how to stop lion re-arranging my desktop upon startup

baltwo:

My problem is not with the desktop, but with the folders inside my hard disk folder. Any suggestions to fix that?

Each previously opened folder has its own .DS_Store file. So, for your boot volume (HD) folder, use this:

rm /.DS_Store

Do I have to have that folder open or selected or whatever when I type that code into Terminal?

I'm an old Mac hand, but a Terminal newbie, so pls excuse if I'm asking the obvious.

No. the / indicates the root-level folder. However, you should relaunch the Finder. OPTION-click on its Dock icon and select Relaunch. Then, open the root-level folder and see if things work like you want them to do.

The King of the Jungle will do what it wants when it wants to.

Ok, for someone who has no idea how to do what you've just suggested, do you know if Apple are planning to fix all the bugs in Lion any time soon? This is more akin to what i was used to years ago before i converted. Have to say, this is the first time i've been dissappointed with Apple. I run 3 business's and was due to order 9 more Macbook Pro's for the guys - but not now!! OS Lion has cost me a small fortune replacing programs that no longer work without PowerPC ( for which we got no warning). My accounts software on which all my invoicing is done, which Apple sold me, no longer works so i am having to work that from an old macbook which isn't ideal. Apple's response ... "go back to Snow Leopard then". Doesn't inspire confidence.

Sorry, rant over!

Well, I'll just update everyone here with my icon moving issue that I mentioned previously. It was not the desktop but the folders that I was having issues with. I would open a folder and try to arrange the icons and they would just move to where Lion wanted them. Mainly, on my USB or Firewire attached external disks. I've played around with them a bit, and found that in my case it wasn't a DS_Store file. I have to select in the options "arrange by none". However that alone did not stop the re-arranging. I then select (I use folder icon views, not lists) "Clean up by Name". After that I am able to arrange the folder/icons as I want and so far they have been staying like that. Not perfect, but it does seem to work so far. I'm on my third re-install for various reasons, so hopefully this will be the last go around.

OS Lion has cost me a small fortune replacing programs that no longer work without PowerPC ( for which we got no warning).

Most people here have known that Lion would not support PowerPC apps for many months. Where and when it was announced I'm not sure, but it's been all over just about every news outlet for some time. Very little research would have been needed to find out, and you MUST ALWAYS do that kind of research when upgrading machines that are running business-critical tasks. Every system upgrade ever, whether Mac OS or Windows or Linux, has broken some older software. That is the nature of things.

My accounts software on which all my invoicing is done, which Apple sold me, no longer works

Apple does not produce accounting software. You may have bought it in an Apple Store or from the online Apple Store, but that does not mean Apple made the software. Though even if it did, that's no guarantee. Old software eventually ceases to be supported. Change is the only constant in this business.

Apple's response ... "go back to Snow Leopard then".

Do not confuse the advice you see here with a response from Apple. The people on these forums are not Apple employees and do not speak for Apple. We're all just users like you.

Thomas A Reed wrote:

OS Lion has cost me a small fortune replacing programs that no longer work without PowerPC ( for which we got no warning).

Most people here have known that Lion would not support PowerPC apps for many months. Where and when it was announced I'm not sure, but it's been all over just about every news outlet for some time. Very little research would have been needed to find out, and you MUST ALWAYS do that kind of research when upgrading machines that are running business-critical tasks. Every system upgrade ever, whether Mac OS or Windows or Linux, has broken some older software. That is the nature of things.

My accounts software on which all my invoicing is done, which Apple sold me, no longer works

Apple does not produce accounting software. You may have bought it in an Apple Store or from the online Apple Store, but that does not mean Apple made the software. Though even if it did, that's no guarantee. Old software eventually ceases to be supported. Change is the only constant in this business.

Apple's response ... "go back to Snow Leopard then".

Do not confuse the advice you see here with a response from Apple. The people on these forums are not Apple employees and do not speak for Apple. We're all just users like you.

Thanks for the response. Always helps to read the txt before commenting. Didn't say 'Apple made the software' said 'Apple sold me' the software - which they did, as the best accounting software available for Apple!

Your comment about most people knowing 'here' that PowerPC wouldn't work, it maybe the case that most people 'here' did in fact know - i didn't!! Then again i haven't been 'here' before. I did however do a search on google when i had the problems to find that rather a lot of other users were having the same problems and certainly didn't know anything about the PowerPC point. Infact, if you read some of the forums here, there are people giving out poor advice like on Office for Mac. Some say that you'll need to upgrade to office 2008 if you've got Lion, truth is, if your 2004 Office now doesn't work, which it won't, you have to buy Office 2011. So that's £20 for Lion and £110 for Office 2011. Nothing wrong with the old one!! Except it doesn't now work.

Finally your comment about "...Do not confuse the advice you see here with a response from Apple. The people on these forums are not Apple employees and do not speak for Apple. We're all just users like you." The advice 'to go back to Leopard then' actually came direct from AppleCare. They advised me to backup on TimeMachine then they would talk me through wiping the computer and re-installing Snow Leopard then restoring from TimeMachine. I questioned whether or not I would be able to restore data that had been saved whilst using Lion and was told ' in that case use your previously saved time machine data'. Didn't give me much confidence hence i'm now using an old macbook for my accounts package. It's all well and true saying upgrades have broken older software but this software isn't that old. Familiarising one self with new software and transfering data to new software is not always easy when there's so many other things needing doing.

In summary, it would have been nice if Apple would have maybe made a clear warning to average users like me as to what was not going to work under Lion. I don't expect to have to research a product that is being marketed to the masses, I just expect it to work. When i bought a track pad, which is awesome, it said on the package i needed Snow Leopard, i was warned! Incidentally, when i discovered i couldn't use the some of the programs i spoke to the local store who look after my business account. The guy, who was very helpful, said HE didn't know about the PowerPC issues. That's VERY POOR !!

ddd

You can complain about it all you want, but all these headaches could have been solved with a simple half-hour (or less) of research before upgrading, and when upgrading any system that you depend on for your livlihood, that is a requirement. It doesn't matter whether you are using Macs, Windows or Linux... new systems always break some old software. You may not want this to be the case, and may not want to have to think about it, but no matter what kind of computer you use, it is and you will. Whether you stick with Macs or switch to Windows, I don't really care, but I hope you take this lesson to heart in the future. If you don't... well, as they say, "Those who don't learn from history are destined to repeat it."

Incidentally, when i discovered i couldn't use the some of the programs i spoke to the local store who look after my business account. The guy, who was very helpful, said HE didn't know about the PowerPC issues.

If that store was an Apple Store, that guy should be fired. I don't care how nice he is or how helpful he is on other subjects... it's his job to know stuff like this.

Love having discussions with people who are very selective about which part they respond to - i.e. ignoring the bits they have no response to! You're right, should have done more research. I watched the half hour presentation by Jobs (notice he didn't mention the PowerPC issues!!). Guess Apple had lulled me into a false sense of security having had NO issues with previous upgrades.

Yes it was an Apple store. Guess the AppleCare lady should be fired too!! Infact, maybe we should fire the in-store Genius who advised me that Lion is poor in it's current form and maybe going back to Snow Leopard would be best. Actually, here's a thought, maybe it would have been easier for Apple to just warn people fairly and not release a product with more than acceptable numbers of problems / bugs.

Yes, now i've read an awful lot of 'discussions' about people who consider Lion to be a big leap - backwards!! When i upgraded, there weren't many issues being talked about. ****, forgot the crystal ball.

Fortunately, i don't depend on Apple OS for my livelihood. I simply use them to assist with emails and invoicing, otherwise i really would be in a pickle!!

On a different note, when i purchased phones for the business and desperately wanted the iphone i was lucky enough for the iphone to have been out long enough for the issues with it to become commonly known. Went with Blackberry's which as a tool for emails is fantastic.

It was nice talking with you, still don't know how to fix the tendency for Lion to re-arrange my desktop and how to stop imported items hiding in the top left hand side of the desktop. Maybe Apple will see fit to sorting it.

Regards

Welcome to the club (this bug started with some Snow Leopard update many months ago):

Rearranging Icons on the Desktop

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2131820?tstart=0

Baltwo:

Well, I thot I had it fixed. But upon starting up from sleep this morning...folders on my hard disk are scattered again. BTW, I installed 10.7.1 last night, hoping that would fix the problem. Looks like not.

I'm keeping this thread bookmarked...just in case someone comes up with a rix for this.

Thanks for your help so far.

I never sleep desktops, the only machines in my house, so I can't help with that issue.

This bug is well known under SnowLeopard -- see these two threads:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/13061140

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2131820

Note also that the bug was NEVER solved under 10.6 (and probably will never be). Our hopes were that Lion would address this major productivity hog. It now looks like more of the same insanity.

The only known workaround thus far: a screenshot of your folder contents, so that you waste less time restoring things in their proper place. Pitiful.