I RIGHT CLICK on the original folder/file, and choose "make alias" from the contextual menu.
After making the alias, I sometimes drag/move it to another location. Could that pose a problem? (I wouldn't think so since there would be no point in making an alias if it had to stay with the original file/folder.)
That is exactly the way Apple Aliases are supposed to work and why Apple created them in preference to Unix Symbolic links or hard links.
If some OnyX function were the culprit, logic says it should break ALL aliases, not just some or at least there should be something common among the new that are being broken.
- Are the broken aliases consistent ie. are the same links broken every time you run OnyX?
- Look carefully at which links get broken and see if there is any common element between them, such as ...
- The linked files are all in the same folder and the unbroken links are to files in other folders.
- the broken aliases are in the same folder and the unbroken aliases are in different folders.
- the broken aliases all point to the same kind of file ie have the same file extension?
- any other common element you can think of..
- If the broken aliases are truly random that would seem to indicate something deeper within either the volume structure of your drive or perhaps an interaction with something else that is running on your system. In that case:
- Boot from the Recovery drive and run Disk Utility > Files > First Aid to check for Volume Structure errors and
- Do a Safe Boot and run OnyX to see if the broken aliases still occur.
In any case either need to be prepared to spend some time running this one down or make up your mind to live with it.
A TROUBLESHOOTING ALTERNATIVE: There are other utilities that pretty well duplicate the functions in OnyX's
Automation. Two of the best known are
Cocktail and
TinkerTool System 5. Unfortunately neither of them is free, but TinkerTool System does offer an
Evaluation Mode which is fully functional for five runs on the same system. Even though OnyX, Cocktail, and TinkerTool System all use the same underlying Unix commands you might download TinkerTool System and see if it breaks any of your aliases. If it
doesn't that would definitely point the finger at OnyX as the culprit. If
does that would implicate other and perhaps more serious problems.