Newb question here. I can't get system preferences to open. I can click on it but nothing happens. Anybody know what my problem is? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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System Preferences won't open?
- Thread starter makena50
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I'm guessing you're clicking on the dock icon, and single-clicking it should open it. Can you open System Preferences from your 
menu in the top left?
Morod
menu in the top left?Morod
Well when I click on the menu or the system preferences dock icon, neither of them seems to do anything. The top bar where the icon is however seems to say System Preferences along side Edit, View, etc. when I click on it but nothing happens. Safari does the same thing except it works. Maybe I pressed something off in the crossfire?
menu or the system preferences dock icon, neither of them seems to do anything. The top bar where the icon is however seems to say System Preferences along side Edit, View, etc. when I click on it but nothing happens. Safari does the same thing except it works. Maybe I pressed something off in the crossfire?
Well when I click on the
Look in the dock next to the trash can. Did you click the yellow button in the prefs window? If so, the window is now minimized and down in the dock. Click it.
All I have next to the trash is my documents stack and my download stack. Not in either of those
I can't duplicate the problem. If you see Sys Prefs in the menu bar, what does it say under "window"?
I understand. When System Pref is selected and I click on Window in the menu bar, open and close are not highlight-able.
Well, I'm baffled. If the blue ball is present, just clicking the icon should reopen the window. And when I look under "window", close and minimize are there and System Preferences is checkmarked. I can't make mine behave the way you two are describing.
Anyone else?
Deja vu
AGHHH! I'm having the same problem! I'm a somewhat experience mac user. The window will not show up at all. Even restarting the computer does not help. I used disk utility to verify my hdd and it passed. I've noticed someone else had this problem (not the poster), and they weren't able to solve it.
Only suspicious thing that I noticed in console is:
6/26/08 8:58:02 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] BootCacheControl: could not fetch history: Cannot allocate memory
6/26/08 8:58:02 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] BootCacheControl: could not stop cache/fetch history: Cannot allocate memory
The little blue disk shows up under the icon, but the window does not. The window is not hidden either. Anything under system preferences does not work either. For example, if I spotlight sharing, system preferences will start up, the the window will not show up.
Was anyone able to fix this problem?
AGHHH! I'm having the same problem! I'm a somewhat experience mac user. The window will not show up at all. Even restarting the computer does not help. I used disk utility to verify my hdd and it passed. I've noticed someone else had this problem (not the poster), and they weren't able to solve it.
Only suspicious thing that I noticed in console is:
6/26/08 8:58:02 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] BootCacheControl: could not fetch history: Cannot allocate memory
6/26/08 8:58:02 PM com.apple.launchctl.System[2] BootCacheControl: could not stop cache/fetch history: Cannot allocate memory
The little blue disk shows up under the icon, but the window does not. The window is not hidden either. Anything under system preferences does not work either. For example, if I spotlight sharing, system preferences will start up, the the window will not show up.
Was anyone able to fix this problem?
False Alarm
Got it to work! Here was my problem. I have my laptop connected to an external display. Sometimes I slightly open my laptop to make the sound a bit louder. It just so happened that I opened it enough that the screen activated. For some odd reason, the system preference window popped up on my laptop screen. And because I only really use my external display, I never noticed it, until now....
Got it to work! Here was my problem. I have my laptop connected to an external display. Sometimes I slightly open my laptop to make the sound a bit louder. It just so happened that I opened it enough that the screen activated. For some odd reason, the system preference window popped up on my laptop screen. And because I only really use my external display, I never noticed it, until now....
Try restarting. That doesn't work, try reinstalling the combo 10.5.3 update. I had some issues with some preferences at work not opening, and that fixed it. Never had it just not open at all though. If nothing else, try running a permissions repair, or download something like Onyx and run all the cache cleaners and scripts.
Closing System Preferences will actually open it....ohhh my!
Like yourself, I had System Preferences loaded up and on the dock, but was unable to open up the application to do anything.
This is what worked: went to the dock, and, while holding down the "control key", I selected the System Preferences icon. This opened up a dialogue box with few choices...I choose "Quit". Bingo! The System Preference application opened.
It is my view that this is a mistake in the design of the user interface. When a user quits an application, the application should be closing (or at least going into some sort of standby mode) not opening that application. I am new to Apple so perhaps this whole situation is a product of my inexperience. That is my hope anyway.
Like yourself, I had System Preferences loaded up and on the dock, but was unable to open up the application to do anything.
This is what worked: went to the dock, and, while holding down the "control key", I selected the System Preferences icon. This opened up a dialogue box with few choices...I choose "Quit". Bingo! The System Preference application opened.
It is my view that this is a mistake in the design of the user interface. When a user quits an application, the application should be closing (or at least going into some sort of standby mode) not opening that application. I am new to Apple so perhaps this whole situation is a product of my inexperience. That is my hope anyway.
??????
I have the same problem. For some reason the System pref icon in my Dock had a ? over it and when i tried to open it nothing happened. when i try to open it through clicking down the apple icon again nothing happens??????
I have now not got the icon in my Dock and don't know how to get it back.... can anyone help please?????????
I have the same problem. For some reason the System pref icon in my Dock had a ? over it and when i tried to open it nothing happened. when i try to open it through clicking down the apple icon again nothing happens??????
I have now not got the icon in my Dock and don't know how to get it back.... can anyone help please?????????
i have the SAME issue. using iMAC OS X 10.5.8. really frustrating
If you don't have the System Preferences in the Dock, just drag the icon from Finder under Applications to the Dock. On the other hand, if the icon is misbehaving in the Dock, then right click on the icon in the Dock and select Options>Remove from Dock and then do what I wrote in the first sentence.
the issue is the icon is gone and even when i click on system preferences from the menu at the top of the screen nothing opens. i have 3 user profiles on the mac and it does this on all of them.
menu at the top of the screen nothing opens. i have 3 user profiles on the mac and it does this on all of them.check the trash
I was having this problem of not being able to open system preferences. Would not work from the toolbar or the apple icon. It just wouldn't do anything but other applications were fine.
I finally logged out, logged into my daughter's account and tried from there. This time I got a message that I can't open the application because it is in the trash. I removed it from the trash in her account and now it works on all accounts.
Hope this helps someone out there.
I was having this problem of not being able to open system preferences. Would not work from the toolbar or the apple icon. It just wouldn't do anything but other applications were fine.
I finally logged out, logged into my daughter's account and tried from there. This time I got a message that I can't open the application because it is in the trash. I removed it from the trash in her account and now it works on all accounts.
Hope this helps someone out there.
I HAD THIS PROBLEM, AND BY RE INSTALLING THE 2 DISKS THAT CAME WITH THE MAC BOOK, APPLICATIONS INSTALL DVD & MAC OS X INSTALL DVD, FIXED THE PROBLEM !
I NOTICED THIS HAPPENED JUST AFTER I ALLOWED AN "UP DATE"
HAS ANYONE ELSE FOUND THIS HAPPENED TO THEM ?
System Preferences won't open
Well I had this problem today when I wanted to scan something and because Sys Pref wouldn't open I couldn't select Print and Fax and came here to see what the problem was. Silent Avenger's comment re an external display turned on a light yesterday I'd been watching a downloaded iTunes TV show via my flat-screen TV. I turned on the TV, switched it to INPUT, scrolled to the input for my iMac (on MY TV it's HDMI-2) got the displays to 'mirror' and reset everything as I should have done yesterday when I'd finished watching the downloaded show. S'all good now
Well I had this problem today when I wanted to scan something and because Sys Pref wouldn't open I couldn't select Print and Fax and came here to see what the problem was. Silent Avenger's comment re an external display turned on a light yesterday I'd been watching a downloaded iTunes TV show via my flat-screen TV. I turned on the TV, switched it to INPUT, scrolled to the input for my iMac (on MY TV it's HDMI-2) got the displays to 'mirror' and reset everything as I should have done yesterday when I'd finished watching the downloaded show. S'all good now
Unable to open system preferences
Same problem drove me nutsss....... Solution i found was, hold the Control key click once on system preferences and you will see a very small tiny window on the left bottom corner so just drag that small tiny window to the middle of screen and there u have the solution. All it was that the system preferences was minimized and it was hidden. I hope that works for you guys as well. Have a shiny day.
Same problem drove me nutsss....... Solution i found was, hold the Control key click once on system preferences and you will see a very small tiny window on the left bottom corner so just drag that small tiny window to the middle of screen and there u have the solution. All it was that the system preferences was minimized and it was hidden. I hope that works for you guys as well. Have a shiny day.
A Solution
I encountered the same problem, but it was solved easily in the following way:
Right-click System Preferences on the Dock, goto Options and click Remove from Dock. Then, click Applications (on Dock, for example) and drag System Preferences back on the Dock. It should now start working again.
I encountered the same problem, but it was solved easily in the following way:
Right-click System Preferences on the Dock, goto Options and click Remove from Dock. Then, click Applications (on Dock, for example) and drag System Preferences back on the Dock. It should now start working again.