# Missing Dock in Leopard?



## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

I use an iMac-AL and installed Leopard over 10.4. Worked without a hitch for about 1 day then I began having some problem with apps not minimizing. Even worse they would minimize 'half way' and freeze. My 'dock' no longer unhides.

Ok so thinking there was some misbehaving culprit on my iMac I did a complete clean install of Leopard. Again everything worked fine for about a day and now I'm having the same problem with the dock not working. I've tried running disk permissions check, zapping the pram, deleting the dock plist prefs - all to no avail.

Anyone having the same problems?


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

An update - expose and dashboard no longer work either.


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

Update III - minimize button on ANY window no longer works.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

Sounds like your machine is dying a slow death.

Backup important data. Wipe and reinstall.


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

Did it twice already with leopard. Now the dock pops up every so often . I will go back to 10.4.


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## Chealion (Jan 16, 2001)

Sounds like the Dock program is having issues. Have you tried using another user account to see if it exhibits the same issue? If it is not displaying the same issues I'd search for and delete the following preference files:
com.apple.dock.plist
com.apple.expose.plist

Both files can be found in your Preferences folder found in the Library folder of your home folder.


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

Thanks I did try this - funny thing is every time I delete those files, within seconds, they're re-written again. Once in a while the Dock pops partially up and where I had added items to it is now replaced with question marks. I've even made sure the apps I use are compatible with 10.5 (at least according to the various developers). All in all very VERY strange.


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

i have a problem with the trash can window not opening when i click on it in the dock, followed by the inability to open any finder window. the finder is fine as long as i don't touch the trashcan.

i expect there to be minor bugs with any OS release, but obviousness of some of these problems (x11 is borked without hacking individual application files, adobe apps are broken) makes me wonder whether this OS was rushed to market to meet Job's promise of an Oct release date.

overall, i'm happy with many aspects of leopard, but i think the launch was really sloppy.


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

guytoronto said:


> Sounds like your machine is dying a slow death.
> 
> Backup important data. Wipe and reinstall.


Wow. Do you take your car apart and rebuild the car piece by piece when your signal light doesn't work?

It's clearly the dock. Wipe the dock preferences, log out, and log back in.


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

hayesk said:


> Wow. Do you take your car apart and rebuild the car piece by piece when your signal light doesn't work?
> 
> It's clearly the dock. Wipe the dock preferences, log out, and log back in.


I did that but every time I do the files are automatically written back. It's really bizarre - I can open the prefs-library window, delete the files, and without touching a thing a few seconds later they reappear and with the later time stamp no less.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

I find it so strange that Leopard is causing no problems for so many users and such severe problems for others.

You said you did an erase and install... right? If not, I'd do that.

I've installed Leopard on a MacBook, Mini, and iMac CoreDuo and been using it for almost a week now with no problems whatsoever. (Save a weird setting thing in Mail that wasa easily remedied)


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

fyrefly said:


> I find it so strange that Leopard is causing no problems for so many users and such severe problems for others.
> 
> You said you did an erase and install... right? If not, I'd do that.
> 
> I've installed Leopard on a MacBook, Mini, and iMac CoreDuo and been using it for almost a week now with no problems whatsoever. (Save a weird setting thing in Mail that wasa easily remedied)


Yup I did a 'clean' erase and install the second time. I too find it strange how no one problem is wide spread. I can understand this happening to 'windows' users with all their different hardware involved but surely not mac too?


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Where is your ram from ???
how much do you have??

Have you run a hardware test?


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

I have 4 gigs. One 2 gig stick from the dealer when I bought the imac, the other 2 gig stick from CanadaRam. Ran the hardware test - said everything was 'ok'. Thing is I've been running 10.4x for a couple of months with my current hardware config with no problems.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Means nothing - pull one or the other stick, repair permissions and see if it settles down.

If not try the other stick and do the same procedure.

Apple diagnose is marginal

you can try Rember but I'd pull the "dealer" stick first.


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

Thanks - I'll give this a try. Off topic - are you Dave from 'Ring Audio'?


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## jamesB (Jan 28, 2007)

pixelr said:


> I did that but every time I do the files are automatically written back. It's really bizarre - I can open the prefs-library window, delete the files, and without touching a thing a few seconds later they reappear and with the later time stamp no less.


I think it's time someone should mention that it is perfectly normal, if fact necessary that these pref files get rebuilt with fresh - default copies.
The idea of deleting them is to maybe remove corrupt files and start over with new default values.

jb


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

jamesB said:


> I think it's time someone should mention that it is perfectly normal, if fact necessary that these pref files get rebuilt with fresh - default copies.
> The idea of deleting them is to maybe remove corrupt files and start over with new default values.
> 
> jb


Thanks - good to know it's not playing a Halloween Trick on me!


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## pixelr (Jun 10, 2005)

Ok did the ram stick shuffle and repaired permissions for the umpteenth time - still a no go. Dock, Expose, Dashboard, window min button all non functional.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

The other way to go -- not sure if this would help -- but try and boot from the Leopard DVD and then Use Disk Utility to Zero format your drive -- make sure there's nothing on there, and new data is written all over it. 

BACKUP FIRST THOUGH! 

Under the erase tab, click on "Erase Free Space..." and click on one of the options.

The only other thing I could think of is try booting from your External Backup (assuming you have one) - see if that works... if so... maybe it's a Hard Drive issue?


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

> are you Dave from 'Ring Audio'?


There were two Daves - I was not directly involved with Ring - the tall red head guy who smoked a lot and who was the tech was part owner.
I was owner in the wholesale side and defacto partner in Ring given how much money they owned us 

I think your machine is FUBAR if you shuffled ram.


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## dmbpride (Nov 17, 2007)

pixelr said:


> Thanks I did try this - funny thing is every time I delete those files, within seconds, they're re-written again. Once in a while the Dock pops partially up and where I had added items to it is now replaced with question marks. I've even made sure the apps I use are compatible with 10.5 (at least according to the various developers). All in all very VERY strange.


I am having the same problem... apple support tech was clueless after a 25 min wait. She actually told me she is recommending that people wait, if anyone asks her about installing Leopard because its doing alot of things that they have NO CLUE how to fix (wonderful).

The problem does not extend to other user accounts oddly enough. This is the THIRD major problem since installing this p.o.s. operating system as an upgrade, and third entire day lost... which sucks as a self-employed designer 

I'm running a brand new macbook pro (bought August, 2007), 4 gig ram and 250gig HD.


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