URGENT: Messed up/Deleted dock.app file (CORE FOLDER IN OSX Mountain Lion!) NEED HELP

[NuclearCaffeine]

Hello,

I was trying to sort out my dock since you cant customize it past changing the lights and separators (due to Mountain lions new rendering settings). I was flicking through the threads and I think it was here where I got the dock fix or whatever https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1383647/.

I tried playing around with the files and even though I backed up the Dock.app file in core services etc. I ended up screwing the thing up.

MAIN QUESTION: how to recover the Dock? I dont have time machine(no money for a good external HD atm). I can still use the machine, but even though I can reorder everything to the way it was, the main things are (see screenshots) dock has a dock icon in it (middle) and trash,finder and dashboard dont show up as icons. Launchpad is gone also, and the only way i can use these features is through corners or hotkeys. My dock also lost the ability to search for apps (and obviously you can see that my launchapad is completely disorganised and in absolute chaos).

NEED HELP GUYS PLEASE HELP MEH

Ive tried all sorts of things to reset the doc through tinker tool and through terminal but the core of the problem is in the files in the library/core folders of the OSX.

I have Macbook Pro 15 inch Mountain lion 10.8.2 and I can tell you tech specs if you need them (which i doubt). Im sort of an advanced user but I'm not familiar with coding and terminal commands and stuff, but Im quite good at using my Mac and I dont fool around deep inside OSX folders for the sake of messing up something like I have here. Just ask questions and help me with this!!!

THANKS IN ADVANCE GUYS!

 

[justperry]

Do you have Pacifist (not free) and 10.8 Installer?

Without these and without a backup the only thing you can do is reinstall.

 

[NuclearCaffeine]

Q:Recovery HD, OSX and files!!

Do you have Pacifist (not free) and 10.8 Installer?

Without these and without a backup the only thing you can do is reinstall.

Thats what im trying to understand: when I go into recovery HD (holding ⌘+R at start up) and choosing reinstall OSX through the internet (not though timemachine) - does this delete any files on my computer or does it only reinstall OSX components and leaves my files alone (ie music, apps, documents?)

 

[justperry]

Thats what im trying to understand: when I go into recovery HD (holding ⌘+R at start up) and choosing reinstall OSX through the internet (not though timemachine) - does this delete any files on my computer or does it only reinstall OSX components and leaves my files alone (ie music, apps, documents?)

Is there an archive and install option in the Installer?

They used to have that for a long time on OS X, I have 10.5.8 (yes older Mac) and you could do that in the installer.

Edit: Did you put that copy of dock back in it's place, if so you might try and repair permissions, that could also be the problem.

 

[NuclearCaffeine]

Is there an archive and install option in the Installer?

They used to have that for a long time on OS X, I have 10.5.8 (yes older Mac) and you could do that in the installer.

Installer? What do you mean?

As we are speaking i am downloading Mac OSX 10.8.2 from my friend who gave me the OS in the first place. Im going to install it I think, i seem to keep coming across the fact that reinstalling OSX leaves your files alone and only reinstalls system files.

EDIT: sorry i only saw the repair permissions bit, i dont see how that helps but ill try

 

[justperry]

Installer? What do you mean?

As we are speaking i am downloading Mac OSX 10.8.2 from my friend who gave me the OS in the first place. Im going to install it I think, i seem to keep coming across the fact that reinstalling OSX leaves your files alone and only reinstalls system files.

EDIT: sorry i only saw the repair permissions bit, i dont see how that helps but ill try

The reason I said about repairing permissions is this.

If you are not logged in as a root user or doing things as root user and you copy the Dock.app back into /System/Library/CoreServices it has the permissions of the user who did this and not the original permissions.

This could be a problem, last time my finder didn't show up in the Dock either after changing the Icon inside the Finder App, after I repaired permissions and a restart of the Dock it worked again, so it may help.

Also, after you did this log out and in again or quit the Dock in Activity Monitor.

 

[NuclearCaffeine]

The reason I said about repairing permissions is this.

If you are not logged in as a root user or doing things as root user and you copy the Dock.app back into /System/Library/CoreServices it has the permissions of the user who did this and not the original permissions.

This could be a problem, last time my finder didn't show up in the Dock either after changing the Icon inside the Finder App, after I repaired permissions and a restart of the Dock it worked again, so it may help.

Also, after you did this log out and in again or quit the Dock in Activity Monitor.

Hey thanks for replying by the way

Ive tried opening mac in safe mode but it was unresponsive. Ive repaired permissions and it didnt help either. Ive downloaded the OSX through app store and going to install and reboot - i cant force quit dock through the task manager because it seems to run as an application if you catch my drift and i cant delete it from my desktop for some reason either....