System Preferences not responding when opening desktop

the system preferences freeze still happens even with os 10.7.3 and draging the iphoto library folder to the desktop solved the problem. thank you for posting the solution.

OMG!! I thought I really screwed up something really bad on my first Macbook Pro 🙂 But here is what saved after hours after troubleshooting:

So, what happened is:

1. Imported ~2500 photos into iphoto.
2. It creates a library and later I decided to undo because I did not like it scanning for faces; though the feature is good, I wanted to do it at a later point, and iPhoto has no option for it!!
3. But the Library file is still there, occupying a massive 10 GB!!
4. From help via googling, on changing permissions, repairing permissions on HDD didnt help!
5. What happens - All processes under system preferences are stalled, requiring forcequit each time!

What saved life 🙂

Just deleted the iPhoto Library; it dosent remove the program, but just removed the database file (I am still using windows terms 🙂 sorry) and hola!! my macboy sprung back to life!

Cheers!

if you'd read the earlier links you'd have seen you only needed to move the iphoto folder away temporarily and all would be fine.

Thank you! You solution was written in plain, easy to understand language and worked perfectly! THANK YOU!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I just this this **** problem and your post helped solved this. Apple needs to get this bug sorted out.

omg thanks it worked! 😀

I'm having a slight variation on this problem with the Desktop & Screen Saver under System Preferences (under 10.7.4): When I either right-click (Control-clock) on the desktop picture and select "Change Desktop Background...", OR if I open System Preferences and then click on the Desktop/ScreenSaver icon, the top of the window changes to "Loading Desktop & Screen Saver...", but it doesn't appear to ever get to that Preference. I can quit with the red button (upper left) okay, but cannot get to Desktop/ScreenSaver. I tried draggin the iPhoto Library (doesn't show up as a folder, as some have said - and I opened iPhoto so it would do any conversion of the iPhoto Library, then quit) to the desktop, deleted the preferences files (both com.apple.desktop.... and the plist.lockfile), restarted, and went back to try to open Desktop/ScreenSaver (or other) section of System Preferences. No difference. Even showed contents of iPhoto Library, pulled my original photos (Masters folder) out into another folder I'd created on the desktop, and then deleted the (now mostly empty) iPhoto Library file. No improvements noted.

Actually, I just went and checked a little bit ago, and found that if I click on ANY icon within the System Preferences window, the top bar will change to reflect that section ("Loading..."), the rest on the window interior goes to a grey, but never gets to that section. 😟 Between this/these 'glitches' and several other changes Apple made in 10.7, I'm seriously questioning my having spent the $30 for Lion at all, if I cannot get this issue fixed...

Hi, the same thing has happened to me **** i got so scared cos i haven't got warranty now and here in Mexico it is so expensive to fix it, it started with the system preferences then everything froze up and i restarted it and it took about 10 mins to start up when it usually does it in 1 or two, and i typed my password and so on but i couldn't do anything! nothing! i kept resetting and i checked my HD drive with the whole cmd + r and it says it had to be fixed and it did and i still couldt do anything...and it made really weird noises, i clicked on the online lion recoery thingy and it took from 1 pm to 8 pm to restore and everything is like on reset u know...so i had to configurate it all again like i want the aladdin effect and i wanna change the desktop and so on and STILL NOT WORKING! so i saw this thing and I changed photos from photo to desktop and it is working really good, for now :S Good Luck!

You should check out an Application called ONYX. Its free and will fix numerous problems and guide you through them, almost completely without allowing you to screw up anything. Also, use a external HD and Time Machine if you can. BACK UP YOUR COMP. REGULARLY! If thats not an option, try Google Drive, Dropbox, Cubby, Pogoplug or any other free web utility that will back up at least your important Docs and Media. If you have a lot of stuff, use a couple or pay for more GB of space. Dropbox is pretty incredible. Try MacUpdate.com for Mac OS X Apps! I trust them. Good luck.

I hate to respond and its not out of hate or anything, but, dont you think the idea of the "Support Community" is for people to interact,help, and learn from other's success' or mistakes. I didnt find what I was looking for, so I made this post. Seemed other folks had the same search issues as I did. Anyway, if it helps out then its not a bad idea to have the same issue communicated in various ways for the various learning styles of people, in multiple places. I know for the power user its redundant. Were trying though.😎

While I might have tried Onyx (have it and use it periodically), what I wound up doing was to wipe my 'Lion 10.7.4' (internal) drive, and then reinstall from my external (cloned) copy of Lion 10.7.3 (first using Migration Assistant to move over my mail and other documents so I didn't lose my newer docs).

Think I will wait for Mountain Lion later this month, and then test if it's ready for public use. IMHO, 10.7.4 (at least on my MacBook Pro - 2.66GHz early 2009 model) is NOT ready for use. YMMV...

Jim

thanks a tonn ,,,m so glad for this information 🙂

It happened to me after I moved a load of pictures to IPhoto from my old PC.

Many thanks for advice. 🙂

I had this same issue after upgrading to Mountain Lion. Tried to change my desktop wallpaper and system preferences crashed and had to force quit. I've spent the past week trying to figure this out and your solution worked perfectly. THANKS!

PROBLEM SOLVED ! - So easy.

For everyone's information using Mountain Lion, the file name is "iPhoto Library". Just move it one level up or down the current folder which would be [your_user_name]/pictures/iphoto library.