Accessing invisible files in OS 9

Question

Accessing invisible files in OS 9

I backed up the hard drive of a friend and then did a clean install of OS X on her hard drive. The backup was simply coping files from her disk to a folder on my OS 9 partition desktop while I was booted to it. When I dismounted her drive, I drug it to the trash, but the trash icon did not change to an eject icon. However, nothing showed up in the trash and I was able to physically remove her drive (connected via USB).

Of course, after transferring her data back to her newly reloaded hard drive, she is missing a file. I asked Sherlock to find the file and it did...located at Macintosh Hard Drive: Users (OS 9): spectrum: .Trash: Mcclelland Backup: Misc Finances. I would like to recover this file, but everything from .Trash on down is greyed out and appears to be invisible files. Is there any way to get this file back?

Thanks for any help.
Patty

iBook G3, Mac OS X (10.3.9), I also have an iMac Flat Panel

Posted on Oct 25, 2006 2:51 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 25, 2006 3:57 PM in response to Patricia Van Cleave

To find Invisible files in OS 9, open Sherlock.
Click on Custom, then click on Edit.
On the window that opens in the Advanced Options area click on IS Invisible, then OK.

Then click on the magnifying glass on the Sherlock window. All of the invisible files on the HD will be shown. Hopefully the one you are looking for is there.

When using OS X, you should use the Restore function in Disk Utility or an app like Carbon Copy Cloner. You always have to do this when you copy OS X files. Generally, you can use Drag & Drop for OS 9 files. If you use Drag & Drop for OS X files, invisible files will not be copied.

Cheers, Tom

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Answer 2

Oct 25, 2006 4:15 PM in response to Patricia Van Cleave

Hi, Patty -

On a machine running OS 9 you can use FileBuddy v. 7 to move an invisible file to a different location (like out to the desktop) and to make it visible.

There are also versions of FileBuddy for OSX; I would assume they have the same capabilities.

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Answer 3

Oct 26, 2006 2:42 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

When I am booted in OS 9 Sherlock finds the file but won't let me recover it because it is an invisible file. I thought I might be able to drag it to the desktop, but no such luck.

When I'm in OS 10.2, my Sherlock only lets me access channels. I can't seem to search my hard disk. Am I doing something wrong there?

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Answer 4

Oct 26, 2006 3:13 PM in response to Patricia Van Cleave

As Don stated you can use FileBuddy, or you can use Greg's Browser - http://www.kaleidoscope.net/greg/browser.html to change the invisible file to visible. Then you can move it to the Desktop.

When you open Greg's Browser, go to Preferences & select Show Invisible files. Once you find your file, click on it once & go to Menu Label. Click the Invisible to change it to visible. Then drag the file to the Desktop.

Cheers, Tom

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Answer 5

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Oct 26, 2006 3:23 PM in response to Patricia Van Cleave

Hi, Patricia. Let me second Don Archibald's recommendation of File Buddy, the most capable and indispensable file-handling utility available for the Mac. If the file you are trying to recover is not corrupt, FB can make it accessible and allow you to do all manner of things with it, either in OS 9 or in OS X, depending on which version of FB you download.

If you disconnected the USB drive from your Mac while its icon was still mounted (visible) on the desktop of your Mac, that may have caused serious damage to its directory, and could be why the file you are trying to recover unexpectedly became invisible. In that case, it would be good to use Disk Utility or DiskWarrior to repair the USB drive's directory, and see whether doing so restores the file in question to normal visibility.

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Answer 6

Oct 26, 2006 3:55 PM in response to Don Archibald

I have installed File Buddy 7 and found over 600 invisible files, including the one I want, but I can't seem to restore it in any way. When I drag it to the desktop it becomes a clipping with no text, picture or sound. I tried to move the folder it is in to a new folder on the desktop and it changed the path shown in File Buddy, but nothing is in the new folder I created.

Is there something I am doing wrong in the program?
Thanks, Patty

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Answer 7

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Oct 26, 2006 4:40 PM in response to Patricia Van Cleave

Hi, Patricia. I've never heard of any file changing to a clipping when you drag its icon anywhere. That suggests to me that the directory of the hard drive on which it resides must be badly corrupted and needs the sort of repair I advised in my post above. Did you disconnect the drive from the USB port while it was still mounted on the desktop? I can't be sure from your description of what you did, above.

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Answer 8

Oct 26, 2006 5:23 PM in response to eww

What I actually did was remove the hard drive from her PowerMac G4 and connect it via USB (in an external tray) to my iMac Flat Panel. My hard drive is rather messed up, and I was booted into Classic at the time. However, the file I found is actually from a previous backup, I believe, judging from the modified dates on it.

I was able to recover the file thanks to Greg's Browser. It could be that File Buddy would have done the same thing, but Greg's Browser was easier for me to understand. Thank you all very much for your help with this. I am eternally grateful!!

Patty

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Answer 9

Oct 26, 2006 9:09 PM in response to Patricia Van Cleave

Hi, Patty -

You're quite welcome.

I don;t recall a drag operation in FileBuddy to relocate a file. Instead, one uses the "Move" selection in its File menu (select it with nothing else pen in FileBuddy). Selecting that opens a standard Navigation Services window; navigate to the item; click it in the list to select it, then click the Choose button.

A second Navigation Services window will open; navigate to and into the folder into which you want to move the item (the desktop counts as a folder for this purpose) - the name of the folder should appear at the top of the list pane. Then click the Move button - the file should be moved to that location.

In the case of an invisible item, move it out of an invisible folder before making it visible.

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