'New Folder' option lost with 'Right Click'

[Dave_R]

iMac - El Capitan

The 'New Folder' option normally displayed when using 'right click' has vanished if i'm on the desktop screen.

It is there when using 'right click' in any other folder window except when I try to open desktop as a folder on the screen.

This is more odd behaviour.
In this case, trying to open desktop as a folder results in the terminal command screen opening.

I have 'Terminal' as an icon link in the dock.

I think that probably I need to reinstall OSX.

Any ideas welcome.

 

[IWT]

Good Evening, Dave.

Let's try the time-honoured solution to many a problem, and reboot your Mac.

Of course, you may have done this, but worth a mention.

I understand the first part of your post; not quite sure what you mean by "trying to open Desktop as a folder". Desktop or Desktops are not folders and you can have up to 16 Desktops if I remember correctly. Opening a Desktop should never bring up Terminal; so if the problem persists after a reboot, can you be more specific about what you mean.

We are always delighted to help, so please post back.

Ian

 

[Dave_R]

Hi, Thanks for the reply.

Yup, rebooted several times.

Re Desktop window, if you go to users/'username'/Desktop, you can open up a separate window for 'Desktop'' Desktop being a folder at 'username' level' and can be opened as any other folder on the home screen.

In my case, instead of a normal folder window with folder contents, I get the window one gets when opening the Terminal' utility!!

That really freaked me out. Hence this post.

I do a lot of flipping between 2 different version of OSX installed in 2 different partitions of my hard drive.

Bit hampered at the moment by my Mac keyboard going AWOL & using an old LK465 keyboard with no Command key equivalent, so can't get screenshots to show what I mean.

 

[IWT]

OK Dave, I understand now. Thank you. It's also very useful to learn that you switch between different versions of macOS. That may be a factor. May I ask which versions of macOS you are running? - I originally assumed it was only El Capitan.

And are we talking iMac or Notebook - some info there would be helpful too.

Ian

 

[Dave_R]

Hi Ian,

iMac 27" Late 2009

El Capitan & Snow Leopard but as I mentioned before, on 2 independent partitions and never the two shall meet!! It's always a reboot onto the appropriate partition.

Currently thinking over different options. Backup/ reinstall / Sierra etc..

David

 

[dtravis7]

I Run El captain and Sierra here on the sane Quad Core I7 IMac with no issues. I keep ElCap around for older apps that might not run in Sierra. I have the 1TB Internal HDD partitioned in 2 equal partitions, No issues.

 

[Rod]

There is a world of difference between El Capitan / Sierra and Snow Leopard so it might be a problem but I'm still puzzled. Does Control + Left Click show new folder option?

 

[dtravis7]

Control/Left click here is like hitting the right mouse button (if your mouse has one). First option here is New Folder

 

[IWT]

Now that the OP, David, has given us a lot more information, he still has a problem.

The general consensus seems to be that his two-partition arrangement is not the issue. So how do we go from here; how can we help him?

I cannot reproduce the problem and, like Dennis and Rod, a right click (Control Click) always gives me the option "New Folder" - it does too for the OP everywhere except on his Desktop - and that has just happened out of the blue, apparently.

What I was trying to determine is whether this change applies only when he accesses his Desktop at username level - quote:

Re Desktop window, if you go to users/'username'/Desktop, you can open up a separate window for 'Desktop'' Desktop being a folder at 'username' level' and can be opened as any other folder on the home screen.

Ian

 

[Dave_R]

Thanks Guys for all the replies.

Bizarrely, I found out I had the same problem on the Snow Leopard installation. That was weird - completely blown away.

I have backups for both so thought I'd play around. I upped to Sierra from EL Cap. Same problem!!
Panic stations. Started thinking about firmware corruption but realised that clearly the upgrade wasn't a complete reinstall.

So, instead, recovered from backup (El Cap) - No problems. Sigh of relief.

I have installation disks for Snow Leopard so will put that on sometime after the latest backup.

All really, really weird. I've written lots of programs on different systems but can't remember seeing quite such a peculiar problem before.

 

[Rod]

The real worry for me is the Terminal window opening instead of the desktop folder at the folder level. I think if we sort that one out we may solve the other.
I would be tempted to download and run OnyX for El Capital on all of the automated scripts.

 

[Dave_R]

Hi Rod,

You could be right. I've just gone back into Snow Leopard and instead of the Terminal window I'm now getting the message "There is no default application specified to open the document Desktop".

I'll run OnyX before I do anything else.

 

[Rod]

I certainly sounds like the file/folder is damaged in some way

 

[Dave_R]

Somewhat late in getting back - but been away for a while.

I think Rod is probable right, somehow file/folder headers have been corrupted in some way.

I ran OnyX which actually didn't appear to do anything particularly useful.

I've recovered the SN system from an earlier backup which is OK, so am going on from there.

Thanks to all for. v helplful suggestions. - much appreciated.