We have another winner. Congrats to Todd -- a copy of my book (Dr. Mac: The OS X Files) is winging its way to you!

Todd's tip is everything I look for in a tip... it's clear, concise, useful, and worth remembering.

So without further ado, here it is. Not a single word (or character) has been changed or omitted (nor did a word or character need to be).

> Though OS X is not supposed to need (and, in fact, can't
> accomplish in the same way) a desktop rebuild, as we had
> to do so often in OS 9, sometimes things do get a little
> quirky. When fsck Disk First Aid don't seem to address
> the quirks, it might be time to perform what may be the
> closest thing to a desktop rebuild.
>
> A lot of people know that deleting three files from
> user/library/preferences and logging out may help clear
> things up (and don't hurt anything by letting them
> rebuild themselves). They are:
>
> LSApplications
> LSClaimtedTypes
> LSSchemes
>
> But there are also invisible back-ups of these files
> that should be deleted simultaneously to really get a
> good rebuild.
>
> By using Tinkertool to turn on invisible files and then
> logging out and back in (or by using one of the other
> utilities that accomplishes the same) find these three
> files in the same user/library/preferences location:
>
> LSApplications_Backup
> LSClaimedTypes_Backup
> LSSchemes_Backup
>
> Delete them also and empty the trash. Then before
> logging out, use Tinkertool (or the other utility) to
> make invisible files invisible again, log out and back
> in, and those files will rebuild themselves
> automatically.
>
> And it's very possible that the quirks you've
> experienced will be gone.
>
> Thanks for all the advice, Bob. You're really doing a
> great service to the community. If you use this advice,
> I'd really like to have your book.
>
> Best to you,
>
> Todd

That's excellent. I knew about the first three files but not about the backups. I've found that deleting the first three files -- LSApplications, LSClaimtedTypes, and LSSchemes -- often cures that wonkiness you get sometimes... when files display improper icons or documents open in the wrong app even after you tell them otherwise. So kiling the backups can only help. Next time I'll do it Todd's way. It couldn't hurt...

To discuss this tip (or anything you like) in Dr. Mac's OSXFAQ Forum, click here:

Bob LeVitus is a leading authority on Mac OS and the author of 39 books, including Mac OS X For Dummies and The Little iTunes Book.