Deleted files showing on desktop, unable to restart for repairs, Mail deleted rules

Hi, I have an early 2013 Macbook Pro, I'm on Yosemite 10.10.1.

Issue 1: Mail has deleted 99% of my rules, out of the blue.

Issue 2: A handful of random photos and one folder have decided to live on my desktop despite repeatedly trashing them and emptying the trash, they just pop back on after a few minutes.

These two issues started this week.

3: I have run a verify disk permissions and a repair disk permissions, then I tried to verify disk and was told to restart holding down command and R but nothing happens. I have no disk drive on this Macbook...

I've searched the forums but found nothing that can actually help. Ive done get info on the files on my desktop but they just say they are on my desktop and the permission is read/write.

Ive gone to look for the Library Mail preferences for synced rules but the file doesnt list my some 50 rules that I had... Mind you, I changed my password to my gmail account recently (I access my gmail accounts via Mail), would that be why the rules have disappeared?

4: Time Machine should overwrite old backups but is now saying HD is full and doesn't delete old backups on the next run.

5. If I close my Macbook, when I reopen it, my wifi is not found even tho my other devices are connected to it. My wifi doesnt even show in the list of available wifi. How come it picks up all of my neighbours but not my own? SOMETIMES I get a list in a pop up window and can select my wifi, but sometimes my wifi isn't in that list.
This forces me to have to restart my Macbook which only then picks up my wifi automatically.

Wow! Such a broad spectrum of troubles, all in one MBP. Welcome to the forum!

Issue 1: Probably not out of the blue. You did something. Or installed something. Or changed something. Do you have any "helper" software installed? (MacKeeper, CleanMyMac, anything from Softonic, download.com, anything from CNET, any Antivirus or any other of those so-called helper packages)

Issue 2. Names of the random photos and folder would maybe help.

Issue 3: Yes, you do have a drive. Otherwise you cannot boot. It may not be disk, but you have a drive somewhere. What happens with the CMD-R boot? You have to hold the key down until the screen appears with your choices, not just when powering up.

Issue 4: If you don't have a drive, what are you backing up? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) TM may have permissions problems, particularly if you have "helper" software installed (See Issue 1)

Issue 5: When you close the MacbookPro cover, the wifi is powered off. If you can, just leave the cover open. In System Preferences/Energy Saver move the CPU slider all the way to the right, to Never. Set the Screen slider wherever you want. That setup will keep the CPU running, answering the WiFi heartbeat call from your router.

There is a WiFi bug in Yosemite that Apple thought it addressed in 10.10.1, but it's still there for some folks. I suspect Apple is working on it. Restarting the MBP should not be needed, just stop and start WiFi.

Hi Jake, thanks for your reply.

Ok, issue 1, I did change my gmail password, perhaps that's why? And yes I have Clean My Mac and Sophos. I've removed Clean My Mac as it was an expired free version anyway.

Issue 2. They are old photographs and one folder with some photos in them. So, all files are ending in .jpg. I don't even know where they are being hosted from because I actually moved all these files and folders to an external HD which does not stay plugged in.

However, I DID activate iCloud Drive last night and now I cant turn it off cos it says its going to delete everything off my mac and I don't even know what everything is that its gonna delete! Wish I hadnt switched it on... But if these photos are from my iCloud, why are they showing up on my Desktop and why do they REFUSE to be deleted. I just tried moving them to another folder and deleting, no change. Then I tried moving them to an external HD and deleting, still no change. They refuse to leave my desktop, its driving me bonkers.

Issue 4: I figured out how to reboot my Macbook using CMD+R and ran a disk repair but when I go back into my Macbook and run the disk repair again, I still get errors even tho they were fixed in the CMD+R disk utility...

I meant a a drive where you put a CD into....

Issue 5: Ive obviously tried stopping and starting the Wifi and it still picks up everyone else's but my own, hence why I have to restart after sleeping.

Get rid of Sophos. And CleanMyMac may have wiped out the rules. It's pretty crappy software.

Issue 2. When you deleted the files, did you leave the external drive plugged in and THEN emptied the trashcan? If not, as soon as the drive is detached, the files will return. It's how trash works on OS X. The files aren't deleted until you empty the trashcan.

And the biggest problem is Issue 4. If Disk repair finds errors and then finds them again, the HD is failing. Make a backup of all your critical stuff and get ready to replace the HD. Do you have AppleCare? If so, take it to an Apple shop and have them test the drive.

I tried deleting (with emptying trash can) multiple times before moving these files to HD and still nothing. They refuse to budge.

This Macbook isn't even a year old and the HD is failing?? In fact this is my 4th Macbook and it's lost a few pixels too which I've never had before. Not cool Apple, not cool.

I'd make a back up if Time Machine would bloody let me...

Just been told I should switch FileVault off and run the CMD+R repair again

You don't need TM to make a backup. Just copy the files from where they are to an external drive. Finder will do.

Yes, drives can fail at any time. Not Apple's "fault" it's just the reality of complex electronic technology. A certain number will fail sooner than later. And there is no way to know in advance which are the ones that will die and which will last decades. With the dead pixels and drive, I'd say it's definitely time to take to Apple and get it repaired on both issues. Make an appointment so that the holiday crowds won't hold you up in a waiting line.

Yes, you can try to switch off File Vault and repair, but frankly, that action may be frought with some peril if the drive is failing. I think FV touches every file as it unencrypts the files, so if the drive is failing each "touch" is subject to taking a hit. But maybe a FileVault expert will chime in here.

Jake my biggest issue is getting this rouge files off my desktop, I have been searching online all day and come up with no fix for this.

Try this. Open Finder, go to Desktop. That display shows the files on your desktop as files. I use List view, personally. In any event, try to delete from there. Right click on any file you want to get rid of, select Move to Trash and see if it goes away. If it does, then empty the trash right away to see if it stays gone.

Yeah Ive tried to delete them every which way. I never put them on my dashboard, they just appeared yesterday and they refuse to be deleted no matter what I try.

How did they get there in the first place? What did you do to put them there? I you right click on one and Get Info, what is in the Sharing & Permissions section? There should be an entry for you, staff and everyone, as a minimum.

I don't know how they got there, as Ive said, they just appeared! I didnt DO anything to put them there, I wasn't even in that folder, I havent looked at these pictures in years, they've just come out of nowhere and refuse to leave my desktop.

Ive already said that I checked permissions, and I have read/write.

I just unlocked each picture, then deleted them and removed from trash again and a minute later they've popped back onto my desktop but with two extra copies!!!! ARGH!!!!

I am now renaming them all and deleting to see if that works. I have literally been trying to fix this all flipping day and I am losing my shiz. NOPE that didnt work either, they just reappeared with their old filenames back again. I am going to throw my effing macbook out of the window.

Do you have dropbox, or any other cloud applications (I know about iCloud drive, do you have anything else)?

I'm going off line for a few hours, I know it's 7 pm in UK, I won't be back until well past your bedtime. I'll check in to see how it's going when I get back. Maybe, in the meantime, someone can figure it out.

One last thing to try. Disconnect from the internet and try deleting them. If they stay gone, they're coming back from somewhere on the net. IF they come back while disconnected, it's something internal.

Ooh good idea Jake, thanks and my bedtime is often 3am given that I work for myself, hopefully myself and my macbook are still in one piece later!

Nope, it's internal, I switched off Wifi, deleted, emptied trash, a minute later, they're back.

Aliens.

Aliens, indeed. Let me ponder that for awhile.

OK, I've racked my brain (small brain, didn't take long) and I have no idea why the pictures keep reappearing on the desktop. At this point the only suggestion I have is to make a backup, then reinstall OS X clean and restore from the backup. That may clean up the issues, but if they reoccur, then the only thing I can think of is to backup, do a clean install of OS X and then move back ONLY your personal files, no applications, and reinstall all applications from fresh downloads. That's a pretty labour intensive approach, so I hope you don't get to that option.

I'd first try doing a clean boot using Safe Boot Mode and see if the quirk disappears and it may be due to some third party app - or some special feature or quirk of Yosemite.

That's a good idea pm-r. I doubt it is something inside Yosemite, but that should determine it for sure.