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how to stop lion re-arranging my desktop upon startup

how to stop lion re-arranging my desktop upon startup?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Aug 3, 2011 4:54 AM

Reply
41 replies

Aug 7, 2011 4:52 PM in response to Don Barth

Not sure if this will help the desktop re-arranging issue, but it sorted out my finder re-arranging issue. If it dose not help, maybe it will point some one in the right direction. There seems to be two levels to the new "Change the item arrangement" icon, on the top of finder.

User uploaded file

Obviously by clicking on the button, you can change how your view options are arranged. There is however sub options for Kind, Application or Label.


To get these sub options. first click on the "Change the item arrangement" button and select either Kind, Application or Label. Then hold down the "Option" key, and click on the "Change the item arrangement" button. You will be presented with a shorter list that is the sub options.


Name

Kind

Date Last opened

Date added

Date Modified

Date Created

Size


I found that the sub option was always set to "Date Last opened", which meant everything kept moving around when I was using Kind,Application or Label, and made those features unusable for me.


Below is a complete list if you viewing options.


Name

Kind

Name

Kind

Date Last opened

Date added

Date Modified

Date Created

Size

Application

Name

Kind

Date Last opened

Date added

Date Modified

Date Created

Size

Date Last opened

Date added

Date Modified

Date Created

Size

Label

Name

Kind

Date Last opened

Date added

Date Modified

Date Created

Size

None


Does any one know what or how to edit Finders default behavior so I can set the sub option from "Last opened" to something more useful", as apposed to having to reset it every time I'm in a new folder.

Aug 12, 2011 3:45 PM in response to UnkyMoose

Nice post UnkyMoose. I keep losing icon placement on desktop, too, but not in a consistent way that I can figure out. In trying the settings you pointed out and comparing to another machine on which I am not having a problem, I discovered yet some additional settings or at least another way to access the submenus you pointed out. In Finder, select whichever choice under "FAVORITES" in left column. Then click "Action" in top menu (beside Quick Look) and the last two choices on the drop down are "Arrange by" and "Show View Options" (in all but "All My Files" which has also a "Show Search Criteria" choice.) It seems that accessing these menu items here, look very carefully, might be the right spot to lock in the choice in the particular portion of the Finder. What do you think? I just found it so have not tested, just wanted to point it out in hopes it may help.

Aug 12, 2011 6:11 PM in response to Don Barth

jamesformoakland park. That seems to help me set the behavior more permanently so thanks. It also works for "Devices" and not only "Favorites".


Again not sure if this will help, as I am not having the problem, but if you right click on the desktop. Under the "sort by", you have the options that set how the icons on the desktop are arraigned. If set to "Date Modified", you might find that the new, time capsule like thing for files, that they introduces in lion, might be doing a bunch of autosaving on shutdown, hence items been rearranged on start up.


Has any one else noticed how glitchy the new finder in lion is. I.e if you are in column view, with arrainge by kind. and you press the right arrow to move into a folder you end up selecting the "Kind" label a the top. Also if you click on the "Action" button and then "Show View Options". Some times "Sort by" is gray and unusable as it should be and other times it is gray when you can actually us it. The only way you know it by tying to click on it.

how to stop lion re-arranging my desktop upon startup

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