Switcher confused about the Finder & Desktop

J

joshuatree

Registered
Hi,

I recently made the switch to a MacBook pro. I'm a longtime Windows user...

When I download files from Firefox, they are downloaded to the Desktop, but the icons don't actually appear. If I open the Finder, they don't appear under the Desktop there either. BUT - if I search for the file in the Finder, the file says it is on the Desktop and poof! All of a sudden, the file's icon appears on the Desktop and I see it in the normal Finder screen for the Desktop.

This doesn't just happen with the Desktop. If I print to PDF, for instance, the PDF may not show in the Finder UNTIL I search for it.

Am I doing something wrong? Or this normal behavior for a Mac (I can't imagine that it is)

Thanks!
 
Shouldn't be. Definitely not normal behaviour. If it'd only be web-downloads, I'd suggest defining a different folder than the Desktop, try it out, then go back... But if it happens for other folders and other uses as well...
 
As Fryke stated it is not normal behavior. Have you repaired permissions lately? I have experienced a similar issues once with messed up desktop permissions!!
 
JoshuaTree, what version of OS X are you using? Prior to 10.4, Finder did not automatically update until you click in the folder. Yes, dumb, I know. Have you tried clicking on the desktop to see if the files appear?

Doug
 
Even in 10.3 and lower, these things should only occasionally happen and not in the way described in the first post.
 
fryke is dead right - although 10.3 did have some latency with updating folder contents in the GUI, 10.4 certainly does not (due to Spotlight), and this is not normal behavior for a new Mac. Repair permissions is highly recommended (Open Disk Utility in Applications > Utilities and click "Repair Permissions" button) and maybe even repairing the disk if that doesn't work. But let us know how the permissions repair goes first.
 
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