Annoying problem with dock

LWC


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I haven't been able to find any info on this so I don't know if this is a bug or a new "Yosemite Feature"...

I don't want iBooks, Maps or the Download folders in the dock, I can remove them like normal but after a restart or if I log off and back on to my user account the iBooks, maps and downloads icons back on the dock.

Any ideas? Anyone else have this problem?
 

vansmith

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No, that's not normal - the Dock hasn't changed functionally in a really long time and the version in Yosemite is no different. Is it only those icons that keep re-appearing?

As a first step, go to Finder > Go (while holding the option key) > Library > Preferences > move com.apple.dock.plist to the desktop and reboot. This will generate a new preference list for the Dock which might restore your Dock to its original state but gives you a "fresh" Dock.
 
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LWC


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No, that's not normal - the Dock hasn't changed functionally in a really long time and the version in Yosemite is no different. Is it only those icons that keep re-appearing?

As a first step, go to Finder > Go (while holding the option key) > Library > Preferences > move com.apple.dock.plist to the desktop and reboot. This will generate a new preference list for the Dock which might restore your Dock to its original state but gives you a "fresh" Dock.

Thanks for answering my post,

Yes just those thee icons.

Followed your instructions and indeed it did restore the dock to it's original state. I then removed the apps from the dock and put the ones I use back on the dock. Did a restart and the low and behold iBooks, Maps and the Downloads folder were back in the dock. :(

I don't reboot my MacBook Pro all that often so this isn't that big a deal but it is annoying.
 
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Ok, on which side of the Dock do these three icons appear?
 
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Hmmm. So iBooks and Maps are "permanent residents"? Sorry, I should have also asked whether they have the "light" (dot) beneath them, which of course would indicate that they are open apps. If so, then they would be in your Startup Items, based on the behavior you describe.
 
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LWC


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Hmmm. So iBooks and Maps are "permanent residents"? Sorry, I should have also asked whether they have the "light" (dot) beneath them, which of course would indicate that they are open apps. If so, then they would be in your Startup Items, based on the behavior you describe.

Nope they're not start up items. Any other changes I make to the dock will stay but no matter what when I restart or log out and back in to my user account (only one on the computer) iBooks, Maps and the Downloads folder are all back on the dock (not open though).
 
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Followed your instructions and indeed it did restore the dock to it's original state. I then removed the apps from the dock and put the ones I use back on the dock. Did a restart and the low and behold iBooks, Maps and the Downloads folder were back in the dock.

See if you can find the plist files for those three apps in that same folder and do the same procedure with them as you did for the Dock plist file. You won't need to Restart, just open the apps to generate fresh plist files.

Grasping for a solution here, but this is harmless.
 
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LWC


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See if you can find the plist files for those three apps in that same folder and do the same procedure with them as you did for the Dock plist file. You won't need to Restart, just open the apps to generate fresh plist files.

Grasping for a solution here, but this is harmless.

Thanks but no luck...
I even tried reinstalling Yosemite earlier today thinking that whatever was screwed up might be repaired.

Odd thing is I created a new user account to see if it happens in that account and it doesn't so something is screwed up in my user account.
 
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Odd thing is I created a new user account to see if it happens in that account and it doesn't so something is screwed up in my user account.

Ok, then move your files to the new account and delete the one that's hosed. Or, you could spend countless hours trying to figure out what is wrong with it, and you might never find it.
 
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When you did the Yosemite reinstall, any chance you did an Erase and format for a clean install? Particularly important for notebooks it seems.
 
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Ok, then move your files to the new account and delete the one that's hosed. Or, you could spend countless hours trying to figure out what is wrong with it, and you might never find it.

And how do I accomplish this? I've never done this before.
 
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And how do I accomplish this? I've never done this before.

Neither have I. I'd say copy your Documents folder from the hosed account to another drive, then copy it to the new account. Check it out, and if all seems good, delete the old one. You might want to wait a few days or weeks for that, depending on how often you modify files.
 
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LWC


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Problem solved! Found article on cnet for rebuilding my user account: How to rebuild a user account in OS X - CNET

Cloned my hard drive first using Carbon Copy Cloner which I use for my back-ups anyway then I followed the instructions in the article, worked flawlessly.
Thanks for all the help.
 
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Great! Don't worry about what caused it, unless it happens again.
 

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