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Uhm... Help! I don't know what happened to my desktop.

D

discotree

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 5, 2008
7
0
Well this isn't urgent, but I'm just curious as to what happened with my computer. I just don't want history to repeat itself.


Specs:
IMac G4
800 MHz Power PC
OSX 10.4.11

So here is the preface to the problem:

I was just messing around on my computer before this all happened. All I remember was just surfing the web and streaming M3U's on quicktime (it was the quick option for when I had my desktop shown in a new window and the icons were in list mode). I remember I couldn't get an M3U to play. It just buffered till hell froze over and back again. I don't remember clicking on anything. I ended up needing some food so I walked into town and had a sub (it was delicious by the way). When I got back my computer was turned off for some unknown reason.

This is the problem:

I turned on my computer with a raised eyebrow and paranoia on my mind. I thought maybe some serial computer turner-offer was sneaking around my apartment. Any-who, once i booted up my computer my whole desktop was swept clean. None of my god awful clutter was there. My dock was set back to it's default programs (You know... safari, ichat, address book, itunes, etc.). I believe all of my system preferences have been set to default. I used to have the hot-corners set, but they don't work anymore. I'm sure I can set them again. Also, when I try to open programs I had on before this mess, it would ask me to give a serial number. All of my files are still on the computer (minus the collection of useless stuff on my desktop). I just don't know what happened.

Question:

Does anyone know what I have done? Did I somehow delete an important folder? Was my suspicion right about the burglar who likes to turn off computers?



Funny thing, though, is that I am about to sell my computer, so it just saved me from more work!
 
Sounds like a new user was created, or you somehow switched to a user that you hadn't used (or in this case knew about)...
:confused:
 
That would be my first guess also; if you didn't, there do seem to be some other circumstances in which newer Mac users somehow cause their Mac to generate a new login account. I don't understand how they work exactly, but typically your account files are still there, either way, either in your renamed home folder or else in your old account. Look in the Users folder off the root of the Macintosh HD.

Also as logically follows this, you still need to cleanse your Mac before you sell it, since your files are almost certainly still there.
 
It was Iolathe. Wait! It was Yom Kippor on Thursday. Elijah must have been early for Passover and decided to screw with your computer.

Joking. I have no idea what happened. It sounds like your computer crashed somehow when you were gone. Something you might have done earlier may have done that, not your attempts at playing M3U files.
 
mkrishnan said:
Also as logically follows this, you still need to cleanse your Mac before you sell it, since your files are almost certainly still there.
Click to expand...

Any idea on a link that would inform me on cleaning my computer of everything except my applications?
 
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