Utility folder is missing

K

kieransymes

Registered
Hi

I have a iMac with 400Mhz CPU and 256 mb RAM running OS X 10.3. I have never set up a printer before with the system so I thought I would a few days ago. So I followed some instructions on the internet to find that I don't have a utility folder. I have no idea where it has gone. Because of this, I can't set up the printer.

I don't have the original disk any more as the mac was given to me neither do I have a DVD drive.

Does anybody know of anywhere where I can download the utility folder and then just extract it or copy it to the mac? I am unsure whether this would work.

I would be grateful for any help

Thanks
 
Normally the Utilities folder resides in the Applications folder (not to be confused with the one entitled "Applications (Mac OS 9"). Have you tried using the Find command to look for "Utilities"?
 
nixgeek said:
Normally the Utilities folder resides in the Applications folder (not to be confused with the one entitled "Applications (Mac OS 9"). Have you tried using the Find command to look for "Utilities"?
Click to expand...

Hi

I have tried but it isn't showing up.

Do you think it's possible that I could just download it from another internet user?

Thanks
 
You could conceivably install it from the discs you have. It's just a matter of selecting to Customize the install and reinstall the Utilities folder. I don't even think you have to boot using the install disc....you should be able to do it booted up into OS X.
 
You should also be able to access it from the pull-down menu called "Go" in the top bar of the Finder.
 
nixgeek said:
You could conceivably install it from the discs you have. It's just a matter of selecting to Customize the install and reinstall the Utilities folder. I don't even think you have to boot using the install disc....you should be able to do it booted up into OS X.
Click to expand...

I don't have any disks though. I only really went to spend some money if I have to. So I ama going to see if there is another way to first.

Thanks
 
sgould said:
You should also be able to access it from the pull-down menu called "Go" in the top bar of the Finder.
Click to expand...

I have tried this but nothing happens. It is this and the fact that it can't be found that makes me think it is completely gone
 
I had the same problem on my iMac not so long ago. One day when I went to perform some activities I found that there was no Applications/Utilities folder on my system at all -- which meant that I had not Terminal.app! I do not know when or how it disappeared, but it was gone. It must have happened in a previous system upgrade, since the backup system was also missing this folder!

Fortunately our family has more than one Mac, and I was able to copy this folder from another system. That worked, but I seemed to have some other damge on the system, as some other applications were not behaving well and the system was not responding as expected.

Fortunately, I do have the 10.4 Family Pack DVD, and I was able to reinstall and restore my user settings (almost all of them) from the backup disk (a bootable copy of my ssytem disk). I was pleased to see that a single Apple installer took me from 10.4.0 to 10.4.5, and the ssystem started behaving better again. I still had to reinstall a number of third party applications, but that house keeping excercise also had some benefits.

I do not know if you can get access to a copy of the Utilities folder from another system or not, but I would be highly suspicious of whether the problem can be resolved that simply. I suspect that a new installation would be the direction to go.
 
'Do you think it's possible that I could just download it from another internet user?' - anything is possible; not all is probable.

You stated in the original post you have MacOS X version 10.3. Are we to assume it is actually version 10.3.0?; or perhaps it is 10.3.1, 10.3.2, 10.3.3, 10.3.4, 10.3.5, 10.3.6, 10.3.7, 10.3.8, or 10.3.9?

If you did update your MacOS X 10.3 version to a higher version or installed a Security Update, you had to have the 'Utilities' folder - considering 'Installer' (the application which installs the updates) is located in it.

What is the probability that someone will have all the same applications, of the same versions, as you did when the 'Utilities' folder disappeared?

---

'I don't have the original disk any more as the mac was given to me neither do I have a DVD drive.' - ? Regardless of the OS [Linux, MacOS (System), Windoze, etc.], there is no excuse to not have or keep the OS installation disc(s) [CD(s) or DVD]; but rather, a necessity.

'... I only really want to spend some money if I have to. ...' - you want (have) to.
 
barhar said:
'Do you think it's possible that I could just download it from another internet user?' - anything is possible; not all is probable.

You stated in the original post you have MacOS X version 10.3. Are we to assume it is actually version 10.3.0?; or perhaps it is 10.3.1, 10.3.2, 10.3.3, 10.3.4, 10.3.5, 10.3.6, 10.3.7, 10.3.8, or 10.3.9?

If you did update your MacOS X 10.3 version to a higher version or installed a Security Update, you had to have the 'Utilities' folder - considering 'Installer' (the application which installs the updates) is located in it.

What is the probability that someone will have all the same applications, of the same versions, as you did when the 'Utilities' folder disappeared.

---

'I don't have the original disk any more as the mac was given to me neither do I have a DVD drive.' - ? Regardless of the OS [Linux, MacOS (System), Windoze, etc.], there is no excuse to not have or keep the OS installation disc(s) [CD(s) or DVD]; but rather, a necessity.

'... I only really want to spend some money if I have to. ...' - you want (have) to.
Click to expand...

Hi

I believe the system is 10.3.0. The reason I don't have the original disks is because I was given the computer. It literally just had the computer and that's it. I did not update the machine in any way. obviously, it must have been without its utility folder since it was given to me. I just only realised when trying to install the printer.

I had the same problem on my iMac not so long ago. One day when I went to perform some activities I found that there was no Applications/Utilities folder on my system at all -- which meant that I had not Terminal.app! I do not know when or how it disappeared, but it was gone. It must have happened in a previous system upgrade, since the backup system was also missing this folder!

Fortunately our family has more than one Mac, and I was able to copy this folder from another system. That worked, but I seemed to have some other damge on the system, as some other applications were not behaving well and the system was not responding as expected.

Fortunately, I do have the 10.4 Family Pack DVD, and I was able to reinstall and restore my user settings (almost all of them) from the backup disk (a bootable copy of my ssytem disk). I was pleased to see that a single Apple installer took me from 10.4.0 to 10.4.5, and the ssystem started behaving better again. I still had to reinstall a number of third party applications, but that house keeping excercise also had some benefits.

I do not know if you can get access to a copy of the Utilities folder from another system or not, but I would be highly suspicious of whether the problem can be resolved that simply. I suspect that a new installation would be the direction to go.
Click to expand...

KenDRhyD? Could you see if it is possible for you to compress the utility folder and then send it to me? If you could do this, it may work and is worth a try.

Please PM me if you could help me more:)

Thanks
 
'I believe the system is 10.3.0.' - select the 'Apple, About This Mac' menu item. Under the letters 'Mac OS X' will be the actual version number.

Based on my MacOS X 10.3.4's '/Applications/Utilities/' [37 MB] folder, if '.zip'ed the file is around 12.3 MB; if '.dmg'ed the images is around 12.6 MB.
 
Based on my MacOS X 10.3.4's '/Applications/Utilities/' [37 MB] folder, if '.zip'ed the file is around 12.3 MB; if '.dmg'ed the images is around 12.6 MB.
Click to expand...

Hi

My system is 10.3.4. Could you zip that and e-mail it to me? That would be great if you could.

Thanks
 
kieransymes said:
Hi

I believe the system is 10.3.0. The reason I don't have the original disks is because I was given the computer. It literally just had the computer and that's it. I did not update the machine in any way. obviously, it must have been without its utility folder since it was given to me. I just only realised when trying to install the printer.



KenDRhyD? Could you see if it is possible for you to compress the utility folder and then send it to me? If you could do this, it may work and is worth a try.

Please PM me if you could help me more:)

Thanks
Click to expand...

My system is running 10.4.5, so I am not certain how that would scan.

As I mentioned, when this happened to me I eventually had to reinstall, and I would suggest that is the only viable recourse for yourself -- and update to Tiger while you are at it!
 
Stinz12 said:
Reinstall Mac osx 10.4 again!
Click to expand...

How can the original poster "Reinstall" a system "Again" that was never installed in the first place?
I believe they said the system in question is OS X 10.3, and even this cannot be "Reinstalled" simply because they were not given any disks when they received the computer.
 
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