02-20-2005, 10:42 PM

My settings keep resetting to defaults....whats the deal? How can I fix this? Its not he major settings, but user names keep setting back, and the scrool bar arrow buttons keep going back to defaults. Its starting to make me mad. :-/ Help a n00bie out please. Would it just be better to format and reinstall? Thanks!

--Garrett

02-20-2005, 10:47 PM

I would try resetting your pram because it sounds like that it isn't storing all of your information

02-20-2005, 11:41 PM

I saw info on how to do it a couple days ago, but I can't find it again. Could you link me to it, or tell me how to do it?

--Garrett

02-20-2005, 11:45 PM

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5284

02-21-2005, 01:24 AM

You know, this has absolutely nothing to do with PRAM. "RESET THE PRAM!" seems to have become the first-round solution to everything on the forum.

PRAM stores very, very little information. Zapping the PRAM has been part of the standard Mac troubleshooting bag of tricks for decades, but it's sort of a last resort cure-all. In all the time I've used a Mac, it's actually been helpful maybe twice. It's a bit of voodoo, it usually does nothing, but sometimes iit works when nothing else does.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86194

[What the PRAM stores]
Display and video settings such as refresh rate, screen resolution, number of colors
Time zone setting
Startup volume choice
Speaker volume
Recent kernel panic information, if any
DVD region setting

Note: Mac OS X stores your preselected DVD region choice in PRAM for easy access. Resetting PRAM does not allow you to change the DVD region.

Unlike prior versions of the Mac OS, Mac OS X does not store network settings in PRAM. If you experience a network issue, resetting PRAM will not help.

In this case, I'd suggest a permissions repair. Settings such as Garett is describing are stored in his user folder, not in PRAM. If a permissions repar fails to fix things, then try creating a new user account and moving your documents over.

02-21-2005, 01:34 AM

Okay, here is what I did, in this order, and the problem is solved:

Zapped PRAM, restarted, nothing. Still no workie

So I figured, screw this install, I'll reinstall tomorrow, so just to spite the keychain system, I deleted every refrence of it I could find, and restarted, and wa-la it works. Everything is back in order, and no problems. Only thing is that it keeps showing the previous owners name has the owner and not myself, and I have changed it in every location I know of.

Thanks!

--Garrett