MacInTouch: Deleting bad cache files in OS X and finding bad pref files

MacInTouch Home Page

Dennis Sweet, meanwhile, explains that similarly strange symptoms can be produced by a different Mac OS X problem:

With Mac OS X, corrupted preference files may not be the only thing to look for.
I have had a weird problem with my Desktop. The problem only shows up with my username, and not any other users on the same Macintosh (a 15' AL Powerbook). The problem would show up when I would download a number of files, usually ten or more, to my desktop. I would then sort them into folders. The problem was evident as:

1. Some files wouldn't show up on the Desktop and/or there would be multiple copies of them.
2. When I transferred the files to folders (usually more than one at a time), the icons would reappear and/or the icons of the files that I didn't copy would move or duplicate on the Desktop.
3. Most of the time, icons that weren't being moved would seem to be duplicated. But if I deleted the duplicate icon, both icons would be deleted.

Selecting Cleanup from the View menu didn't help, even when some of the icons were mostly off-screen.
I just returned from the local Apple Store Genius desk, and the problem was a bad cache file. He deleted the Library:Caches:Desktop folder from my user home folder and I am back to normal. I had spent several weeks trying to find the bad Preferences file to avoid having to do a clean install. Hope this helps someone else.

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Also on the same theme, a script for finding bad pref files.

Plain Quiet Noise Reduction Headphones

Outside the Box

Plane Quiet $79.99

Plane Quiet is an industry leader in active noise reduction technology. The soft, ergonomic headsets offer the exceptional performance of comparable models at a fraction of the cost. Our patented design was tested on airline professionals and frequent fliers to ensure the highest quality and most comfortable fit. Plane Quiet eliminates up to 17 decibels across the sound spectrum, so you can relax and enjoy your favorite movie, music or pristine silence on your next flight, or anytime you need to block out unpleasant noise.

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Follow the link from TravelInsider and enter the code "travelinsider" to get 10% off.

Update 8/04: These have been disappointing. My first pair was clearly defective and they were replaced. The second set seemed ok, until I plugged it into a charging iPod. The 60Hz hum was deafening. Even being near electronic devices was a problem -- they picked up a hum. They seemed to have both a grounding and an antenna problem. They work best on airplanes (little interference) but aren't very useful on the ground.

Update 4/28/05: The cord finally broke, and I was free to replace these darned things. They weren't all bad, I got my money's worth I suppose -- but one year is short lifespan. I had been steeling myself, and I bought a pair of Bose II headphones for ... $300 (ouch, ouch, ouch)! The Bose come with a very nice case. They're probably only 3x as good as the Plane Quiets, so they're overpriced, but that's the way it goes.

My Next Digital Camera

John's Digital Photography Page

I love my Canon G2. Really, the best camera I've ever owned, even better than my first camera, the ancient SLR Minolta SR2.

I'll be ready to part, however, if Canon delivers a G6 with:

1. The Digital Rebel's 6 megapixel CMOS sensor. I want the light sensitivity of CMOS.

2. An internal but seviceable 30GB drive. Why should I need to bother with memory cards?

3. USB 2 or (better) Firewire data transfer.

4. Internal 32 bit data paths.

5. JPEG2000 native formats.

6. The G3 body and general features. I like that camera.

7. Ability to take highest res photos with no shutter lag and 1/4 sec or less intervals.

Except for the last there's no real technical challenge to any of this -- Canon could make the camera today and sell it for about $900. So I'm hopeful I'll get it in the fall of 2005 for $500.

Gigabyte's GN-WLBZ201 - USB wireless and thumb drive

Tom's Hardware Guide First Look: Gigabyte's GN-WLBZ201 - Wireless LAN Monitor, Continued

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Sounds useful!

iPhoto bug: there is not enough disk space ... how annoying ...

Apple - Discussions - Error exporting iPhoto4 slideshow to quicktim

I think it's an iPhoto bug arising from multiple causes. I do think that if you change your free space (either increase or DECREASE it) iPhoto will often decide you have enough room.

Try mucking with your disk space (heck, try using up some of it) and let us know if it works. The most common problem is a corrupted image however, and the only fix I know of is to hunt it down by serial export attempts.

Most recently this happened to me when I tried to export 512 images. I divided the set into half and exported the first half. Then I did the same and exported the next quarter. I repeated the process until I identified a SINGLE photo that, when I tried to export, produced the spurious error. The photo appeared fine -- iPhoto reported the normal size, etc.

I edited the photo in iPhoto 4, making an arbitrary crop. I then reverted to original. I then exported ALL of the remaining images without an error.

As an experiment I returned to the original 517 photos and tried exporting them en masse. This time it worked without any error message.

I'm told iPhoto 4 had a disastrous development process and a brutally short timeline to get from nothing to something that could be shoveled out the door. If there's one single thing that shows Jobs persistent weaknesses, it's Apple's attitude towards this key piece of software.

Very cool portable ethernet device, on fascinating web site

RoadWired

Auto-Retract Network/ISDN Cord
Price: $32.95
In stock, ready to ship!



Click on any image to enlarge
If you need to connect your notebook to a network or high-speed hub, particularly when traveling, this is a must-have accessory. Seven feet of high-quality, "Cat. 5e" certified cord with RJ-45 (network-type) connectors at either end, stored in a protective housing. Pull out to use, push button to retract. Built-in adapter system adds amazing versatility (see specifics at right).

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The phone connectors are wild. The only thing it needs is a crossover converter.

Members wanted: the Society for the Preservation of the True PDA (SPTPDA)

I moved this posting to a new blog dedicated to our society/cult.

Compucable FirePod Universal FireWire AC/DC adapter and USB/FireWire 12VDC charger kit (p/n FXU-PWR-KIT-DX)

Compucable FirePod Universal FireWire AC/DC adapter and USB/FireWire 12VDC charger kit (p/n FXU-PWR-KIT-DX): "3 pcs. FirePod Universal FireWire, AC/DC adapter and USB/FireWire 12VDC charger kit (p/n FXU-PWR-KIT-DX)"

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I can't tell for sure from the description, but this $25 device might just charge my iPod, my phone, and my Tungsten E ...

Apple KB Fix: Mac OS X 10.3: Mail quits when you click Junk Mail

Mac OS X 10.3: Mail quits when you click Junk Mail

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reset preferences.

Blogger Unofficial FAQ blog - archived version

Blogger FAQ blog

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I couldn't find a more recent version, need to look further?

Fixing problems with OS X preference files (from Macintouch)

MacInTouch Home Page

Ben Levi's note yesterday about fixing common problems with Mac OS X preference files brought several tips:

[Byron Han] From the Terminal, you can issue the following commands:

find ~/Library -name '*.plist' -exec /usr/bin/plutil -lint {} \;

and it will scan all of the plist files in your Library directory to see if they are corrupt or not....

[Alan Goates] The nice thing about most preference files is that they are actually well-formatted XML with DTDs to validate against. You can
do this with any validating XML parser, but here's an easy and free way to validate them all in one command line.
First download Xerces for Java, then cd into that folder (i.e. 'cd Desktop/xerces-2_6_2') from the command line and type

java -cp xercesImpl.jar:xercesSamples.jar sax.Counter ~/Library/Preferences/*.plist

If the file is really corrupted, this should catch it.

[Andreas Junghans] I suggest running the following in a terminal window:
sudo fs_usage | grep 'Sherlock' | grep 'plist'

This line monitors all file system access (sudo fs_usage) and filters out everything except access by Sherlock (grep 'Sherlock') regarding preference files (grep 'plist'). Note that you will be asked for your admin password since monitoring file system access is not allowed for ordinary users.

With this command running, start Sherlock, and you get a nice output of preference files (ending in .plist) that Sherlock accesses. The preference file causing trouble will usually be in '/Users/[your username]/Library/Preferences' or '/Library/Preferences'.

[Randy B. Singer] The corrupted preferences problem in Mac OS X isn't as complex as the extension conflict problem in Mac OS 8/9, so dealing with it is not as difficult. All that is required is a utility program that can make a backup copy of all of your user preferences files when your Mac is working well, and which can substitute all of the good preferences files for the suspect ones when a problem arises. This [free] program does exactly that: Back up user prefs.

Mac Marginalization - thoughts on Apple's responses ...

Mac Marginalization (Part 2)

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Some thoughts, which I need to write-up for MacInTouch:

1. Everyone needs a XP machine, so either:
a. emulation on Mac
b. apple branded headless xp peripheral
c. thin client for an XP machine -- use it to run Mac software/hardware.

2. European litigation.

3. Linux alliance: thin client, run Linux apps. Safari/Firebird alliance.

4. Need all of the above.

Lasersoft Imaging / SilverFast SE: Scanner software for Mac and PC

Lasersoft Imaging / SilverFast SE

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This scanning software got an amazing review from a super guru. Demo version available and a "light" version for $50. I'm definitely going to take a look at this.

Tunes 4 library files: Apple Knowledge Base

What are the iTunes 4 library files?This is a great kb article. Note the piece about deleting older versions. It also suggests one could play with the XML file to fix various issues. The description here fits with what I've seen when I access a shared iTunes library from both Mac (maintains database) and PC (drag and drop folders into iTunes to update PC database. It does suggest some potentially interesting experiments with Mac and PC databases.

File Locations:
Mac OS X
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes 4 Music Library
/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music Library.xml

Microsoft Windows
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes 4 Music Library.itl
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music Library.xml

iTunes 4 Music Library (iTunes 4 Music Library.itl in Windows)
This file is a database of the songs in your library and the playlists you've created. If you delete the file, iTunes creates a new, empty copy when you open the application, but any playlists, song ratings, comments, or other information you created is lost. The iTunes 4 Music Library file is only used by iTunes.

Tip: Older versions of iTunes you may have installed and used on the computer created their own version of the file, such as: 'iTunes 3 Music Library' or 'iTunes Music Library (2)'. When you installed and open a new version of iTunes, information from these older files is imported into the new database file. You can delete the older iTunes Library files.

iTunes Music Library.xml
This file contains some (but not all) of the same information stored in the iTunes 4 Music Library file. The purpose of the iTunes Music Library.xml file is to make your music available to other applications on your computer. In Mac OS X other iLife applications (like iPhoto, iDVD, and iMovie) use this file to make it easier for you to add music from your iTunes library to your projects.

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So what happens if I delete this one? I need to look at it and try!

Shuttle's XPC ZEN ST62K - external power supply, Tom HW Feb reveiw

Tom's Hardware Guide First Look: Shuttle's XPC ZEN ST62K - XPC Zen ST62K - A New Kind Of Compact