mac os x booting wiht no icons on desktop

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Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Could someone please help me out. This is the delema I am in. I am running mac os x server. I have a linksys router connected to my cable modem. I have p2p software installed (timbuktu). Anyways I have having trouble getting it to work so the manufacture of the software suggested that I try to bypass the router to see if that was the problem. Itried this but when the mac would go to boot up none of the icons would apear. Only the clock. And I cant do anything. So I put everythign back to the way it was. Now it boots up and I still cant get my icons to show up. How long will it take till they pop up or is this a proble or how can I fix this.



Also I have tried to reset the PRAM made no difference. I also reset the MOD. THe only thing I havent done yet is reset the PMU. Is this even going to make a difference as I have done everything and I am so screwed if I cant get it up and going.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    dobbydobby Posts: 797member
    Does the apple appear in the top left hand corner?

    If the apple is there the can you click on system prefs?

    Can you do a shift-apple-Q to logout? Try logging in under another user or root.



    Dobby.
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  • Reply 2 of 13
    dage007dage007 Posts: 320member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dobby

    Does the apple appear in the top left hand corner?

    If the apple is there the can you click on system prefs?

    Can you do a shift-apple-Q to logout? Try logging in under another user or root.



    Dobby.




    there isno apple at the top left of the screen



    now the geniw bar comes up cause i did a repair permisions on my mac os x volume. restarted using the keys and still no difference.



    no idea what to do now
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  • Reply 3 of 13
    Had you recently installed any "themes" or other interface hacks?
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  • Reply 4 of 13
    dage007dage007 Posts: 320member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Brad

    Had you recently installed any "themes" or other interface hacks?



    Havent done anything to the mac. All I did was unplug the mac from the router and restart. Then seeing how that didnt work, I pluged the router back in and still wouldnt display the icons. Last night i got the mac to boot off the mac os x server cd and i did a repair disk and also a repair permisions. Completed the task, and still nothing. All i can see now is the genie at the bottom. I can click on applications and get to the disk utilities from there. If i try toopen any programs from there it crashes the program and wont open it. I see no drives or icons on the desktop. Still dont see the apple in the top left. I do see the clock thats it.



    Not sure what to do now. Pram is reset, PMU reset (by opening the mac) batery was checked..etc...
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  • Reply 5 of 13
    Sounds like an OS reload to me. But I'll be darned if I know how it happened....
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  • Reply 6 of 13
    dage007dage007 Posts: 320member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Not Unlike Myself

    Sounds like an OS reload to me. But I'll be darned if I know how it happened....



    Do you know if I reload mac os x 10.2 server, If I will loose everythign. Do I have to reinstall photoshop and all my custom actions and all that stuff that might take days?
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  • Reply 7 of 13
    You *may* be able to do a restore in place. Dunno. Anyone else here can help?
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  • Reply 8 of 13
    Oh, yes, you can reinstall over the existing installation and everything will stay in place. In the installer, there are three options: update, archive and install, and erase and install. You should try update first. If that doesn't help, try archive and install. That will move all your personal files and settings, all applications, and even the old System folder into a separate folder called "Previous Systems" so the installation will be "clean". You can simply drag them back into their appropriate folders after installing.
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  • Reply 9 of 13
    dage007dage007 Posts: 320member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Brad

    Oh, yes, you can reinstall over the existing installation and everything will stay in place. In the installer, there are three options: update, archive and install, and erase and install. You should try update first. If that doesn't help, try archive and install. That will move all your personal files and settings into a separate folder called "Previous Systems" so the installation will be "clean". You can simply drag them back into their appropriate folders after installing.



    Thnaks Brad, great info, jsut what I'm looking for. Hope this solves the problem.



    Dave
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  • Reply 10 of 13
    dage007dage007 Posts: 320member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Brad

    Oh, yes, you can reinstall over the existing installation and everything will stay in place. In the installer, there are three options: update, archive and install, and erase and install. You should try update first. If that doesn't help, try archive and install. That will move all your personal files and settings, all applications, and even the old System folder into a separate folder called "Previous Systems" so the installation will be "clean". You can simply drag them back into their appropriate folders after installing.



    Quick queestion though



    The cd wont allow me to do an update or and archive and install. There is a yellow triangle over my programs drive wich is where the mac os x server program is. I went to options as i go to install it and it says that it will do a full install and everything will be lost and it will re format the drive.



    what do i do now?
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  • Reply 11 of 13
    dobbydobby Posts: 797member
    Under what user are you logging in?

    Have you tried logging in under root?



    Dobby.
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  • Reply 12 of 13
    dage007dage007 Posts: 320member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dobby

    Under what user are you logging in?

    Have you tried logging in under root?



    Dobby.




    actually no login prompt comes up



    the mac os x server was set up to log in automatically under admin



    that might be the prob
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  • Reply 13 of 13
    dobbydobby Posts: 797member
    Can you telnet into the Server and kill the finder process?

    You should can also start other apps with the following.

    To start system Prefs

    cd /Applications/System Preferences.app/Contents/MacOS

    ././System\\ Preferences

    the window should appear on the server display.

    You need to use a \\ when you have any chars that cause the cli to think its a different command in this case a space.



    Dobby.
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