Roaming desktop icons

Now I'm totally at a loss. The problem has disappeared from all of my Macs. It hasn't occurred even once since my last post on this issue.

I didn't remove any of my software, so I guess it's not a third-party software incompatibility.

Things that I did included:

• Install OS 10.7.2
• Repair file permissions
• Remove all items from the desktop and place them in a folder, restart, then move only those documents back on the desktop that I actually needed (about a quarter of the original number)
• Reboot the computer in safe mode (because this had helped temporarily in the past)

Either one or a combination of these things seems to have solved the problem.

No time and no patience for more hassles than the world already provides us, so I've gone over to using DIM 2.0.2, which works quite fine for me.

Anyhow, for what it's worth, here's what I have just experienced (MacBook Pro early 2011, OSX 10.6.8). Finder crashed, I'm not quite sure why: when it happened I as was looking at my secondary screen, which was completely covered by another application's windows. A second or two earlier I had trashed a couple of text clippings (Finder files) from the desktop and one of them might still have been open, so I can only guess that that's what caused the crash.

On my primary screen, besides the crash report window, I found that all the icons had been moved to the right. One thing is that I don't remember when I last got a Finder crash, but what's more interesting in this case, if anyone wants to search further, is that this is the first time I run into this moving icons issue while in an open session, not after a reboot.

Well I can report that for me this problem as apprently stopped. I haven't started up my computer and found the icons rearranged in a couple of weeks now... odd.

I've had this problem off and on in the past, but it seems to be getting worse. My icons have moved the past two days in a row. I'll try the workaround, but I do hope Apple fixes this soon.

Note:

I've noticed, that whenever I navigate from another Mac (#2), via file sharing on the desktop of the Mac (#1) and navigate in a subfolder, place something there or copy something from there, after reboot, the icons on the Mac (#1) are upper left (even behind the menubar) or upper right. (Mac #1 with OS 10.5, Mac #2 with 10.5 or 10.6)....

Has anyone tried out to reset the display of folder content by deleting all .DS_Store files from the whole hard disk? You can do it by using Onyx.

After that reset all your folders should be the same as when the System and the applications were first installed !?

We had a similar problem and seemed to isolate it to files/folders on the desktop that have a *slash* in the name.

Example: "5/11 Statements"

No matter where this was put on the desktop -- at some point after a logout/login -- it would move to whatever open grid space there was on the right side of the desktop.

Renaming the files/folders to remove the slash (example "5-11 Statements") -- appears to have resolved the problem.

I don't know if that will help others with this issue -- but it's helped my users who have the problem (and, yes, I filed a bug on this...)

The above explanation fixed my problem perfectly.

I have the same problem of icon rearrangement after saving a file to that filder. Played with Apple Care for 1 straight month after buying a brand new iMac-- they even went so far as to replace my machine thinking "it must be a hardware issue"

Absolute waste of time. No change. I knew it wasn't hardware. Rediculous. I still have the problem.

it's weird, but I have had the same MacBook Pro since 2007 and 5 hard drives later and one teenage son who FINALLY moved out. The icon migration happens only when I'm drunk. Ok figure that one out. But years ago I was having problems I did find a way to stop it on google BUT it froze the icons in place BUT then when didn't like the frozen in place option I put it back to the factory setting and the problem was fixed until 2014 when I got drunk with my girlfriend and got on the computer and screwed it all up. Now the icons are going crazy! Do you think Jobs is talking to us drunk ladies from his grave?

Maybe he knew some weakness we have unsober? Somewhere in this computer is a way to get them to bed. I will update in the morning.

My files in my school folders can sometimes be moved somewhere in the folder. But it doesn't do that with the folders that are already on the mac. It gets so annoying, is there like an application to sort them and stop them from moving or can I change something in setting or something?

same problem for me and my nerves get very mad every time ........... 😠

you're welcome.

it's not 'Geoffrey', just 'Gregory'. and you're welcome.

I am still using OS 10.9.5. This does not happen to my computer however, I am connected to another computer (who is also using OS 10.9.5) using Remote Desktop. I stayed connected 24/7 and keep the other computer's desktop window minimized when not in use. Quite often when I restore the remote computer's desktop, the moment I click onto it, the icons "magically" re-arrange themselves over to the right side of the screen, which is where the dock is kept on that computer. As this remote computer is used by its owner, needless to say, it is an aggravating situation. Would Remote Desktop have a bearing on this?