Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others! Learn more about when to upvote >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Macintosh HD icon is not on my Desktop or visible from the Finder

After upgrading to Leopard, the "*Macintosh HD*" icon does not show up on the Desktop or in the Finder. Not even in the Finder under my Machine's name.

The drive exists - since I'm typing this from a workable install of Leopard. But it doesn't show up in the Finder.

Using GetFileInfo (from the Developer Tools folder) I can see that the Visibility flag is set. If I turn that flag off, the drive reappears until I bring up a Finder window and select the drive. Then it is gone and something has reset the "V" extended attribute flag.

Anyone else experiencing this fun?

MacBook Pro C2D, Mac OS X (10.5)

Posted on Nov 2, 2007 4:47 PM

81 replies

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 15, 2007 10:52 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

Francine,

I can't put an alias on my desktop. When the root drive is visible (after reseting V), I get the following message:

*The item "Macintosh HD" is in use right now and cannot be opened.*
*Try again when the current task (such as moving or copying an item or emptying the trash) is complete.*

Sad bit is none of those activities are occurring.

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 15, 2007 11:32 PM in response to Richard Bottiglieri

Interesting idea that iTunes and/or QuickTime has something to do with this. When I read your post I checked what version I was running on the MacBook Pro. Lo and behold they are at 7.5 and 7.3.

I then pulled open my rusty old key missing screen failing but still loved PowerBook G4. It is running Leopard but doesn't have the missing hard drive issue. Remarkably iTunes and Quicktime are at 7.4.2 and 7.2.1 respectively.

I then Screen Shared (love that feature) into the iMac G5 downstairs. It has the disappearing diskitis. Guess what! The version of iTunes and QuickTime is 7.4.2 and 7.2.1 respectively. So, if it is iTunes or QuickT then it would have had to be from a version older then 7.4.2 and 7.2.1. That kind of puts a dent into your idea.... which was a fine idea by the way.

I also found that a root process called 'update' runs immediately (or in concert with) the visibility bit being set. update is doing something called journalAttr.17 If anything sounds like a call to setting attributes, that sure does to me. But why? Who knows. Anyway, I updated the bug report and went back to speed typing "sudo SetFile -a v /".

Nov 16, 2007 9:56 AM in response to Paul Laskin

Paul,

Thanks for all of your hard work on this issue.

Quick question for you: did all of your Macs have Leopard installed the same or in any particular way? For example, I performed an "Archive and Install" on my PBG4. I'm wondering if the type of base installation makes any difference.

In any event, Apple responded to my bug report, and actually referenced yours as the original. They're aware of the issue, nonetheless.

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 16, 2007 10:50 AM in response to Richard Bottiglieri

My main machine - the MacBook Pro was a clean install then I hand copied my user account folders over to a fresh new user. Yes, I could of done an archive and install and I did at first but ran into the silly "you are not an admin on this machine, oh admin of this machine" error. After trying to fix the problem by resetting the root password (which fixed root but not my account) I gave up and did a clean install.

The iMac was an Archive and Install upgrade.
The ole G4 PB a clean install.
Those last 2 are still running a pre-release of Leopard. One of these days I'll get around to upgrading them.

Nov 17, 2007 11:50 AM in response to Paul Laskin

Update: I had the opportunity to upgrade the internal hard disk in my laptop to a new, 120 GB Hitachi model. I installed the drive, formatted (HFS+, Journaled) it, and re-installed Leopard, all available updates (via Software Update), as well as my 3rd party applications. The problem no longer appears.

So, on the same hardware, running the same software, with a new hard drive (formatted using the bundled Disk Utility in the Leopard installer), I no longer experience the issue.

Definitely weird.

Nov 17, 2007 9:05 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

Those instructions sound great but do not work for my issue. The finder window has no applications in it nor can you use any of the finder features. when you click on anything in the finder menu the only thing that happens is " nothing"

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 17, 2007 9:54 PM in response to Mariposa17

Mariposa17,

If the machine is booting up then the data is still there. You just can't see it.

Try this.
1) Go to the menus on your desktop. Click on Go and then +Go To Folder+

That should open up a window that says "Go to the folder:"
2) Type +/Volumes/Macintosh HD/+
--unless your hard drive is named something else.. if it is then just type in /Volumes
3) Select Go

-- you now should be looking at the top level of your hard drive (also called root level). That is if your hard drive name was "Macintosh HD".
If you just typed in Volumes, then you are looking at the "hard drives" attached to your computer. Click on the one that you think is the drive your computer boots from.

At this point you should see:
Applications
Library
System
Users

and perhaps some other directories.

You should be able to drag the Applications folder to your Finder's side bar. Put it under Places.

Let me know if that helps.

Mottel

Level 1

0 points

Nov 18, 2007 8:21 PM in response to GªM€

Hi all, I'm an experienced PC user but new to Mac (just 1 week). I too am experiencing this prob on my new MacBook Pro running Leopard. As others have found out, update 10.5.1 did not fix it.

Francine Schwieder's AppleScript worked but only as a temporary fix. A side effect of the script shutting down then restarting Finder is that I lose Finder's view options even if I had previously clicked "Use as defaults", it reverts to different settings. (I hate those pesky relative dates, "yesterday" etc.) The same thing also occurs for other mysterious, unexplained reasons. I just can't get the new defaults to stick.

Another temporary fix for those here who are using Rage Mac Explorer is to add the hard drive to the shelf. (Right-click on the HD and choose that option from the pop-up context menu.) Now, whenever you open a Mac-Explorer browser-window, if in the meantime, whatever is causing the bug has again reset the visible attribute invisible, before Mac-Explorer opens its browser window, it will first pop up a a dialog saying 'The file "Macintosh HD" is invisible. Invisible files can not be added to the links bar. Would you like to make this file visible?'. Click OK, and it will work. The HD will again show up in Finder and on the desktop.

I can tell you one thing that always causes the disappearing icon bug to recurr for me: Clicking on Macintosh HD in Finder will instantly cause it to again, though the desktop icon seems to be slightly more stable. It still disappears, sometimes but not as readily. (I think it was a new alias created with Mac-Explorer, but I can't remember for sure now.)

Where can I get the developer tools?

Mottel

Level 1

0 points

Nov 18, 2007 8:26 PM in response to Mottel

Oh, and another thing: How do you switch off Spotlight? I don't use it, and I don't care if it is switched off for now if it means that the fix will stick.

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 18, 2007 8:56 PM in response to Mottel

You can get the developer tools off of the install DVD.
Open up the +Optional Installs+ folder
The the +Xcode Tools+ folder
Double click on the XcodeTools.mpkg and that will start the tools install.

Mottel

Level 1

0 points

Nov 18, 2007 10:17 PM in response to Paul Laskin

Thanks Paul, and sorry for the stupid question before about switching off Spotlight. A classic case of asking before looking. My excuse is that I'm still trying to get my sea legs on the Mac.

Mottel

Level 1

0 points

Nov 18, 2007 10:56 PM in response to Mottel

Update: Well, I'd say this bug is definitely being caused, or at least triggered, by Spotlight. I haven't done the sort of investigations that Paul has undertaken (that's beyond my capabilities right now), but after disabling Spotlight from indexing my hard drive (and, later, my flash-drive too), I haven't been able to replicate the bug at all.

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 19, 2007 6:35 AM in response to Mottel

Sorry I didn't get back to you about how to turn off Spotlight. Looks like you've got it though.

Yes, I found that Spotlight is definitely a trigger in the disappearing hard drive caper. I just have a hard time working without it. So, I've gone to calling up the hard drive when ever I need it by calling up +Go To Folder+ and typing +/Volumes/Macintosh HD+

Nov 19, 2007 10:37 AM in response to Paul Laskin

Hi Paul, did you add the info that another person had gotten the same reproducible result with Spotlight enabled to your bug report?

BTW, the drive busy error when making an alias is pretty strange too. But did you try making the alias when the drive is invisible? I used the proxy icon from the window title bar to make an alias while my drive was invisible (I had set it to invisible with SetFile), and it worked.
Francine

Francine
Schwieder

Paul Laskin Author

Level 1

31 points

Nov 19, 2007 9:13 PM in response to Francine Schwieder

Francine,

I did update the bugreport! Well, after I read your email I added the update. Good idea by the way!

As for setting up the alias, my system is in a strange state right now. The drive 'V' bit is set. The drive doesn't show up on the Desktop but it has been sitting under Devices in the Finder window. Which is great! I'm tempted to remove it to see if I can get it back but I think I'll enjoy this state for a day or two more. I know as soon as I reboot it will disappear then I'll try again.

Macintosh HD icon is not on my Desktop or visible from the Finder