can't save to my own desktop

Hello,

I have a Mac OS X 10.5.8. It won't let me save files to my own desktop. It tells me I don't have sufficient access privileges. It also tells me I can go into desktop info to see or change my access privileges, but when I do so it looks like I have read & write access. So I'm not sure what else to do.

I'm a dummy when it comes to Macs so I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can guide me through troubleshooting this.

Howdy,

You could try repairing your disk permissions and seeing if that solves the problem, to do so go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Select your hard drive and click repair permissions. the screen should look like the one i've attatched below. any problems just reply back etc..



Hope this helps

- Simon

If that doesn't help, you could go to ~/Library/Preferences and delete com.apple.desktop.plist and then Restart. (~ is your Home folder)

Thanks both for the help, but repairing my disk permissions didn't help and I don't seem to have com.apple.desktop.plist in ~/Library/Preferences

gib65 said:

Thanks both for the help, but repairing my disk permissions didn't help and I don't seem to have com.apple.desktop.plist in ~/Library/Preferences

Click to expand...

Yes you do. If you don't see it, you're not in the correct Library folder.

I assume it's not locked. When you get info on the desktop near the top of the info window there are two tick boxes "share" and "lock" make sure lock is not ticked.

gib65 said:

Thanks both for the help, but repairing my disk permissions didn't help and I don't seem to have com.apple.desktop.plist in ~/Library/Preferences

Click to expand...

The Library you want is in Macintosh HD. In the sidebar of a finder window open the folder with your name and the little house icon, open Macintosh HD and you will see a library folder with an icon on it that looks like an ancient Roman building. The file you want is in there.

The locked check box isn't checked. However, I did see a little lock icon in the bottom right corner that seemed to be closed. I clicked this and it changed to an open lock. The custom access table right above it suddenly seemed to be become enabled. I even clicked on the little gear button that brings up the drop-down menu with the menu item "Apply to enclosed items" and it seemed to be apply my access settings. I thought I'd solve it. But after closing the info dialog and trying to save a file to my desktop, it still told me I don't have sufficient privileges. I opened the info dialog once more and found the lock icon to be locked again. My changes didn't take.

Rod Sprague said:

The Library you want is in Macintosh HD. In the sidebar of a finder window open the folder with your name and the little house icon, open Macintosh HD and you will see a library folder with an icon on it that looks like an ancient Roman building. The file you want is in there.

Click to expand...

I swear it's not there. Did I mentioned I'm on a Mac OS X 10.5.8? It's an older system that I don't think very many people use anymore. Are you guys sure this is where the file resides on this system?

gib65 said:

The locked check box isn't checked. However, I did see a little lock icon in the bottom right corner that seemed to be closed. I clicked this and it changed to an open lock. The custom access table right above it suddenly seemed to be become enabled. I even clicked on the little gear button that brings up the drop-down menu with the menu item "Apply to enclosed items" and it seemed to be apply my access settings. I thought I'd solve it. But after closing the info dialog and trying to save a file to my desktop, it still told me I don't have sufficient privileges. I opened the info dialog once more and found the lock icon to be locked again. My changes didn't take.



I swear it's not there. Did I mentioned I'm on a Mac OS X 10.5.8? It's an older system that I don't think very many people use anymore. Are you guys sure this is where the file resides on this system?

Click to expand...

I dont want to be guilty of plagiarizing someone else's work but in researching your problem I came across this forum thread which seems to fit your situation. Pay particular attention to the reply from jsd2. I cannot replicate your problem myself but this certainly seems to fit. https://discussions.apple.com/message/12248320#12248320

gib65 said:

I swear it's not there. Did I mentioned I'm on a Mac OS X 10.5.8? It's an older system that I don't think very many people use anymore. Are you guys sure this is where the file resides on this system?

Click to expand...

I'm absolutely, positively 1000% sure that the file is where I indicated, and that if you don't see it, you are not looking in the right Library folder. I was using 10.5.8 until about 6 months ago, and now use 10.6.8 and it's still in the same place.

You have several Library folders. You have to be in the one that is in your Home folder, as described by Rod Sprague, designated by the little House icon. That file is in there, inside the Preferences folder. I guarantee it. It has to be. Your Mac will not function without that file in that location.

I'm coming in a bit late here, but to find such files such as 'com.apple.desktop.plist' etc. which personally I don't think will be the cause of the problem, download 'Find Any File' and use it to find what you're looking for.

There's a reason I call Spotlight Stoplight!!

I recently had some permissions problems with my user Desktop folder, and the only thing was was able to fix it and get rid of the multiple listings of "Fetching..." from the permissions list was Onyx and using its Maintenance option to fix permissions for my user folders.

Download Find Any File for Mac - Search your disks for files using various criteria. MacUpdate.com
Thomas Tempelmann - Find Any File

Titanium's Software • Index page
Download OnyX for Mac - Maintenance and optimization tool (beta). MacUpdate.com

I just had this problem. I had downloaded my profile from another Mac, and there were some weird permissions things going on....

Because there were multiple profiles for me in there, it looked like I had access, but I didn't....Anyway, what I had to do was to simply add myself to Desktop as a user with access:

- go to the directory holding the Desktop folder
- select (highlight) Desktop
- command-i (or right click, select Get Info; or click i button at Finder window top) to open Info on the folder
- click the lock to unlock, enter your password
- click the plus symbol, bottom left, to add a user
- select any user profiles you'd like to add -- they should appear in the list at the bottom of the window
- next to the username in the list, scroll to "Read & Write" (if you want them to be able to have those privileges)

So even if you see yourself in there, it might not hurt to try adding yourself again.

Hmmm…??? I'd say you've got a few other problems especially if you have "multiple profiles" for yourself in a single volume.