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ArchonOSX
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Existing Ceiling Fan fixture doesn't work - 2 hot wires, 1 neutral all confusion

I have a ceiling fan wire set in our home that did not work when we moved in. It was/is exposed and we never saw a working fixture there. There are 3 wires. One black(1), one white(2) and one exposed wire(3) without a sheath. I had assumed that it was hot, neutral and ground respectively. But upon testing both wires 1 & 3 are hot. It goes to a double switch wall plate. There is only one switch for this particular ceiling light (left). The second switch has a white wire daisy chained to the first. The second switch (right) controls 3 things and does work. The closet light in that bedroom, a hallway linen closet just around the corner and a wall power outlet that only works when the second (right switch) is turned on.

Power only registers at the ceiling fan wiring spot when the left wall switch is turned on.

I've tried about every combination i thought safe in connecting the wires of a new ceiling fan/light but no dice. The fan/light has blue, black, white and ground wires. Once i found that two wires coming from the ceiling were hot that it would be one of two things. White to white, blue to one hot and black to the other hot. Or white to white and all hot together(?)

Please forgive my ignorance on the subject, stated above is my basic understanding of home wiring. And there are no other wall switches for these lights.

Any thoughts on what i'm missing? Attached are pics. The ceiling pic shows white wire on the left, unsheathed wire middle and black wire on the right. Ceiling Wires

right side