Cannot find my hard drive icon anywhere!!!

Open a Finder window, select column view, and navigate up to the boot volume level. Double-click any root-level folder. BTW, CMDSHIFTA and CMDSHIFTU bring up the /Applications and its /Utilities subfolder. Finally, Desktop->Finder->Preferences->General->check Show items on Desktop for Hard Disks.

Create a new admin user account, log into it, and see if the problem persists. If so, then something's corrupt in the original. If not, then it's system wide and the first thing to try is to install a COMBO update. Since both of your machines are running obsolete versions, I suggest the 10.5.5 COMBO, repairing permissions, and restarting. If that solves the issue, run Software Update for anything else that's available, install, and repeat. if no more updates show up, repair permissions, and restart.

Assuming the problem's system-wide, since you didn't say you create another admin user account, it's time to do an Archive & Install, followed by the COMBO update, and any other little pieces that might be available. if you didn't create the admin user account, do that, and report back.

Sounds like the invisible bit got set for your drive. Try launching Terminal from your Utilities folder and then copy and paste this command into the Terminal window:

sudo chflags nohidden /

Press the return key. You'll be asked for your admin password. Type it carefully as it won't be echoed to the screen in any way whatsoever and press the Return key again. For more information about the invisible bit, see this article:

http://www.pinkmutant.com/articles/invisible.html

If you added a Spotlight comment to the drive, you'll need to carefully read the bottom section of the article on Leopard, invisiblity and Spotlight, and run the xattr command described.
Francine


Francine
Schwieder

So far the only cause that is reproducible is adding a Spotlight comment to the drive in Leopard. The invisible bit would then be set when Spotlight indexing ran. This MAY have been fixed in one of the point upgrades in Leopard. Or at least mitigated. But the general problem has been occurring since Tiger, and I have never seen any explanation, nor even any theory, about what might be causing it. I don't think you should blame your KooKoo clock. Something is coo-coo in the Finder, and whatever it is got introduced by Apple in Tiger, and has carried over to Leopard. Perhaps re-writing the Finder for Snow Leopard will finally fix it.... One can hope. Some people have reported working quietly away and seeing the drive icon vanish off the Desktop, without having done anything at all except run their normal programs.
Francine


Francine
Schwieder

I noticed that problem today as well, and tried your fix. It worked! Thanks so much for the help!

Hi Francine,

can't thank you enough, searched a while to fix this problem. It's so widespread, can't believe Apple hasn't in some way addressed this issue. Compared your jan 2006 posts to this, can't help but notice how simple the solution has become. 🙂

Thank you again. Best wishes,

Hon Sum

It's so widespread, can't believe Apple hasn't in some way addressed this issue. Compared your jan 2006 posts to this, can't help but notice how simple the solution has become.

Heh heh, yes, so far the only Apple response to the problem has been to add the command for a simpler fix. While that is nice, it would be even nicer if someone could discover why it happens! So far the only known, reproducible case is the one in Leopard where adding a Spotlight comment to a drive would cause the drive to become invisible when the mds process ran. I've never seen any explanation for any of the OTHER cases where it happens.
Francine


Francine
Schwieder

I too ran into this problem today and your solution worked perfectly.

There are numerous other threads addressing this issue which recommend booting from startup disc, backing up files and reinstalling...etc

Admins should sticky this discussion.

Thanks so much