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Finder windows changing size and location upon closing and reopening
Mac OS X's placement of windows is determined by the .DS_Store files that are located within each folder in the system. When users change window size and location, placement information is stored in the .DS_Store file that is in the current folder being resized. This can be confusing to some users, because, in most view modes, the same window is used to show the contents of the opened folders. As such, if a user changes the size of a window with the "Desktop" being viewed, new windows may be in different locations because they are referencing a different .DS_Store file. Despite this default behavior, users may encounter bizarre window sizing behavior.
Apple Discussions poster Kevin Liu writes:
"I find that randomly, the Finder windows default to the tiny size in the center of the display. This happens randomly and I haven't been able to see a pattern."
This issue is most likely caused by the .DS_Store file in a specific folder becoming either inaccessible or corrupt. To check for accessibility, open the terminal and type "ls -la " (including the space after "-la"). Next, drag the folder that displays the odd window behavior into the Terminal window to enter its full path to the terminal so the command looks like "ls -la /path/to/folder". Next, press enter to execute the command and the first set of characters next to the line that ends with ".DS_Store" should be "-rw-r--r--@". This indicates the file is writable and readable by the owner, and only readable by everyone else. If the file does not have these permissions, then change them with the following command:
- sudo chmod u=rw,go=r /path/to/folder/.DS_Store
Alternatively, users should be able to delete the problematic .DS_Store file and have the Finder recreate it. To do this, enter the following command into the terminal:
- sudo rm /path/to/folder/.DS_Store
(In this command the /path/to/folder/ is the same as previously found when users dragged the folder to the Terminal window.)
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It's very annoying and completely invalidates all efforts to keep consistency between windows. It's very sloppy engineering.
This might be related to a problem I'm experiencing, which doesn't seem to be related to specific .dstore files but to the way in which the system reads ALL .dstore files. I posted in this forum but since then have found some consistent behavior. I find that when I change the view of a window, other windows end up taking on that same view when I open them later (especially parent windows). For instance, I have a folder full of clients which I always view in list view. When I open a customer's folder, all pertinent files are also supposed to be in list view. But individual folders (images, documents, etc.) I prefer to be in icon view. Most of the time, when I open one of those folders, it's reverted to list view. I change it to icon view. Then later, when I open its parent folder, THAT has also changed to icon view. I usually leave the top folder open, but if I close it, then reopen it, it also changes to icon view.
Most of the time, this affects other folders elsewhere on my disk, in the same way. And when I reboot, almost ALL my folders take on the settings of the last folder I altered. So this is system-wide, not isolated to one particular folder. Basically, it's as though the last settings you apply to ANY folder, end up affecting OTHER folders as well. This happens more often when you select "Always open in xxx view"...which then seems to apply that setting to everything on your computer, as though it was applied to the overall finder preferences.
This might be a factor in the icon preview problem as well. It's possible that if a user changes a folder setting to one that doesn't have "show preview," selected, that it will affect other folders.
It's a problem that has been growing since installing Leopard and has become a huge, annoying mess. It wasn't as widespread at first, but it's become progressively worse. None of the solutions I've encountered seem to work, with one minor exception. I've found that if, after you change a folder's settings, you move or modify one of the files in that folder, that folder's settings will persist most of the time. However, they're lost during a logout or reboot.
I feel your pain. I am in the same boat, big time. It's really not fun.
What does everyone think about about the various utils for deleting .DS_Store files (either for specific folders, or system-wide)? Would really appreciate feedback.
Please post any updates you may have on this. Thanks. Alternately you can reach me me directly at: chm [add the number two] at mail dot com
Thanks!
- by william.dorsey December 1, 2008 9:02 AM PST
- I migrated from a G3 Tower to a Mac Pro a couple of weeks ago and have experienced the same problems already posted. I have noticed that deeper folders tend to retain their settings; those closer to the top level lose theirs on the other side of a boot. There is one other thing I've noticed in the past few days in Leopard: I have iCal as a hidden login item, but if I had it visible when I shut down, it opens and stays visible when I re-boot.
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