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voodoo · Apr 25, 2010, 07:51 PM

Hi all,

My friend who is a recent Mac convert has been having a strange problem which seems (so far) to be isolated to Skype and Firefox, namely that they keep disappearing.

Every time his Mac goes to sleep Skype and Firefox disappear. I guess this is while he leaves his computer overnight, I'm not sure if it has any direct connection with the Mac going to sleep, but there it is.

Every day he has to re-install Skype and Firefox. Then he leaves his Mac, it sleeps, and when he returns the next day these apps have disappeared and he has to re-install them.

I've never had this happen myself and never heard of this problem before. Anyone have ideas?

(he's running 10.6.3 AFAIK)

AKcrab · Apr 25, 2010, 08:27 PM

He's not "installing" them from the disk image?

voodoo · Apr 25, 2010, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by AKcrab

He's not "installing" them from the disk image?

I don't think so, he's no expert on the Mac, but I assume he can follow the instructions - i.e. copy the app from the disk image to the Applications folder.

I'll ask him though, but AFAIK he's just installed the apps the usual way. Correctly, that is.

turtle777 · Apr 25, 2010, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by AKcrab

He's not "installing" them from the disk image?

99% chance that this is the culprit.

-t

voodoo · Apr 25, 2010, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

99% chance that this is the culprit.

-t

OK, just to be sure, what do you (and AKCrab) mean when you say "install" from the disk image? Most apps are installed from a disk image, no?

Either way, it seems to an issue that exists, albeit uncommon.

Apple - Support - Discussions - Random Applications Disappear ...

turtle777 · Apr 25, 2010, 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by voodoo

OK, just to be sure, what do you (and AKCrab) mean when you say "install" from the disk image? Most apps are installed from a disk image, no?

Actually, what we mean is that the app got started from the downloaded, mounted disk image, but was never copied into the Applications folder.

So every time the disk image gets unmounted, the app is "gone".

-t

voodoo · Apr 25, 2010, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Actually, what we mean is that the app got started from the downloaded, mounted disk image, but was never copied into the Applications folder.

So every time the disk image gets unmounted, the app is "gone".

-t

Right, I've yet to assure that is not the case, but my friend is hopefully not so daft that he doesn't follow the simple drag-and-drop installation indicated when one opens the disk image of Skype or Firefox.

Though users can be pretty daft sometimes... as well we all know.

DarkStarRed · Apr 26, 2010, 02:59 AM

Ask him to go to Apple>Menu>Recent-items if the apps Firefox & Skype are not listed then he's opening them from the dmg.

I read through the apple threads wow first time I've heard about this too! Check back with him to see what Mac & OS he's running & whether he'd be willing to try the last alternative mentioned in thread.

AKcrab · Apr 26, 2010, 03:23 AM

I hate trying to explain disk images to customers.

Spheric Harlot · May 3, 2010, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by shaycorl

He is suppose to install from image disk another thing i can point is may be he has some sort of auto restore program installed which restore his system to when he installed them or some sort of stuff.

Hello and welcome to the forums.

This forum is about Mac OS X.

voodoo · May 3, 2010, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Hello and welcome to the forums.

This forum is about Mac OS X.

Yes? And this thread is about the OS making things disappear. I don't really understand your post.

Big Mac · May 4, 2010, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by AKcrab

I hate trying to explain disk images to customers.

Since I've "switched" to Windows 7 I've really longed for the ease of use afforded by disk images. Some knowledgeable Mac users like to complain about them and claim that newbies are confused by disk images, but I think they're most likely better off with them and would be even more confused by all the disparate installers, temp folders, strange default locations and other install oddities found in Windows.

Spheric Harlot · May 4, 2010, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by voodoo

Yes? And this thread is about the OS making things disappear. I don't really understand your post.

I don't understand a single one of shaycorl's posts.

Nothing to do with your thread, sorry.

Spheric Harlot · May 4, 2010, 01:56 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Since I've "switched" to Windows 7 I've really longed for the ease of use afforded by disk images. Some knowledgeable Mac users like to complain about them and claim that newbies are confused by disk images, but I think they're most likely better off with them and would be even more confused by all the disparate installers, temp folders, strange default locations and other install oddities found in Windows.

Yeah, but pointing and saying that it could be much worse doesn't mean it's not *broken*.

Disk images are one of my top three or four bugbears in OS X (the triangle button to show the folder hierarchy in Open/Save dialogs being next to the file name rather than next to the location being another). Beginner or intermediate user, it ALWAYS needs to be explained at least once to platform newbies.