The folders on my mac using 10.6.8 are not arranging by alphabet

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Level 1

14 points

The folders on my mac using 10.6.8 are not arranging by alphabet

I am having this problem with folders I have created in my documents folder that are going from a to z then a to z again when they should all be a to z. I have called them different names and there is not a space in the names of the folders that would created them to not line up correct. Is there a program I can buy to find out what is wrong. I do know it is not the documents folder that is creating the problem. I have coppied the folders to another folder and the problem still is still there. Has anyone seen this before. I asked a teck at apple he said it may be a problem in one of the folders. There are 78 folders and I really don't know how to look for the problem. There are a lot of pictures in most of them could jpg have problems? I thought maybe a softwear program may find the problem?????

Heidi

Posted on Feb 24, 2012 12:35 AM

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Answer 1

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:22 AM in response to heidismiles

Just so I understand. You have folders like a1, b1, c1, a2, b2, c2, A3, B3, C3 and when you set the view options for viewing as a list alphabetically you are not seeing,

a1, a2, A3, b1, b2, B3, c1, c2, C3

?

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Answer 2

heidismiles Author

Level 1

14 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:29 AM in response to X423424X

Well I have folders in icon view and they are named for example angels then animals then disney and it goes on to world pictures and then automobiles starts and california costal pictures and then they end at yard ideas do you see what I mean. The automobile folder should be where the angels folder is. there are 78 folder and half of them are not where they should be.

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Answer 3

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:35 AM in response to heidismiles

Is the info in this link http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2470 what you are after ?

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Answer 4

heidismiles Author

Level 1

14 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:38 AM in response to b j t

What do you mean I don't understand????

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Answer 5

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:40 AM in response to heidismiles

When you click on the link that is in my message, does that page have the info you need ?

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Answer 6

heidismiles Author

Level 1

14 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:40 AM in response to heidismiles

I just went to the link you had and it does not matter what view I am in it still puts the folders in the wrong alaphabet.

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Answer 7

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:50 AM in response to heidismiles

Are you able to see this menu when you use the 'senondary click' in finder ?

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Answer 8

heidismiles Author

Level 1

14 points

Feb 24, 2012 1:58 AM in response to b j t

Yes I have tried this and it still does not work which ever I use they still do not go in order...Its like they are stuck where they are in the order they are in. I had a high level tec grab hold of the computer with his pointer and he was dumbfounded and he said it was probably a problem in one of the folders. That is why I thought maybe I had malware or something. I though maybe a softeware program may help.But i don't know of any...

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Answer 9

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Feb 24, 2012 2:01 AM in response to heidismiles

I am not sure what it is then, you may need to wait for a more experienced forum user to help you, and/or you could contact Apple Care.

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Answer 10

heidismiles Author

Level 1

14 points

Feb 24, 2012 2:04 AM in response to b j t

Yes I have contacted Apple Care but maybe I will ask them for a softwear program that may work I hate to dump all my folders but I know sometimes you just have to get rid of the problem....Thank you for your help you have been very kind...

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Answer 11

b j t

Level 4

3,698 points

Feb 24, 2012 2:07 AM in response to heidismiles

No need to 'dump' you files, there is probably an easy solution that we both aren't seeing. I had similar situation that was only a very easy fix.

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Answer 12

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Feb 24, 2012 2:22 AM in response to heidismiles

There is no program for this. Well, the Finder is a program, and it has always had weird ways of organizing things. Make your window larger and see what affect it has on the organization.

And just as a conformation exercise, change the view to list view and see if that sorts the order the way I described earlier.

Note it doesn't matter what you have organized, i.e., animals, Disney, world, autos, etc. The finder could care less. It just sorts based on the filenames.

If you want to organize things the way you want them then set the View Options to Arrange by None (or possibly Snap to Grid).

One note about finder View Options. If you set the options, and click "Use as Defaults" it is going to affect all folders nested in the one you are setting. Personally I recommend you don't click "Use as Defaults" since it causes nothing but aggravation (well, in your case, more aggravation😉).

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Answer 13

Paul_31

Level 6

14,160 points

Feb 24, 2012 2:25 AM in response to heidismiles

Can you do a screenshot of the window to illustrate the problem and attach it to your reply.

Open the window that has the wrongly organised files, do Command+4 and the curser will turn into a cross-hair. Drag it around the window and it will put an image of it on your desktop.

When you reply click on the camera in the message window and attach the image. Maybe that'll help get a solution for you.

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Answer 14

heidismiles Author

Level 1

14 points

Feb 24, 2012 12:36 PM in response to X423424X

I understand filenames is what it sorts by unless you change it to sort by kind or date ect. I have just recently reloaded my operating system due to another problem and backed up on time machine now. The problem is still there. You can say it's in two paragraphs starting from filename angel to (world pictures) and then in the next paragraph starts at (automobiles) and goes to (information). The file name stays the same no matter what view you are in...So let me ask you this if default was clicked by accident and I reloaded the operating system would it go back to the default of the computer. These files are kept in the documents folder...I don't remember clicking the default but it could happen you never know...

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Answer 15

X423424X

Level 6

14,265 points

Feb 24, 2012 6:08 PM in response to heidismiles

I have just recently reloaded my operating system due to another problem and backed up on time machine now. The problem is still there.

No surprise there. See my comment below.

You can say it's in two paragraphs starting from filename angel to (world pictures) and then in the next paragraph starts at (automobiles) and goes to (information). The file name stays the same no matter what view you are in...

As Paul_31 requested above, a picture is worth a 1000 words here. Please post a image of your window.

So let me ask you this if default was clicked by accident and I reloaded the operating system would it go back to the default of the computer. These files are kept in the documents folder...I don't remember clicking the default but it could happen you never know...

You can reinstall 1000 times and nothing is going to change with your files. The layout of folders is recorded in the folder's .DS_Store file and it's parent folder. Reinstalling is just a waste of time.

Have you tried as I suggested earlier by not sorting at all, i.e., arrange by NONE or SNAP TO GRID?

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