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gregbenj

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 28, 2006
47
22
Some shortcuts aren't working for me in safari: for example, apple+n will no longer open a new window, nor will apple+ctrl+d open up safari's built in dictionary. Why is this happening, and how can I fix the problem?

Thanks,
Greg
 
No ad-ons or hacks installed.... I figured out why the apple+N (new window) wasn't working. It seems that the shortcut for text to speech was somehow set at apple+N so it overrided the safari one. The dictionary, however (apple+ctrl+d) still does not work!!!!!!!!! When I press that three key combo, nothing happens. When I try to move the cursor with the three keys pressed, the cursor lags far behind. HELP!! I love to use that dictionary!
 
no, in textedit i get the same results: no dictionary, and the cursor lags behind mouse movement.
 
Okay, look for a file named com.apple.Dictionary.plist in the Preferences folder and drag it to the Trash. Restart and check whether it's any better now. :)
 
trashed that...still no luck. any other suggestions? appreciate the help!
 
Yes, I still have the Dictionary program in applications and it works.
 
Guessing here... Maybe turn off universal access, or turn disable any keyboard shortcut modifiers on your machine (an app, or under keyboard and mouse).
 
universal access is off. keyboard shortcuts have been restored to defaults. still no change. thanks for the help
 
What sort of third party contextual menu items do you have installed, if any? Also, does the Look Up In Dictionary contextual item work properly? :)
 
No third party software installed. The dictionary application is functioning; I am able to Look Up, if that is what you were asking. thx
 
Okay, I'm running out of ideas...


  1. Try using these keys in isolation to make sure they work. In Safari, COMMAND-D adds the current page to bookmarks. CONTROL-OPTION-COMMAND-8 should invert your screen colours (it's a toggle so do the same to get normal colours back). Are both of these things working?
  2. Also open up a new user account in System Preferences and see whether your problem carries over.


Good luck. :)
 
It works when I create a new account!! Now, why won't it work under my account? I'm trying to think of anything that I have downloaded. I'm checking OnyX for anything that looks suspicious.......doesn't appear so. Other than that and flip4mac they two accounts should be similar. thx
 
Okay, is there a file named com.apple.PopupDictDaemon.plist in your Preferences folder? If there is, do what you did with the earlier preference file and drag it out, reboot and check your popup dictionary again. :)
 
did that....still a problem. it sounded good, tho! is there's anyway to transfer the plist from the working account to this one?
 
Yeah, drag it to the Shared folder from the other account and then into the new account's Preferences folder. I guess it's worth a shot but I doubt it'll work. :eek:
 
Yeah, sorry, I'm stuck. Apart form migrating everything manually over to the new account, maybe just check and recheck the third party plug ins, apps or installed items that are exclusive to this account. It sounds like there's an incompatibility somewhere along the line but I can't think of what it'd be. :(
 
Hey, thank you for taking your time to help out a fellow jew with this problem!:)
 
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