Disappearing Applications Folder in 10.1.5

[Video Ltd.]

Gulp…Help!!!
I have a 500MHz G4 running OS 10.1.5 with 1 gig memory
I opened my start up disk just in time to see my Applications folder disappear. Thinking that it had snafued, I restarted my Mac and found a “new” Applications folder nicely in place. The problem, it was empty. After much searching, I found the original folder in the Library folder.
The problem: OS X won’t let me delete the new file (calms it’s owned by the root, and I don’t have sufficient permission to delete it), or copy the contents of the old file into it. My old Applications folder has several programs in it that will take several hours to reload, and a couple that I no longer have access to the original program disks. Most of the programs seem to work, but have lost their links.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Gar

 

[edX]

solution one - move all your files over to the new folder. ignore the original and hope this craziness never happens again. not the best, but easy

solution 2 - use get info on any folders/files that you need to have permission for. go to permissions and change them to you. you'll have to enter your admin password to do this. it's probably a good idea to change them back when you are done whenever you do this.

solution 3 - search this site for 'enable root' and do just that with the instructions. once you are root, you can do whatever you want with either folder and their apps. best advised to disable root when you're done. root will cling pretty tightly to stuff you need and help insure you don't lose it.