where are preferences stored?

[enough]

Are user preferences (desktop image, screen saver, etc) stored in a file somewhere?

If so... where? and if not - where are they stored?

 

[barhar]

Depending on the particular preference file:
'~/Library/Preferences', '~/Library/Preferences/ByHost', and '/Library/Preferences/'.
Where '~/' is the current user's 'Home' folder.

Which folder which preferences file is saved depends on what application / utility was used to make what setting change(s), and who is affected (current user only or all the users) by the change(s).

 

[enough]

Depending on the particular preference file:
'~/Library/Preferences', '~/Library/Preferences/ByHost', and '/Library/Preferences/'.
Where '~/' is the current user's 'Home' folder.

Which folder which preferences file is saved depends on what application / utility was used to make what setting change(s), and who is affected (current user only or all the users) by the change(s).

where would I find the preferences for the screensaver? as in which screen saver and what are the start times, etc.?

 

[enough]

nevermind - i think i found the problem. My ByHost directory was owned by 'root' not by the user... I chown'd the directory back to the user and it allowed me to change the screensaver just fine.

I had run a repair on the permissions but this was missed.