If I press delete what will happen?

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I made a copy (not alias) of my Applications Folder. I don't need a copy. I have no where to put it. I put it in the trash. Now, there is still the same Applications folder MyName's Mac>Macintosh HD>Applications , and Machintosh HD> Applications , and on the Side Bar of Finder , but not under my user folder (don't know why, everything else is there).

So, the million dollar question is. If I delete my trash can, with a copy of my Applications folder in it. Am I Safe?

Thank You in advance kind sirs

Follow up Question. Though I have the Applications folder on the side bar of the Finder, how to I move it to my main user folder without duplicating everything which will take eat GB's?

Thanks
 

bobtomay

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1. Do not move the Applications folder.

2. If it is indeed a copy, which I would guess that it is if everything is functioning properly with it in the trash, then nothing will happen to the system when you empty the trash.

However, since you're asking the question, I have the sense you're not sure it is just a copy. I would suggest backing up the system before you do anything else.
 
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Okay, Everything is fine here, nothing to look at. Just being cautious. Thank you.

But really, why is Applications on my side bar of finder but not under my primary user folder?

Thanks, we posted at the same time. I was just generally uncomfortable deleting..and needed someone to hold my hand
 
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But really, why is Applications on my side bar of finder but not under my primary user folder?

I'm not sure why you think Applications needs a folder inside your User folder. You have Documents there, to keep your files in. You only need one Applications folder, to uh, keep your Applications in.

Applications is in the sidebar as a quick way to get to that folder no matter where you are. You'll notice that any time you have a folder open that's listed in the sidebar, that sidebar folder name will be highlighted. And if an item appears in the sidebar for a particular user login, it will appear in every Finder window.

I hope this helps, but I'm not quite sure what you're after.
 

bobtomay

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It's not suppose to be under your user account.

You'll notice Program Files in Windows is not under a user account either.

If all your apps are under your user account, when anyone logs in as guest or you need to set up a 2nd user on your machine, there would be no access to any applications on the machine since they would all be located within another users account.

Take my advice, leave it where it is. It is where it is suppose to be.

Furthermore, I would suggest you not go moving any files/folders that are not located within your own user account unless you are sure of what you are doing.
 
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I'm not sure why you think Applications needs a folder inside your User folder. You have Documents there, to keep your files in. You only need one Applications folder, to uh, keep your Applications in.

Each user can have its own Applications folder, in addition to the main Applications folder. Not all users have rights to install applications, so they have the option to keep their apps there.
 
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Macintosh HD > Applications and User > Applications are not the same thing. Leave them both alone, aside from deleting individual apps that you wish to uninstall.

I believe the SideBar typically points towards Mac HD > Applications which is where the majority of your applications are located. All items in the SideBar are aliases. You can drag items on and off the sidebar and you won't hurt anything.

If you are sure that your Applications are all still intact in both Macintosh HD > Applications and User > Applications, then you should be able to empty the trash without an issue. That being said, a quick backup beforehand wouldn't be a bad idea.
 
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Is this Applications and User folder new in Snow Leopard?

Macintosh HD > Applications and User > Applications are not the same thing. Leave them both alone, aside from deleting individual apps that you wish to uninstall.
Both? The way that reads, it's one thing. The final paragraph reads the same way. ???
 
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Is this Applications and User folder new in Snow Leopard?


Both? The way that reads, it's one thing. The final paragraph reads the same way. ???

That's not the name of a single folder, it was used to separate two paths. There are indeed two Applications folders. One is /Applications (that's the "Macintosh HD > Applications" that Jaygray was referring to) and the other is ~/Applications (Macintosh HD:Users:username:Applications; Jaygray referred to it as "User > Applications"). Applications installed in /Applications are available to all users while those in ~/Applications are only available to the user who installed it. ~/Applications does not exist by default, but you can create it by making a new folder in your Home directory named Applications.

Having said that, you shouldn't have to worry about these technicalities; just don't delete, move, or copy the Applications folder (either one). The only time you need to think about it is when an installer asks whether to install for the current user or all users (even that is rare). If you choose to install it for all users, it will be placed in /Applications, and of course if you choose to install it for the current user only, the application will be placed in ~/Applications.

For more technical info, check out this developer document.
 
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I'm with you, bobtomay!

That's not the name of a single folder, it was used to separate two paths. There are indeed two Applications folders. One is /Applications (that's the "Macintosh HD > Applications" that Jaygray was referring to) and the other is ~/Applications (Macintosh HD:Users:username:Applications; Jaygray referred to it as "User > Applications"). Applications installed in /Applications are available to all users while those in ~/Applications are only available to the user who installed it. ~/Applications does not exist by default, but you can create it by making a new folder in your Home directory named Applications.

Thanks for clearing that up. I just have one User Account, so there's no need for the second Applications folder. It ran together in my mind the way it was written. If the paths were bold or italic with no space before or after the >s, then with the " and " in between, maybe I wouldn't have interpreted Applications and User as the name of one folder. But I did, because of the >s on either side, and due to not finding the second folder when I looked. I figured it must be new in SL.

Anyway, the important thing is for the OP to know not to mess with the folders. It's not clear from the OP's posts that (an) Applications folder(s) within the UserName folder(s) is(are) needed. Follow that mess?
 

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