Re: Where are preferences in Leopard?

In article <fikj8502fj8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
H.B. Elkins <hbelkins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Where are preference files located in Leopard?

In the previous operating system, 10.4.x, I could search for and delete
preference files by searching the name of the application. Most of these
preference files began with "com." or ended with ".plist" or both.

In 10.5, Leopard, I can't find these preference files in this manner. For
example, if I wanted to delete prefs for the app Adium, in 10.4 I could search
for a file with "adium" in the name and the results would include the prefs,
which I could delete and start over with a clean slate the next time I ran
Adium. I can't do this in Leopard.

Is there a setting I don't know about that will expose "hidden" files such as
com.* or *.plist files for deletion, or does Leopard handle prefs differently?
If so, how do I get at them to delete them when necessary?

The files are right where they always were. Apple changed the default
behavior of the various search tools to omit ~/Library. Presumably the
rationale is that >90% of the time a user is searching for their data
and ~/Library is the one place under ~ where user data really shouldn't
be.

The goodness of this decision, whatever the rationale, is the subject of
much debate in certain circles.

You can override that behavior by using the full Find window (instead of
the menu bar doohickey) and using the "Other..." selection in the
criteria popup to select System Files.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Where are preferences in Leopard?
    ... Where are preference files located in Leopard? ... In 10.5, Leopard, I can't find these preference files in this manner. ... example, if I wanted to delete prefs for the app Adium, in 10.4 I could search ...
    (comp.sys.mac.system)
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