Comments on: Mastering Safari’s General Preferences

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:29:33 +0000

@Gary, Preferences for the Windows version of Safari are explained by Apple in this Safari 4 for Windows Document.

By: gary strutin

gary strutin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:52:24 +0000

actually, I can’t locate the preference screen.

Gary

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:03:31 +0000

@Gary
Are you stating you can’t locate the preferences, or that there is some other issue? The more details that is given, the better chances that a solution may be offered up.

By: gary strutin

gary strutin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:00:41 +0000

we just started using safari on our XP pc. It is much better and faster than the internet explorer we had been using for years. BUT…I can’t access the preferences. I would like to change the opening screen to a particular web page rather than the apple one it goes to now.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:36:23 +0000

I FOUND IT!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH COULDNT HAVE DONE ITWITHOUT YOU!! THANK YOU

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:20:37 +0000

@cynthia PreferencePanes are not the same things as Prefernces. You are looking for a folder called Preferences and a file called com.apple.Safari.plist. You are also looking for a folder called Safari.

You do not need Safari open to delete these files, Safari should actually be closed. From my previous reply:

Possible locations for the preferences are in your Library folder, you should see a Preferences folder, files named com.apple.Safari.plist and also any folders named Safari will be suspect.

If the file does not have the name “safari” in it, I would leave it alone. I certainly wold not delete files in the Preference Pane folder.

Hope that helps.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:01:38 +0000

Thank you for your help…. I have went into the libery find a preferencePanes, whatever that is!!! I am a dummy on this computer. Im trying to delete all this stuff but dont know how. I dont care about anything on here just wont safari to work! cant find safari preference,cause I cant open it long enough.

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:29:13 +0000

@cynthia The hard part about your problem is that I do not have any access to an OS 10.2 machine, let alone Safari 1. Have you ran software update to make sure you can not get a more current version of Safari?

At this point, my only suggestion would be to quit Safari, which seems to be the simple part and then start looking for the preferences that control Safari. Once you find those, move them aside, or delete them if you are feeling brave. See if that solves it for you.

Possible locations for the preferences are in your Library folder, you should see a Preferences folder, files named com.apple.Safari.plist and also any folders named Safari will be suspect.

With the preferences removed, the next time you open Safari it will make them new again. You will see a file called bookmarks.plist. You may want to hold onto that, as that contains your bookmarks. There may be a chance that corruption in that file is causing this, and you will have to be with a clean slate of bookmarks.

Good luck.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:42:06 +0000

My SAFARI 1.0.3 for my very old imac10.2 will not stop quiting on me. I have tried everything I know. It pops up for 1 second and quits. I dont know if i clicked on somethimg I wasnt supposed to. Now I only have the E web and I can only LOOK at my google messages,no deleting,no relying nothing! what do I do,please HELP ME!!!!!

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:34:12 +0000

@Jord, there is a reply to @Tom, with a solution.

By: Jord

Jord — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:05:46 +0000

Hello, I have the same proble as Tom. When i choose preferences i only get the advanced tab. The is absolutely no way as far as i can see to select the other tabs. I just un-clean installed 10.5. And am quite the expert user but now i’m at a loss… HELP PLEASE!
Jord

By: foo

foo — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:53:34 +0000

To turn off google suggestion, use:

http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0

By: Jimmy Longacre

Jimmy Longacre — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:08:38 +0000

Can anyone tell me how to turn off the query suggestion drop down from the search box? I’m using Mac OSX, in Google. Even though I check “do not provide query suggestions” in preferences, and “save preferences” they still persist. A maddening feature!!!

By: Tom

Tom — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:28:12 +0000

Thanks! It worked! I thought I had clicked that small button or chicklet in the upper, but I obviously didn’t. Thanks again.

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:47:19 +0000

@Tom, it looks like you are not using a current version of Safari. There is a small button or chicklet in the upper right of the window in Safari prefs, that will show the top header.

The version of Safari that ships with Leopard, does not allow you to toggle the header off. I would click that button, and you should be back in business.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:22:44 +0000

I’m not sure how I attach the screenshot. I just dragged the picture into this box. Hope it works.

/Users/motnitram/Desktop/Picture 1.png

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:39:57 +0000

@Tom, could you email in a screenshot of the window so I can see what you are talking about?

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:01:15 +0000

Thank you for your response, but there isn’t a “General Icon” at the top of the preferences window. It’s nothing like the window pictured above. In the advanced window that pops up the only options it gives me are: “Never use font smaller than_”, “style sheet (none selected)”, and “proxies”.

Any other ideas what I could do?

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:05:36 +0000

@Tom, just click on the General icon at the top of the preferences window.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:49:05 +0000

I’m trying to change my home page.
I’m in Safari, but when I got to preferences the window that comes up says “advanced”. How do I make it so the one that says “General” pops up?

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:39:52 +0000

@Ron, I am just about to run the update myself, and use it as a way to write a post about Software Update.

How long does it take to give yourself access to the menus? If you look in your Utilities folder, there is an application called “Activity Monitor.app”, open that, and you can tell it to list running processes. You can also sort them by the ones using the most CPU time. This may provide a clue as to what is stalling out your computer.

If that does not work, come back and let us know and I will see what else I can come up with.

By: Ron M

Ron M — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:29:57 +0000

I recently updated to Safari 3.1(5525.13) and now have a problem with the Finder when I first turn on my computer. I am unable to use any of the drop down menus in the Finder, but after a while I have access to the menus. Is there a fix for this problem?
Thanks
Ron M

By: Bert

Bert — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:46:56 +0000

Here’s something I’d really like some help with. Recently Safari will only play the audio on Quicktime files–no video at all. Firefox, however, plays all Quicktime files perfectly. I have a PowerMac G4 running 10.4.11. Anybody have any thoughts on what’s happening?
Thanks in advance.
Bert

By: Scott Haneda

Scott Haneda — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:54:43 +0000

@Tom, Toggling your Safari plug in prefs will have no harm on Safari, though some sites may behave incorrectly.

By: Tom Garrou

Tom Garrou — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:50:15 +0000

Thanks Scott. Really appreciate your help. I love the site and will just have to put up with the inconvenience.
It’s strange that the audio only loads on my iMac and not my wife’s.Evidently the problem is with my setup only.
Will using the toggle switch in Safari/preferences to turn the sound off and then immediately toggling back on harm Safari?
Thanks again for your help.
Tom