Rebuilding your desktop in Mac OS X
If you are using Mac OS X, you will need to rebuild thedesktop only if you are using the Classic environment.It's not necessary to restart your computer or install any extrautilities to do the rebuild. Instead, follow these instructions:
- From the Apple menu, select System Preferences....In System Preferences, from the View menu, selectClassic.
- In the
Classicsystem preference pane, click theAdvanced tab. - Click the Rebuild Desktop button.
- The Best Data Recovery Software of 2018. DiskWarrior is unrivaled in its ability to repair and rebuild the Mac directory. If you have Mac with a traditional hard drive.
- The NewerTech 14-Piece Portable Toolkit is ideal for the technician on the go. The rugged, zippered, woven-nylon outer casing keeps your tools assembled in a small, convenient package and the padded interior ensures your tools remain right where you left them.
How to rebuild your desktop on a Mac OS computer other than OSX
In versions of Mac OS previous to OS X, you rebuilt the desktop to re-create the association between files and their applications. OS X handles the desktop structure more efficiently, which eliminates the need to rebuild the desktop.
To rebuild your Mac OS computer's desktop, start or restartthe computer while pressing the Option andCmd keys. Keep these keys depressed all theway through the booting process until the computer asks if you aresure you want to rebuild the desktop. Click Yes.
Note: If you have Mac OS 9 and are using MultipleUsers, to rebuild the desktop, press the Option andCmd keys immediately after you enter your password to login.
What this does for your computer
Rebuilding your desktop refreshes the associations between programsand the files created by them, so that you can start a program bydouble-clicking files created by it. It also refreshes the assignmentsbetween files or applications and the icons associated with them. Toput it another way, the Desktop file is a map of thecontents of your hard drive; rebuilding the desktop redraws the map.
If some of your files show up with generic icons or you can't launch aprogram by clicking a file created by it, rebuilding your desktop canhelp. Rebuild the desktop if you get an error like this:
'This document couldn't be opened because the application that createdit could not be found.'
If you have the application on your computer, rebuilding the desktopshould fix this error.
Rebuilding your desktop can also repair some kinds of damage to yourdirectory, which is the information that tells where files are locatedon the disk. If some of your files are not showing up on your desktop,rebuilding the desktop can sometimes fix this.
You should rebuild your desktop at least once a month to keep yoursystem running smoothly.
Note: In versions of Mac OS prior to 7.5.3,rebuilding your desktop causes you to lose any comments you may haveadded to the 'Get Info' dialogs for your files. A utilitylike TechTool can save this information. For more information onTechTool, visit Micromat, Inc. at:
As Macs continue to gain market share, there is an increased likelihood that you will have to support them if you are a tech. And even if you aren’t a tech, it’s good to know which tools are the best to use when it comes time to repair your own. I have put together a list of what are, in my opinion, the ten best repair tools for troubleshooting, diagnosing, and repairing a Mac. Many of them are free or offer a free trial.
OSx Sierra
Disk Warrior Trial
Free Mac Disk Repair Software
TechTool Protogo
TechTool Protogo is a Mac repair program suite which contains three of Micromat’s best Mac repair tools; TechTool Pro 8, TechTool Pro Classic, and DiskStudio. Protogo creates a bootable Mac repair toolbox with these tools as well as any of your own tools on a portable hard drive or flash drive. You can then boot from this drive, bypassing the OS, and run diagnostics on a computer to determine problems. Protogo also allows you to repair and recover data from problematic hard drives as well as defragment, optimize, and securely delete data.
Cost: $129.99
Memtest OS X
Memtest OS X is a memory testing program for Mac OS X. It is a command line utility so it can be ran in OS X or in Single-User Mode if your Mac will not boot. It is great for testing intermittent system problems when you are having trouble determining if it is a memory problem. If you prefer memtest with a GUI front-end, then be sure to check out Rember. Rember will run in OS X but will not work in Single-User Mode so Memtest OS X is the better option.
Cost: $1.39
Mac Disk Repair – DiskWarrior 4
Disk Repair for Macs – DiskWarrior utilizes a unique disk repair method for Macs
DiskWarrior is arguably one of the best hard drive repair programs for the Mac. It works differently than other data repair programs. Instead of trying to rebuild the damaged data itself, DiskWarrior builds replacement data based off of the original data. It then verifies the new data structure based on the original to make sure it is error free. You can also use DiskWarrior as a preventative maintenance utility for hard disks. When run, it rebuilds your directory eliminating any damage that you may not be aware of. It also optimizes the directory for better performance.
Cost: $99.95
If it is more serious and your Mac’s hard drive has crashed, I have provided an extensive data recovery guide with a list of Hard Drive Recovery Tools in my article How to Recover Data from a Crashed Hard Drive.
OnyX
Onyx is a maintenance, optimization, and personalization utility for Mac OS X. It allows you to run hard drive diagnostics, run system maintenance tasks, delete caches, and configure tons of OS X hidden features. Even if you aren’t using it as a repair utility, it is a great application to help keep your Mac running in top shape.
Cost: Free!
Mac Data Rescue
Rebuild Desktop Mac Os X
Data Rescue is a data recovery program that focuses purely on recovering data from corrupt drives instead of hard drive repair. It scans the corrupt drive analyzing all of its contents and allows you to choose which data you would like to recover. It even scans for deleted files. Data Rescue II restores the data to a separate drive leaving the original data intact. It comes with an emergency boot CD that you can use to recover data when the computer will not boot and it also works on drives that won’t mount.
Cost: $99.00
AppCleaner
AppCleaner may not be classified as a repair tool but it can be used as one. When you are having trouble with an application in OS X, you can simply remove it by dragging it to the Trash. However, this still leaves behind the applications preferences, caches, and other files that could still cause the same problem after you reinstall it. AppCleaner will remove all of these files making sure that the app is completely gone before you attempt a reinstall.
Cost: Free!
Drive Genius
Drive Genius is a disk utility application for Macs. Its main features include defragmenting, running benchtests, directory repair, integrity checks, surface scans, repartitioning, cloning, shredding data, and more. This is actually the same program used to defrag Macs at the Genius Bar in Apple Stores. Drive Genius also comes on a bootable DVD so you can run it even when a Mac will not boot.
Cost: $99.00
Mac Backup – Carbon Copy Cloner
Carbon Copy Cloner is a simple yet very effective backup utility for the Mac. Like most other backup utilities, it can be scheduled to backup your Mac on a regular basis. The best part, however, is its ability to completely clone a hard drive with it still being bootable. This tool comes in very handy when you are replacing hard drives, setting up multiple Macs, or recovering from a system crash. Carbon Copy Cloner is donation-ware so you can download it for free without any restrictions. You can also check out SuperDuper which has more features but costs $27.95. However, if you just need a simple backup and cloning utility, Carbon Copy Cloner does a great job.
Cost: Free! (donation-ware)
Apple Mac Disk Repair – AppleJack
AppleJack is a troubleshooting utility for Mac OS X. It runs under Single-User Mode so it can be used even when OS X will not boot. AppleJack will repair disks, repair permissions, cleanup cache files, validate preference files, and remove swap files. You can select these tasks individually or have AppleJack run all of them and even reboot when finished. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, AppleJack is not yet compatible with Leopard but a new version is in the works. Be sure to check their page frequently for an update because this is an invaluable tool.
Cost: Free! (open-source)
Hardware Monitor
Hardware Monitor is a utility that allows you to view data from the hardware sensors in a Mac. It currently has support for temperature readings, battery data, voltage, current, fan speed, power and load, ambient light, as well as user-defined artificial sensors. It’s a great utility to use when simply trying to find out if your hardware is malfunctioning.
Cost: € 7.00 (can also be purchased with U.S. Dollars)
OSX disk repair -Leopard
Comparing Rebuild Desktop Tool For Mac Drives On Windows
This is kind of a nice segway into handy hardware tools and toolkits. Click on the following link if you want to see some great ideas on what I recommend for your Mac or PC Repair Toolkit.
As you may know, I believe your should support Macs in your Computer IT Consultant Business. I state my case here in my article on Why You Should Support Macs With Your IT Business.
Well if you were counting, that is 4 totally free Mac OSX disk repair utilities, and one so cheap it may as well be free! The best Mac repair disk software may well be a paid one depending on your exact needs, and I’ve shown you my pick for the best of those too.
Excellent Mac disk repair software is provided above, for you to consider and try if you like. What Mac OS X repair tools do you like? Is there another Mac Disk Repair utility you’d suggest? Please leave a comment to help others, or if the above tools have helped you. And as for hardware, click this link if you want to repair hard drive-Mac.
Itool For Mac
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