If you have called the Help desk with a Macintosh problem, one of the recommendations you may have received was to rebuild your desktop. What does it mean to rebuild your desktop?

When to consider rebuilding:

1. If files are missing from the Finder's desktop.

2. If the response speed of the Mac slows down significantly.

3. If a file or programs desktop icon displays a blank or generic icon rather that the correct custom icon.

4. If you double-click on a document to open it and a message appears informing you that the program that created that document cannot be found (even though it is on the machine's hard drive).

5. If you receive a message saying that the disk (hard drive) needs minor repairs and clicking "OK" does not fix the problem.

          There are two desktop files, one stores icon information (Desktop DB) and the other (Desktop DF) stores information as to where desktop files are located. These files were created when the volume (drive) was first initialized. They store information about the contents of the disk that is important to the Finder. Every time a file is added, modified or deleted, the Desktop files are updated.

          Without the Desktop files, the Finder could not create its desktop display. When you rebuild the desktop, the files are recreated by the system scanning the current disk and retrieving the necessary information for the Desktop databases.

Why should you rebuild:

          Even after files have been deleted, information has been retained about those files. Over time, Desktop files can become quite large or bloated. Rebuilding the desktop purges unneeded information from the Desktop files and consequently reduces the size of the files. This frees up disk space and can help in speeding up the Finder operations.

          Like all software and files, the desktop files can become corrupted. If the file becomes corrupted, the link between the document and the creating application can be lost. Usually a message is received stating that the "Application could not be found... ". On occasions a corrupted or damaged desktop file may cause system crashes.

          Almost every program or document you have on your hard drive has a unique icon. These icons give users the ability to have a colorful, varied appearance on their desktop. Unfortunately, if the Desktop files are not correctly updated and become corrupted, the custom icon might not properly appear for the program or document. Because the information for icons are contained in the desktop file, when this happens it is necessary to rebuild the file.

How to rebuild:

The basic procedure for rebuilding the desktop is as follows:

1. Hold down the Command and Option keys at startup sequence until an alert box appears asking "Are you sure you want to rebuild the desktop file on the disk [name of hard drive is inserted here]?"

2. Click "OK" to the alert box message and wait. A progress bar will then appear showing you the status of the desktop rebuild. Large drives will take some time for the desktop to rebuild, so be patient.

3. Restart your computer. In some instances after rebuilding your desktop, the icons still do not seem to appear as they should. Restarting may be required for the corrected icons to appear properly. Just as a precaution, I always restart my computer after a desktop rebuild.

          It is not a bad idea to get into the habit of rebuilding your desktop on a monthly basis. Doing so may eliminate the potential for problems in the future. Just as doing back-ups on a regular basis you may want to incorporate rebuilding your desktop files on a regular basis.