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Any ideas on why the desktop picture reverts to the Yosemite default when I shut down and log back on? MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) Yosemite 10.10.4

Any ideas on why the desktop picture reverts to the Yosemite default when I shut down and log back on? MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) OSX Yosemite 10.10.4 This didn't happen until I upgraded from Mavericks 10.9.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)

Posted on Aug 2, 2015 9:56 AM

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6 replies

Aug 2, 2015 11:57 AM in response to patreyma

1. If you log in automatically, a bug in some versions of OS X will cause the desktop picture to revert to the default image at every startup. The only known workaround is to disable automatic login in the Users & Groups preference pane.

2. If the selected Desktop picture is stored in an iPhoto library on an external drive, export it from iPhoto and move it to a folder on the startup volume. (Credit for this solution to ASC member janay.)

3. If the desktop picture always reverts to a plain blue background, one of your login items may be causing the problem. The "TeamViewer" application can have this effect; see this thread. If it's not that in your case, rule out all other third-party login items as possible causes.

4. If you have a MacBook Pro with automatic graphics switching, disable it temporarily in the Energy Saver preference pane, set the Desktop picture, then restart the computer and re-enable graphics switching.

5. If none of the above applies to you, proceed as follows.

Back up all data before proceeding.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

Services Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item selected. Move the selected item to the Trash. Log out or restart the computer and empty the Trash.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Aug 4, 2015 3:18 AM in response to Linc Davis

Thank you. I saw your previous posts to another user. I never had automatic login enabled. I checked and the box was not selected. Also,

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist

is not on my computer at all.

I tried all of this before asking but I thought, perhaps it didn't apply because the previous posts were for a different model of MacBook Pro and an older operating system. I should have said all that in my question. Sorry.

Aug 4, 2015 3:45 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

Hi. I went to the link you posted. However, this com.apple.desktop.plist is not on my computer at all. I get the message: file/folder could not be found.


"Sometimes you have a problem with System Preferences or something related to it, like it remembering your screensaver or desktop selection, or perhaps it won't launch or launches funky.

This procedure is for deleting the "preferences" file(s) that is located in your (hidden) User/Library folder that can resolve issues like this.

When the computer is rebooted and the associated program launched again, it recreates this file, but blank of preferences, thus since it's rebuilt it's free of problems."


Is this the problem: the file is not being rebuilt when the computer is rebooted? It is not in the trash as I never had the file. Could it be that when I upgraded to Yosemite the file was never created? When I change the desktop picture, shut down, and reboot, the image initially loads the picture I selected but gets overridden with the default picture. It seems like the computer now has no instructions to maintain my selection. I did not have this problem with Mavericks 10.9. Almost sorry I upgraded.


What do you think?

Thanks.

Aug 4, 2015 10:23 AM in response to patreyma

patreyma wrote:


Could it be that when I upgraded to Yosemite the file was never created?

That might be the case. I booted my Yosemite HDD and found this:

User uploaded file

As you may surmise, it is not on my Yosemite HDD as well. I suggest that you delete the 'com.apple.systempreferences.plist.'. That might solve the problem. It may also change some of your other System Preferences settings.


User uploaded file

Ciao.

Aug 5, 2015 5:59 AM in response to patreyma

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It makes no changes to your data.

Please triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

ls -@Oaen L*/Preferences | pbcopy

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

Paste into the Terminal window by pressing the key combination command-V. I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.

Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear below what you entered.

The output of the command will be automatically copied to the Clipboard. If the command produced no output, the Clipboard will be empty. Paste into a reply to this message.

The Terminal window doesn't show the output. Please don't copy anything from there.

Any ideas on why the desktop picture reverts to the Yosemite default when I shut down and log back on? MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) Yosemite 10.10.4

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