bin folder on Desktop - Where does it belong?

Question

bin folder on Desktop - Where does it belong?

While moving and transfering files from another computer, somehow a "bin" folder ended up on the Desktop. When I open it, "Kind" shows it to be a Unix Executable File. None of the 37 files gives a hint as to any special folder that it might belong to. Some of the files are named: bash, cat, chmod, cp, domainname, echo, kill, etc. What has happened? What do I do with it? How can I find out what it belongs to?

27" iMAC Quad Core i7, 2.8GHz, Mac OS X (10.6.2), 1TB, 8GB, iPhone 3GS

Posted on Apr 25, 2010 5:51 PM

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Answer 1

Niel

Community+ 2026

Level 10

743,243 points

Apr 25, 2010 5:57 PM in response to Herschel Hochman

That belongs at the top level of a drive with Mac OS X installed. If you already have one(choose Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu and enter /bin as the path) with similar contents and weren't trying to move an entire Mac OS X system, delete that folder.

(51481)

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Answer 2

Apr 25, 2010 6:17 PM in response to Niel

Neil, I am not sure I understand. If, under Devices, I click on Macintosh HD, it shows a bin folder which is grayed out. Opening this shows the same files as the bin folder on the Desktop. Should the bin folder in the Macintosh HD be grayed out? Should I move the one on the Desktop into the Macintosh HD? If I delete the one on the Desktop (which is not grayed out), will it also take the grayed out file away from the Macintosh HD? I don't want to do anything that will cause a problem.
Thanks

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Answer 3

Apr 25, 2010 7:40 PM in response to Niel

Neil - I tried to move it back into Macintosh HD but it said I could not do it because the folder is invisible. So, I put it in the Trash and emptied the Trash. The bin file on the Desktop is now gone. The grayed out bin file is still in the Macintosh HD. I am not sure what I did during this entire procedure and hope whatever was done did nothing to the operating system. I would still like to know how it got on the Desktop to start with during my movement of files?

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