[danbrew]

I've got a DP G4 machine that has had 10.1 all the way up through 10.3 on the box. I recently discovered that one of my devices would not work with 10.3 and there was no option but to go back to 10.2. Of course I had not done an archival install...!

The 10.x version of the OS that shipped with the DP G4 did not offer the ability to do an archival install (it was missing the "option" button where you select the destination drive), so I used the OS that shipped with my 17 PB. It appears to have worked fine - relatively speaking. The OS went through its install routine and placed the 10.3 install user prefs in a "Previous System" folder - which is good because I had a ton of stuff on the desktop.

As far as I can tell the install seems to be working - the key applications that I use work well and I didn't have to reinstall any of them. The device (a Fuji Pictrography) that stopped working with 10.3 started working again things seems to be going well. I have done the various system and security updates and all that from the update software download - all the way through 10.2.8.

But... my system preferences seem to be gone! I hit the apple menu and select "Systems Preferences" and nothing happens. I've done this at least a dozen times and have rebooted - both warm and cold. Nothing.

Any suggestions on how to make my systems preferences come back?

thanks - danbrew

[Mr. Blur]

first step is always....try repair permissions (especially after installing lots of updates)

[danbrew]

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
first step is always....try repair permissions (especially after installing lots of updates)

Ah... how does one go about doing that?

thanks - danbrew

[reader50]

/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility

Select drive/partition to fix.
First Aid tab -> Repair Disk Permissions button.

[Peter753]

I've actually had the same problem, with the system preferences being gone from the apple menu bar when i was in 10.2.8. I could still access the system prefernces through, through the System Preferences thing in the applications folder. The problem fixed itself when i updated to 10.3.

[danbrew]

Originally posted by reader50:
/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility

Select drive/partition to fix.
First Aid tab -> Repair Disk Permissions button.

hmmm... thanks. did that and it repaired a few files, but still no Apple Menu/System Preferences. It's really odd - I can click on the "Systems Preferences..." menu but nothing happens - even after reboot.

Any more ideas? Upgrading to 10.3 isn't an option - I'm in this boat because I was going the other way!!

thanks - danbrew

[PowerCube]

Check which version of Systems Preferences you currently have installed in your Applications/Utilities folder. I believe Jag should be version 2.1. Anything newer than that is probably the systems prefs from Panther, and I do not believe it will run under Jag.