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Can't right click external drive's files anymore!

D

deansawyer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 22, 2012
18
0
Pretty simple but annoying problem, for some reason I can't seem to be able to right click a file/folder stored on an external drive anymore. I used to be able to right click then change the colour of the file to help keep projects organised. I can still do this with files on my MAC hard drive but no longer with the external.

My External drive is plugged into one of the MAC Pro's bay slots.
- NOT as USB connection

Things I have tried

• Changed 'Sharing & Permissions' to 'Read & Write' for all users
• Ticked ignore ownership on this volume
• Ran Disk Utility and clicked 'verify disk' get 'Error: Could not unmount disk'

MAC OSX 10.6.8
MacPro1,1
2x3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
6 GB RAM
 
Seems to me something is wrong with the drive or Disk Utility, reason, verify disk does not need to unmount a Volume.
Or, the way it is connected to your Mac, you could get the drive out and mount it in an external then try again.
 
I'm reluctant to open up my MAC and swap the drive around, remember the hard drive is functioning as it should on all levels other than allowing me to right click each file/folder.

All files are being written and saved as normal so it seems the hardware connection is fine - just a bug with the right clicking on files?
 
deansawyer said:
I'm reluctant to open up my MAC and swap the drive around, remember the hard drive is functioning as it should on all levels other than allowing me to right click each file/folder.

All files are being written and saved as normal so it seems the hardware connection is fine - just a bug with the right clicking on files?
Click to expand...

What happens if you create a new User and login into that account, still the same?
 
Ah, I'm in the middle of working on something right now, so can't log out just yet, will give this a try later. however I can right click and change the files colours from another MAC that is connected over our network, if this helps?
 
deansawyer said:
Ah, I'm in the middle of working on something right now, so can't log out just yet, will give this a try later. however I can right click and change the files colours from another MAC that is connected over our network, if this helps?
Click to expand...

Hmm, if you can change the tags on another Mac it probably won't work on another clean User Account, but nothing wrong with trying.

Edit; you say right clcik, what about doing this from the Finders File Menu, is that also not working?
 
FYI, I've recently run into "right click" problems in Safari, and the fix was to go into the Control Panel, select the Mouse, select the Mouse Right Click setting option, change its setting (to anything else)...then change it back.

Simply "re-clicking" on the desired mouse setting (already selected) doesn't seem to work - you need to change it (and then you can change it back).


I don't know if this will fix your problem, but because the above worked for my Safari problem, it suggests that the root cause was that the mouse device configuration setting was getting messed up somehow in the OS.



-hh
 
Nope, still not found a fix for this. I tried logging in as another user to no effect. I also tried the turn right mouse button off and on again in mouse settings, nothing. BTW my right mouse btn does work, it's purely not being able to right click in folders/files on external drives. (including USB sticks and other connected drives)
Any other suggestions?
 
deansawyer said:
Nope, still not found a fix for this.
Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Have you tried installing any RMB Menu utilities? I'm using FolderGlance for example. It or something like it might be just the kick in the pants needed? And of course the enhancements make it pretty nice. Still nowhere as good as on Amiga but better than without IMO.
 
Nope, nothing like that, I haven't installed any software relating to mouse functions.

Remember my RMB works and does everything it should apart from on EXTERNAL drives. I can right click and rename folders/files as normal on my MAC HD but not on USB or other external drives.
 
deansawyer said:
Nope, nothing like that, I haven't installed any software relating to mouse functions.

Remember my RMB works and does everything it should apart from on EXTERNAL drives. I can right click and rename folders/files as normal on my MAC HD but not on USB or other external drives.
Click to expand...

Ya, I'm actually suggesting that you do install something tho - not wondering if that was a culprit in all this. Just so it's clear.
 
Ah sorry I misunderstood, thanks, will def look into that if I can't find a solution.
 
deansawyer said:
Ah sorry I misunderstood, thanks, will def look into that if I can't find a solution.
Click to expand...

NP. You of course already checked all the settings in System Preferences > Keyboard under Services in the Keyboard Shortcuts tab yeah? Which is where you set what does and doesn't get included in the in the RMB context menu(s). Just asking...

This might be worth a read as well: http://www.tuaw.com/2012/12/17/where-automator-actions-and-workflows-live/ but if no menu at all is popping up I'm not sure if Automator's actions and Workflows could come up. OTH, I get access to every drive from right-clicking anywhere on the desktop by just such conventions so maybe...
 

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Can you make any changes at all to the drive? Delete files, rename files, copy files to the drive, etc.?
 
Thanks guys I appreciate all the help given, but none of this is working. I didn't check the Keyboard shortcuts under SP but I have done now, I can't see anything in there that would help. - the right click function is working fine just not on external drives. In any case I hit restore defaults to no avail.

The lack of right clicking is only occuring in external drives. I can copy/paste/rename all files on all external drives just not access the right click menu tab. I have 2 internal additional hard drives (one used as Time machine the other for files) a connection to our servers files and occasionally the odd USB stick, none of which will let me right click in them. I can however right click and access the 'right clickable menu' on my native MAC HD.
 
I feel like you are writing conflicting information (see where I added bold) so I am very confused.

deansawyer said:
The lack of right clicking is only occuring in external drives.
Click to expand...

deansawyer said:
I have 2 internal additional hard drives (one used as Time machine the other for files) a connection to our servers files and occasionally the odd USB stick, none of which will let me right click in them.
Click to expand...

deansawyer said:
My External drive is plugged into one of the MAC Pro's bay slots.
Click to expand...

So these were previously external drives that are now mounted in the internal SATA drive bays?
 
Sorry for the confusion; I wasn't sure how to differentiate an additional internal drive to any other external. I was assuming the computer basically sees any drive as external other than its own.
So to clarify;

In addition to my Native/default MAC HD I currently (and have had for the past 4 years) have;
2 x hard drives mounted in the internal SATA drive Bays
Access to my works server and of course USB sticks, none of these additional storage drives allow me to right click in them. (ie the files inside them, not the drive itself, this I can right click)
 
Last edited:
Okay, I understand now. The drive that came with the Mac Pro has a right-click context menu but all the drives you've added yourself (including internal SATA hard drives and an external USB stick) do not have the menu.

I don't know what would cause this. I can think of a couple of things to try that might provide more clues.

1) Boot from the OS X disc or recovery partition (power up, wait for the BONG! and hold down the Option/ALT key). Use Disk Utility from there. This will get around the "can't unmount" error you received and enable you to fix permissions and drive errors.

2) The USB stick is easily moved; try it in a different Mac and see if you get a context menu there.
 
OK I restarted, booted from disk and ran Disk utility. Still couldn't run repair permissions (can you only do this on your native HD as this always seems to be greyed out?), but didn't run into an error about unable to unmount when I verified the disk this time. Also ran this again when I logged back into the MAC (see attached) The disk appears to be ok.

I'm not sure if that particular disk is the problem here, as it occurs on all my other added disks and even with the server. A clue could lie in the fact that I CAN right click on the files within my other disks from ANOTHER computer on our network, just not on my own.
 
deansawyer said:
I'm not sure if that particular disk is the problem here, as it occurs on all my other added disks and even with the server. A clue could lie in the fact that I CAN right click on the files within my other disks from ANOTHER computer on our network, just not on my own.
Click to expand...

It's not your disk drive.

I think it's something to do with your OS settings but I dunno exactly what. That the RMB context menu comes up for other disks tells us that the RMB click is being recognized and that the "shortcuts menu" is being called right (for them). Somehow, some setting somewhere is telling it not to open that context menu if the drive is listed in the devices list as an external drive. That the context menu pops up for that drive on another OS X tells us also that it's nothing on the drive itself.

It's part of the finder system itself which opens the RMB menu and lists the relevant commands, shortcuts, services, etc. and via object type decides what is or isn't in fact relevant. These are controlled by "FinderMenu" a bundle loading injector app, and "FinderExt.bundle" which speaks for itself by way of it's filename extension. :) The definitions or preferences are recorded in com.apple.finder if I'm not mistaken. You can manipulate this plist using the "Defaults" command in your Terminal.

For example defaults read com.apple.finder and there are many tutorials on-line which list the defaults and how to set them - sometimes focusing on only one default and sometimes overviewing.

My guess is that something in all that (or at least related :D) isn't set right. :p
 
Last edited:
Tesselator; Cheers, this seems the most logical route. When I get more time I'll explore this avenue...

Old Clogger; Thanks but I have already done this to no avail, we've established its more of an OS issue than a permissions problem.
 
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