probably a very stupid question!

[helsinkilegend]

part 1
I think this should be very simple to answer but i'm new to mac and have been having a few problems. Ok, here it goes. We recently had our mac repaired and i think the person changed everything back to the factory settings. Before, we could simply double-click on our icons and they would open in the default programme for that file and then open that file in the progamme. Now when we double-click on our icons they do not open. We have to go to the proper programme, ie photoshop, open the programme and go to file-open- and choose the file we want from the list. This is really slow and i'm sure that we have to change something in our preferences buut i do not know what. Any help would be great. Thanks

part 2
Again this problem started when we had our computer repaired and set back to the factory settings. Before when we opened our folders and viewed the contents as icons, the icons would appear as mini pictures of the real thing. But now all of our icons are displayed as the file type, ie jpeg, psd, and we cannot see them as mini pictuers.

 

[dhc]

i think this should be very simple to answer but i'm new to mac and have been having a few problems. ok, here it goes. we recently had our mac repaired and i think the person changed everything back to the factory settings. before we could simply double-click on our icons and they would open the default programme for that file and then open that file in the progamme. now when we double-click on our icons they do not open. we have to go to the proper programme, ie photoshop, open the programme and go to file-open- and choose the file we want from the list. this is really slow and i'm sure that we have to change something in our preferences buut i do not know what. any help would be great. thanks

Are these the icons in your Dock? or shortcuts on your desktop? It's just a guess, but perhaps deleting the shortcut (not the app itself!) then re-creating the shortcut might work?

EDIT - reread your post and think I missunderstood..
If this is to do with the file not opening the application that it has been created by (or should be opened with), try selecting the icon, ctrl+I (get info), then with the 'open with' drop down, select the application it should open with, and click the 'change all' button..
Hope this helps.

 

[Analog Kid]

i think this should be very simple to answer but i'm new to mac and have been having a few problems. ok, here it goes. we recently had our mac repaired and i think the person changed everything back to the factory settings. before we could simply double-click on our icons and they would open the default programme for that file and then open that file in the progamme. now when we double-click on our icons they do not open. we have to go to the proper programme, ie photoshop, open the programme and go to file-open- and choose the file we want from the list. this is really slow and i'm sure that we have to change something in our preferences buut i do not know what. any help would be great. thanks

Try control click, then hold option and select "Always open with"

 

[WildCowboy]

Are the files showing the icons that you expect for the program you want to open the file? If you highlight the file and hit Command-I to bring up the info screen, does it display the correct program under "Open with" section? If not, you can choose the proper program and then apply that to all files of this type.

Does literally nothing happen when you double click on a file? No dialog boxes pop up or anything?

 

[helsinkilegend]

re-post

we are working with a lot of photographs at the moment and when we try to open a previously saved file, the file will not open with a simple double-click of the icon. we have to go the the programme that we want to open the file with, and select file-open and choose the correct file. when we double click the icon the programme opens but it does not display the file.

 

[helsinkilegend]

part 2 solved

we've managed to solve part 2 where we could not see our images when we viewed the as icons. as expected it was a very simple check of a box that worked. we went to finder-view-show view options-and checked the show icon preview. thanks for all the help. i think part 1 is just as simple but just as annoying.

 

[helsinkilegend]

part 1 continued

we have tried to highlight the icon, and pressed apple+i (to get info). we then went to 'open with' and changed that to the programme we want but when we double-click the icon it still does not respond.

 

[Analog Kid]

we have tried to highlight the icon, and pressed apple+i (to get info). we then went to 'open with' and changed that to the programme we want but when we double-click the icon it still does not respond.

Try Onyx, and reset your LaunchServices database.

 

[charkshark]

Try Onyx, and reset your LaunchServices database.

Second vote for Onyx, great app for general maintenance of your Mac, and it's free.

 

[charkshark]

Try Onyx, and reset your LaunchServices database.

Second vote for Onyx, great app for general maintenance of your Mac, and it's free.

Check and see if what you are clicking on is an alias, or original file, if not, move the original file to where you want to put it. Go to get info, and configure your open with program. See if it opens.

If it does not open try right clicking (ctrl+click) and open with program....
If this doesn't work, I'm not sure what the problem is.
If the right clicking works and the first way doesn't it is a bit of an annoyance, but a lot less than opening the program first.