Using Widgets Again

[mynameismatt89]

Hey,

Awhile back when I first got my iBook I got rid of the widgets because I was afraid it would use up to much RAM.

How can I bring the widget application back. I searched widget in spotlight and this is what I came up with:

(see attachment)

Is there a setting or something I need to re-install? Something I can download from apple.com?

Thanks.

 

[lofight]

why did you throw it away??

 

[flopticalcube]

Dashboard is what you want.

 

[mynameismatt89]

Am I able to download it from apple? or do I have to re-install it using the mac OSX disc?

 

[mynameismatt89]

Okay, so I re-installed the dashboard application and all of the right files with it using Pacifist from the Installation discs I got with my iBook.

When I click on Dashboard in the dock, nothing happens.

When I download widgets they go into my 'downloading' folder which I have defaulted for downloading pictures from the interenet and such. I then have to drag the widget into the 'widget' folder under my library. It then says I cannot do this, but I can authenticate it so it will allow it to go into the Widget folder. But still, when I click on the Dashboard application in the dock, nothing happens.

Is there something I am doing wrong? If someone could tell me all the files I should have, and where they go so that Dashboard will work, that would be great.

Thanks

 

[davidg4781]

I have always just double clicked the downloaded widget. This starts up Dashboard, gives me a preview of the widget, and asks if I want to keep it.

 

[mynameismatt89]

davidg4781:

Yes, I did that too. All it does it makes it look like its about to open and then Finder will do a refresh kind of thing where the docks disappears for a couple seconds and then comes back. When I click on dashboard in my dock, it does nothing. It should at least open even if there are no widgets.

I still don't understand what's going on here.

 

[davidg4781]

I'm not sure. I've never removed it and then reinstalled it. To me, it sounds like you have to do more to reinstall it than what you did. As far as I know, the best thing would be to do a full reinstall of OS X. Someone else, hopefully, will have something better for you.

Good luck.

 

[mynameismatt89]

Okay, so i've got it to open and I can see the widgets in the 'manage widgets' section, but when I drag them out, they do a ripple effect and then dissapear after 1 second.

I have done the drag the .plist files out and log out/in and opened up Dashboard but it still doesn't work: it still does the ripple effect and then nothing.

I should also mentioned that when I downloaded a widget, Dashboard recognizes it and installs it, they just do not show up in Dashboard view. So I go into 'manage widgets' and drag the one I just installed into the screen and it does the ripple effect and disapears.

Any suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[mynameismatt89]

Another thing I need help with...

I can no longer change my screen saver or set how many minutes of inactivity before it to comes on or change my background. I go to System Preferences, Energy Saver and then move the slider for "put the display to sleep when the computer is inactive for:" all the way to 1 minute so that the warning underneath it says "the display will sleep before your screen saver activates. Click the button to change screen saver settings". When I click on the Screen Saver button next to this message nothing comes up. This is the way I have always changed my screen saver and background and now I am unable to.

Any solutions to this problem?

Thanks

 

[mynameismatt89]

could it have something to do with the fact that I don't have a com.apple.screensaver.plist file?

 

[mkrishnan]

Ahhh, slow down, what on earth are you doing to your poor Mac!?

Okay, let's start with (1) Dashboard... when you disabled it, you most likely also changed a hidden OS X preference which kills the Dashboard. To get it back, you have to change this preference back. There are multiple ways you can do this (i.e. using sudo defaults write at the command line). The easiest way is to use this enable dashboard utility. The enable version should work for you even if you did not use this specific utility to disable it in the first place.

(2) Background / screen saver... what happens when you access the desktop & screen saver preference pane directly from the top level of the System Preferences (and not through Energy Saver)? It's the third from the left on the top row (you can see it in the attached borrowed picture).

 

[mynameismatt89]

mkrishnan:

Thanks for the great help.

I do not have the "Desktop & Screen Saver" icon in the system preferences. How can I get this back?

That program did not work. I clicked on enable dashboard, it refreshed the dock, and when i went to dashboard it still does the ripple thing.

Is there anything else that can be done?