Member Avatar for Kat007

I am new here, and a long time mac user with Tiger 10.4.10.

Imagine my end of year shock to find today that after a save to an external drive, when all is done and back in my usual Mac HD mode, that double-clicking on a folder, or file on the desktop does not open the folder nor "find" the app to use. I feel like the Tinperson in the Wizard of Oz-the heart of my system is gone! The good news is that when I go to finder I can open stuff manually and the stuff is all there.
Please tell me that this some incredibily simple thing that I have taken for granted all of my OZ like (I am into the happy metaphor, but inside I am freaking out) mac life! Thanks,

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 211 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by John A

Dani AI

Generated

For : the pattern—desktop icons that won’t open by double‑click while the same items open normally from a Finder window—usually indicates a problem with the Finder’s desktop handler or the file→app mapping, not the files themselves. ’s alias idea and ’s Disk Utility/Terminal suggestions are sensible quick checks; the following adds focused, safe troubleshooting and explains how to tell which subsystem is at fault.

Quick sanity checks: verify the mouse/trackpad double‑click speed in System Preferences (if it’s set very slow or very fast, double‑clicks can be missed). Selecting an icon and using the Open shortcut (Command+O) or right‑click → Open helps distinguish a timing/click problem from a Finder/association problem. Use Get Info on a desktop item to confirm whether it’s an alias or the actual document.

If the desktop handler looks suspect: relaunch Finder (Force Quit → select Finder → Relaunch). If relaunching helps temporarily, corrupt Finder preferences are likely—move ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist to a backup folder and log out/restart so a fresh preference file is created (keep a backup first). Booting in Safe Mode (hold Shift at startup) and creating a new test user are good ways to rule out third‑party login items or user‑level preference corruption.

For file‑to‑app problems, set a file’s Open With in Get Info and click Change All to restore associations. If many files lost handlers, a LaunchServices rebuild or a trusted maintenance utility can repair mappings. If problems persist after Disk Utility verification/repair and Safe Mode testing, the next step is deeper diagnostics or Apple/technician help—hardware issues are uncommon but possible.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for mpeters13

It sounds like your document aliases are messed up, or outdated. If the original files open fine, try making new ones. Click on the original, hold down the command (apple) key + L. This will create an alias. Throw the alias back on the desktop, or where-ever you'd like. If this doesn't work, I recommend downloading MainMenu. If there is truly is an issue with your file handlers, this program has tons of maintenance jobs, in one easy to use package.

http://www.santasw.com/

Member Avatar for John A

Have you tried repairing permissions with Disk Utility? If that doesn't work, can you try working at the terminal? Open it up (it's located in Applications/Utilities), and run the following commands:

$ cd Desktop
$ ls -al

If everything looks good in there, try typing cd "a_folder_name" , replacing a_folder_name with the name of a folder on your desktop. If that fails, then there's something wrong with your filesystem.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.