Preferences Pane Problem.. The pane opens as a small tab. (screenshots inc)

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Preferences Pane Problem.. The pane opens as a small tab. (screenshots inc)

Hi

I'm having a problem with Safari preferences on my Samsung R519 laptop. I find the Apple Homepage a little slow and so wanted to change it to a lighter and quicker page but I can't seem to get to the preferences to change it..

The prefs pane opens as a tiny tab, in fact the red X close button is bigger than the main pane.. +See screenshot below.+

http://www.melville-vs-medway.webspace.virginmedia.com/safari-problem/safaripref s.jpg

I have so far uninstalled Safari and deleted all the Safari folders on the C drive under my user account and I'm the only account on the laptop. When I reinstalled Safari it was the same.

I tried to reset Safari and the reset pane was the same, opened as a small tab. +See screenshot below.+

http://www.melville-vs-medway.webspace.virginmedia.com/safari-problem/safari-res et.jpg

And also you can see on the screenshots i'm getting "localized string not found" it doesn't seem to affect the use of Safari as I'm here on the discussions board using it now to write this up.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

iMac Graphite 700se 512 G3 60gb, Mac OS X (10.4.8), +OS X 10.2 running on Lacie firewire 20gb

Posted on Mar 25, 2011 6:24 AM

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Answer 1

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b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Mar 25, 2011 3:09 PM in response to wudja-cudja

That's a strange one. The localised strings business makes me suspect we're looking at subtle program files (or possibly OS) damage rather than Safari settings/preferences files. But my initial intuitions about causes of strange Safari issues (when it's an either/or choice) run at lower than 50%, so we'd better actually check which one seems more likely (rather than just forging ahead).

This isn't going to be a cure in itself, but it should narrow down the possibilities as to which sort of damage we're dealing with here.

Create a new Windows account with full administrative rights. Log out of your usual account and log into the new one. (Don't use fast user switching to move between accounts.)

Launch Safari. Do you get the same display oddities in the new account as you do in the normal account?

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Answer 2

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Jun 1, 2011 8:56 PM in response to b noir

Hi b noir

It's been over two months and I'm just back to have a crack at fixing this Safari quirk...

Apologies for the absence but I just didn't find the time to get back into this..

I've tried a new installation of Safari and it was behaving the same.

So as you suggested I've just created the new user account with full administrative rights and Safari works just fine in the new account. The prefs and reset are all there along with the about pane, none of which work properly in my original account....😕

I've kind of got used to Firefox over the last couple of months so It's not a big issue, now I know I can check any eBay templates or web pages I write for compatibility with Safari. If there's a quick easy fix I'll take a shot at it but, for now I'll say thank you for the help as I'm a user and not too willing to dive into the system folders..

Many thanks Paul..

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Answer 3

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jun 1, 2011 9:25 PM in response to wudja-cudja

Ha! Once again my initial intuitions are wrong.

(I have actually tried, when troubleshooting weird Safari for Windows problems, attempting to determine what my initial intuition is and then suggesting the exact opposite. Unfortunately, I end up double- and triple-guessing my initial intuitions. Wrongly. So it just takes three times as long to come to the wrong initial conclusion, and I'm grumpier once I've got there.)

Okay ... if it's user-account-specific, then we're most probably dealing with settings/preferences files. In that case the "So-much-for-subtlety" instructions from the following post may be of assistance:

Re: Safari launches but hides window

Unfortunately, this will lose all your Top Sites, History, Bookmarks, passwords, etc. However, in my last post in that topic is a method for getting your BookMarks and Top Sites back that seems to work for most folks:

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Answer 4

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Jun 8, 2011 8:41 AM in response to b noir

Hi b noir..

Thank's for sticking with me here and trying....

I've deleted every file and folder associated with Safari.... and no change...

Then went back and uninstalled Safari and again all the user files and folders.

Restarted the laptop and downloaded Safari again (hoping to get a new build)

I've still got the same problem.....😕 😟

I can use it for what I want to do and that's OK for me.. I'll just have to stick with

other browsers for the time being untill I get around to buying myself a MacBook

and replacing this laptop.. Money has been a little tight and that's why I ended up

switching from Mac to Win... If I can't live without Safari I guess I'll have to sell my

Granny on eBay.. .. 😁😁

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Answer 5

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Jun 14, 2011 9:17 AM in response to b noir

Hi... 😀

I'm back and trying to scratch this itch today... Determined to get this fixed...

So Here's what I've done today..

Again all Safari Folders / Files deleted and Safari Un-installed again and then bin emptied..

I then restarted the laptop and created a NEW admin account and installed Safari with that account and it works fine.... Safari started up as a new user and the Pref's pane opened up properly just as before when I created the last NEW user account only this time I've installed Safari with this account.... Hoping that all will be well with my main user account on the laptop...

The NEW admin account with the Pref's pane open.. It works just fine with this account... 🙂

I shut down and restarted with my main account and found Safari and started it...

It Flashed the New User page and then went to apple.com.....😟 I just knew what

was coming when I tried the Pref's pane...... 😢 having seen the new user window

flash very quickly and then Safari redirect to the apple homepage..

Here's the broken pref's pane again...

My next step will be to complete another delete Safari Files / Folders and un-install again, empty trash and then...... Defrag this laptop and load a couple of movies and hopefully overwrite any remnants of Safari and try again...

For now I'm having a "Walk-away Moment" before I fit this useless piece of in a very small box with the help of a hammer and post it off to Balmer.. 😠

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Answer 6

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jun 14, 2011 3:15 PM in response to wudja-cudja

Hmmmm. User account specific. Not preference/settings files. Otherwise looks a bit like a program files issue, but can't be because it's user-specific, not systemwide.

That's suggesting issues with registry entries on the usual user account.

Let's quickly try something ultra-simple before delving into that more deeply.

Restart the PC. Now head into your Uninstall a program control panel. Select Apple Application Support and click "Repair". If the repair install goes through okay, try doing the Same sort of repair install for safari. Restart the PC, launch Safari and check the preference pane again. Any improvement?

(For some odd reason, repair installs are sometimes better at fixing things like a dll having been de-registered than an uninstall/reinstall. So thinking we'd try that just in case.)

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Answer 7

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Jun 14, 2011 10:35 PM in response to b noir

Hi b noir...

I never knew I could repair.. .. 😊 anyway tried it and no difference..

There is one thing I haven't mentioned and thats the behaviour of Safari when I try and select the Pref's pane and the Reset pane. I have to select either Pref's or Reset twice before the small tab apears. In the NEW user account they both appear instantly after selecting them. When I preview the broken panes in the toolbar they are blank.. but they still have the red X for closing the pane. Selecting to close the panes from the toolbar freezes Safari and I get the Safari not working windows is fixing report.

Downloads works √

History works √

Help works √

Tabs, Menu bar, Status bar work √

Pref's broken.. X

Reset broken.. X

About Safari broken.. X

Private browsing broken.. X

And Report bugs freezes Safari and I have to select the pane to view it from the preview in the toolbar (Dock) and that is also a small tab not a full pane.. X

I should get round to doing the un-install and defrag tommorow evening hopefully and I'll report back..

Paul

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Answer 8

b noir

Level 9

72,324 points

Jun 15, 2011 2:27 AM in response to wudja-cudja

If no luck with that, Paul, I'd try a malware scan. (Not because in this case I'm thinking malware is likely, but the scan I'm thinking of is also quite good at picking up registry oddities that can cause iTunes, QuickTime and Safari trouble.)

Try downloading and installing the free version of Malwarebytes AntiMalware. Update your MBAM definitions and then run a full scan of the PC. (Takes about 2 hour on my Lenovo.)

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

Does the scan find any infections? If so, please paste the contents of the log file for the scan in a reply here so we can have a look.

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Answer 9

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Jun 15, 2011 9:38 PM in response to b noir

Hi b noir

Nothing showed up with MBAM.. I run Microsoft Security Essentials and it's pretty good at picking up and denying malicious items coming my way..

And the Log..

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.51.0.1200

www.malwarebytes.org

Database version: 6854

Windows 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1

Internet Explorer 9.0.8112.16421

16/06/2011 05:22:55

mbam-log-2011-06-16 (05-22-55).txt

Scan type: Full scan (C:\|D:\|I:\|)

Objects scanned: 617211

Time elapsed: 3 hour(s), 54 minute(s), 1 second(s)

Memory Processes Infected: 0

Memory Modules Infected: 0

Registry Keys Infected: 0

Registry Values Infected: 0

Registry Data Items Infected: 0

Folders Infected: 0

Files Infected: 0

Memory Processes Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

Memory Modules Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

Registry Values Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data Items Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

Folders Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

Files Infected:

(No malicious items detected)

I will do the un-install and defrag later today and see how that goes.

Many thanks for your help

Paul

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Answer 10

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Jun 19, 2011 12:03 AM in response to wudja-cudja

Back again.... 😢

I've un-installed... deleted everything I could find for Safari with mbam file assassin.

I ran system defragmentation restarted and loaded a ton of files from a backup drive to hopefully overwrite everything that was Safari....

Restarted laptop again and installed a fresh download of Safari and restarted the laptop again before running Safari.. It started well with the Safari Start Page but the problems are still here with me.. No preferences or the reset panes..

Safari is not showing up as a folder in the START - All Programs list... 😕 iTunes is there along with Quicktime but no Safari... It is on the main start window as seen in the screenshot below.

I've looked at my History in Safari and it's like a brand new install but... Some old history is showing up in the start menu. (see screen shot below) The 2 items I've highlighted are from a few months ago when this problem started and I was checking an eBay listing with Safari for compatibility. I'm also seeing the Localised string not found and have no idea what that is.. ..

I'm lost here and leaving it alone now.. I've given enough time to this and when I get around to doing a system restore or installing a larger drive I might have another go at it then and hopefully the restore or new WIN 7 installation will fix the problem. It's obviously more than a quick fix and I don't want to go deeper into the system to find a fix.

Many thanks for your help with trying to find a fix b noir. Much appreciated for the time and effort you given me.

Paul.. 🙂

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Answer 11

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Oct 16, 2011 9:12 PM in response to wudja-cudja

It's Broke and nothing is going to fixit.... 😢 😟 😢 😟 Untill I get around to doing a format of the drive and re-installing Windows... 😟

I have tonight deleted everything on the laptop that is Apple Inc.. Safari iTunes Quicktime Bonjour... All the Apple folders I could find.. The Apple profile everything is gone..

Emptied the trash...

Defragged the drive..

Downloaded Safari again.. installed and it's still the same.. Something must be hidden from my available view.. 😕

It takes somewhere close to 2 minutes to open the Apple homepage.. As soon as I start Safari the drive spins up in overdrive really busy.. no other app on the laptop behaves like this..

Oh well at least I can put it all back with a restore point.. .. 😝

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Answer 12

Dec 30, 2011 9:55 AM in response to wudja-cudja

I thought I was the only one!!

I get the exact same thing and it's VERY frustrating 😟 I am at my wits end.

Anyone that cracks this is a genius!!!!

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Answer 13

wudja-cudja Author

Level 1

85 points

Mar 3, 2013 10:18 PM in response to stacieb123

It's been a long time but FINALY..... 🙂 It works............ 🙂

This is how my preferences pane and reset pane looked before and how it made Safari unusable by not letting me change settings, history and downloads were the same small button with just the close window X and if I managed to click the X Safari froze and shut down.

Now for the first time I can see the pref's pane and Safari is working just fine.

I tried everything... uninstalling... Deleting everything Safari.. I was pretty close to doing a system restore but this morning I had an idea and a last ditch attempt before I wiped the drive and restored my laptop to factory settings.

So I followed these instructions on removing the preferences folders and I have 2 accounts on the laptop so did both. As I've never managed to get Safari working there were no bookmarks or user preferences to save so I just deleted the folders.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2440835?answerId=11572138022#11572138022

I then found an older version Safari 4.0.2 on the "old apps" website.

Installed that and it works...

http://www.oldversion.com/windows/safari-4-0-2

Now do I update..................... 😕 😮

Message was edited by: wudja-cudja

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