitive, but may seem weird compared to Windows. If possible, when attempting to do something, don't think "How did I do this on Windows?" think "How would I expect to be able to do this?"

[Photocro]

Good Advice, thanks for your interest and help. Very much appreciated.