Mac OS X: utilities deleted - what to do?
If you accidentally deleted your Mac OS utilities, don't worry. We'll show you how to reinstall Apple Tools.
Copy deleted utilities from Mac DVD
The fastest way to get the utilities back from the installation DVD:
- Insert the system installation DVD and open it from the workplace
- In the "Applications" folder you will find the "Utilities" folder. Copy the entire content here.
- Navigate to your program folder in the "User / Applications" path and paste the copied content into the "Utilities" folder. If you restart your Mac, your programs will be available again.
Alternative: Recover deleted Mac programs without data loss
Alternatively, you can reinstall the operating system and save your private data beforehand. So you have a practically new system with all utilities and your documents and files. However, please note that you still have to reinstall the saved programs.
- Insert your installation DVD, shut down the Mac. Restart it while holding down the Alt key. The Mac starts and the installation menu opens.
- You will now see the connected hard drives and drives. Navigate with the arrow keys to the displayed DVD symbol and confirm with [Enter].
- You can then click on the target volume. Select your hard drive here.
- Activate the "Archive and Install" function under "Options". Also check "Keep users and network settings" so that your private data is saved in the "PreviousSystem" folder.
- The installation begins. After your operating system has been reinstalled, you can move your private files from the folder back to your library.
- Finally, restart your system. You will find the "PreviousSystem" folder along with your data on your Mac hard drive. Once you have copied your documents back to their original location, you can confidently delete the folder.
You can do a lot more with your Mac utilities: another practical tip will help you find the best features of Disk Utility.