Newsgroups: comp.unix.aux Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!ubc-cs!mprgate.mpr.ca!nemesis!rjohnson From: rjohnson@nemesis.mpr.ca (Robbin Johnson) Subject: HELP! A/UX desktop gone blewy! Message-ID: <1991May17.211413.24492@mprgate.mpr.ca> Originator: rjohnson@nemesis Sender: news@mprgate.mpr.ca Organization: MPR Teltech Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., CANADA Distribution: na Date: Fri, 17 May 91 21:14:13 GMT While in the middle of my daily rambles through the world of A/UX, the Finder all of a sudden lost all knowledge of my disk and the files, folders and applications there on. I guess the best way to describe what has happened is to tell you what I had, what I was doing when things blew up, and what is left. What I had - I suppose it could be classified as a regular A/UX set up. I was logged in as myself (not root) and on the desktop was the root and MacPartition file systems, my home folder and a couple of folders I had dragged out of my home folder. The Word and Mac Draw application icons where also there (the applications themselves were not running). I had two command shell windows and one or two folders open. I was running MacX at the same time but this does not seem to have been a part of the problem (I hope). Also, about an hour earlier I had been playing with exported file systems and mounting them from a Mac running MacOS and Wollongong's Pathway Client. No one other than myself has the root password and the exports file limits the machines that can mount the exported file systems. The only extra DA I have installed is ATM. What I was doing - Immediately prior to the disaster, I was using the command shell to rename one of the folders (directories) that was also "living" on the desktop. Since I did not see the folder's name change (under the icon) after I "mv'ed" the directory, I double clicked the folder and I (my memory is fuzzy here due to the ensuing panic) believe it opened at least once (still no name change). I then tried to click on the name under the icon to change it, but I could not get the I beam cursor. All of a sudden I started getting alert boxes when I double clicked the folder which stated something to the effect that the file/folder no longer existed. Attempts to open my home folder or the other folders on the desktop were also answered by this same alert box. After some more panic, I clicked on the root partition icon and all that is there is some (all) of the original dot files, the .desk directory and the FILES file! None of the folders normally in the root folder are there. No /usr icon. No /tmp icon. Nothing. If I hop over into the command shell the files and directories are all still there with the right modified times. Nothing is truely gone, it is just that the finder can no longer find it. Logging in as root gives the identically same situation - nothing accessable other than a portion of the root directory. What is left - After logging out and logging back in, the only thing on the desktop is the two disk partition icons. I have checked the /.desk directory and the two files in there 'localhost' and 'nemesis' are empty. The .desk in my home directory has an empty 'nemesis' file. I can still do everything through X11, but I am totally shut out from the Finder and all those wonderful Mac applications. The desk accessories are still available under the Apple, but they can only access the few files I can see in the root folder. Someone please tell me what to do besides reinstall everthing from scratch. I do not have a CDROM drive available just now and therefore cannot reinstall. Where or where is the command/application/secret that will allow me to rebuilt my desktop. I have the manual set on order but it is stuck in Cupertino and Apple Canada is slower than . Robbin. -- Robbin W. Johnson rjohnson@mpr.ca MPR Teltech Ltd. ``Yesterday the Moon, today LEO, tomorrow???''