Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with finder

Buggy finder OS x 10.5.8

cg2 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:43:43 -0800

Buggy finder in OX 10.5.8 Recently my finder has gotten really buggy - even though I have disabled spaces and expose they will spontaneously launch. Also when I open folders in the finder they will flash repeatedly before stopping and letting me click into them. I also have a hard time renaming files by clicking into the file name on the finder. Does anyone have any ideas??? Thanks!!

Does this create a local root exploit for Mac OS X using Finder?

jeffburdges — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:01:58 -0800

Why does Apple's Finder bypass some group permissions? A directory /Games is owned by the Games user and Games group and has mode 750. The Admin user may not access /Games from unix programs, like say bash. But said Admin user may happily access /Games from Finder! wtf?!?

I imagine this means Finder is running as gid 0, which seems like a major security risk. I noticed that /Games isn't accessible from Finder if the group is changed to wheel, group 0, which mitigates the most obvious security risks. But a buffer overflow in Finder could surely give gid 0 access! wtf?!?

How to plot a bike route using a Google-like interface

holdenjordahl — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:36:52 -0800

Does anyone know of a Google Maps equivalent for bicycle route-finding in the greater Los Angeles area? You type in starting and ends points, and it gives you a bike-safe route, off busy streets? Thanks

How to get Spotlight to stick to the folder it's in

Kosh — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:15:23 -0800

OS X Spotlight annoyance question: how to get Spotlight to stick to the folder it's in? Since the advent of Leopard I've come to use Spotlight a lot more to easily find information on my computer, and I love it. There is one annoyance that keeps nagging at me, though: when I have a specific folder open and I type something in the search bar for that folder, Spotlight defaults to searching the entire computer and I have to click another button to make it search the folder only. Is there any way to change this behavior to make it default to the folder you're in if you search from within a Finder window (the little search bar in the upper-right corner of Finder windows, NOT the main Spotlight search on the menu bar)?

This behavior seems counterintuitive to me (if I wanted to search the whole computer instead of just the folder I was in, wouldn't I just use the main Spotlight bar on the menu bar?) and I'd like to change it if possible, but havent been able to find anything in the preferences. Googling just finds more people with the same gripe I have (some results going back to '07 with no answers, which doesn't bode well for a positive answer to this question, but I figured I'd try...)

This is OS X 10.5.6 for what it's worth.

Where are my Mail messages?

ddaavviidd — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:10:08 -0800

I am using Mail on OS 10.5.2. I have several mailboxes as well as subfolders. If I put messages in a mailbox that has subfolders, these messages do not appear when I look for them in the Finder. I'll try to be clearer inside. So for instance I have in Mail this local mailbox called let's say School, with subfolders in it called Courses and Teaching. If I put messages in the School mailbox (not in its subfolders), I can't find them in the Finder (They should be in Users\ddaavviidd\Library\Mail\Mailboxes\School\, but there are only subfolders in this mailbox). I'm just worried that I don't back up these messages, as they don't appear in the Finder. Any idea where they are? And also if I should class them differently to make sure they are backed up?
I read something on the net about blue and white folders, but mine are all blue. And they are local folders (all pop accounts).

How to make finder display a previously ejected usb deivce

alitorbati — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:05:57 -0800

How do I make my mac recognize an already plugged in usb device? If I attach a usb device to my mac, it automatically shows up in my finder sidebar and when I am finished using it, I can simply click the eject button next to it.
If I don't disconnect the device, is there any way to make finder refresh the 'Places' heading? Is there any way to make the device show up besides unplugging it and plugging it back in?

Where does mac store thumbnails of photos and videos?

guptaxpn — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:33:01 -0800

Where does mac store thumbnails of photos and videos? e.g. Finder thumbnails an SD disk I have plugged in that I pulled out of my digital camera. (where are those thumbnails?) e.g. A folder of movies are thumbnailed.

Create local finder links for mail.app

Raff — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:35:07 -0800

A few of us work off a local OS X Fileserver. We often need to point each other to files deep with it by email. I am looking for an automated way to create clickable local links in the mail.app friendly format of "file:///Volumes/Server%20Portal/". Any solutions? I have found applescripts that nearly do it. But they only make POSIX links. For Mail to recognise and launch links they need both file:/// appended and spaces replaced with %20. I am guessing it could be achieved by a few additions to current applescripts, but unfortunately it is above me.

if i had waited ten more exits the gas would have been 10 cents cheaper!

kidsleepy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:31:58 -0800

How can I find the cheapest gas along a route? I know how to find the cheapest gas in my area code or city, but I'm going on a 6-hour round trip this weekend and would like to figure out where to stop along the way for the best gas prices. Are there any websites out there that will let you plug in a starting city and destination city? Or perhaps a google maps plug-in? Ideally the results would be limited to gas stations within a few miles of a highway exit (or whatever route you choose).

OSX Leopard: How to show the current wallpaper in finder?

XSteveMurphy — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:35:43 -0800

How can I get my iMac running Leopard to show the current wallpaper in Finder? I'm using Leopard's built-in wallpaper-switching function to randomly display a wallpaper from my collection of over 1,000, but when I get one I don't like, it gives me no way to easily find the file and delete it. For those of you looking to shuffle wallpapers in Windows, I recommend John's Background Switcher.

Have you used Chicago Apartment Finder?

nitsuj — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:35:50 -0800

Does anyone have any experience with Chicago Apartment Finders? I'm moving to Chicago from out-of-state in August, and I'll only have one or two days in June to find a place. (Side question: is this a good time to find an apartment for August?)

While I've found a lot of leads on Craigslist, I don't think it'll be very easy for me to score an apartment in such a short amount of time with this method because I have to find a place while I'm there. Therefore, I'm looking into using a no-fee apartment finder like Chicago Apartment Finders.

Have you used them before? If so, how was the experience? Or, have you used a different no-fee apartment finder in Chicago and willing to recommend them?

This guy used them and seemed to have pretty good luck, but I'm looking for more information!

P.S. I'm looking for a 2 bedroom in a decent (safe, North) area for under $1200.

How do I keep drag and drop working in Finder?

Hat Maui — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:34:42 -0800

Drag and drop sporadically stops working in my new install of Leopard. Anyone know of a workaround/bugfix?

Leave Server "Mounted" in Mac's Finder

sjuhawk31 — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:31:30 -0800

MacFilter: Just learned how to connect to a shared drive on a server...how do I leave it in the Finder sidebar even after it's been ejected? I figured out a way to put an Automated action into the lower half of the sidebar, but I'd prefer to lock the server icon where it is, even when it's unmounted.

Help, I have OS X Finder Rage.

Area Control — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:13:58 -0800

I hate the OS X Finder. Is there anything free and better for my Mac Powerbook? I've been using this machine for a couple years now. I'm not looking for a smart launcher, I love my QuickSilver. I just want to browse my folders hierarchically, see file types and sizes easily, maybe even have columns size for filename correctly. It would be great if this program replaced the native OS X file/save dialog. When I'm saving something five folders deep I'd like to see a visual map of where I am, without filling my screen with columns.

The Finder is one of the last things that's slowing me down on this machine. I could rant and rave for hours about the Finder, but please just understand I gave this thing a chance.

Oh yeah, and I don't want to pay.

MacN00bFilter: Help me resize a window!

mooders — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:51:41 -0800

I didn't realise that the green sphere top-left on a Finder window was to Zoom - now I have zoomed in too far on my Applications window so I have a long, thin, single-icon wide strip of a Finder window and I cannot reach the resize control handle in the bottom right. How do I permanently resize this window to a more normal size? I have a MacBook.

Slowwwww file sorting in OS X

quadog — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 00:25:50 -0800

Why are files in OS X taking so darn long to place themselves alphabetically after being named? A recent and annoying problem is happening when I create or rename files on my Mac. Like many, I navigate in the Finder using the column lists. When I name a file in a list it takes literally 2+ seconds for the file to position itself in the correct alphabetical placement in that list. For example if a folder contains a file named "ball" and I create a new file named "apple" it takes "apple" 2+ seconds to automatically go above "ball".

This happens with multiple apps open or with no apps open at all. To my knowledge, nothing is running in the background that would slow down the OS. All apps (photoshop, etc.) are running fine. I'm running OS 10.4.5 on a 2 GHz IMac.

I cry mercy. I've been to a dozen Mac sites and can't find the answer.

Luxury apartment finding service Paris?

johoney — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 06:34:32 -0800

ParisFi: Looking for an apartment finder service to find me a high-end place in central Paris this spring (2 weeks). Its a gift for elderly relatives and I don't have time or expertise enough to do it myself and its got to be a special place. I've checked this other thread but haven't found what I'm looking for.

It really needs to be a special place. I need serious hand holding on this and would prefer to talk to a real person to guide me through my options.

Thanks a lot.

Finding ex-military personnel

zooropa — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:13:01 -0800

How do I find a long-lost friend who served in the military? Is this like looking for a needle in a haystack? I am looking to find a long-lost friend of mine. We grew up together in the early 80's and now I am very eager to reconnect.

I know his father served in the Army. His name was Colonel J.P. Jones and he was stationed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois roughly from 1982-1986. The last I heard from the family was 1988 and they were living in Hampton, Virginia.

Is there any way to locate his father using some sort of military serviceperson finder? Does such a service even exist?

I would be very grateful for any assistance.

Nested folder file size in OSX

mark7570 — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:42:37 -0800

I use OSX Tiger, and I want (ideally) to see a sorted list (by size) of all files in a folder, including all files in nested folders. Right now, using the Finder, I can only sort-by-size for files in the same level of a folder. But I want to see a sorted list of all of them on or below that level in the hierarchy. Any tips or shareware to help? Also - bonus sub-question - is there any way to get a sorted list of folder sizes? Because right now I have to an individual "get information" command for any folder before I can see the weight of its contents.

Finding your Search Engine keywords / phrases

spinko — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 15:30:27 -0800

I'm looking for a way to find out what keywords/keyphrases are being used on all search engines for my website. My stats program shows a few but there must be loads that I haven't found yet. Thanks for reading.

Arthur Murray, where are you?

eschatfische — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 15:55:25 -0800

Samba and the Mac OS X Finder are driving me crazy. I'm running Samba 3.0.10 on a Gentoo 2005.0 box, and it's working great -- in everything but the Mac OS X Finder. Note that I specify the Finder -- I can cp to it from the Mac OS X Terminal or have other Mac OS applications read to or write from it without the slightest hint of a problem. I can connect to it from a Windows XP box and use it just fine. I *only* have problems using the Samba share in the Finder itself.

The share appears and is browsable in the Finder -- but I can't write to it without an error. I don't think it's a permissions issue -- I can write to the share from everything else, including non-Finder apps on the same Mac. But when I do try to copy a file to it, I get the error:

"The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items."

The kicker -- even with the error, the file has been successfully written to the Samba share. I just can't write multiple files at once, because the Finder copy fails. (I can, as above, go to terminal, run a cp * /Volumes/WORKGROUP;SHARE/, and that works just fine.)

I've Googled and Googled, but I can only find people having the same problem, with no apparent solution. If anyone knows of the solution, please let me know.

ibook weirdness with relaunching finder

dame — Fri, 02 Apr 2004 13:28:04 -0800

Help a computer moron & first time poster. Ibook; OSX: every time I open my CD drawer, the finder relaunches.

How do I make .htaccess show up in Jaguar's Finder?

brownpau — Tue, 03 Feb 2004 06:49:55 -0800

Mac question: How do I get my .htaccess files to show up in OS X Finder? (I use OS X 10.2.8, will be upgrading to Panther before summer.)

In OSX, I need to automate dragging a file from a finder window into a pane of an application; can I do this with Applescript?

machaus — Fri, 02 Jan 2004 21:03:16 -0800

Applescript help... In OSX, I need to automate dragging a file from a finder window into a pane of an application. If need be, I can pin the two windows such that there X and Y locations are constant. Any idea how to script the drag from one to the other? Quickeys is not an option and Apple's UI scripting doesn't seem to handle it.