Seem to have an "extra" Library folder...huh?!

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Level 1

20 points

Seem to have an "extra" Library folder...huh?!

Hi all,

Up until recently I've been trying to figure out why my home>Library folder had mysteriously moved inside my home>Documents folder. Finally having the time to do some detective work I used Time Machine to see when the change happened....right around when I went from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion.

In searching the forums, I discovered that my home>Library folder is still there; it's just invisible. However, it's now even more a mystery as to where the home>Documents>Library folder came from or why it exists!

As it is now I have FOUR Library folders on my iMac: 1) Library at the top level of the hard drive, 2) System>Library, 3) home>Library (invisible), and 4) home>Documents>Library (which appeared the same time my home>Library folder became invisible).

This "rogue" Library folder is like the middle of a Venn diagram of the top level and System>library; it shares some, but not all of the top level Library folders, and some, but not all, of the System>Library folders.

Does this make sense to anyone? I started thinking that my file synchronization app had caused the problem (I was using Chronosync to sync my Document folders between my iMac and my late 2006 MacBook running Snow Leopard), but there's no reason synching should have picked up a folder that usually resides outside the Documents folder. Since then my MacBook's HD took a dive and I don't have a backup of it that goes back to the period in question when the folders did their disappearing/reappearing act.

Any thoughts?

TIA,

Kath

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), iMac 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, 8GB Ram

Posted on Aug 2, 2013 9:07 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Aug 2, 2013 10:16 AM in response to Kath Corgan

Is there anything in your /documents/library folder that is not in one of the sytem/library and or user/library?

btw you will see the "invisible" user/Library folder in the Finder when you hold the Alt(option) key while choosing the "Go" menupoint.

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Answer 2

Kath Corgan Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 2, 2013 10:49 AM in response to Lexiepex

Hi there,

So I am able to see the Library in my home folder after reading the option open in the "Go" menu tip in another discussion, but thanks also for making sure I had it.

So then, on comparing all 4 Library folders again, it looks like everything in the "rogue" home>Documents>Library is contained in the top level Library (the one that resides at the same level as the System, Applications, Developer and Users folders).

The rogue Library folder looks like a very incomplete version of the top level System folder, containing only 25 duplicate folders of the main level Library's 67 folders (opening those folders showed the rogue Library had the same, or fewer, nested folders and files within).

So perhaps I can just delete it? I definitely don't think it belongs....but it does bother me not knowing how it got there, especially in its "incomplete" state, unless it's been partially building itself since it arrived in the Documents folder.

Strange....

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Answer 3

Kath Corgan Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 2, 2013 10:56 AM in response to Kath Corgan

Here's something else interesting, while the 3 "legit" Library folders have permissions that are Read & Write for admin and/or me only, and Read only for "everyone", here's what the "rogue" Library's permissions look like: