i am having this problem with a powerbook I bought off another mactalk user. I loaded all my files onto the laptop (pictures, documents, videos, etc) and organised them into folders sitting on the desktop. I also made other changes like dock programs, desktop background, name of the home folder. However when I turned off the computer and turned it back on everything reset to some default setting. All my files were still there, but through user -> "my name" -> desktop instead of the home folder desktop. Basically, I can't leave anything sitting on the desktop because it just disappears later.

Why does it do this? It seems I am unable to just change something, leave it, and expeect it to be there when I get back.

What do you mean by home folder desktop?

The path you quote of Users/username/desktop is the normal storage path for desktop files.

Do you have your Mac set to autologin as a user, namely you? Try creating a new user and seeing if you get the same problems.

It seems this person is having the same trouble as you - perhaps try reading the following thread to see if anything is relevant? http://forums.mactalk.com.au/16/27604-help-lost-profile.html#post253408

Do you have the original system install disks? If so, erase-install the machine. Who knows what stuffing around with the system has been done before you bought the machine.

However,
You renamed the user folder, now the system doesn't know where to find your files. The method is, open System Preferences (Apple Menu) - create a new Admin user with the name you want. Log out then log in as that user and copy all your files in. Delete the old user in System Preferences.

This is your problem. The operating system needs the name of the users' folder to stay the same as when the operating system creates it. Changing it will cause you all sorts of grief.

how do you create a new user? I just changed the previous owner's name to mine but it wont let me change the 'short name' option. man, I am dumb at this windows was easier.

sorry, found it.

rofl @ windows being easier.


Top left corner of your screen: Apple icon: System Preferences > Accounts > hit the + sign. Add your account.

Windows is the same if you use user accounts.

To create a new user account, go to System Preferences. The click on the "Accounts" icon. On the left hand side you will see a list of accounts, underneath which is a plus and a minus sign. Click the plus sign to add an account (if the plus sign is greyed out, click the padlock underneath it and enter the administrator password).

If you want the new account to be the main account (i.e. you are planning to delete the original account later), make sure the "Allow user to administer this computer" tick box is checked.

Once you have created a new administrator account you can log into it, and through system preferences delete the old administrator account - WARNING: Doing so will delete all the data in the old user accounts home folder (So make sure you back up everything you want first.

Or, perhaps the better option, as Currawong suggested, erase and re-install OS X and start from scratch. This will give you a cleaner system for your own use than running with all the modification the previous owner may have made.

haha maybe not 'easier' but certainly more familiar! Might take a while for me to stop trying to right click everything.

If you are new to OS X I highly recommend you get yourself a good book on it like Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Ed.

I bought the Jaguar edition when I switch from Windows and found it invaluable.

I'm incredibly happy that I switched, and you'll find in time that OS X is far friendlier to use than Windows, but if you try and do things the Windows way you will find yourself continually frustrated. OS X isn't Windows, so you need to try and get in the mindset of doing things the Mac way.

I'm actually surprised OS X makes it this easy to stuff things up. You'd think the home folder name would only be able to be changed through account preferences.