mac finder problem

[sonnet]

My mac G4 has recently startde playing up.
All the icons and files on the desktop have vanished and the finder control bar at the top just flashes on and off - i cant even open anything or access the blue apple top left, however...
I can access some things from the dock at the bottom including photoshop and i tunes; all my songs are still there and play ok and i can open up 'recent' photoshop files but I can't go 'file open' as everything immediatly quits.
My desktop was full of folders and stuff this morning and now it's all gone. It must still be there right?!?!
please help anyone?

 

[Ric]

Hi there and welcome !

have you tried restarting the Mac?

regards

Ric

 

[sonnet]

yes many times still no joy
I'm starting to worry about all my files and the possibility of loosing them

 

[Ric]

Hi there,

do you have any backups ?

What version of OS X are you running ?

Have you got an OS install disk ?

regards

Ric

 

[sonnet]

i'm on os x2.8 and i have tried booting up from the cd but i would have to re install the system wiping over my files (which are not backed up!)
as all the i tunes are still available i'm hoping my photoshop files will be also!!
any advice?

 

[sonnet]

is there any chance it could be a virus (i've heard that they are non existant on macs)
i've had this mac for about 6 years now...

 

[Kyomii]

It could be that the paths to the icons/programs are messed up somehow, or it could be a hardware issue. Have you tried repairing permissions or perhaps checking the hardware from your CD at all?

You could also try setting up another user account and put a couple of icons on the desktop and then boot up to that user account and see if the same symptoms are replicated on the new user account.