Dragging And Dropping Files From Desktop
 

I have a MBP 10.4.10 2.16 intel core 2 duo. When I have a file on my desktop, say I download something from the internet onto my desktop. Then I drag it to the hard drive and save it in documents or home folder or anywhere for that matter (what my error refers to as a volume), theres a little glitch in the finder window. Then if I double click the area that I saved it in it says "the disk volume could not be found". If I restart the computer I can go to wherever I saved the file and open the volume (i guess thats what its called) and open the file just fine. I can also go into any "volume" at any time and open and make changes to files with out any problems. It only happens when I initially take something from my desktop to the HD. Thanks for any suggestions.

Boot to your OS X Install disc, select Disk Utility from one of the pulldown menus, go to the First Aid tab, select your boot drive, and click "Repair Disk". Repeat until no problems are found.

Or if you have it, run DiskWarrior while booted to the DiskWarrior CD.

Trevor

I booted the computer using the install disk and used the utilities repair thing. It said it was fine and didnt need any repairs. The file dragging problem is still present though. Thanks for trying to help me out.

What is "the area that you saved it in"? Is it a network volume? (In other words, is it on a different computer than the one you are physically in front of?) Is it an external drive? Or maybe a USB thumb drive? What is it exactly?

Trevor

Please show us the result of the following commands in a Terminal window (Terminal is an application under /Applications/Utilities. Copy & paste the following commands into a Terminal window and then press Return, then copy & paste the contents of that Terminal window back here in your reply):

id
ls -l /Volumes
echo "done"

I put myname where my name was located after I entered the command
id
ls -l /Volumes
echo "done"

This is what terminl said:

myname$ id
uid=501(myname) gid=501(myname) groups=501(myname), 80(admin)
my-name-computer:~ myname$ ls -l /Volumes
total 8
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 1 Jul 11 12:52 Macintosh HD -> /
my-name-computer:~ myname$ echo "done"

Trevor what happens is exactly what I stated in the original post. No USB or other computer or thumb drive it is just my MBP. If I save a file to the desktop, put the arrow on it, click and drag to the HD icon, wait for the icon to open, then select any location inside the hard drive, (ex documents, home folder, applications, movies, music where ever) drop the file in any of those listed locations, the finder widow goes boing (thats the noise) and then I click on the location I put the file in it says the volume cannot be found. I restart, the volume is back, the file is where i put it, and everything works fine. I can open the file make changes save it no problem. It is just the initial drag and drop to the specified location.

I just figured something else out. If I open up the location where I want to put the file prior to dropping it in it works fine. Its just when I hold onto the file the whole time and everything opens automatically.

Well the above are the results. Any suggestions?

Try logging in as a different user to see if the problem exists there.
(Create a new user via the Accounts preferences if needed)

This is interesting. I still don't know what would cause it but see what happens if you do it when logged in as a different user.

It works like a charm in another profile. No problems at all. I pretty much have no clue about computers and especially apple, because I just crossed back over from the dark-side. My last apple was an Apple 2e. Oregon Trail yeah baby. Anyway I had a problem a little one with the launchservices.plist screwing with my java on the internet. I deleted it and everything worked fine. So maybe this problem has to do with another bad file messing with something. I dont know just a thought.

Is it safe to delete all of my duplicate .plst files? Are there certain .plst files that cause trouble that I should be aware of?

1) You can pretty much delete the plist files under ~/Library/Preferences with impunity. Each application will recreate a default version of its plist file the next time you use it.
The only one you might be wary of deleting is that for Mail.app since if you delete that, you will no longer have any email accounts. You can still get back your old mail, but it takes some doing.
In general, it is probably better to just move the plist files to some other location (and then logout and in again) instead of deleting them.

2) Here's my generic prescription for user-specific problems:
----------------------------------
You have determined that the problem is only with the one user account.
The problem thus is almost certainly due to something under your home folder.
And it likely is something under ~/Library
( ~ = your home folder)
The most likely thing is a bad preference file under ~/Library/Preferences
You could start by removing the preference files for the apps you are having trouble with. (The names of preference files usually include the name of the app they are for.)
If the problem persists, you need to narrow the problem down - you could start by moving (via drag & drop) the whole "Preferences" folder that is under ~/Library to the Desktop, then log out and log in again. A default copy of the Preferences folder will have been recreated. Does that improve things? If so, you could use a divide & conquer approach to figure out which of the preference files is causing the problem - move half of the preference files back into the Preferences folder, log out & in again, etc.

If the problem persists, try the same thing with the other sub-folders of ~/Library. E.g. with ~/Library/Caches, ~/Library/InputManagers, ~/Library/Fonts, ~/Library/PreferencePanes, ~/Library/Application Support, ~/Library/Application Enhancers, contents of ~/Desktop, etc.
Also remove any files owned by your user in /Library/Caches (the Library folder at the top-level of the drive) or the sub-folders of /Library/Caches (e.g. the font caches under /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS)

Sounds like a lot of work, but thanks Hayne. First I am going to go punch myself in the face, and then I will get started.

Well I still haven't got around to deleting the files by process of elimination, because I have been busy. So I thought of something else. Is there any type of error log or something that I can check as soon as the problem occurs. If there is will that tell me which file is causing my problems?


I have another question also. How do I stop Sofa Control from starting on start up? I am baffled.

You can look at log files by using the "Console" application (under /Applications/Utilities).

Does "Sofa Control" launch at startup or at login? If the latter, look in your Accounts preferences. If the former, look under /Library/StartupItems

What system hacks have you installed on your account? System hacks are programs that run all of the time and change the behavior of the system in some way.

Trevor

Sofa control launches at both startup and log in. I went to the preferences under my account user, and Sofa Control was not even there. So I couldn't check it not to automatically start. I added it to the start items, and then checked it so that it wouldn't automatically start, but it still does.

I think the only system hack I have is Sofa Control. However, I believe I had the drag and drop problem before I downloaded it. Do you consider the program running only if it has a little arrow under it on my dock? If so the only ones that run when I log in or restart are Sofa Control, Dashboard, and Finder.

Immediately after I had my dragging and dropping error I restarted my computer and checked the log. This is what it said
Console:

Mac OS X Version 10.4.10 (Build 8R2218)
2007-10-20 07:21:05 -0500
2007-10-20 07:21:06.349 loginwindow[66] FSResolveAliasWithMountFlags returned err = -43
2007-10-20 07:21:09.438 SystemUIServer[191] lang is:en

System: I replaced my actual name with (my-name)

Oct 20 07:20:01 my-name-computer crashdump[341]: 3300 Series Button Monitor crashed
Oct 20 07:20:02 my-name-computer crashdump[341]: crash report written to: /Users/my-name/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/3300 Series Button Monitor.crash.log
Oct 20 07:20:20 my-name-computer diskarbitrationd[39]: loginwindow [65]:7759 not responding.
Oct 20 07:20:21 my-name-computer kernel[0]: jnl: close: flushing the buffer cache (start 0xa57c00 end 0xa5be00)
Oct 20 07:20:21 my-name-computer shutdown: reboot by my-name:
Oct 20 07:20:22 my-name-computer SystemStarter[350]: authentication service (359) did not complete successfully
Oct 20 07:20:23 my-name-computer SystemStarter[350]: The following StartupItems failed to properly start:
Oct 20 07:20:23 my-name-computer SystemStarter[350]: /System/Library/StartupItems/AuthServer
Oct 20 07:20:23 my-name-computer SystemStarter[350]: - execution of Startup script failed
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: hi mem tramps at 0xffe00000
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: PAE enabled
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: 64 bit mode enabled
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: standard timeslicing quantum is 10000 us
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: vm_page_bootstrap: 512762 free pages
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: mig_table_max_displ = 71
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Enabling XMM register save/restore and SSE/SSE2 opcodes
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: 91 prelinked modules
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: ACPI CA 20060421
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement: ready
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: AppleACPICPU: ProcessorApicId=0 LocalApicId=0 Enabled
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: AppleACPICPU: ProcessorApicId=1 LocalApicId=1 Enabled
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: using 10485 buffer headers and 4096 cluster IO buffer headers
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Enabling XMM register save/restore and SSE/SSE2 opcodes
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Started CPU 01
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: IOAPIC: Version 0x20 Vectors 64:87
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: ACPI: System State [S0 S3 S4 S5] (S3)
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Security auditing service present
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: BSM auditing present
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: disabled
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: rooting via boot-uuid from /chosen: BB9BACBF-D6B7-41E4-B040-64B24FF33999
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Waiting on <dict ID="0"><key>IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1">IOResources</string><key>IOResourceMatch</key><string ID="2">boot-uuid-media</string></dict>
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: USB caused wake event (EHCI)
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: FireWire (OHCI) TI ID 8025 built-in now active, GUID 0019e3fffe933166; max speed s800.
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Got boot device = IOService:/AppleACPIPlatformExpert/PCI0@0/AppleACPIPCI/SATA@1F,2/AppleAHCI/PRT2@2/IOAHCIDevice@0/AppleAHCIDiskDriver/IOAHCIBlockStorageDevice/IOBlockStorageDriver/FUJITSU MHW2120BH Media/IOGUIDPartitionScheme/Customer@2
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: BSD root: disk0s2, major 14, minor 2
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::probe:
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::start before command
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::stop
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: IOBluetoothHCIController::start Idle Timer Stopped
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Jettisoning kernel linker.
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Resetting IOCatalogue.
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 0
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Previous Shutdown Cause: 3
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: ath_attach: devid 0x24
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: Override HT40 CTL Powers. EEPROM Version is 14.4, Device Type 5
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: ath_descdma_setup: tx dd_desc_paddr = 0xa553000, length 0x46500(288000) bytes
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: ath_descdma_setup: beacon dd_desc_paddr = 0xa049000, length 0x90(144) bytes
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: mac 12.10 phy 8.1 radio 12.0
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: IPv6 packet filtering initialized, default to accept, logging disabled
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost memberd[40]: memberd starting up
Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost mDNSResponder-108.6 (Jul 19 2007 10: 33:20)[32]: starting
Oct 20 07:20:44 localhost lookupd[47]: lookupd (version 369.6) starting - Sat Oct 20 07:20:44 2007
Oct 20 07:20:45 localhost DirectoryService[44]: Launched version 2.1 (v353.6)
Oct 20 07:20:46 localhost diskarbitrationd[39]: disk0s2 hfs 080F49AE-A87F-366D-8AFF-A0D7097A74FF Macintosh HD /
Oct 20 07:20:46 localhost kernel[0]: yukonosx: Ethernet address (I took this out)
Oct 20 07:20:46 localhost kernel[0]: AirPort_Athr5424ab: Ethernet address (I took this out)
Oct 20 07:20:46 localhost lookupd[62]: lookupd (version 369.6) starting - Sat Oct 20 07:20:46 2007
Oct 20 07:20:46 localhost kernel[0]: Registering For 802.11 Events
Oct 20 07:20:46 localhost kernel[0]: [HCIController][setupHardware] AFH Is Supported
Oct 20 07:20:46 my-name-computer configd[37]: setting hostname to "my-name-computer.local"
Oct 20 07:20:48 my-name-computer kernel[0]: AppleYukon - en0 link active, 100-Mbit, full duplex, symmetric flow control enabled
Oct 20 07:20:48 my-name-computer /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS/loginwindow: Login Window Application Started
Oct 20 07:20:49 my-name-computer loginwindow[66]: Login Window Started Security Agent
Oct 20 07:20:50 my-name-computer configd[37]: executing /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/Kicker.bundle/Contents/Resources/enable-network
Oct 20 07:20:50 my-name-computer configd[37]: posting notification com.apple.system.config.network_change
Oct 20 07:20:50 my-name-computer lookupd[76]: lookupd (version 369.6) starting - Sat Oct 20 07:20:50 2007
Oct 20 07:20:52 my-name-computer configd[37]: target=enable-network: disabled
Oct 20 07:20:53 my-name-computer mDNSResponder: Adding browse domain local.


I think my computer is screwed I have a smiley face in my system log
WTF is this? I also have no clue what any of the above stuff means, so please bear with me.

Oct 20 07:20:43 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver:robe:

Well I tried to eliminate bad files from my preferences folder also, and that didn't work. I went through every single one about 6-8 at a time, logged off, checked for the error, found it was still there and continued through all of them. I haven't tried the caches folder yet, but it seems to me dragging and dropping would be a preferences issue, because it doesn't do it on other user accounts. Sofa Control still won't go away either. I only tried to eliminate the files under my home folder. Should I do it under the Macintosh HD Library preferences folder also?

It appears the "3300 Series Button Monitor" is causing your crash. A quick Google search seems to indicate that it's part of your Lexmark Printer package. I'd first try repairing permissions with Disk Utility and then re-installing the Lexmark driver package.

As to your Sofa Control...

The checkbox does not enable/disable items in your startup menu. All it does is allow it to startup "hidden" thereby not opening any windows and remaining in the background.

No, not all system hacks appear in the Dock. As Las_Vegas mentions, the checkbox in System Preferences > Accounts > your account > Login Items does not do what you think it does, it only allows things to launch 'hidden'. If you want to disable Sofa Control, not only do you have to remove it from that location altogether (by selecting it and clicking the '-' button), but you also have to either figure out where it is actually being launched from and remove it, or else run it's Uninstaller, if it has one.

I agree with Las_Vegas about the cause of your crash, it is the 3300 Series Button Monitor. This is something that was probably installed as part of your driver set. (I'm guessing that your printer also has a scanner function?) You'll need to remove that, probably from /Users/yourusername/Library/StartupItems or /Library/StartupItems.

Trevor

I re-installed everything for the printer. You were right Trevor it also has a scanner. I also had to remove Sofa Control, though I do like the program when I need to use it. So hopefully next time I need the program it works. Do you guys have anymore suggestions for the dragging and dropping problem? I tried another profile again and it still does not have the problem like my profile does. So far I went through every one of my preferences files and could not find one that attributes to the dragging and dropping problem.

I outlined the procedure to follow in my "generic prescription" post above. It's pretty simple and won't take much time. You don't do it with individual prefs files - you start with the whole folder ~/Library/Preferences as I explained above.

Ok I removed every folder under my library home folder, and had no joy during the "generic prescription". I did not have a .ATS cache folder or file under my library, however; I did notice a .ATS folder under the HD library folder. I was afraid to remove it though. Is it safe to remove the cache folder from my HD library folder, and put it on my desktop to try the "prescription"? Thanks for everyones inputs, hopefully I get it narrowed down to something soon.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I am NOT advising that you re-install everything for the printer. I am advising that you remove "3300 Series Button Monitor" and not reinstall it.

This may cause your scanner app on your computer not to detect when the scan button has been pressed on the unit.

Trevor

Yes - in general anything that is in a Caches folder is safe to remove. Caches are just extra copies of information in a place that is easier/faster to access.

Ok gotcha. I could not find anything that said "series button monitor", except for the crash log. Do you know which one of these might be the one to remove?

I put the folder on my desktop, but it would only create a copy to the desktop, and not actually just move the whole folder from the HD Library. I there any way around that? Is it safe to delete/move to trash that .ATS cache or any of the other caches in the HD Library for that matter?

One way around this would be to use Terminal to do the move - I think it is Finder that is deciding to copy it instead of move.

Yes - it should be quite safe.

Well I am back to where I started at square one. I sent the folder to the trash, restarted, still had the drag and drop problem, so I know it is not coming from the HD library caches either. I am completely lost now. Oh well I guess I just won't have drag and drop anymore. Any more suggestions on the printer problem? I am still confused as to which path might hold the "series button monitor"

Let's use a more powerful search than Spotlight.

Open up your Terminal and copy/paste the following command into it. You will be asked for your admin password--enter it at the prompt. It is normal for nothing to be reflected back when you enter your password.

sudo find / -noleaf -name "3300 Series Button Monitor" -print

Allow the command some time to complete. When it is done, copy/paste the results here for us to see.

Trevor

This is what it tells me

find: -noleaf: unknown expression primary

Oops, I just checked and it looks like I'm running a copy of find that I got from fink which is slightly different than the built-in find. Use

sudo find / -name "3300 Series Button Monitor" -print

Trevor

That did the trick.

/Library/Application Support/Lexmark/3300 Series Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300 Series Button Monitor.app/Contents/MacOS/3300 Series Button Monitor

I looked up that path but I only get to /Library/Application Support/Lexmark/3300 Series Scanner.bundle, and then it looks like a lego with a Microsoft Excel X on it. When I try to open it it says there is no default application to open it.

OK, the command to delete it is

sudo rm -R /Library/Application\ Support/Lexmark/3300\ Series\ Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300\ Series\ Button\ Monitor.app

Please make sure that you copy/paste this, not try to type it in. The combination of sudo and rm -R is particularly dangerous if not used properly.

In fact, if you don't mind confirming every individual file to be deleted, you'll be a bit safer with

sudo rm -iR /Library/Application\ Support/Lexmark/3300\ Series\ Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300\ Series\ Button\ Monitor.app

(Note that this just added the -i option which makes you confirm every file that is deleted.)

Trevor

That's normal. The Finder hides a lot of complexity from you. There's a bunch of stuff inside 3300 Series Scanner.bundle. If you right click on the .bundle and select "Show Package Contents" you can see it in the Finder too.

Trevor

Ok this is what it told me is it gone now?

examine files in directory /Library/Application Support/Lexmark/3300 Series Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300 Series Button Monitor.app?
examine files in directory /Library/Application Support/Lexmark/3300 Series Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300 Series Button Monitor.app/Contents?
remove /Library/Application Support/Lexmark/3300 Series Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300 Series Button Monitor.app?

I don't understand what I'm seeing. Could you give us the entire transcript from your Terminal session? In other words, let's see the prompt, the commands issued, and all of the responses.

And by the way, if you want to confirm that it is actually gone, you can run the find command a few posts up in #32 again. If this time it doesn't give you a response, then it's gone.

Trevor

I thought I did, but this is what it said this time

rm: /Library/Application Support/Lexmark/3300 Series Scanner.bundle/Contents/SharedSupport/3300 Series Button Monitor.app: No such file or directory

Well I guess that's it for the printer stuff. Thanks Trevor. Everyone feel free to shoot me ideas for the drag and drop problem.

Good. Then you've removed the 3300 Series Button Monitor.

Now, after you restart your computer, does the problem with dragging and dropping go away?

Trevor

The dragging and dropping problem is still there after the restart. Got anymore suggestions for my problem? Do you know which file, or command, or script, or whatever controls the drag and drop function? This computer is perfect except for that one little snag. Oh and sometimes when wake my computer and put in my password the screen goes black, but a few seconds later it asks for my password again and logs in fine, so I can live with that.

Then it sounds like it's time to reexamine your system log to determine just what is crashing.

This has been a long and confusing thread with many different issues.
Could we please have a recap?
Please explain again what the drag & drop problem is. And if possible, show us a screen capture of the symptoms.

And tell us what things you have done to try to fix this. E.g. have you repaired your filesystem (using Disk Utility or DiskWarrior)?

The problem is quite simple. If I have a file on my desktop (I will use the variable X for my desktop document in this example it is a jpeg) X can be any type of file, I've tried it with all different kinds. I click on X and drag it to the Macintosh HD Icon, it opens the contents of the MHD icon showing my home folder, documents, pictures, etc... Then while still holding on to the original document X I take that document and hold it over any of those places inside my MHD (home folder, applications, documents, etc..) Now the contents of that folder are exposed (in this example the pictures folder). I let go of the clicker on the bottom of the trackpad to drop X into the desired location, I hear a noise that goes boing, and then a finder message comes up that says the volume pictures could not be found ( I can physically see the folder, but when I double click it that finder message comes up). Then I restart the MBP and all of the contents of the pictures folder are there, and so is the file that I dragged and dropped into it originally.

The pictures are in order from start to finish.

Here are the last two pictures, because it would only let me do three at a time. I have used Disk Utility to verify and repair disk permissions, but I don't know if there is anything else I should be doing. I even did the steps Trevor suggested in post #2

Boot to your OS X Install disc, select Disk Utility from one of the pulldown menus, go to the First Aid tab, select your boot drive, and click "Repair Disk". Repeat until no problems are found.

Or if you have it, run DiskWarrior while booted to the DiskWarrior CD.

I don't have Disk Warrior so I didn't do that, only the first part.

The last picture is after I restart.

Please note that "Repair Disk Permissions" (what you say you did) is quite different from "Repair Disk" (what Trevor recommended).

After looking at the screen captures you supplied, I see that the problem is when you are dropping the file on the "Pictures" icon in the Finder "SideBar".

So one thing to try (as a diagnostic measure, not as a solution) is to drop the file on the actual Pictures folder in the right-hand side of the Finder window (not in the SideBar on the left). I.e. open a Finder window on your home folder. You should see a Pictures icon in the bigger area on the right-side of the Finder window. Try doing the same drag & onto this Pictures icon instead of onto the one in the SideBar. Does that work - or do you get the same error message?

If the problem is only with your SideBar, then I would recommend removing the plist file (under ~/Library/Preferences) that stores your SideBar configuration - it is the one with SideBar in its name. And then you will need to set up your SideBar the way you want it by dragging the folder icons (e.g. that for Pictures) from the main area on the right-side of the Finder window into the Sidebar.

Sorry I meant I did both.

I did what you said in the first paragraph and it worked fine.

I removed the .plist from the preferences in my HD and home folder. However, I still had the same problem after I restarted.

So that shows that your problem is limited to the Sidebar.

You had a Sidebar plist under /Library/Preferences ? That is strange.
It is usual only to have a per-user plist for the Sidebar - i.e. under ~/Library/Preferences
( ~ = your home folder)

The name of the Sidebar preferences file is:
com.apple.sidebarlists.plist

Please launch the "Terminal" application (under /Applications/Utilities) and copy & paste the following commands (all together), press Return, then copy & paste the results back here so we can see:

id
ls -l ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists
defaults read ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists useritems | grep Name
echo "done"

uid=501(myname) gid=501(myname) groups=501(myname), 80(admin)
my-name-computer:~ myname$ ls -l ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists
ls: /Users/myname/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists: No such file or directory
my-name-computer:~ myname$ defaults read ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists useritems | grep Name
Name = Desktop;
Name = myname;
Name = Applications;
Name = Documents;
Name = Movies;
Name = Music;
Name = Pictures;
my-name-computer:~ myname$ echo "done"

In the picture the first is the one in my HD and the second is the one in my home folder. I removed both of them to the desktop, restarted, and still had the drag and drop problem. I think the computer just created new ones when I removed them, because the dates are recent.

Hmm, I've never seen that (a system-wide Sidebar prefs file in the /Library/Preferences folder) but it is of course possible (i.e. is consistent with the general preferences handling).
But I don't know what causes this system-wide prefs file to be created.

Has anyone else seen a system-wide prefs for Sidebar contents?

No, I haven't. I wonder if one logs in to the GUI as root if that is where the SideBar prefs would be saved?

JUS2MUCH, do you log in to OS X as the root user?

Trevor

I am not sure about the term "root user", but I am the only one who logs on to this computer, and the only one who uses it. I created another account for my wife, but she never uses it, because she has her own computer.

OK, then it sounds like you have a normal admin account. The root user is a special user in Unix operating systems that is basically all-powerful. Apple disables the root user in OS X for good security reasons, but it is possible to re-enable root.

Trevor

So do I need to re-enable root? Or am I good with the admin power?

You do not need to re-enable root. It's a security hole. I was just theorizing that you had, and that that is why you had the a SideBar preferences file in /Library/Preferences. There must be some other explanation.

Trevor

And that other explanation has to explain why the system-wide plist file is getting recreated after it was moved out to the Desktop.

JUS2MCH, you've given us a screenshot of this file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist. However, I'd like to see it from the Terminal, which might reveal something additiional.

Can you give us the results of the following command? Copy/paste it into your Terminal, and then hit the Return key.

ls -alheiu /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist

As far as the file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist goes, searching for it with Google yields zero results--all listed results are for ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist.

Trevor

It might also be useful to show us the contents of your two com.apple.sidebarlists.plist files by doing the following:

Launch the "Terminal" application (under /Applications/Utilities) and copy & paste the following commands (all together), press Return, then copy & paste the results back here so we can see:

id
echo "Contents of system-wide plist:"
defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists | sed 's/<.*>;/<>;/g'
echo "Contents of per-user plist:"
defaults read ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists | sed 's/<.*>;/<>;/g'
echo "done"

@Trevor

my-name-computer:~ myname$ ls -alheiu /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist
1129046 -rw------- 1 myname admin 4K Oct 22 17:33 /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist


@Hayne
uid=501(myname) gid=501(myname) groups=501(myname), 80(admin)
my-name-computer:~ myname$ echo "Contents of system-wide plist:"
Contents of system-wide plist:
my-name-computer:~ myname$ defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists | sed 's/<.*>;/<>;/g'
{
useritems = {
Controller = CustomListItems;
CustomListItems = (
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Desktop;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = myname;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Applications;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Documents;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Movies;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Music;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Pictures;
}
);
};
}
my-name-computer:~ myname$ echo "Contents of per-user plist:"
Contents of per-user plist:
my-name-computer:~ myname$ defaults read ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists | sed 's/<.*>;/<>;/g'
{
useritems = {
Controller = CustomListItems;
CustomListItems = (
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Desktop;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = myname;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Applications;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Documents;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Movies;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Music;
},
{
Alias = <>;
Icon = <>;
Name = Pictures;
}
);
};
}
my-name-computer:~ myname$ echo "done"


Hayne, I didn't have to press return for the command ou asked me to copy and paste. I copied and pasted, then it automatically spit all that ^^ stuff out. I don't know if that makes a difference.Hope this makes more sense to you guys than it does to me.

Did any of you understand what that stuff was?^^^^

Trevor and Hayne do you need anymore info?

JUS2MCH, I don't see anything particularly revealing about the permissions. myname has ownership, and can read and write. The fact that it is in /Library/Preferences and owned by myname is not particularly unusual.

I still don't know why it's in /Library/Permissions, but I have no new clues.

Trevor

Have you installed any software that "enhances" the system or which is a utility that runs all the time?

I'm leaning towards recommending that you do an "archive and install" from the Install CD/DVD being sure to select the option to preserve users.
(See this Apple doc: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107120)
This will keep all your user files and just replace the OS X system files and applications. You should run Software Update afterwards to get your system up to date again.
It would be best if you did a backup of your user files first - just in case something goes wrong (even though this isn't very likely).

If I archive and install, can I safely delete the previous systems folder?

Yes - the previous system folder is just there in case you need something (3rd party files) from the previous system. If all is working well after you archive & install, you can delete the previous system folder.