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Q: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver - error: could not load...

When I access the "System preferences" and try to open "Desktop & Screen Saver",

I get "Preferences error: could not load Desktop & Screen Saver preference pane".

 

Anybody knows how to fix it?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.1)

Posted on Feb 19, 2012 12:24 PM

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Q: System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver - error: could not load...

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  • by varjak paw,Solvedanswer

    varjak paw varjak paw Sep 27, 2011 10:06 AM in response to AppleMacFinder
    Level 10 (169,883 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 10:06 AM in response to AppleMacFinder

    A long shot, but try this: go to Finder, hold down the Option key, and under the Go menu select Library (the Option key will allow your user's Library folder, normally hidden, to appear). In the Library folder, go to the Caches folder and delete these two files:

     

    com.apple.preferencepanes.cache

    com.apple.preferencepanes.searchindexcache

     

    Log out and back in and see if System Preferences will now load the Desktop & Screen Saver preference pane. If not, try running a Permissions Repair in Disk Utility and see if that will cure the problem.

     

    Hope this helps.

  • by AppleMacFinder,

    AppleMacFinder AppleMacFinder Sep 27, 2011 10:29 AM in response to varjak paw
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 10:29 AM in response to varjak paw

    It seems that I don't have those files in this folder. Instead I have other files :

    • com.apple.FindSystemFiles.plist
    • com.apple.DiagnosticReporting.Networks.plist
    • com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.Components
    • com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.QuickTimeComponents
    • com.apple.ImageCaptureExtension2.ICADeviceDatabase.501
    • com.apple.ImageCaptureNotifications.DeviceDiscoveryDatabase.501
    • com.apple.itunesstored / url-resolution.plist
    • com.apple.Spotlight / Volumes / VolumeConfig.plist
    • com.apple.Spotlight / Volumes / VolumeConfiguration.plist

     

    But that doesn't matter anymore, because repairing disk permissions fixed this problem!

    Thank you for the fast answer! Have a nice day

  • by varjak paw,

    varjak paw varjak paw Sep 27, 2011 10:34 AM in response to AppleMacFinder
    Level 10 (169,883 points)
    Sep 27, 2011 10:34 AM in response to AppleMacFinder

    You were in the wrong folder; that one was the root Library, not your user's Library folder. But anyway, glad that a permissions repair fixed the problem.

     

    Cheers.

  • by macnewbold,

    macnewbold macnewbold Feb 15, 2012 8:07 AM in response to AppleMacFinder
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 15, 2012 8:07 AM in response to AppleMacFinder

    For what it's worth, in case anyone else stumbles upon this like I did when I had a the same problem, I thought I'd post a simpler solution that I found.

     

    When the problem occurred, the desktop / screen saver preferences wouldn't load, and neither would several other panes. I happened to notice in Activity Monitor, when viewing All Processes, that there was one taking a lot of CPU for no apparent reason. It was a process called Dock. I selected it and told it to Quit (didn't have to Force Quit, but that would probably work if Quit doesn't). It dropped my dock off the screen and got rid of my desktop wallpaper for a few seconds, then the Dock restarted, and wasn't taking full CPU any more. I also found I could open the desktop preferences pane again.

     

    Later, the problem reoccurred, and even though Dock wasn't taking excessive CPU at the time, restarting Dock worked again to get me back into the preferences. Just thought I'd post here in case it helps someone else like it did me.