Mac 101: Don't move those files!

Once I decided to rename my user folder in the sidebar. Unfortunately, I didn't expect it to actually rename the main system user folder (just the shortcut in the Finder sidebar). Things started to stop working and stuff went missing almost immediately. Luckily, I found out how to reboot as some system user and mess around with some fancy command-line moves and the problem was resolved. But an ordinary user would never have known what to do and would have had to get some support.

This sort of thing shouldn't happen. If doing a normal action (such as renaming a folder and others listed in the article) is going to have such unexpected and severe results, then it needs to have some sort of warning or obvious way of communicating that these particular files/folders shouldn't be messed with. Especially on a Mac, where unlike Windows, most programs can even be moved about with no big issues. The system shouldn't fall apart because someone didn't realise that some particular folder is special.

Thanks to all for the tip on moving the MSUserData folder to ~/Library/Preferences I HATE that folder being in my Documents folder. Moving it did the trick. Thanks!

The king of stupid apps, imho, is Quicken, which still stores personal data files (named QuickenData by default) in the *application* folder, where it is oh so easy for the uninitiated to toss out their data along with the program when upgrading the software.

I know a guy who zoned out and trashed his Applications folder while cleaning up some disorganized directories. Guy had been using Apple computers since before the Mac, but I guess he just hadn't had his coffee that day...

First of all, sorry about the previous post. It was an old entry in my 1Password (annoyed look)

Second, I hope that most people who read this blog already know enough not to be told "don't move obviously useful files to the trash".

Last, come on! How can a person who actually uses the product be so dense as to delete a folder called "insert-product-name User Data"? ANd do we really need to Remind such people Not to do these things? Would it help? (chuckling)

A friend called me when he couldn't get an application to install because the disk image couldn't find an application to open itself. Turns out his kids had trashed his 'Utilities' folder, including the Installer util. If you're gonna let your kids use your computer, give them their own accounts and turn off admin access!

There's a better solution... Don't use entourage - I had so many problems in the years I used that - and so few (touch wood,) since I switched to using 'mail'!

Happy Thanksgiving All! You are the Best... first blog I have Ever read regularly and check several times a day... you speak to my geeky heart ;-)

Also remember how this applies to Mac apps like iDVD, i recently renamed some external drives, primary and backup. Then later on realized that My iDVD Projects lost link to all associated project files. Fortunately it asks you where they are and after some clicking around, you can recover. This also affects remote users configured for a default login to networked drives. Copying these files from one drive to another, would get error messages until the mappings were resolved. So kudos to apple for the checksums, but a little tedious.

I had a user do this to me. She told me, "My emails are gone". I couldn't figure it out - I had just updated her system, had been very careful to move everything over properly. I found that the "MS User Data" folder was in her trash, so I moved it back (thinking nothing of it). A little while later, she complained again. Her emails were missing again! At that point I asked if she had deleted her "Microsoft User Data" folder - she had. When I asked why, she didn't know. She just deleted it because "she didn't think it was necessary". Sigh. (Technically it is really MS's fault for putting the folder there, as it doesn't belong in that directory).