Expert: Amy - 8/8/2004

Question
Amy:

HELP!

I would like to Restore my Illustrator 10 Default Preference Settings.  I have a PC with WINDOWS 98 ME.

Could you provide me a Step-By-Step process to do so?

On page 5 of Illustrator 10, "Classroom in a Book" it says:

Locate the Illustrator preferences file, named in AI Prefs (Windows) as follows:

In Windows 98 and ME, The AI file is located in the Windows\Application\Data\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 10 folder.

Not to sound dense, but those instructions mean NOTHING to me.  I am a beginner and self-taught (and apparentty not very well- go ahead and laugh, it is pretty funny), and this is just not specific and step-by-step enough for me to follow and get the result.

I would sure appreciate your help.

Tom

PS:  If you are curious as to why I want to reset to the defaults, check this out...

Somehow (and I have no idea how- typical newbie remark- yeah, go ahead and laugh again, it's OK), I no longer see the artboard, tool bars at the top, or anything EXCEPT some of the window tools I like to use (such as Navigator, Transform, Color, Tools, etc) and the Desktop in the background (or whatever other program I may have had on screen before opening Illustrator.

PS 2:  FYI, by the way, grew up in Livonia

Answer
Hi Tom,

I don't know why your screen would be looking like it is but restoring the defaults is going to fix it!

Here's what you do.

Start your computer but DO NOT start Adobe Illustrator.

Click on the START menu in the lower left of the screen.
Move up and highlight Search > and then click on "For Files or Folders..."

In the box underneath 'Search for files or folders named:' type in AIprefs  

note: aiprefs is one word - no spaces.

Don't type anything in the box under "Containing Text"

Click on the menu under the words "Look In" and choose Local Hard Drive C:

Then click the "Search Now" button.

It'll look for and find the Aiprefs file and display it in the list at the right.

When it stops, click on the AIprefs item (the word aiprefs) with your RIGHT mouse button and you'll see a pop-up list.  One of the words in that list is Delete.  Choose it and you will delete that Aiprefs file.  

Now you can close the search box and go start your copy of Illustrator and the world will be wonderful again.

PS> This isn't foghat, is it?  I knew a Tom from Livonia named foghat.

Much luck,
Amy Pace