Forums | MacLife

ukimalefu wrote:

Try booting from the install dvd. If it works, move the files somewhere else.

Or if you have a 2nd Mac, try Firewire Target mode.

No go on either of those, no second Mac and the installer disk gives no file system access.
My Mac locks on screen load so NOTHING that brings in the Finder will work.

My Mac is completely smurfed now. I cannot do anything with it because the finder locks and I am finding that it is impossible to quit the Finder without it relaunching.
Window serve locks and cannot be quit.
Basically the entire GUI is locked out.
I need a cut and past command I can enter into the terminal to move these things ANYWHERE but on my desktop.
Jesus, this is just stupid. I have always known OSX was lame as smurf when it came to large directories but I have never had it go south like this before.
Its so locked I cannot even revert with Time Machine. The act of booting locks everything+

Pariah wrote:

Problem resolved.
I used my demo of Path Finder to kill the Finder and was able to launch GraphicConverter  and after about a 5 minute delay was able to move the files.
Good God on a smurfing pogo stick that was a stupid exersize. I knew the OSX Finder sucked but I never thought it sucked that bad.

I don't know if Mac OS supports limits on the amount of files/folders in a folder.
'cause that's the only thing I can think of to prevent that.

Nefarious wrote:

Couldn't you login to another user at startup ?

Single user computer dude. I have just one user, Me.


Man, what a chore, I remember under OS9 that having over 5000 files in a folder was a drag but having 600 choke OSX is just silly.

Kind of embarrassing really. First time in 2 years I had to resort to posting from my wife's PC for help.

The humiliation.

Freakout Jackson wrote:

dvpierce wrote:

I'm on of "those" people who work a lot on the desktop. Haven't gotten to 600 files yet, but I'd just as soon find out what to expect.

The desktop is just another folder in your acct.
I tell all my clients (on the advice of a guru) to keep all their files on the desktop.
It's the only folder that doesn't get permissions interference from other apps.
(ie: iPhoto > pictures folder, iTunes > Music folder, MS user data > documents etc....)
I have probably 150 gigs in my work in progress folder on my desktop and regularly batch 100's of RAW files (up to 75mb ea) into my batch holding folder on the desktop and have never experienced what you describe. I suspect something wonky is afoot in those files.

A bunch of files in a folder on the desktop is very different than a bunch of files directly on the desktop as the OS has to calculate eveything on the desktop for graphical display (dropshadows,effects etc).

The desktop itself is a just a folder in functionality but it is special in that is is always open and it's contents have to be accounted for in screen redraw.


Hey Pariah:
It is a good idea to have a second account on your machine for times like this and don't forget to disable auto login.
Also might be a good time to learn some basic terminal commands such as mv cp and such. They are easy and good to know.

Yes the finder is the CPAPPIEST application Apple makes.

Last edited by Light Speed (2008-02-17 2:13 pm)

I think you can bring up the terminal when booted on the OS dvd, right? (works in single user mode at least)
In that case, you could have done:

cd Desktop
mkdir foldername
mv *.fileextention foldername