OS X search function

[Ploki]

i have TONS of deleted software, but preferences stay... and the search wont dig into them. where can i change preferences so i can search through "protected" files as well?

 

[Ploki]

anyone?

 

[Slip]

I don't know how to rectify your problem but for the future I would recommend running AppTrap, that way when you put the apps in the Trash it searches and deletes all of the associated pref files you describe. And it's free.

 

[Mr.Noisy]

I don't know how to rectify your problem but for the future I would recommend running AppTrap, that way when you put the apps in the Trash it searches and deletes all of the associated pref files you describe. And it's free.

I 2nd AppTrap, for a free app it's really good

 

[yeroen]

Now may be a good time to learn your way around the terminal and UNIX, which will allow you a thousand things no one gui app would do. For searching for files, I usually use the locate utility:

cd /usr/libexec
sudo ./locate.updatedb

after prompting for your password, this constructs the locate database. After which simply type in

locate pattern

where pattern matches a string you want to search for. For example

locate plist | grep -i aperture

returns the pathnames of all plist files (preferences, etc) files on the system belonging to Aperture.

 

[Ploki]

thank you guys.. i had "appcleaner", but it just doesnt work for AU plugins.

yeroen thanks, i got some fileS, but i still didnt find it. thats because its probably not there in the first place thanks anyway, very useful tip! i hate it that "search" doesnt go through preferences.. :S

 

[aLoC]

You may not need search to remove programs, because there is only a few places where apps typically install stuff. Use Finder to check these folders.

<your home dir>/Library/Application Support
<your home dir>/Library/Preferences
<your home dir>/Library/PreferencePanes
<your home dir>/Library/Internet Plug-Ins

<root of hard drive>/Library/Application Support
<root of hard drive>/Library/Preferences
<root of hard drive>/Library/PreferencePanes
<root of hard drive>/Library/Internet Plug-Ins