The program icons (e.g. MS Word) I added to the Dock disappear after a restart although they are marked "Keep in Dock".
Why and How can I solve this issue?
MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)
Try a restart.
Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.
Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.
Isolating an issue by using another user account
If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.
Try a restart.
Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.
Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.
Isolating an issue by using another user account
If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.
Try doing a Dock restart using the following Terminal command:
killall Dock
Log out/in and test. If that doesn’t work, you need to look in your user Library/Applications Support/Dock for the .db. Use the Finder “Go To Folder” command. Enter ~/Library/Applications Support/Dock. Move the .db to your desktop.
Then try a dock reset.
Applications/Utilities/Terminal enter the command
killall Dock
Log out/in test. If it works okay, delete the .db from the desktop.
If the Dock is the same, return the .db to where you got them from, overwriting the newer ones.
Option key>Finder>Go>Library>Preferences. Trash the com.apple.finder.plist & the com.apple.dock.plist files. Repair permissions & restart your computer.
Hi, Eric, thank you a lot fot the quick answer.
I followed your first advice (killall Dock in terminal), but it didn't work:-/. The icons still stay in basic settings. If i change them (delete/insert some my icons) after log out/in it became the basic setting: (from left to right) Finder icon, launchpad icon, and so on.
Than I searched for the folder through "Go to Folder", than ~/Library/Applications Support/Dock, but it can not be found.
The file .db. is although in Library->Preferences not there….
I have to say this problem came after OS X ML update the day before yesterday and after the installation of "MacKeeper" software. I deleted the software because the free trial version makes only one screening and during this it probably cleaned something from my Mac which may causes this problem now.
…?!? I do not know...
Do you have more suggestions/advices?
thanks,
best regards
Wanted to send out a "THANK YOU" shout to Baby Boomer (USofA) for "fixing my "same problem" (e.g. couldn't make permanent changes to Dock of a single user on my Mid 2012 Mac Pro (the second one I've owned - 1st one stolen).
And as long as I've been an Apple user and I should have known it'd be a problem with that single user's Preference's file - in this case the Dock Preference. Kinda' ashamed too, since I've owned Apples since Apple ][s, owned an iPhone since the first model, current iPad Air 2 owner, AppleTV owner, etc.
It's gotten to where the first thing I do whenever I get a new Mac (or help another Mac user get the Applications that are most useful) is take time to make the Library folders visible!
However, we are but only human... And in this case, thank you from one human being to another, for coming to their aid during their human condition...
ok, I have to correct my answer
I found the folder ~/Library/Applications Support/Dock, and the file .db. too.
I made all what you advised but it didn't work :-/....
The dock reversed after procedure in its basic settings.
Thank you for your new advise:
I made it too, but without success :-/
@ dbernelle
Icons disappear from Dock after restart although they are marked "Keep in Dock"
