Can you still use the applications that are in the Applications folder? (i.e.; accessing them from the dock, if they're in the dock.) Search for 'Applications' under Spotlight and see if the folder inadvertently got moved into another directory. (Or if there's more than one.) Likewise, search for applications via Spotlight that you can still use and see where they're located on the hard drive.
What Happened To My Applications Folder?
I went to my HD today to run Disk Utility and there it wasn't.
My applications folder has disappeared. I can see the Applications folder under my computer name folder, with the "house" symbol, but it is empty.
Where did it go, and how do I get it back?
MBP first gen 1.83 running 10.4.10.
My applications folder has disappeared. I can see the Applications folder under my computer name folder, with the "house" symbol, but it is empty.
Where did it go, and how do I get it back?
MBP first gen 1.83 running 10.4.10.
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
All is back to normal, but how this happened is a mystery to me.
For the record here is how I solved the issue.
First I did a search in Spotlight which showed me I had five Applications folders, but did not tell me where they were.
Then I used the "Find" function under the Finder>File>Find which did show me where the folders were located. Only the first folder contained the working .apps. and was located under computername>Desktop>Applications. but it was nowhere to be seen on the desktop. It was like it was invisible for whatever reason
The second folder was located on the hard drive and had the little yellow "A" like symbol on it, but contained only one .app, that being iTunes.
The third, fourth and fifth folders each only contained one .app as well.
I returned to the second folder marked with the "A" since that was what I was used to seeing on my hard drive and dragged the iTunes .app to the desktop.
I then opened the first folder from the "Find" function and did a select all, copy and paste into the folder on the HD with the "A" symbol.
All .apps then appeared in the right folder as normal on the HD.
I then compared the iTunes on the desktop to the one in the Applications folder and found it was much older, so trashed it. I did the same with the .apps in the other three folders and trashed them as well.
I am now back to normal, but I have no idea how this happened. I sure didn't create these extra folders with one .app in each.
A restart and permissions repair has all back to normal. For now.
This on a first gen 1.83 MBP with 2G RAM and an 80G HD with 18.2 G available.
For the record here is how I solved the issue.
First I did a search in Spotlight which showed me I had five Applications folders, but did not tell me where they were.
Then I used the "Find" function under the Finder>File>Find which did show me where the folders were located. Only the first folder contained the working .apps. and was located under computername>Desktop>Applications. but it was nowhere to be seen on the desktop. It was like it was invisible for whatever reason
The second folder was located on the hard drive and had the little yellow "A" like symbol on it, but contained only one .app, that being iTunes.
The third, fourth and fifth folders each only contained one .app as well.
I returned to the second folder marked with the "A" since that was what I was used to seeing on my hard drive and dragged the iTunes .app to the desktop.
I then opened the first folder from the "Find" function and did a select all, copy and paste into the folder on the HD with the "A" symbol.
All .apps then appeared in the right folder as normal on the HD.
I then compared the iTunes on the desktop to the one in the Applications folder and found it was much older, so trashed it. I did the same with the .apps in the other three folders and trashed them as well.
I am now back to normal, but I have no idea how this happened. I sure didn't create these extra folders with one .app in each.
A restart and permissions repair has all back to normal. For now.
This on a first gen 1.83 MBP with 2G RAM and an 80G HD with 18.2 G available.
I tried replying to your post the other day but I had changed my email address and forgot to confirm it via a link sent to me. Couldn't post.
For anyone else having problems with missing their Apps, the following is what got me out of the same crunch.
XRay 1.1 - Mac OS X - VersionTracker
For anyone else having problems with missing their Apps, the following is what got me out of the same crunch.
XRay 1.1 - Mac OS X - VersionTracker
Thanks, I just went to my apps folder and it has gone invisible again. What a pain in the butt. I may do an archive and install to see if that cleans up the problem.
Thanks for the tip csonni!! I just had my applicaitons folder disapper as well. I could only find the folder thru spotlight and could access the apps that way but otherwise I couldn't access it. Xray solved the problem. Turns out the applications folder was invisible. How does that happen?? I've been working on my computer all morning with no problems. Anyway, thanks for the tip.
I'm really somewhat surprised that after almost 19 thousand posts to this forum, you still don't appear to have a good system "backup" to restore from.Thanks, I just went to my apps folder and it has gone invisible again. What a pain in the butt. I may do an archive and install to see if that cleans up the problem.
jb.
And I am equally surprised that you would make that kind of stupid assumption after a hundred posts or so.I'm really somewhat surprised that after almost 19 thousand posts to this forum, you still don't appear to have a good system "backup" to restore from.
jb.
I am totally backed up. Always. Had you bothered to read the thread, you would discover that my .apps folder became invisible, not disappeared, for whatever reason. But my question is intended to investigate and solve why systems go bad, not to read about my post numbers. Or your wisdom gathered with a hundred or so.
SINC: You might try TinkerTool a free utility that can be used to make folders invsible or visible.
I was going to suggest archive and install.Thanks, I just went to my apps folder and it has gone invisible again. What a pain in the butt. I may do an archive and install to see if that cleans up the problem.
I had the strangest problems with OS 10.4.10 from one minute to the next a couple of days ago.
First video conversion applications would freeze, then I got one kernel panic after another (never had any since I started with OS X) and finally my desktop disappeared totally - just a nice blue screen with the mouse cursor - nothing else.
An archive and install solved everything - so far at least.
I'm still scratching my head wondering what caused that sudden OS X corruption - assuming that's what it was.
Hard disk, memory all that checked out fine.
Well this is very strange. After a few hours my applications folder again became invisible and I again had to fix it with Xray.
Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening?
I'm using a Macbook running OS 10.4.10. I've run Onyx and did a virus scan -- both showed no problems.
[Sorry Sinc, I don't mean to hijack your thread -- I thought it made sense to post here since it's the same issue. Cheers.]
Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening?
I'm using a Macbook running OS 10.4.10. I've run Onyx and did a virus scan -- both showed no problems.
[Sorry Sinc, I don't mean to hijack your thread -- I thought it made sense to post here since it's the same issue. Cheers.]
People on the Apple discussion forum are having similar problems.
Apple - Support - Discussions - There's nothing in my applications ...
Apple - Support - Discussions - There's nothing in my applications ...
Thanks krs. That problem seems a little bit different to me though. The writer said that the applications folder was there but that their apps were gone, save for one and then later, he found the 'missing' apps in a different location.
Whereas with me, and I think for Sinc, the applications folder itself becomes invisible. So when it happened, I could do a search for the application folder with spotlight and it would show up listed in its normal location with all the apps which I could then access. But then when I would go back and look for the application folder by going in directly to the hard drive, it wasn't there. Then when I used Xray to check the applications folder status, it was listed as invisible which I then unchecked and it was fine for a bit and then reverted back to being invisible again. I've switched it back a second time and so far, so good, but I'm still puzzled as to why it happened.
Whereas with me, and I think for Sinc, the applications folder itself becomes invisible. So when it happened, I could do a search for the application folder with spotlight and it would show up listed in its normal location with all the apps which I could then access. But then when I would go back and look for the application folder by going in directly to the hard drive, it wasn't there. Then when I used Xray to check the applications folder status, it was listed as invisible which I then unchecked and it was fine for a bit and then reverted back to being invisible again. I've switched it back a second time and so far, so good, but I'm still puzzled as to why it happened.
That's why I wrote "similar"Thanks krs. That problem seems a little bit different to me though.
But SINC mentioned that he could see his folder but it was empty and eventually he found five application folders, some empty, some with one old application in it.
However - the bigger issue I see is that there is no explanation on the Apple forum what causes the problem and really no fix either. What I read between the lines is that having added a downloaded web application may have caused this.
I created a separate folder for these downloaded applications on my Mac - not because of any problems, just to retain my own sanity.
I wonder, is there any way to add a note to each application (like what one can do in Excel cells) to describe briefly what it does? I now have so many video conversion and compression apps, it's hard to remember what each one is good for.
Sorry, I digress..........
Can you find more than one Application folder on your Mac when you do a search?
I agree. Would be nice to have an explanation. Though mine also may be tied to a downloaded application. Just prior, I was having some problems with Photoshop so I downloaded an update along with a couple shareware programs. Good idea to keep these separate. I hadn't thought of doing that.However - the bigger issue I see is that there is no explanation on the Apple forum what causes the problem and really no fix either. What I read between the lines is that having added a downloaded web application may have caused this.
I created a separate folder for these downloaded applications on my Mac.....
No when the problem happened, there was always just one applications folder and the contents were the same as before.
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