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Why doesn't Apple fix the ".DS_Store" bug?

If you search ".DS_Store" in the support archive you'll find the issue has been around for a long time, well over a year. The frustration expressed has been loud and emphatic. The problem? Some folks are finding their computer won't copy some folders from one drive to another. The copying process is interrupted with the following message: "The operation can't be completed because an item with the name ".DS_Store" already exists."


Folks have chosen an Apple computer and something as basic as copying a folder turns out to be a hassle. Apple haven't offered a fix. Apple are an embarrassment.


I've just moved up from Tiger to Mountain Lion. Suddenly some folders I've been copying over for years can't be done! The experts here have suggested it might be a permissions issue or a 3rd-party software issue. They're wrong. IT'S A BUG!


Identifying it took time I'd rather have spent doing something else… (The new 'Apple Experience'?)… As a non-techie who hadn't heard of ".DS_Store" before I read some of the discussions on the issue. The problem seemed to be erratic, some folders could be copied, others couldn't. Here are the steps I took to identify the bug.


1) Since ".DS_Store" files are invisible I used TinkerTool to make them visible, in order to see how they behave.

2) The ".DS_Store" files are nearly always the first item in any folder (viewed by Name or Date Modified etc). Such folders can be copied without a problem. However, where for any reason the ".DS_Store" file isn't at the top of the list (eg where there's an item whose name deliberately begins with a space) the copying of that folder will be interrupted.

3) If a folder can't be copied because the content viewed by Name means the ".DS_Store" file isn't at the top, changing it to view by Date Modified will bring the ".DS_Store" file to the top of the list and allow the folder to be copied.

4) Apple, is that arbitrary behaviour intended? Or is that A BUG?


We want to know!


iHope

Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), 3.2 Ghz Quad-Core Intel Xeon

Posted on Dec 30, 2013 5:47 PM

Reply
95 replies

Dec 31, 2013 5:59 AM in response to iHope

The problem is that very few people are having this problem. Sure, you can find a fair number of posts in these forums on the subject, that's mainly what people post here - problems. It's like assuming that a hospital is representative of the state of health of the 99% of people who aren't in the hospital.


I've never seen this issue in Mountain Lion, and I don't personally know of a single other person who has. I also routinely copy folders which have both files and subfolders beginning with one or more space characters to force them to the top. They copy with no issue.


Why is this affecting a small percentage of users? Got me. I had a difficult time convincing Apple that color in Mountain Lion was royally goofed up for an equally small number of users. I was able though to demonstrate repeatable steps to show where the problem was. There were only a handful of other users who posted on the same issue. It couldn't have been easy for Apple to figure out where such an obscure bug was, but they fixed the issue in Mavericks.

Dec 31, 2013 12:23 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Hello Kurt,


Thanks for your comments.


I disagree with your reasoning. I believe Apple is failing in its responsibilities. When one of their expensive computers can't be relied upon to do something as rudimentary as copying a folder they should express concern, and find out why. Apple have done neither.


You're right, it's probably a tiny problem for them. But for the user it's a major headache. That's why I believe Apple's attitude is totally unacceptable.


iHope

Dec 31, 2013 12:47 PM in response to iHope

I believe Apple is failing in its responsibilities.

Do you have any idea how many lines of code there are just for the OS? It's millions. Think then how hard it is to find a flaw that affects only a handful of users.


Calling out the problem as a bug means demonstrably repeating it. And not just repeating it, but being able to point to a specific action which will make it possible for others to achieve the same error, and thereby at least being able to verify the sequence which triggers the error.


First thing to do is install Mountain Lion all by itself on an erased partition. Boot to that partition and try copying a folder where you're seeing the problem. If it happens again, then there is a bug. It (almost) can't be anything else when performed from a partition with a squeaky clean installation of OS X on it and nothing else.


If you get no error, then the OS is not the problem. Something is wrong with the installation you're currently using.

Jan 1, 2014 1:55 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Kurt, thanks again for your comments. When there's time I'll do as you suggest.


Can the hard drive currently running the OS be partitioned without erasing it first?

Can the fresh OS be installed on the new partition, without removing the original OS from the other partition?

Can the fresh OS be run from the new partition?


Thank you and a Happy New Year!


iHope

Jan 1, 2014 5:54 AM in response to Lexiepex

LexSchelling,


Please note this is a discussion in the Mountain Lion section (not Mavaricks).


Copying some folders from the computer running Mountain Lion to any drive (internal or external) presents the reported problem.


Copying folders from external drives to the computer running Tiger does not present this problem.


As a test, folders originating from the computer running Mountain Lion have been copied to the computer running Tiger (via an external drive) without a problem.


I've been using Macs since the 90s and have never seen this issue before.


iHope

Jan 1, 2014 6:07 AM in response to iHope

Yes, I typed mavericks instead of ML, but my question is the same: does it make a difference if the .DS_Store file is "older" or "younger" when this file does not want to be overwritten?

A very seldom issue: normally this .DS_Store file is just generated by the OS when not correct or missing. (it just contains nothing but the way how the folder, in which it is, is displayed; comparable with the hidden 'icon' file).

Of course you can remove all .DS_Store files with a utility, but this issue should not be there at all.

Jan 1, 2014 7:26 AM in response to iHope

Can the hard drive currently running the OS be partitioned without erasing it first?

Yes, though as always when doing anything that could cause data loss, make sure to have full, restorable backup on hand first.


You can do this whether you have one partition for the entire drive, or you already have it broken up into multiple partitions. Note that you cannot perform the following on any NTFS or MS-DOS formatted partition.


Open Disk Utility and click on the physical drive name you want to modify. Click the Partition tab. Grab the lower right dashed corner of any Mac formatted partition and drag it up to make a hole of unused space on the drive. You of course can't drag it past an area where live data currently resides. Areas in use will be shaded blue.


Once you've made a blank area, click the + button to add a new partition. By default, it will be Mac OS Extended. Click Apply.


You now have a new, blank partition to install Mountain Lion to. When you're done and you want to reclaim the space back to where it was, just reverse the process. Highlight the partition you made and click the - button to remove it. Then drag the lower right corner of the partition that was above it down to fill the space. Click Apply.

Why doesn't Apple fix the ".DS_Store" bug?

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